Thaumastotingis areolatus, Heiss & B, 2015

Heiss, Ernst & B, Viktor, 2015, Thaumastotingis areolatus nov. gen., nov. sp. a conspicuous new Thaumastocoridae from Baltic Amber (Hemiptera: Heteroptera), Linzer biologische Beiträge 47 (1), pp. 529-537 : 532-535

Thaumastotingis areolatus nov.sp. ( Figs. 1-6 )

Holotype: Male, preserved in an elongate piece of Baltic Amber (25x8x 4mm), dorsal and ventral side visible, an air bubble obscures partly the apex of genital segment. Antennae complete, bent ventrally, legs partly displaced. This specimen is designated as holotype and will be deposited in GPIH as: " GPIH Nummer 4569, Sammlung Gröhn Nummer 5394".

Paratype: Female, Baltic Amber inclusion embedded in a block of artificial resin (11x17x 4mm), dorsal and ventral side visible, antennae and legs complete, the latter bent ventrally. This specimen shares all characters of the holotype and is therefore regarded and designated as a paratype. Deposited in CEHI as BB-THAU-1.

D e s c r i p t i o n: Holotype male, submacropterous. Body oval, elongate, 2.56 x as long as wide; surface of hemelytra covered by areolae of oval, pentagonal and hexagonal shape; costal area of hemelytra with subrectangular areolae. Coloration of pronotum and hemelytra brown, head darker brown.

H e a d: Short and wide, width across eyes about 1.58 x as wide as length of head (19/12); preocular part rather short. Dorsal side without visible spines or tubercles. Bucculae (juga) with lateral margins parallel and slightly widening posteriorly, separated by wide truncate clypeus, its apex not exceeding. Antenniferous lobes small and subacute. Antennae 4-segmented. The first segment is rather thick, except the base; the second and third segments are thin, especially the third one; fourth segment fusiform, thicker than the second and third segments, but thinner than the first one; the third segment and the base of the fourth segment with minute tubercles bearing very fine hairs. Eyes of oval outline and laterally produced, their inner margins are not clearly visible. Postocular lobes short, converging posteriorly.

P r o n o t u m:1.41x wider than long (34/24). Anterior margin slightly concave, lateral margins nearly straight. Disk deeply punctured, slightly elevated, without longitudinal carinae. Paranota distinctly narrowing posteriorly, with a complete row of larger areolae along lateral margin and a few smaller ones on inner side of anterior third of their length. Posterior margin slightly convex, without median triangular projection.

S c u t e l l u m: Completely visible, relatively small, of elongate triangular shape.

H e m e l y t r a: Submacropterous, their apices overlapping abdominal apex of genital capsule in male but not exceeding it. Hemelytra completely areolate, including the membrane, leaving only an oval smooth membraneous spot at apex. Corium divided into costal, subcostal, discoidal and sutural areas by longitudinal elevated veins. Costal area with 1 row of transverse oval areolae; subcostal and discoidal areas with 4 and 6 rows of areolae at their widest parts respectively, sutural area with 1 row of areolae fusing with membrane posteriorly. Сlavus distinct and exposed, triangular, anteriorly uncovered by pronotum, separated from corium by a comissura, with 5 rows of areolae at its widest part and 8 areolae along the midline. Membrane with 11-12 rows of areolae at its widest part.

V e n t e r: Apex of labium reaching posterior margin of middle coxa. Lateral margins of abdomen delimited by hypocostal lamina, which shows one row of areolae (although not always clearly visible). Pregenital abdominal segments symmetrical and without particular modifications to accommodate the ninth segment or pygophore. The latter is clearly asymmetric, turned and apically opened to the left side, rather elongate and narrow. Parameres paired, hook-like, with thickened base and obtuse apex.

L e g s: Femora and tibiae cylindrical, the former moderately thickened at middle, the latter with some stiff bristles. Tarsi 3-segmented. Two first tarsal segments short and thin, the third one rather thick, equal in length to the first two segments taken together. Claws with large oval pulvilli (arolia auct.).

F e m a l e: Shares all structural characters of male; body more stout, 2.35 x as long as wide.

Ventral pregenital segments with larger sternite VII, sternite VIII seemingly split into two plates and narrow sternite IX exposed.

M e a s u r e m e n t s (in mm): The first figure refers to the male holotype, the second to the female paratype. Body length 2.50-2.65; abdomen width 0.975 -1.125; head length 0.3-0.275; head width 0.475 -0.462; width of clypeus incl. genae 0.162; antennal segments I/II/III/IV = 0.15/0.175/0.3/0.2 - 0.15/0.175/0.29/-0.225; pronotum length 0.6- 0.65; pronotum width 0.85-0.875; width of pronotal anterior margin 0.5-0.475; ratio pronotum width/length 1.41-1.35; ratio length of antennae/width of head 1.74-1.81.

E t y m o l o g y: Named after the unusual areolate structure of pronotum and abdomen.

D i s c u s s i o n: Distinguished from Eocene Baltic Amber taxon Proxylastodoris gerdae (BECHLY & WITTMANN, 2000) by elongate, subparallel habitus (egg-shaped); surface with large Tingidae-like cells (finely punctate); shorter rostrum reaching middle of mesosternum (longer, reaching posterior border of metasternum); antenniferous lobes small but distinct (lacking); claval suture about 2.5x as long as scutellum (slightly longer than scutellum); membrane areolate (not sclertotized). The second known Eocene Amber species is Protodoris minusculus NEL et.al 2004 described from Le Quesnoy amber in France, which is at once distinguished by much wider and sinuate paranota and the lack of pulvilli.

D i s t r i b u t i o n a n d E c o l o g y: This is the second known representative of Thaumastocoridae from Baltic Amber. Few recent records of the introduced alien Australian Eucalyptus pest Thaumastocoris peregrinus CARPINTERO & DALLAPÉ, 2006 to Italy (LAUDONIA & SASSO 2012, SASSO et al. 2014), Portugal ( GARCIA et al. 2013) and to Sicily ( CARAPEZZA 2014) indicate its presence and expansion in Europe and hence the temperate Palaearctic Area. As all other extant species of this family are primarily recorded from palms (hence "palm bug") in the Southern Hemisphere or are pests of Eucalyptus in Australia and New Zealand ( CASSIS et al. 1999, NOACK et al. 2001, SOPOW & BADER 2013) and South Africa ( JACOBS & NIESER 2005), it might be assumed that the subtropical climate and the flora of Eocene time offered similar conditions for the development of Thaumastocoridae in regions where Baltic and French Amber originated.

Figures

Figs 1-3: Holotype male of Thaumastotingis areolatus nov.gen., nov.sp.: (1) dorsal view, (2) ventral view; (3) terminal segments ventral view.

Figs. 4-6: Paratype female of Thaumastotingis areolatus nov.gen., nov.sp.: (4) dorsal view, (5) ventral view; (6) terminal segments ventral view.