Casuarinicola nigrimaculatus Taylor

Taylor, Gary S., Austin, Andy D., Jennings, John T., Purcell, Matthew F. & Wheeler, Gregory S., 2010, Casuarinicola, a new genus of jumping plant lice (Hemiptera: Triozidae) from Casuarina (Casuarinaceae), Zootaxa 2601, pp. 1-27 : 13-14

Casuarinicola nigrimaculatus Taylor , sp. nov.

Figs 12–18 , 24–26 , Tables 1–5, 8

Types. AUSTRALIA, Queensland: Holotype: 1 ɗ (slide) Bundaberg, Hummock Lookout, 24º50.604’S, 152º25.493'E, GST, 22.viii.2006, Casuarina glauca (?), ABCL 2006 587 (QMBA). Paratypes: 16 ɗ, 17 Ψ (slide), 20 nymphs (on 5 slides) same data as holotype, ABCL 2006 587 (ANIC, QMBA, WINC).

Other material examined. AUSTRALIA, Queensland: from C. cunninghamiana : 1 Ψ Archer Creek ( NHMB). 14 ɗ, 12 Ψ Bundaberg-Gin Gin Road ( WINC); 1 ɗ, 1 Ψ Esk ( WINC); 4 ɗ, 3 Ψ Inglewood ( WINC); 2 Ψ 12 km S Yeppoon ( WINC); 2 Ψ Oaky Creek ( WINC); 3 ɗ, 5 Ψ Rockhampton-Yeppoon, Bondoola ( WINC); Australian Capital Territory: from C. cunninghamiana : 3 ɗ, 2 Ψ Black Mtn ( ANIC); 10 ɗ, 11 Ψ, 3 parasitised nymphs Coppins Crag ( ANIC); 2 ɗ, 1 Ψ Coppins Crossing ( ANIC). New South Wales: from C. cunninghamiana : 20 ɗ, 15 Ψ Forbes ( WINC); 3 ɗ, 2 Ψ Molong Creek ( WINC); 1 ɗ Orange ( WINC); 2 Ψ Tooraweenah ( WINC); 1 Ψ Trangie ( ANIC); 3 ɗ, 5 Ψ Wellington ( WINC).

Description. Adult. Colour ( Figs 12–17 ): Male: general colour pale ochraceous with orange-brown to dark brown markings. Vertex with a brown spot in vicinity of fovea and thin dark longitudinal stripe along median suture; genal processes pale; antennal segments 1–2 ochraceous to brown; segment 3 yellow-brown; segments 4–10 brown to dark brown; pronotum with a pair of ochraceous submedial spots; mesopraescutum with a pair of broad triangular orange-brown markings anteriorly; mesoscutum with 2 pairs light orangebrown to brown longitudinal submedial stripes; mesoscutellum pale ochraceous; fore wing ( Fig. 17 ) generally with dark grey-brown markings in two distinct, broad patches: anterior-most marking largely confined to cell cu2 (posterior to veins R+M+Cu, M+Cu and Cu1b, and anterior to vein cs) but may extend to anterior portion of cell m2; and a second marking comprising most of apical third of wing, its proximal margin more or less straight, reaching costa (apical margin of wing) just anterior of termination of Rs and hind wing margin just proximal to termination of vein Cu1b; its distal margin reaching margin of wing at radular areas in cells m1, m2 and cu1; some specimens with a clear spherical area in vicinity of junction of veins M1+2 and M3+4: [some specimens are without dark markings or with only pale markings in fore wing]; legs pale ochraceous with dorsal dark brown longitudinal infuscation on femora; tarsi brown to dark brown; proctiger brown to dark brown; abdominal tergites dark brown to black; subgenital plate dark brown to glossy black, with paler coloration anterolaterally; parameres dark brown to glossy black. Female: as for male, except fore wing markings ( Fig. 16 ) dark brown to black; proctiger dark glossy brown, with pale edge around circum-anal pore ring, a light brown vertical lateral stripe and a pale spot on apical lobes; subgenital plate ochraceous with a pair of brown to dark brown markings laterally (confluent with anterior margin), and dark brown towards apex.

Structure: measurements and ratios as in Tables 1–5. Antenna ( Fig. 18 ) short, 1.20–1.45 times width of head; genal processes short, conical, 0.27–0.36 times length of vertex; length of vertex 0.46–0.53 times width of head; anterior margin of vertex delineated by moderate ridge, vertex with prominent medial suture and prominent fovea; pronotum with moderate anterior medial node; fore wing elongate-oval with broadly rounded apex; Rs short, terminating well short of wing apex; vein M1+2 terminating near wing apex; cell m1 short, broad, m1 cell value 1.3–1.7; cell cu1 elongate triangular, cu1 cell value 0.71–1.1; male terminalia as in Figs 24–25 ; proctiger short with broad lateral expansions; parameres thin elongate, curved inward towards apex; female terminalia as in Fig. 26 ; proctiger short, with dorsal profile broadly rounded from lateral aspect, with broadly rounded flange-shaped lateral lobes.

Etymology. From nigri, black, dark + maculatus (Latin) spot, blemish; refers to dark markings on fore wing.

Distribution. Recorded from coastal and subcoastal eastern Australia from near Cooktown (Queensland) to Canberra (Australian Capital Territory), including inland ‘mid-western’ New South Wales ( Fig. 51 ).

Host plants. Recorded from C. cunninghamiana and C. glauca . Casuarina cunninghamiana (river sheoak) occurs as a 15–35 m tree along permanent to semi-permanent watercourses from Daly River, NT and east to the Gulf of Carpentaria in northern Australia, and in eastern Australia from near Chillagoe in northern Qld to Bega in NSW. There are two subspecies: subsp. cunninghamiana , that occurs from near Chillagoe, Qld to near Bega, NSW, and subsp. miodon that occurs from Daly River, NT to the Gulf of Carpentaria, Qld ( Wilson & Johnson 1989). Casuarina glauca (swamp oak) occurs as an 8–20 m tree in brackish situations along estuaries and streams in coastal and subcoastal regions in eastern Australia, from Yeppoon, Qld to Bermagui, NSW. It frequently produces root suckers and often forms pure stands as an open forest or woodland ( Wilson & Johnson 1989).

Comments. This species can be distinguished from all other species in the genus by the female having a broad black terminal band in the fore wing. It is the only species in which the male has a fore wing with dark markings, although this character is absent in some specimens. Casuarinicola nigrimaculatus sp. nov. has short conical genal processes (shared with C. australis sp. nov., C. mucronalatus sp. nov. and C. novacaledonica sp. nov., but differs from C. warrigalensis sp. nov. in which they are considerably shorter); the pronotum has a moderate median lobe (shared with C. mucronalatus sp. nov. and C. novacaledonica sp. nov., but is more prominent in C. australis sp. nov. and reduced in C. warrigalensis sp. nov); the fore wing is elongate oval with a rounded apex, cell m1 is short and broad and cell cu1 is narrow and high, each with a low cell value (shared with C. australis sp. nov., C. novacaledonica sp. nov. and C. warrigalensis sp. nov., but differs from C. mucronalatus sp. nov. in which the fore wing has a subangular apex, cell m1 is long and narrow and cell cu1 is short and broad, each with a high cell value); and, the hind tibia is moderate in length with a moderate tibia length to head width ratio (shared with C. australis sp. nov. and C. mucronalatus sp. nov., but differs from C. novacaledonica sp. nov. with a short hind tibia and low length to head width ratio, and C. warrigalensis sp. nov. with a long hind tibia and high length to head width ratio). C. nigrimaculatus sp. nov. occurs on C. cunninghamiana and C. glauca , which are also hosts for C. australis sp. nov.

Figures

FIGURES 12 – 18. Casuarinicola nigrimaculatus sp. nov. (12), habitus, female (dorsal aspect); (13), habitus, male (dorsal aspect); (14), habitus female (lateral aspect); (15), habitus male (lateral aspect); (16), fore wing, female; (17), fore wing, male; (18), head (dorsal aspect). Scale = 0.5 mm.

FIGURES 24 – 29. Casuarinicola nigrimaculatus sp. nov. and C. mucronalatus, sp. nov. Casuarinicola nigrimaculatus, sp. nov. (24), male terminalia (lateral aspect); (25), paramere (inner face, lateral aspect); (26), female terminalia, (lateral aspect); Casuarinicola mucronalatus sp. nov. (27), male terminalia (lateral aspect); (28), paramere (inner face, lateral aspect); (29), female terminalia, (lateral aspect: note alignment of circumanal pore ring is an artefact). Scale = 0.2 mm.

FIGURES 50 – 51. Distribution for Australian species of Casuarinicola gen. nov.: (50),, Casuarinicola australis sp. nov.; (51),, C. nigrimaculatus sp. nov.;, C. mucronalatus sp. nov.;, C. warrigalensis sp. nov.