Cercotingis tasmaniensis Shofner and Cassis, 2024

Shofner, Ryan & Cassis, Gerasimos, 2024, Phylogenetics and taxonomy of the Indo-Australian genus Ulonemia sensu Drake (Hemiptera: Tingidae), with the recognition of new genera and species collected from Proteaceae in Australia, Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 200 (2), pp. 360-425 : 395-396

Cercotingis tasmaniensis Shofner and Cassis sp. nov.

( Figs 5E, F , 6K, L , 7K, L , 9 )

Zoobank registration: urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:1564B5A2-C722-497A-AA26-A97424006411 .

Type material

Holotype: AUSTRALIA: Tasmania: Riparian shrubland on bank of New River , 28.3 km W of Ida Bay , 43.40882°S 146.55627°E, 19 m, 08 Feb 2016, R. Shofner, Orites diversifolius R. Br. ( Proteaceae ), det. Miguel de Salas TMAG, 1 ♂ (UNSW_ ENT 00046471 ) ( TMAG).

Paratypes: AUSTRALIA: Tasmania: Reservoir Lakes nr Mt La Perouse, 43.48327°S 146.73057°E, 800 m, 16 Feb 1988, P. B. McQuillan, 1 ♀ (UNSW_ENT 00046472) (TDAH). Riparian shrubland on bank of New River, 28.3 km W of Ida Bay, 43.40882°S 146.55627°E, 19 m, 08 Feb 2016, R. Shofner, Orites diversifolius R. Br. ( Proteaceae ), det. Miguel de Salas TMAG, 1 ♀ (UNSW_ENT 00027448) (UNSW).

Diagnosis: Cercotingis tasmaniensis can be recognized by the following combination of characters: posterior half of medial carina golden-brown, brown, or straw-coloured; areolae of pronotal carinae small, obscure, carinae nearly contiguous with pronotal disc; paranota areolate along entire length, areolae easily visible and well-defined; anterior portion of costal area biseriate; metasternal carinae straight, parallel, width between metasternal carinae equal to width between mesosternal carinae.

Male: Macropterous; 3.43 mm (N = 1) ( Table 3 ). COLORATION. Brown to straw-coloured. Head: brown to dark brown; spines golden-brown to straw-coloured; bucculae straw-coloured; eyes red. Antennae: AI–AIII golden-brown, AIV golden-brown, darkening apically. Rostrum: golden-brown with dark brown to black band proximally on second segment, dark brown to black apex. Pronotum: disc brown; calli dark brown; collum and paranota brown to golden-brown; lateral and medial carinae straw-coloured anteriorly, dark brown medially, black posteriorly. Thoracic pleura and sterna: proepisternum golden-brown anteriorly, mostly dark brown posteriorly, proepimeron and supracoxal lobes golden-brown to straw-coloured; mesepisternum mostly dark brown, mesepimeron and supracoxal lobes golden-brown to straw-coloured; metepisternum dark brown anteriorly, golden-brown posteriorly; peritreme of metathoracic gland straw-coloured; pro-, meso-, and metasternum golden-brown to brown; prosternal carinae dark brown, mesosternal and metasternal carinae straw-coloured. Hemelytra: discoidal area straw-coloured proximally, darkening to golden-brown distally, with dark brown to black blotch on cubitus vein; subcostal area straw-coloured proximally, darkening to dark brown distally, costal margin straw-coloured with dark brown costal veins; sutural area straw-coloured along interior margin, remainder brown; apex of hemelytra golden-brown, with inverted cordate dark brown field covering distal end of sutural area, with smaller cordate pale blotch incised into distal end of dark blotch. Legs: mostly golden-brown, coxae dark brown; tarsi dark brown to black distally. Abdominal venter: golden-brown, posterior margins of abdominal sternites III–IX dark brown; sternite II dark brown. VESTITURE. Head: distribution of golden-brown aciculate setae in bands from base of AI to occipital spines and from frontal spines along either side of medial spine, to back of head; frons and gena with straw-coloured aciculate setae; medial spine with straw-coloured short aciculate to hooked setae; vertex with globules of wax; bucculae with arcuate aciculate setae and ciliate punctures. Antennae: AI–AII with straw-coloured sparse, aciculate arcuate setae; AIII with straw-coloured aciculate decumbent setae, AIV with straw-coloured aciculate setae; distal ends of AII and AIII with dense ring of microtrichia. Pronotum: anterior margin mostly glabrous, with occasional arcuate aciculate setae; paranotal margins with arcuate aciculate setae; medial and lateral carinae mostly glabrous, with occasional arcuate aciculate setae; disc with minute scale-like setae and numerous punctures with six to eight cilia distributed evenly around internal rim of punctures; calli often with globules of wax. Thoracic pleura and sterna: proepisternum with arcuate aciculate setae and ciliate punctures anteriorly as on pronotal disc, lacking ciliate punctures posteriorly, proepimeron and supracoxal lobes with arcuate aciculate setae and ciliate punctures; mesepisternum with arcuate aciculate setae, mesepimeron and supracoxal lobes with arcuate aciculate setae and ciliate punctures posteriorly; metepisternum with arcuate aciculate setae and ciliate punctures; pro-, meso-, and metapluron covered with small wax globules. Legs: trochanter to tarsus with golden-brown aciculate setae; coxae with single row of arcuate aciculate setae. Hemelytra: glabrous, rarely with short aciculate setae on veins. Abdominal venter: aciculate setae and wax distributed throughout. STRUCTURE. Head: frontal spines slightly conical, convergent, approximately one-third length of AI; medial spine stout, conical, height approximately one-half of AI; occipital spines straight, cylindrical to weakly clavate, exceeding length of medial spine, easily exceeding anterior edge of collum. Antennae: AI and AII short, AII one-half length of AI; AIV weakly clavate. Labium: moderate length, extending to posterior margin of metasternum. Pronotum: strongly convex; collum apex inflated to subglobose, height one-half of disc; carinae decumbent on disc, slightly elevated posteriorly; medial and lateral carinae equal thickness, lateral carinae strongly divaricating anteriorly; paranota curved, following disc, upturned, nearly adpressed to disc, biseriate to triseriate, areolae irregular. Thoracic sterna: mesosternal and metasternal carinae elevated, uniseriate, areolae rectangular; mesosternal carinae straight, parallel, metasternal carinae straight to slightly curved. Hemelytra: areolae small, irregular, and nearly uniform size in discoidal and subcostal areas; sutural area areolae similar to discoidal area proximally, increasing in size to 10× distally; costal area areolae irregularly shaped anteriorly, large, rectangular posteriorly; anterior one-third costal area biseriate, posterior two-thirds uniseriate, subcostal area biseriate, discoidal area increasing from one to eight areolae wide, sutural area increasing from two to nine areolae wide. Male genitalia: not examined.

Female: Macropterous; 3.38–3.49 mm (N = 2) ( Table 3 ). COLORATION. As in male. VESTITURE. As in male. STRUCTURE. Noticeably broader than males; otherwise as in male.

Plant associations: Recorded from Orites diversifolius , two specimens ( Proteaceae ).

Distribution: Known from South-west National Park near Ida Bay, and Reservoir Lakes near Mt. Peruse, Tasmania ( Fig. 10 ).

Remarks: This species is similar to C. decoris but can be distinguished by the shape of the metasternal carinae.

Figures

Figure 5. Scanning electron micrographs of Proteatingis xouthos sp. nov. (A, B), Malandiola semota Drake 1942b (C, D), and Cercotingis tasmaniensis sp. nov. (E, F). Abbreviations:hd, hood; mdsp, medial spine; para, paranotum; pmg, peritreme of the metathoracic gland.

Figure 6. Dorsal habitus photos of Cercotingis species: C. croajingolong sp. nov. male light morph (A), male dark morph (B), female light morph (C), female dark morph (D); C. decoris stat. nov. male (E), female (F); C. impensa stat.nov.male (G), female (H); C. namadji sp. nov. male (I), female (J); C. tasmaniensis sp. nov.male (K), female (L). Scale bar = 1 mm.

Figure 7. Lateral habitus photos of Cercotingis species: C. croajingolong sp. nov.male light morph (A), male dark morph (B), female light morph (C), female dark morph (D); C. decoris stat. nov. male (E), female (F); C. impensa stat. nov.male (G), female (H); C. namadji sp. nov. male (I), female (J); C. tasmaniensis sp. nov.male (K), female (L). Scale bar = 1 mm.

Figure 9. Distribution map for Cercotingis croajingolong sp. nov., C. decoris stat. nov., C. impensa stat. nov., C. namadgi sp. nov., and C. tasmaniensis sp. nov. Locality information taken from the PBI database.

Figure 10. Male genitalia of Cercotingis decoris stat. nov.: pygophore, dorsal view (A); pygophore, ventral view (B); left paramere, dorsal view (C); right paramere, lateral view (D); right paramere, dorsal view (E); aedeagus, dorsal view (F); aedeagus, ventral view (G); aedeagus, right lateral view (H). See Methods for abbreviations.Scale bars = 0.1 mm.