Callitricola wiradjuri, Symonds & Cassis, 2018

Symonds, Celia L. & Cassis, Gerasimos, 2018, Systematics And Analysis Of The Radiation Of Orthotylini Plant Bugs Associated With Callitroid Conifers In Australia: Description Of Five New Genera And 32 New Species (Heteroptera: Miridae: Orthotylinae), Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 2018 (422), pp. 1-229 : 139-145

Callitricola wiradjuri , new species

Figures 11 , 13 , 43–46; map 3

DIAGNOSIS: Defined by the following characters: midsized; dusty, pale green coloration; forewing membrane veins pale yellow-green; pygophore dorsal margin with medial tumescence and two sclerotized tergal processes arising from tergal plate; tergal processes round and lobelike with spiniferous surfaces, positioned left lateral and right lateral; left paramere apex narrow with weakly recurved hook; right paramere, base short, apex weakly curved inward and slightly pointed forming flange along inner ventral surface; small bumplike serrations on apical dorsal margin only; phallotheca right dorsal margin with small basal tumescence and weakly expanded lobe; PES fully enclosing secondary gonopore, bifurcate medially, left branch strongly downturned, right branch elongate and subapically serrate, with smooth tip; DES2 unbranched, distally serrate; DES1 unbranched, significantly shorter than other two spicules; female laIRL uniform width, narrow, slightly curved inward distally, base with one small spiniferous lobe; mIRL half height of laIRL, subrectangular, apex slightly pointed, margin only serrate.

DESCRIPTION: Male: Midsized, body length 3.13–3.93 mm, pronotal width 0.91–1.01 mm.

COLORATION: Dorsum pale dusty green, often faded to pale yellow-green, with some darker bright green patches (retained) on embolium and cuneus; forewing membrane translucent light brown with darker patches laterally, veins dust, pale yellow-green with pigmentation bleeding onto surrounding membrane, major cell without colored spot (fig. 13). VESTITURE: Dorsum with moderately dense distribution of pale simple setae. STRUCTURE: Head: Antennae with AI subequal to vertex width, AII 1.3× pronotum width. Hemelytra: Cuneus and major cell of wing membrane relatively short, subovate, major membrane vein slightly round (fig. 13). GENITALIA: Pygophore: Dorsal margin of genital opening asymmetrically weakly concave, with medial tumescence at margin, two sclerotized tergal process positioned right and left of midline, arising from tergal plate (figs. 43H, 44A, 45A); left and right tergal processes broad, lobe shaped with spiniferous surface and round apexes (figs. 43H, 44A, 45A); linear, posteriorly projected tergal lobe on far right margin at base of right tergal process (figs. 44B, 45A); ventral margin slightly convex (fig. 44B); phalloguide with small, lightly sclerotized lobe at base of right paramere articulation, with few serrations on right margin (figs. 44B, 45A). Left paramere: Apophysis tapering apically, apex narrow with strongly recurved hook (fig. 45B). Right paramere: Base short, paramere subovate in lateral view; apex weakly curved inward, forming flange along inner ventral surface, apex slightly pointed; apical inner dorsal margin with minute raised bumps on surface; mesiolateral surface not excavated (fig. 45C). Phallotheca: Dorsal opening large, distal to medial; apex round; large subapical ventral tumescence; small right lateral basal tumescence; weakly expanded lobe on right dorsal margin; small left lateral tumescence (figs. 44A, B, 45D). Aedeagus: Spicule arrangement (fig. 45): PES with tubular base entire and wholly sheathing secondary gonopore, with opening medially through which apex of secondary gonopore protrudes (fig. 44D, E); distal portion of PES dorsad to secondary gonopore (fig. 44D), DES2 and DES1 left dorsolateral to PES; bases of all spicules originating adjacently at base of secondary gonopore (fig. 45E); DES2 and DES1 flattened at base, not tubular (fig. 44C); PES bifurcate medially, left branch strongly downcurved and distally serrate, right branch serrate subdistally, with curved acuminate apical tip (figs. 44C, D, 45E); DES2 unbranched, tapering, distally serrate, subequal length to PES (figs. 44C–E, 45C); DES1 short, half length of other two spicules, apex serrate, basal keel (DESk) short (figs. 44C, E, 45E).

Female: Relatively small, subovate, body length 3.12–3.78 mm, pronotal width 0.84–0.96 mm. GENITALIA: Interramal lobes (fig. 46B): mIRL partially joined to laIRL at base; laIRL uniform width, narrow, slightly curved inward distally, base with one small spiniferous lobe; mIRL half height of laIRL, subrectangular, apex slightly pointed, margin serrate.

ETYMOLOGY: Named for the Wiradjuri people, who are the traditional custodians and original inhabitants of the land in central western New South Wales from where this species is known.

HOST PLANT: Known from Callitris glaucophylla (table 2).

HOLOTYPE: AUSTRALIA: New South Wales: 2.9 km W of Nyngan, 31.55001 ° S 147.1553 ° E, 202 m, 18 Oct 2001, Cassis, Silveira, Wall , Callitris glaucophylla , det. RBG Sydney NSW658275, 1♂ ( AMNH _ PBI 00005761 ) ( AM).

PARATYPES: AUSTRALIA: New South Wales: 2.9 km W of Nyngan, 31.55001 ° S 147.1553 ° E, 202 m, 18 Oct 2001, Cassis, Silveira, Wall, Callitris glaucophylla , det. RBG Sydney NSW658275, 3♂ ( AMNH _PBI 00016527, 00016529, 00016530), 7♀ ( AMNH _PBI 00016531–00016537) ( AM). Murda State Forest, 33.01916 ° S 147.28583 ° E, 11 Feb 1999, AM Terr. Ecol. Dept., Callitris glaucophylla , 1♂ ( AMNH _ PBI 00016549) ( AM). Pullabooka State Forest, 33.79166 ° S 147.735 ° E, 15 Nov 1997, AM Terr. Ecol. Dept., Callitris glaucophylla , 1♂ ( AMNH _ PBI 00016547) ( AM). Queensland: 5.9 km E of Mitchell, 26.48726 ° S 148.0361 ° E, 380 m, 31 Oct 1998, Schuh, Cassis, Silveira, Callitris glaucophylla , det. RBG Sydney NSW427493, 1♂ ( AMNH _PBI 00016538), 2♀ ( AMNH _PBI 00016541, 00016542), 1♂ ( AMNH _PBI 00000175) ( AM), 1♂ ( AMNH _PBI 00000174), 8♀ ( AMNH _PBI 00000153, 00000162, 00000163, 00000167, 00000168, 00000172, 00000173, 00003932) ( AMNH), 4♂ ( AMNH _PBI 00016539, 00016540, 00000171, 00000161), 4♀ ( AMNH _PBI 00016543, 00016544, 00000181, 00000157) ( QM).

OTHER SPECIMENS EXAMINED: AUSTRA- LIA: Queensland: 5.9 km E of Mitchell, 26.48726 ° S 148.0361 ° E, 380 m, 31 Oct 1998, Schuh, Cassis, Silveira, Callitris glaucophylla , det. RBG Sydney NSW427493, 2 juv. (AMNH_PBI 00016545, 00016546) (AM).

DISTRIBUTION: Known from four inland localities, from the south to central western slopes and plains of New South Wales to southern Queensland (map 3), cooccurring with five

other species belonging to Avititerra , Callitricola , and Erysivena (table 2).

REMARKS: Callitricola wiradjuri is most closely related to C. pullabooka , C. silveirae , and C. tatarnici and are united by the distinct PES, which entirely sheaths the secondary gonopore, with an elongate, downturned left branch; a medial tumescence on the dorsal margin of the pygophore; tergal processes arise from a tergal plate on the dorsal margin of the genital opening of the pygophore; and the slender left paramere. Callitricola wiradjuri is easily distinguished from the other three species by the paler and more dusty green coloration; very large, bulbous eyes; the male phallotheca simpler with only a small basal tumescence on the right dorsal margin and a weakly expanded lobe on this margin; the genital opening of the pygophore having two lobelike spiniferous tergal processes; DES1 unbranched and significantly shorter than PES and DES2; and the female laIRL narrower with only one small spiniferous basal lobe. See also remarks for C. silveirae .

Where C. pullabooka and C. wiradjuri cooccur, females are indistinguishable externally and require inspection of the posterior wall of the bursa copulatrix.

Figures

FIG. 11. Callitroid Orthotylini + Naranjakotta sidnica. Generic overview of aedeagus and arrangement of endosomal spicules. Scale bars = 0.1 mm.

FIG. 13. Callitricola species, dorsal habitus photographs of males. Scale bar = 1 mm.