Ectomocoris interiorius Malipatil & Liu, 2023

Malipatil, M. B., Liu, Yingqi & Cai, Wanzhi, 2023, Revision of Australian Ectomocoris with the description of nine new species (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Reduviidae), Zootaxa 5263 (4), pp. 451-504 : 475-478

Ectomocoris interiorius Malipatil & Liu , sp. nov.

( Figs. 16–18 )

Type specimens. [ all macropterous]. Holotype male, Western Australia, 40 km N of Johnston Lakes , 1.i.1977, ABFC A.M. & M.J. Douglas ( WAM) . Paratypes: WESTERN AUSTRALIA. 3 males, same data as holotype ( WAM) ; 1 male, Buningonia Spring Well 31 26S 123 33E, 18-25.xi.1978, T. F. Houston et al. 225-10 ( WAM) ; 1male, 1 km NE of Millstream H.S. 21 35S 117.04E, 23.iv.1971, Key, Upton & Mitchell ( ANIC) ; 1 male, “Salmon Gums”, 39-869 ( WAM) ; 1 male, Salmon Gums, 41-122 ( WAM) ; 1 male, W. Australia, From C. French Collection, 15.11.11 ( MV) ; 1 male, Talawana Stn , i.1971, A. Douglas ( WAM) .

Other specimens. [all micropterous]. WESTERN AUSTRALIA. 1 male, Dedari, 29.i.1970, FHW Baker, L.E. Koch leg., LN McKenna ( WAM); 2 males, 95 mls SE of Wallal , 11.i.1970, M. de Graaf ( WAM) ; 1 male, 72 mls NE of Kalgoorlie , 22.vii.1969, AV Thomas ( WAM) ; 1 male, Eneabba , 29 49S 115 16E, 10.ix.1982, RP McMillan ( WAM) ; 1 male, Clampton , 46-1421 ( WAM) ; 1 male, 31 05S 121 21E, Yellar Sandalwood Res. 22 km SEbyE Coolgardie, 7.v.1984, ES Nielson & ED Edwards ( ANIC) ; 1 female, Bunketch , 3.iv.1965, K. Buller ( WAM) ; 1 female, well8, Canning Stock Route , xii.1971 - i.1972, D. Williams ( WAM) .

Description.

Macropterous male ( Fig. 16 )

Colouration ( Fig. 16 ): Generally bi-coloured, head, pronotum scutellum, thoracic pleura (slight bluish tinge) and terga, most of membrane (apical area paler), disc of abdominal venter posterior to segment V, disc of abdominal terga IV–VI fuscous or blackish. Appendages, remainder of hemelytra including most of clavus and all of corium, remainder of abdomen including connexiva contrastingly yellowish orange, occasionally apical area of hind femur also irregularly fuscous. Overall intensity of colouration variable among specimens.

Structure ( Fig. 16 ): Body medium, elongate. Scutellum and pronotum shiny smooth. Head and body including abdomen generally covered with fine short pubescence, with sparse long bristles obvious on appendages and on dorsum of head.

Head: elongate fusiform, wholly covered with short whitish pilosity and sparse long brown bristly setae prominent on mandibular plates, dorsal aspect of head and between eyes, and dorsal aspect of labial segments. Anteocular region elongate triangular, clypeus near its base elevated knobbed above mandibular plates. Interocular region with arcuate convex sulcus at posterior border of eyes, and with a small median pit. Postocular region gradually rounded to neck. Neck with lateral tubercles obvious. Ventral surface of head tumid before eyes. Ocellar tubercle distinct. Antennae with all segments cylindrical, with short whitish pilosity and sparse longer setae. Scape thickest, pedicel thinner towards distal end, then basi-and distiflagellum thinnest. Eyes large, reniform, almost reaching ventral margin in lateral view. Ocelli large, conspicuously raised, separated from each other by less than diameter of single ocellus, separated from eye by about similar distance.

Thorax: Anterior lobe of pronotum with collar armed with rounded tubercles at lateral ends, integument smooth, stripes indistinct, except shallow middle long sulcus in basal half. Posterior pronotal lobe short, arcuately quadrate, integument finely rugulose, with short pilosity, posterior margin almost smoothly rounded, posterior angles not developed. Scutellum triangular, disc slightly depressed, sides carinate, integument pilose, armed with strongly pointed and upwardly projected apex. Meso-and metanotum generally also rugulose, carinate not smooth. Propleuron with integument faintly granulate, pilose, set off from dorsal surface by a carina. Mesopleuron integument minutely granulate, sparsely pilose. Metapleuron with integument more distinctly granulate but granules not striate, metapleural sulcus distinctly bicarinate and curved, pilose with silvery dense hairs posteriorly. Pronotum densely pilose laterad of labial groove.

Legs: Fore leg with coxa with whitish pilosity; trochanter unarmed, sparsely hairy; femur elongate fusiform, incrassate near base narrowing distally, much thicker than other femora, armed below with rows of bristly setae, in addition sparsely pilose laterally and above; tibia cylindrical, straight but apex slightly reflexed, fossula spongiosa present, occupying about half of tibial length; tarsi three segmented, cylindrical, denser short pilosity ventrally. Mid leg with coxa globular, femur only slightly thickened, tibia with short whitish pilosity for whole length, with fossula spongiosa slightly less than half length. Hind leg with femur cylindrical, slender, tibia with brush of seta, denser at apex.

Abdomen: Dorsally elongate oval, sternum weakly carinate in midline near base, smooth with sparse long hairs in addition to pilosity, sternite VII without extragenital structure. Connexivum with golden pilosity as elsewhere on sternum, abdominal sterna and terga entire. Spiracles situated below connexival suture, about halfway between anterior and posterior margin of each segment. Each spiracle postero-ventrally with indistinct small oval shiny impressed spot, also a smaller and irregularly shaped impressed spot close to anterior margin of each sternum. These spots present on corresponding segments on dorsum also but are of equal size. Hemelytra slightly exceeding abdomen, only slightly exposing connexivum.

Male genitalia: As in micropterous male, below.

Micropterous male ( Fig. 17A–C )

Generally as in macropterous form, except disc of abdominal venter posterior of segments IV, disc of abdominal terga IV–VI fuscous or blackish. Appendages, remainder of abdomen including connexiva contrastingly yellowish orange ( Fig. 17A–C ). General intensity of colouration variable among specimens.

Structural details as in macropterous male, except:

Head: Integument covered with granules all over. Ocellar tubercle indistinct. Eyes moderately large, not reaching ventral margin in lateral view. Ocelli small, indistinct, not conspicuously raised, separated from each other by slightly more than diameter of single ocellus, separated from eye by about similar distance.

Thorax: Anterior lobe of pronotum large, stripes distinct and covered with minute granules. Posterior pronotal lobe short, integument finely thickly granulate, humeri rounded, posterior margin almost smoothly rounded, Scutellum triangular, disc deeply depressed, sides indistinctly carinate, near base scutellum fused with greatly reduced wing ‘scales’, integument in apical 2/3 with dense conspicuous granules, armed with strongly abbreviated pointed and upwardly projected apex. Meso-and metanotum generally rugulose carinate. Propleuron set off from dorsal surface by an ill-defined carina. All thoracic pleurae densely covered with granules, metapleural sulcus inconspicuous, with short silvery pilosity. Metasternum disc covered with dense granules as pleura.

Legs: Fore leg with coxa on anterior surface covered with granules. Mid leg with coxa globular and covered with granules, femur with stout short spine-like bristles in addition to sparse long bristles.

Abdomen: Venter weakly carinate in midline on basal two segments, covered with granules, these granules becoming sparser and smaller towards posterior end of abdomen, particularly on lateral areas. Dorsum with cuticle on median area inside the connexiva covered with granules, these granules becoming smaller, denser and almost absent towards posterior end.

Male genitalia ( Fig. 18 ): Median pygophore process elongate, flat broad blade-like and ribbed on posterior surface, appearing slightly twisted in its length ( Fig. 18B&C ). Parameres almost triangular ( Fig. 18D&E ), right paramere ( Fig. 18E ) slightly broader than left paramere ( Fig. 18D ). Phallus ( Fig. 18F–H ) in resting condition with basal plate and basal plate bridge slender, basal plate bridge slightly longer than basal plate ( Fig. 18F ); pedicel nearly straight and much shorter than basal plate ( Fig. 18G ); dorsal phallothecal sclerite broad, with a twisted depress in middle ( Fig. 18F ), lateral phallothecal sclerite somewhat rectangular, inner margin smooth, without process ( Fig. 18H ).

Micropterous female ( Fig. 17D–F )

Colouration ( Fig. 17D–F ): As in micropterous male, except almost always with posterior margins of abdominal terga and sterna of segments IV-VI narrowly fuscous, appearing like three thin bands on connexiva, apical one third to half of hind femur also irregularly fuscous in most specimens.

Other details generally as in micropterous male, except ocellar area inconspicuous, ocelli further reduced to only impressed cuticular areas, metapleural sulcus indistinctly unicarinate. Abdominal venter on disc smooth and shiny ( Fig. 17F ).

Measurements: [Holotype male macropterous, followed by paratype male micropterous and paratype female micropterous]. Body length 16.38, 13.40 (♁), 13.72 (♀); maximum width of abdomen 4.52, 4.52 (♁), 4.40 (♀); length of head 2.43, 2.28 (♁), 2.28 (♀); length of anteocular region 1.10, 1.02 (♁), 1.14 (♀); length of postocular region 0.48, 0.45 (♁), 0.35 (♀); width of head across eyes 1.74, 1.74 (♁), 1.59 (♀); width of interocellar space 0.22, 0.19 (♁), 0.19 (♀); length of eye in dorsal view 0.79, 0.72 (♁), 0.58 (♀); width of eye in dorsal view 0.64, 0.57 (♁), 0.47 (♀); lengths of antennal segments I–IV 1.06, 1.42 (♁), 1.33 (♀) / 2.73, 2.58 (♁), 2.20 (♀) / 3.42, 3.80 (♁),? (♀) / 2.60, 2.66 (♁),? (♀); length of visible labial segments I–III 0.76, 0.91 (♁), 0.91 (♀) / 1.40, 1.40 (♁), 1.40 (♀) / 0.72, 0.76 (♁), 0.60 (♀); length of pronotum 3.38, 2.92 (♁), 2.85 (♀); length of anterior pronotal lobe 2.05, 2.20 (♁), 2.28 (♀); length of posterior pronotal lobe 1.36, 0.72 (♁), 0.58 (♀); length of scutellum 1.52, 1.10 (♁), 1.00 (♀); maximum width of scutellum 1.67, 1.67 (♁), 1.59 (♀); length of hemelytra 10.76, - (♁), - (♀); length of fore tibia 2.70, 3.11 (♁), 2.85 (♀); length of fossula spongiosa on fore tibia 1.44, 1.82 (♁), 1.59 (♀).

Distribution. Australia (Western Australia).

Etymology. The species name is derived from the Latin adjective interior (meaning ‘inner’) and the suffix -ius, in allusion to the species’ distribution in the interior, arid areas of Western Australia.

Notes. This species superficially resembles E. ornatus ( Stål, 1863) in having the base of the abdomen dorsally and ventrally yellowish orange, and almost always three fuscous patches on connexiva in macropterous male and micropterous female forms but not in micropterous males. However it differs in having the smaller body size in both macropterous (16.3 mm) and micropterous forms (13.4–13.7 mm) (vs. 17.2–20.1 mm in both macropterous and micropterous forms in E. ornatus ), in colour pattern of hemelytra (the clavus and the corium similarly coloured yellowish orange, membrane without distinct white spot in the new species ( Fig. 16A ) vs. the hemelytra brownish yellow except the clavus and the inner narrow area of the corium adjoining distal 2/3 length of the clavus that are distinctly darker, membrane with one whitish spot located on the basal area of AIC in E. ornatus ( Fig. 26A )), in having different shapes of median pygophore process and parameres of male genitalia (see Fig. 18B–E for the new species and Fig. 29A–E for E. ornatus ) and as well as the generally interior and arid distribution within Western Australia (vs. E. ornatus generally occurs in coastal areas in eastern Australia).

Figures

FIGURE 16. Ectomocoris interiorius Malipatil & Liu, sp. nov., holotype, macropterous male, habitus.A, dorsal view; B, lateral view; C, ventral view. Scare bar = 2.00 mm.

FIGURE 17. Ectomocoris interiorius Malipatil & Liu, sp. nov., micropterous form, habitus. A–C, male; D–F, female. A, D, dorsal view; B, E, lateral view; C, F, ventral view. Scare bar = 2.00 mm.

FIGURE 18. Male genitalia of Ectomocoris interiorius Malipatil & Liu, sp. nov., macropterous form. A, abdominal sternite VIII; B, C, pygophore; D, left paramere; E, right paramere; F–H, phallus. A, B, ventral view; C, G, H, lateral view; D, E, outer ventrolateral view; F, dorsal view. Abbreviations: bp, basal plate; bpb, basal plate bridge; dps, dorsal phallothecal sclerite; lps, lateral phallothecal sclerite; mpp, median pygophore process; ped, pedicel; st, struts.

FIGURE 26. Ectomocoris ornatus (Stål, 1863), lectotype, macropterous male, habitus. A, dorsal view; B, lateral view; C, ventral view. Orange arrow indicates median carina on abdomen. Scale bar = 6.00 mm.

FIGURE 29. Male genitalia of Ectomocoris ornatus (Stål, 1863). A–C, pygophore; D, left paramere; E, right paramere; F–I, phallus. A, G, ventral view; B, caudal view; C, H, I, lateral view; D, E, outer ventrolateral view; F, dorsal view. Abbreviations: bp, basal plate; bpb, basal plate bridge; dps, dorsal phallothecal sclerite; lps, lateral phallothecal sclerite; mpp, median pygophore process; ped, pedicel; st, struts. Scale bar = 1.00 mm (for A–C); 0.80 mm (for D–I).