Lasiacantha discordis Drake, 1955

Cassis, Gerasimos & Symonds, Celia, 2011, Systematics, biogeography and host plant associations of the lace bug genus Lasiacantha Stål in Australia (Insecta: Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Tingidae) 2818, Zootaxa 2818 (1), pp. 1-63 : 25-27

publication ID	https://doi.org/ 10.11646/zootaxa.2818.1.1
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/039187D9-6732-FFBE-A8DB-E5E8E035424D
treatment provided by	Felipe
scientific name	Lasiacantha discordis Drake, 1955
status

Treatment

( Figs 1 View FIGURE 1 , 3b View FIGURE 3 , 4a–b View FIGURE 4 , 6 View FIGURE 6 , 12c–d View FIGURE 12 , 13e View FIGURE 13 , 14b View FIGURE 14 )

Lasiacantha discordis Drake, 1955: 80 (sp. nov.)

Lasiacantha discors Drake and Ruhoff, 1965: 254 View in CoL (catalogue)

Lasiacantha discordis Cassis and Gross, 1995: 419 (catalogue, unjustified emmendation of species name by Drake and Ruhoff, 1965).

Holotype. ♂, AUSTRALIA: Western Australia: Kalgoorlie , 28 Jan 1928, HH Hacker ( USNM Drake collection) Type photo examined.

Other material examined. AUSTRALIA: Western Australia: 11 km N of Coolgardie-Esperance Hwy on Kambalda Road, 31.25231 ° S 121.5899 ° E, 320 m, 18 Nov 1999, RT Schuh, G Cassis and R Silveira, ex Eremophila dempsteri F.Muell. (Myoporaceae) , det. WA Herbarium PERTH 05672368, 30 m (17229–17258), 24 f (17259– 17281, 17283), 1 adult sex unknown (17282) ( AM); 33.3 km S of Norseman, 32.46461 ° S 121.6778 ° E, 300 m, 19 Nov 1999, RT Schuh, G Cassis and R Silveira, ex Eremophila dempsteri F. Muell. (Myoporaceae) , det. WA Herbarium PERTH 05672368, 29 m (17180–17208), 20 f (17209–17228) ( AM); 49 km S of Kambalda Road Jct. on Coolgardie-Esperance Hwy, 31.7171 ° S 121.6906 ° E, 300 m, 19 Nov 1999, RT Schuh, G Cassis and R Silveira, ex Eremophila dempsteri F.Muell (Myoporaceae) , det. Field ID, 3 f (17177–17179) ( AM).

Diagnosis. Lasiacantha discordis ( Fig. 6 View FIGURE 6 ) is recognised by the following combination of characters: mottled dorsal colouration, mostly golden brown and dark brown, with distinctive dark brown band across costal area; major setiferous tubercles on pronotum and hemelytra short, terminal seta at least half length of tuberculate base; anterior margin of pronotum, keel of collum and pronotal carinae with major setiferous tubercles; costal area with setiferous tubercles extending almost to posterior hemelytral margin; carinate margins of discoidal area with major setiferous tubercles, posterior angle without clump of setiferous tubercles; head with flattened, elongate scalelike setae; pronotum with hairlike setae only, moderately elongate, weakly thickened; hemelytra with sparsely distributed hairlike setae at base, subcostal and costal areas; abdominal venter with pale, moderately sized, lanceolate to straight, semi-erect scalelike setae; cephalic spines greatly elongate, medial spine straight; AIV weakly expanded basally, weakly clavate apically; collum subtriangular, much smaller than medial carina; carinae all two areolae wide; paranota three areolae wide; costal area mostly two areolae wide; subcostal area two areolae wide; areolae on paranota and costal area large and irregularly shaped; areolae in discoidal and subcostal areas smaller than in sutural area; and, sternal carinae with metasternal carinae convex and more widely separated.

Redescription. Moderately large size, macropterous ( Fig. 6 View FIGURE 6 ); males 3.66–3.97, females 3.77–4.08. COLOU- RATION. Golden orange brown, with mottled dark brown patches, with distinctive dark brown banding across subcostal and costal areas. Head: red brown or dark brown, almost black; spines yellow brown, slightly darker apically; bucculae unicolourous, orange brown; Antennae: AI–AII orange brown, AIII paler yellow brown; AIV base orange brown to red brown, clavate apex dark brown. Labium: orange brown, apex red brown. Pronotum: either red brown and posteriorly orange brown then stramineous, or uniformly dark brown almost black; collum usually pale brown; paranota pale golden brown, with dark brown patches along top edge, rarely uniformly pale brown; carinae mostly dark brown, stramineous to pale golden brown anteriorly and posteriorly, sometimes more mottled. Thoracic pleura and sterna: variable, dark brown to red brown, supracoxal lobes paler; mesosternum always dark brown; sternal carinae stramineous. Hemelytra: variable, mostly golden brown; costal area a little paler with patches of dark brown, and prominent transverse dark brown band, at 1/3 rd distance from hemelytral base; discoidal area with dark brown spot at posterior angle. Legs: mostly orange brown; tarsi dark brown, almost black. Abdominal venter: red brown or dark brown. VESTITURE. Head: dense distribution of elongate, straight, weakly lanceolate, cream coloured, scalelike setae, partially erect; setae absent in longitudinal rows between occipital and medial spines. Antennae: with minor setiferous tubercles, pale colour, AI–AII with single or double row of setiferous tubercles with moderately elongate curved terminal seta, AIII setiferous tubercles with greatly elongate with straight terminal seta. Pronotum: paranotal margins with short major setiferous tubercles, terminal seta at least half length of base; entire anterior margin of pronotum, keel of collum and pronotal carinae with major setiferous tubercles; pronotal collum, paranota, carinae and disc with dense distribution of moderately elongate, creamy gold, hairlike setae, weakly thickened on disc. Thoracic pleura and sterna: pleura with dense distribution of elongate scalelike setae as on head; supracoxal lobes and mesosternum with dense distribution of slightly shorter, lanceolate, creamy gold, scalelike setae. Legs: minor setiferous tubercles, terminal seta pale, elongate, erect, bristlelike. Hemelytra: costal margins with major setiferous tubercles as on paranota, extending almost to posterior margin of hemelytra; major setiferous tubercles on carinate margins of discoidal area and cubital and R+M vein, not clumped at anterior angle of discoidal area; setae sparse, hairlike, restricted to a cluster at the wing base and sparse covering of costal and subcostal areas; white microtrichae present at hemelytra base. Abdominal venter: moderately dense distribution of moderately short, semi-erect, scalelike setae as on supracoxal lobes and mesosternum. STRUCTURE. Head: spines greatly elongate; frontal spines parallel or slightly curved towards midline, longer than AI, strongly projected upwards and curved posteriorly; medial spine straight; occipital spines projected upwards, sometimes weakly curved laterally. Antennae: AI short and subequal in length to AII; AIV with slightly expanded cylindrical base and weakly clavate apically. Labium: moderate length, extending to anterior margin of metasternum. Pronotum: moderately convex; collum sub-triangular, much lower in height to medial carina; carinae highly elevated, all mostly two areolae wide, uniseriate posteriorly; lateral carinae not thickened; paranota linear semicircular, three areolae wides, areolae large, irregularly shaped. Thoracic sterna: metasternal carinae concave, slightly wider than mesosternal carinae, both straight. Hemelytra: areolae variable size, smaller in discoidal and subcostal areas than sutural and costal areas; costal area two areolae wide, sometimes three areolae wide medially, areolae large and irregularly shaped; subcostal area two areolae wide; discoidal and sutural areas five or six areolae wide. Male genitalia: pygophore subrectangular broad; widening slightly posteriorly; rounded posteriorly with a broadly cleft posterior margin; dorsal opening strongly concave ( Figs 12c–d View FIGURE 12 ); parameres with sensory lobe rounded, moderately expanded, with dorsal sub-basal groove ( Fig. 13e View FIGURE 13 ); distal u-shaped endosomal sclerite with deep cleft, basal branches elongate ( Fig. 14b View FIGURE 14 ). MEASUREMENTS. Ranges for 5 ♂ and 5 ♀ are given in Table 6.

Host plant. Collected on Eremophila dempsteri from all recorded localities ( Fig. 4b View FIGURE 4 ).

Distribution. Known from three closely distributed localities on the eastern edge of the southwest botanical region of Western Australia ( Fig. 4a View FIGURE 4 ).

Remarks. Lasiacantha discordis is aligned with L. serraseta and L. vittata on the basis of the prominent dark brown band across the costal area, highly elevated pronotal carinae and subtriangular collum. However, it can be easily differentiated from these two species as follows: costal area and paranota with larger more irregularly shaped areolae (as opposed to small and uniformly round); more mottled dorsal colouration; dark brown spot on posterior angle of discoidal area; costal area mostly two areolae wide (as opposed to three); discoidal area with areolae smaller than in other parts of hemelytra; hairlike setae on hemelytra more extensive, also covering subcostal area; white microtrichae present at hemelytral base (absent or barely visible in L. serraseta and L. vittata ); head red brown, not as dark; head and cephalic spines paler; bucculae unicolourous; legs and antennae paler; setiferous tubercles very slightly longer, and terminal setae much longer; all pronotal carinae two areolae wide (only medial carina in L. serraseta ); scalelike setae on venter longer and more erect; collum much lower than medial carina (as opposed to subequal height); legs with setae of setiferous tubercles elongate; setiferous tubercles along entire anterior pronotal margin; medial carina only marginally higher than lateral carinae and margin smooth without an expanded, round tumescence; and, a moderately dense distribution of white microtrichiae at hemelytral base (only slight trace in L. serraseta and L. vittata ).

Drake (1955) reported that the paranota and costal area are biseriate in the original description of the species. In the specimens we observed the costal area is mostly biseriate, but occasionally may be three areolae wide posteriorly. In addition, the paranota can be triseriate, although not uniformly and with variation in areole size.