Meschia barrowensis Malipatil

Malipatil, M. B., 2014, Meschiidae, a new family of Lygaeoidea (Hemiptera: Heteroptera) from India and Australia, with descriptions of a new genus and two new species, Zootaxa 3815 (2), pp. 233-248 : 241-244

Meschia barrowensis Malipatil , sp. nov.

( Figs. 22–33 )

Type specimen: Holotype female, “Western Australia, Barrow Is., WGS84: 331870, 7697377, 17-29.iii.2013, BASZ 2 WIN 1, N. Gunawardene & C.Taylor”, WAM.

Description. This species is superficially similar to M. woodwardi , but differs from it in the following:

Colouration: Body and appendages generally uniformly pale ochraceous ( Figs. 22–24 ); body beneath and eyes light reddish-brown; legs slightly lighter than body; all punctures slightly darker; outer posterior corner of corium with faint dark patch; tip of labium fuscous; claws blackish in contrast to remainder of leg.

Body ( Figs. 22, 23 ) slightly more flat above. Length including wings 4.85; maximum width 1.92.

Head: Length 1.00; width across eyes 1.61; interocular space 1.08; interocellar space 0.48; eye-ocellar space 0.25; eye length 0.41; eye width 0.26. Labium extending to middle of abdominal sternum VI, length of segments: I 0.73; II 1.05; III 0.69; IV 1. 0 1. Labrum length 0.18. Antennae ( Fig. 23 ), length of segments: I 0.43; II 1.31; III 0.80; IV 0.85; antennal setae and bristle-like setae generally appear more prominent than in M. woodwardi .

Thorax: Pronotum ( Fig. 24 ), median length 1.10; width at posterior margin 1.86. Scutellum ( Figs. 22, 23 ) length 0.85; width 1.0 8. Hemelytra fully covering abdomen; length of hemelytra 3.12; length of corium 2.07; claval commissure 0.23. Hind wing completely lacking hamus, intervannals indistinct, jugal vein indistinct, anterior and posterior vannals present.

Abdomen: Abdominal tergum ( Figs. 26 , 28 ) uniformly pale throughout; all connexiva with fine sparse punctures, also tergum with a few fine punctures; intertergal sutures and scent gland scars as in M. woodwardi . Abdominal venter uniformly pale, near base medially furrowed in a line to receive labium ( Fig. 27 ); trichobothria greatly reduced ( Fig. 29 ).

Female genitalia: Spermatheca (see Fig. 32 ). Ovipositor as in Figs. 30, 31 .

Eggs: Dissected from dry preserved holotype specimen. Eggs ( Fig. 33 ) are narrow and elongate; three examined are 1.67–1.72 mm in length and 0.92–1.01 mm maximum width, creamy in colour, with one end slightly more narrowed and pointed than the other end which is rather slightly more rounded; appears to have 10 to 13 micropylar processes that are club-like (clavate) structures raised above the surface of the chorion, arranged in a wide circle at about one-quarter of the length from the broader end of the egg. The apical region of each process forms a “cup” with the “aperture” leading to the canal. The cup narrows to form the “stem” and at its base the exochorion of the micropylar process becomes continuous with that of the chorion.

Distribution. Only Barrow Island (Western Australia).

Notes. Meschia barrowensis can be distinguished from the only other Australia species, M. woodwardi , by the generally uniformly pale ochraceous coloured body, antennae and legs, the relatively less gibbous posterior lobe of the pronotum, and by the fully covered abdominal connexivum.

It appears the overall shape of the egg, and the shape, number, and the pattern of arrangement of the micropylar processes, are to some extent similar to that of Oncopeltus fasciatus Dallas (Lygaeidae) as described by Southwood (1956). There appears to be slight variations in the spacing between the micropylar processes as well as in the size and shape of the processes.

Neomeschia Malipatil , gen. nov. ( Figs. 34–43 )

Description. Body broadly ovate ( Fig. 34 ).

Head: much broader than long ( Fig. 36 ); anterior to eyes almost parallel-sided and slightly incurved at antennifers; antennifers produced anteriorly. Clypeus prominent, somewhat strongly produced, slightly exceeding juga ( Fig. 36 ). Head dorso-ventrally narrowed from base to apex; ventrally deeply furrowed to receive labium; buccula narrow flap-like extending posteriorly to about three-fourths length of head. Ocelli on extreme basal margin, nearer to eyes than to each other. Head above and below and bucculae covered with fine punctures, each puncture with an associated short scale-like seta. Labium long, considerably passing middle of abdomen, 1st segment reaching to about three-fourths length of head; all segments subequal in length. Labrum very short, about one-fifth length of 1st labial segment. Antennae robust; 1st segment short, with half of its length passing apex of head, 2nd segment longest.

Thorax: Pronotum very large, much broader than long ( Fig. 35 ), obliquely directed from base to apex, the lateral margins a little sinuate; posterior lateral angles subprominent; anterior margin prominent and almost appearing as a slight collar considerably widened in middle; lightly transversely furrowed between anterior and posterior lobes; smooth narrow calli line distinct; coarsely punctate above and on pleura, each puncture with an associated short scale-like seta. Scutellum large, a little broader than long, coarsely punctate, with a low midlongitudinal carinate ridge. Pleura with coarse punctures, each puncture with a short scale-like seta; metathoracic scent gland opening narrow ( Fig. 37 ); evaporative area present. Hemelytral membrane slightly passing abdominal apex and with a distinct basal cell and five longitudinal veins. Clavus densely punctate, outer two rows almost distinct, remainder indistinctly and irregularly punctate; corium densely punctate, inner two rows almost complete, remainder irregularly punctate, slightly more prominently towards costal margins ( Fig. 34 ). Hind wing with hamus developed as complete vein in the discal cell ( Fig. 38 ), anterior portion bent strongly towards wing base; intervannals indistinct, anterior vannal and posterior vannal as well as jugal vein distinctly present. Legs of moderate length, all femora uniformly incrassate, unarmed.

Abdomen: Abdominal connexivum exposed beyond middle of corium. Spiracles on II–IV located almost on margin of sterna. Sutures between terga III–IV very slightly ( Fig. 39 ), IV–V slightly, and V–VI moderately, curved caudad mesally; scent gland scars between III-IV absent, IV–V and V–VI distinct and subequal in width. Inner laterotergites absent. Terga III, IV and V with irregularly sized sparse punctures in middle area ( Fig. 39 ). Female sterna with internal median margin of VII with rows of short to medium sized spinose setae ( Fig. 40 ).

Female genitalia: Spermatheca ( Fig. 43 ) generally short, bulb moderately sclerotized, spherical, with a distinct basal rim but no flange; duct short, thick, saccoid, narrowing to 2–3 tightly twisted turns. Ovipositor with first ramus traversing to almost entire length of narrow and elongate first gonapophysis; second gonapophysis also narrow and elongate ( Figs. 41, 42 ).

Type species: Neomeschia queenslandensis Malipatil sp. nov.

Notes. This genus is related to Meschia Distant , but it can be readily distinguished from it by the combination of the following characters: clavus punctate in two almost complete outer rows and remainder of inner area in irregular pattern (compared with three more or less complete rows in Meschia ); hind wing with hamus developed as complete vein in the discal cell (hamus completely absent in Meschia ); and pronotal calli with distinct smooth groove (not distinct in Meschia ).

Figures

FIGURES 22 − 27. Meschia barrowensis, holotype female: 22, habitus, excluding antennae; 23, habitus; 24, head and pronotum; 25, head, ventral view; 26, abdominal dorsum; 27, abdominal venter.

FIGURES 28 – 33. Meschia barrowensis: holotype female: 28, abdominal dorsum; 29, abdominal venter; 30, 31, ovipositor; 32, spermatheca. 33, egg, side view. Abbreviations, bulb; d, duct; Ga, gonangulum; 1 Gpo, 2 Gpo, first and second gonapophysis; 1 Gx, 2 Gx, first and second gonocoxa; pt VIII, pt IX, eighth and ninth paratergite; 1 r, 2 r, first and second ramus; sp 8, spiracle of eighth segment; III-VII, abdominal tergites.

FIGURES 34 − 38. Neomeschia queenslandensis, holotype female: 34, habitus; 35, head and pronotum; 36, head, dorsal view; 37, metathoracic scent gland; 38, hind wing. Abbreviations: h, hamus; tgo, metathoracic scent gland opening.

FIGURES 39 – 43. Neomeschia queenslandensis, holotype female: 39, abdominal dorsum; 40, abdominal venter; 41, 42, ovipositor; 43, spermatheca.