Clavaptera Kirman, 1985

Larivière, Marie-Claude & Larochelle, André, 2022, Synopsis of the subfamily Carventinae in New Zealand (Heteroptera: Aradidae), Insecta Mundi 2022 (961), pp. 1-54 : 15-16

Genus Clavaptera Kirman, 1985

Fig. 18 , 54–55 , 77

Clavaptera Kirman, 1985: 125 .

Type species. Clavaptera ornata Kirman, 1985 , by original designation.

Description (incrustation removed). Apterous. Body subovate to subrectangular, slightly narrowed anteriorly; length about 3.1 mm (male), 3.5 mm (female). Head. Eyes rather small in relation to head, granulate. Postocular tubercles rounded-subtriangular to acutely triangular, slightly to moderately produced laterally. Rostrum arising from a closed atrium. Thorax. Pro-, meso-, and metanotum separated by very deep gaps (as opposed to moderately deep sutures in Neocarventus , Tuataraptera ). Pronotum. Double-ring collar distinctly set off from anterior margin, with lateral tubercles and posteriorly produced subtriangular plate (sometimes ill-defined). Disc with a moderately large, somewhat swollen, posteriorly produced, subtriangular plate split for part of its length by a subparallel median sulcus and bearing an apical tubercle. Lateral portions with a curved submarginal ridge close to lateral margin. Mesonotum. Disc bearing a hexagonal to subelliptical plate with a backward projection reaching anterior three-quarters of metanotum; apex of projection flanked by two moderately large, irregularly shaped, nearly coalesced metanotal callosities. Metanotum. Disc largely covered by mesonotal projection. Posterolateral angles strongly elevated, strongly produced into short, subacutely tipped, horn-shaped spines reaching anterolateral angle of first visible connexival segment (male), slightly elevated, forming short, subtriangular projections (female). Legs. Coxal lobes rugose. Trochanters and femora demarcated from each other. Femora granulate, about as long as tibiae. Protibiae with fine ventral spines and apical comb. Abdomen. Dmtg I–II separated from metanotum by a distinct suture; completely fused to each other, with a longitudinal carina medially; lateral portions with a curved, laterally attenuate, transverse plate along anterior margin in front of a subquadrate plate thinly connected posteriorly to a long, medially concave, submarginal plate next to a large, coarsely granulate pit. Tergal plate (dmtg III–VI) mostly fused, with carinae around inner apodemal markings and sulci around outer markings. Dmtg III with a longitudinal carina medially, flanked by granules and two apodemal spots near anterior margin; dmtg IV–VI with large granulate areas on each side of a distinct elongate plate carrying scent gland openings. The latter (or scars thereof) three in number, first moderately developed, displaced posteriorly on dmtg IV, second very small, third evanescent. Connexivum. Dorsal laterotergites (dltg) with a pair of rather faint, rounded, smooth apodemal spots, posterior one usually larger. Dltg II–III fused, subtriangular, extending forward to or slightly beyond posterolateral angles of metanotum; IV–VI subquadrate, VII subrectangular (male); IV subquadrate, V–VII subrectangular (female). Spiracles II–III ventral (not visible from above), IV sublateral, V–VII lateral (visible from above). Pattern of apodemal markings 2:1:1 (dorsal); 2:2:1 (ventral). Male genitalia. Pygophore trilobate ( Fig. 18 , posterodorsal view); dorsal lobes nearly elliptical in shape, carinate along margins, depressed medially, touching each other along their thickened inner margin; ventral lobe broadly rounded-subtriangular and convex medially, moderately produced; dorsal opening narrow; paramere heads partially visible as lamellate setose structures; posterior rim with a moderately long, anteriorly directed, truncate-subtriangular projection on each side of median suture. Paratergites VIII ( Fig. 18 , posterodorsal view) with a very large, apically rounded-subtriangular, sickle-shaped head; spiracle distant from apex.

Remarks. To the untrained eye the genus Clavaptera may resemble Tuataraptera in body shape, size, and color. Four major characters set Clavaptera apart from Tuataraptera and all other New Zealand genera: the elongate hexagonal to subelliptical mesonotal projection;very deep gaps between pro-, meso-, and metanotum; completely fused dorsal mediotergites (dmtg) I–II of abdomen; the very large sickle-shaped head of the male paratergites VIII. The horn-shaped metanotal spines, although similarly positioned, bear little resemblance to those seen in Neocarventus or Tuataraptera . The configuration of the male pygophore only superficially resembles that of Tuataraptera . The genus Clavaptera is known from a single species, Clavaptera ornata , which occurs in the far north of the North Island, on the Aupouri Peninsula (ND) in the Te Paki-Cape Reinga area.

Figures

Figures 17–22. Male pygophore and paratergites VIII, posterodorsal. 17) Leuraptera. 18) Clavaptera. 19) Carventaptera. 20) Modicarventus. 21) Neocarventus. 22) Tuataraptera.

Figures 52–55. Dorsal habitus. 52) Leuraptera zealandica, male. 53) L. zealandica, female. 54) Clavaptera ornata, male. 55) C. ornata, female. Scale line = 1 mm.

Figures 73–78. Species distribution maps. 73) Acaraptera myersi. 74) A. waipouensis. 75) Carventaptera hallae new species. 76) C. spinifera. 77) Clavaptera ornata. 78) Leuraptera zealandica.