Sejanus howardae Carvalho and Gross Plate, 1982

Menard, Katrina L. & Schuh, Randall T., 2011, Revision Of Leucophoropterini: Diagnoses, Key To Genera, Redescription Of The Australian Fauna, And Descriptions Of New Indo-Pacific Genera And Species (Insecta: Hemiptera: Miridae), Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 2011 (361), pp. 1-159 : 136

Sejanus howardae Carvalho and Gross Plate 7, Figures 34 , 38E–G

Sejanus howardae Carvalho and Gross, 1982: 16 , fig. 98 (n. sp., descr., disc., DV).

DIAGNOSIS: Similar in color pattern to S. funereus and S. priscillianus in being completely brown, and having two white spots on anterior margin of cuneus (pl. 7). However, S. howardae is clearly differentiated from these two species by completely pale metatibia and shape of endosomal apex.

REDESCRIPTION: Male: Macropterous, small, elongate, and parallel sided. Total length 2.03–2.23, width pronotum 0.77– 0.90, maximum width across hemelytra 0.94–0.99. COLORATION: Eyes deep red to purple. Labium brown. Antennal segment 1 gold, segment 2 gold proximally and dark on distally J, segments 3 and 4 gold. Thorax: Pronotum, scutellum, and thorax dark brown. All coxae dark brown. Profemur dark brown proximally, gold distally, meso- and metafemora predominantly dark brown but becoming reddish at joint with tibiae. All tibiae completely gold, metatibiae with parallel rows of dark spicules. Tarsomeres gold. Hemelytra completely brown (pl. 7). Anterior margin of cuneus with two lateral white spots with reddish tinge at margin with cuneal fracture. Membrane pale brown with medial lightening, lacking pigmentation on veins. Abdomen dark brown. STRUCTURE: Frons convex, clypeus exserted and visible in dorsal view. Vertex flat, posterior margin flat, wider than width of one eye. Eyes distinctly removed from dorsal surface of vertex in anterior view, occupying entire height of head in lateral view, posterior margin partially obscuring anterior of pronotum. Labium just surpassing apex of metacoxa. Antennal segment 2 more than 1.10 times longer than head width. Metafemur less than 1.25 times longer than pro- and mesofemora. GENITALIA: Pygophore: Small, lacking elaborations, occupying about J length of abdomen, ventral margin sloping upward toward apex. Endosoma: Small, slender, J-shaped with the apex weakly twisted, composed of two straps united by smooth membrane and twisting medially, apex spinelike, twisted and reflexed. Secondary gonopore small, horse-collar shaped, locat- ed subapically on endosoma (fig. 38E). Phallotheca: Fairly small, L-shaped, apex broadly tapering toward a point (fig. 38G). Right Paramere: Small, parallel sided, apex in form of spinelike process, nearly identical to S. palumae . Left Paramere: Small, posterior process relatively slender, with straight dorsal margin, directed dorsally, relatively elongate compared to anterior process and with sensory pits; anterior process stout but without sensory pits on interior margin (fig. 38F).

Female: Macropterous, small, elongate ovoid. Total length 2.55–2.62, width pronotum 0.95–1.02, maximum width across hemelytra 1.08–1.19. STRUCTURE: Vertex occupying over half of total head width, over 1.5 times as wide as width of one eye. Antennal segment 2 nearly 1.2 times wider than total head width. COLORATION: Same pattern as in male.

HOSTS: Unknown, collected at lights.

DISTRIBUTION: Australia: Queensland, ACT.

DISCUSSION: Sejanus howardae shares similarities in size, coloration, and smooth endosomal membrane with most Sejanus spp. from the Indo-Pacific. The other two strictly Australian Sejanus species , S. palumae and S. brittoni —both of which are present in eastern and southern Australia —have several unique and apparently derived characters such as the reddish coloration and serrated membrane on the endosoma, unlike S. howardae (Menard and Woolley, in press).

HOLOTYPE: AUSTRALIA: Queensland: Paluma Dam , 30–31.xii.1964, H.A. Rose 18 ( QM).

SPECIMENS EXAMINED: AUSTRALIA: AUSTRALIA: Australian Capital Territory: Canberra , 35.33333 ° S 149.16666 ° E, 26 Aug 1990, T.J. Henry, 18 (00271757) ( USNM). Queensland: 7.5 km S of Henrietta Crk ; Palmerston Nat. Forest ; 28 km S of Millaa Millaa, 17.51666 ° S 145.61666 ° E, 01 Sep 1990, T.J. Henry, 18 (00271754), 2♀ (00271755, 00271756) ( USNM). Iron Range, Cape York Peninsula, 12.7 ° S 143.3 ° E, 24 Jun 1948 – 26 Jun 1948, G.M. Tate, 2♀ (00318926, 00318927) ( BPBM). Iron Range , east bank of East Claudie River , 12.8333 ° S 143.35 ° E, 15 m, 25 Jun 1948, G.M. Tate, 4♀ (00318919– 00318921, 00318932) ( BPBM). Iron Range Airport, Gordon Strip, N.Q., 5 mi S of Iron Range, 12.78787 ° S 143.30701 ° E, 24 m, 10 Jun 1948, G.M. Tate, 1♀ (00318933) ( BPBM), 18 (00246699), 1♀ (00246701) ( TAMU). Kuranda, 16.81722 ° S 145.635 ° E, 370 m, 04 Sep 1990, T.J. Henry, 28 (00271751, 00271758), 1♀ (00271750) ( USNM). Kuranda, 16.81722 ° S 145.635 ° E, 200 m, 13 Mar 1956, J.L. Gressitt, Light Trap, 18 (00318918), 2♀ (00318916, 00318917) ( BPBM). Mission Beach, 17.52 ° S 146.05 ° E, 20 m, 12 Nov 1990, W.F. Chamberlain, 18 (00246700) ( TAMU). S of Ravenshoe , Evelyn Tableland , 17.75532 ° S 145.50337 ° E, 350 m, 10 Mar 1956, J.L. & M. Gressit, Light Trap, 18 (00318935) ( BPBM). Tozer Range, Cape York Peninsula, 12.7833 ° S 143.2167 ° E, 122 m, 01 Jul 1948 – 05 Jul 1948, G.M. Tate, 18 (00318924), 1♀ (00318925) ( BPBM). Tully Falls , 17.783 ° S 145.567 ° E, 900 m, 10 Mar 1956, J.L. Gressitt, 28 (00318913, 00318915) ( BPBM). W by S of Black Mt., 26.41879 ° S 152.85422 ° E, 225 m, 26 Apr 1981, D.H. Colless, 18 (00168827) ( ANIC) .

Figures

Figure 34. Distribution of Sejanus spp. in Australia.

Figure 38. Male genitalia of Sejanus spp. A–D. S. brittoni. A. Endosoma, B. Right paramere, C. Left paramere, D. Phallotheca. E–G. S. howardae. E. Endosoma, F. Left paramere, G. Phallotheca. H–K. S. palumae. H. Right paramere, I. Endosoma, J. Left paramere, K. Phallotheca.