Ausejanus cordatus, Menard & Schuh, 2011

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 : 54-56

Ausejanus cordatus , new species Figures 6 , 9B ; plate 2

DIAGNOSIS: Unique within Ausejanus for its small size, white, heart-shaped color pattern on predominantly dark red to brown hemelytra (pl. 2), relatively short antennal segment 2, and completely yellow color of antennal segments 2 and 3.

DESCRIPTION: Male: Macropterous, small, elongate, and parallel sided. Total length 2.38–2.87, width pronotum 0.76–0.93, maximum width across hemelytra 0.89–1.09. COLORATION: Dark red, brown, and white. Head brown to burgundy. Antennal segments 1 through 3 yellow, with pale brown tinge at distal ends of segments 2 and 3 in some populations; segment 4 completely pale brown. Labial segment 1 bright red, segments 2 and 3 yellow, and segment 4 brown. Thorax, pronotum, and scutellum dark red to brown, scent glad paler ventrally adjacent to coxae. All coxae yellow. Pro- and mesofemora yellow, metafemora yellowish basally, dark red distally. Tibiae gold, metafemora with parallel rows of dark spicules. Basal tarsomeres gold, distally dark brown. Hemelytra dark red, with white pigmented partial fascia anteriorly covering medial portion of clavus and portion of corium parallel to clavus, forming heart shape when hemelytra are joined (pl. 2). Extreme distal margin of corium anterior to cuneal fracture weakly white. Cuneus with white pigment along cuneal fracture approximately half distance to apical margin, dark red for remaining lobes. Membrane pale brown with pale brown pigmentation around veins. Abdomen predominantly dark red, with abdominal segments 4–7 paler orange on ventral surface. STRUC- TURE: Eyes laterally encompass total height of head, vertex width less than width of an eye. Length of antennal segment 2 slightly longer than total head width. Remaining structure characteristics as in generic description. GENITALIA: As in generic description.

Female: Macropterous. Total length 2.57– 2.67, width pronotum 0.90–0.95, width at widest part of hemelytra 1.14. STRUC- TURE: Vertex over half total head width. Length antennal segment 2 nearly as wide as total head width. COLORATION: Same as male with exception of scent gland which has larger area white ventrally and cuneus which has larger lobes of white (pl. 2), and segment 2 having larger portion of area gold.

ETYMOLOGY: From the Latin cordatus , for the heart-shaped white patterning on the hemelytron.

HOSTS: Tiliaceae .

DISTRIBUTION: Western Australia and Northern Territory.

DISCUSSION: Ausejanus cordatus is a particularly attractive species whose unique color pattern appears to be consistent across populations and localities, making it relatively easy to identify. It also has a relatively short antennal segment 2 only slightly longer than the total width of the head, like A. iris , but the distinctive coloration patterns of the hemelytron clearly delineate the two.

HOLOTYPE: AUSTRALIA: Western Australia: 4.5 km NW of jct of Blowholes Rd and North West Coastal Hiway, N of Carnarvon, 24.72267 ° S 113.7158 ° E, 28 m, 27 Oct 2004, Cassis, Wall, Weirauch, Tatarnic, Symonds, Corchorus carnarvonensis Halford (Tiliaceae) , det. PERTH staff PERTH6988660. 18 (00196684) ( WAMP).

PARATYPES: AUSTRALIA: Northern Territory: 32 km N of Elliott , 17.55205 ° S 133.54269 ° E, 211 m, 07 Apr 1980, G.F. Hevel and J.A. Fortin, 28 (00271737, 00271738) ( USNM) . Western Australia: West Kimberley Co.: 8 km S of Cape Bertholet, 17.25 ° S 122.16667 ° E, 1 m, 16 Apr 1977, D.H. Colless, 1♀ (00168826) ( ANIC) ; 19 Apr 1977, D.H. Colless, 18 (00168805) ( ANIC). 4.5 km NW of jct of Blowholes Rd and North West Coastal Hiway, N of Carnarvon, 24.72267 ° S 113.7158 ° E, 28 m, 27 Oct 2004, Cassis , Wall , Weirauch , Tatarnic , Symonds , Corchorus carnarvonensis Halford (Tiliaceae) , det. PERTH staff PERTH6988660, 18 (00196683), 1♀ (00196689) ( AMNH), 18 (00196116), 1♀ (00196115) ( UNSW), 18 (00196682), 1♀ (00196685), 38 (00196117–00196118, 00196681), 4♀ (00196686–00196688, 00196690) ( WAMP). Kimberley Dist. , Dampier Peninsula, Barred Ck, 17.5625 ° S 122.2005 ° E, 18 May 1999, G. Cassis, R. Silveira, 18 (00090970) ( AM). Kimberley Dist. , Great Northern Hiway 59 km SW of Roebuck Plains Roadhouse, 18.25001 ° S 122.3845 ° E, 26 May 1999, G. Cassis, R.Silveira, Corchorus sidoides F. Muell. (Tiliaceae) , det. PERTH staff PERTH5635993, 18 (00393323), 1♀ (00393324) ( AM). Pilbara Dist. , Shay Gap Rd 15.1 km NE of Muccan Homestead, 20.22244 ° S 120.1494 ° E, 130 m, 27 May 1999, G. Cassis, R. Silveira, 18 (00090971) ( AM) .

Ausejanus femoralis (Carvalho and Gross) , new combination Figures 6 , 9F ; plate 2

Sejanus femoralis Carvalho and Gross, 1982: 27 , figs. 37–39, 109 (n. sp., descr., disc., DV, MG).

DIAGNOSIS: Unique among Ausejanus species by having ventral surface of abdomen a different color than thorax and head in female, relatively large portion of cuneus pigmented with white in male (pl. 2), and cuneus almost completely pigmented white in female.

REDESCRIPTION: Male: Macropterous, medium sized, elongate, and parallel sided. Total length 3.32–3.79, width pronotum 0.96–1.13, maximum width across hemelytra 1.14–1.29. COLORATION: Brown, gold, and white. Head dark brown. Antennal segment 1 gold basally, dark brown distally; remaining antennal segments dark brown. Labial segments 1 and 2 gold, segments 3 and 4 dark brown. Eyes dark red. Thorax, pronotum, scutellum dark brown. Thoracic pleuron mostly dark brown, pale on dorsal half of posterior margin. Procoxae gold, meso- and metacoxae dark brown basally gold anteriorly. Pro- and mesofemora gold, metafemur gold basally, dark brown on anterior M. Tibiae dark gold, metatibiae with parallel rows of dark spicules. Anterior of clavus dark brown, anterior of corium with transparent yellowish-white fascia not crossing onto clavus until approximately L of distance of clavus from apical margin, clavus transitioning back into dark brown for remaining posterior portion (pl. 2). Apical half of corium medium brown. Cuneus with transparent yellowish-white band for over half of cuneal length, dark brown for posterior lobes near distal margins with membrane. Membrane brown with some dark pigmentation around veins. Abdomen dark brown. STRUCTURE: Eyes in lateral view encompass total height of head, vertex width less than width of an eye. Length of antennal segment 2 nearly 1.5 times head width. Remaining structural characteristics as in generic description. GENITALIA: As in generic description.

Female: Macropterous. Total length 3.02– 3.61, width pronotum 1.06–1.23, width at widest part of hemelytra 1.24–1.49. STRUC- TURE: Vertex less than half total head width. Length antennal segment 2 is 1.2 times total head width. COLORATION: Same as male except antennal segment 2, which has larger area gold and cuneus almost completely transparent yellowish-white (pl. 2). Abdomen unique for Ausejanus females with ventral surface completely yellow, contrasting with primarily dark brown thorax and head.

HOSTS: Araliaceae , Rhamnaceae , and Fabaceae .

DISTRIBUTION: New South Wales, Queensland.

DISCUSSION: The unique color pattern of the abdomen makes recognition of females of this species fairly easy, which is not the case for many of the other Ausejanus species (e.g., A. albisignatus ).

HOLOTYPE: AUSTRALIA: Queensland: Brisbane , 21.x.1964, H.A. Rose. 18 ( QM).

SPECIMENS EXAMINED: AUSTRALIA: New South Wales: Ashton Park, 33.84819 ° S 151.24394 ° E, 3 m, 15 Oct 1958, M.I. Nikitin, 18 (00372014) ( AM), 118 (00173984–00173994), 14♀ (00173995–00174008) ( BMNH). Dead Horse Gap 9 km from Thredbo Snowy Mts., 36.52351 ° S 148.2649 ° E, 1545 m, 11 Feb 1979, D.K. McAlpine & B.J. Day, 18 (00393647), 1♀ (00393648) ( AM). Kuring-gai Chase N.P., 33.651 ° S 151.201 ° E, 06 Nov 1989, G. Cassis, 8♀ (00088841–00088846, 00088848– 00088849) Pomaderris sp. (Rhamnaceae) , 1♀ (00088847) ( AM). Myall Lakes National Park, 10.3 km S Seal Rocks Rd on Hawks Nest Rd, 32.50001 ° S 152.35 ° E, 5 m, 20 Oct 1995, Schuh and Cassis, Astrotricha longifolia Benth. (Araliaceae) , det. B.M. Wiecek 1996 NSW 395907, 18 (00272648), 42♀ (00272669, 00272671–00272711) ( AMNH). Narranbeen, 33.71666 ° S 151.3 ° E, 28 Oct 1922, A. Musgrave, paratype, 1♀ (00393300) ( AM). Neilson Park, 28.8239 ° S 153.29447 ° E, 12 m, 23 Oct 1932, K.K. Spence, paratype, 1♀ (00393301) ( AM). Royal National Park, Warumbul Picnic Area, 34.06667 ° S 151.1048 ° E, 20 m, 14 Nov 2001, Cassis, Schuh, Schwartz, Silveira, Acacia irrorata subsp. irrorata Sieber ex Spreng. (Fabaceae) , det. NSW staff NSW666408, 18 (00274234) ( AM). St. Forest W of Ulladulla, above Carters Creek, 35.5152 ° S 150.0346 ° E, 200 m, 11 Nov 1995, Schuh and Cassis, Astrotricha latifolia Benth. (Araliaceae) , det. B.M. Wiecek 1996 NSW 396004, 118 (00089903, 00089910– 00089912, 00089918, 00089922–00089923, 00089934, 00274141–00274143), 26♀ (00089901–00089902, 00089904–00089909, 00089913–00089914, 00089916–00089917, 00089919–00089921, 00089924–00089927, 00089932–00089933, 00274144–00274145, 00274148, 00372012–00372013) ( AM), Astrotricha latifolia Benth. (Araliaceae) , det. B.M. Wiecek 1996 NSW 396004, 148 (00195985, 00272630, 00272632–00272636, 00272638, 00272640–00272644, 00272647), 26♀ (00272629, 00272631, 00272637, 00272639, 00272646, 00272649–00272668, 00272670) ( AMNH). [The Royal] National Park, 34.072 ° S 151.05789 ° E, 20 m, Oct 1932, K.K.B., paratype, 2♀ (00393299, 00393302) ( AM).

Figures

Figure 6. Distribution map of Ausejanus spp. (A–I).

Figure 9. Male genitalia of Ausejanus spp. A. Endosoma, A. schwartzi. B. Phallotheca, A. cordatus. C. Right paramere, A. neboissi. D–K. Left paramere. D. A. meridionalis. E. A. neboissi. F. A. femoralis. G, K. A. albisignatus. H. A. arvensus. I. A. vividus. J. A. iris.