Melaleucoides pileanthicola, Schuh & C. Weirauch, 2010

Schuh, R. T. & C. Weirauch, 2010, Myrtaceae-Feeding Phylinae (Hemiptera: Miridae) From Australia: Description And Analysis Of Phylogenetic And Host Relationships For A Monophyletic Assemblage Of Three New Genera, Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 2010 (344), pp. 3-94 : 52-55

Melaleucoides pileanthicola , new species Figures 24, 25; map 4; plate 3

DIAGNOSIS: Similar in size and coloration to M. ozzii , the total length not exceeding 3.01 and the strongly reddish clavus and posterior portion of the endocorium. Also similar to M. akaina in size and general coloration, but distinguished from that species by the short apical endosomal spine and the absence of processes associated with the secondary gonopore and from M. ozzii by the distinctive apical endosomal spine and red cuneus in that species.

DESCRIPTION: Male: Body weakly to distinctly ovoid; mean total length 2.72, mean width pronotum 0.97. COLORATION (pl. 3): Head: Uniformly pale, yellow orange; scapus and pedicellus unicolorous pale; labium pale with segment 4 heavily infuscate. Thorax: Pronotum unicolorous yellow orange; scutellum entirely red to brown; hemelytron with most of endocorium carmine; cuneus pale; membrane and veins strongly fumose; hind femur unicolorous pale, without black spots; hind tibial spines black, without dark spots at bases. Abdomen: Venter unicolorous pale or mostly so. SUR- FACE AND VESTITURE (fig. 24C): Dorsum with suberect or reclining black setae and some sericeous or woolly setae. STRUCTURE: Head (fig. 24A): Moderately projecting; interocular space large; eyes leaving gena only very slightly exposed in lateral view. Antenna: Segment 2 weakly tapering, more slender at base; antennal fossa with ventral margin at ventral margin of eye. Labium: Just reaching onto abdomen. Thorax: Pretarsus (fig. 24D): Pulvilli absent. GENITALIA (figs. 24E, F, 25): Endosoma: Primary strap apically greatly elongate, weakly arcuate and curving dorsally, no ornamentation; secondary endosomal strap fused with primary strap proximal to secondary gonopore, reaching well beyond gonopore, devoid of ornamentation, free from primary endosomal strap; spinelike, elongate process arising near gonopore on dorsal surface absent; spinelike, elongate process near gonopore on ventral surface present and erect, oriented toward apex of endosoma; bladderlike process distad of secondary gonopore absent; secondary gonopore seen frontally (facing up) in lateral view of endosoma. Phallotheca: Nearly erect; dorsal surface with a curving, posteriorly directed, platelike projection; apex simple. Left Paramere: Shaft at right angles to body; body spoon shaped; apex medially broadly; anterior process triangular in lateral view; posterior process in the form of a long, straight, fingerlike projection; base of posterior process with slightly projecting shoulder. Right Paramere: Body short and broad, lanceolate; apex short, clawlike, decurved.

Female: Body shape as in male; mean total length 2.94, mean width pronotum 1.01. COLORATION (pl. 3): As in male. GENI- TALIA (fig. 25): Posterior wall laterally with distinct crescent-shaped interramal sclerites; posteriorly without a sclerotized transverse band; posterolaterally with a distinct swelling covered with microtrichia; longitudinal fold on either side of midline along part of length; posterior margin of posterior wall without spicules and not reflexed dorsally; interramal lobes roughly symmetrical, erect, and not ornamented with spicules or with a very few; vestibulum with medial plates sclerotized and readily observed, small, nearly symmetrical, triangular with sclerotized guide pre- sent as caplike structure with internal differentiation.

ETYMOLOGY: Named for the host genus, Pileanthus (Myrtaceae) , in combination with the Latin suffix - cola, ‘‘inhabitant.’’

HOSTS: The majority of known specimens were taken on Pileanthus peduncularis borealis Endl. (Myrtaceae) . Additional speci- mens are recorded from the following species of Myrtaceae : Pileanthus peduncularis subsp. pilifer Keighery (pl. 7D), Pileanthus vernicosus F. Muell. , Scholtzia leptantha Benth. , Thryptomene aspera aspera E. Pritz. (pl. 8B).

DISTRIBUTION (map 4): Widespread in Western Australia, from the outback Goldfields to the coastal Carnarvon region.

HOLOTYPE: AUSTRALIA: Western Australia: NW Coastal Hiway 57 km N of Kalbarri Road, 27.44756uS 114.6867uE, 500 m, 30 Oct 1996, Schuh and Cassis, Pileanthus peduncularis borealis Endl. (Myrtaceae) , det. Perth 05120349, 1 - (AMNH_PBI 00137356) ( WAMP).

PARATYPES: AUSTRALIA: Western Australia: 28 km S of Menzies (3.5 km E of Hiway), 29.91917uS 121.1514uE, 500 m, 25 Oct 1996, Schuh and Cassis, Thryptomene aspera aspera E. Pritz. (Myrtaceae) , det. Perth 05095093, 4 - (00087219, 00087510, 00373108–00373109), 2 U (00373106, 00373107) ( AM). 54.3 km N of jct of Agana Kalbarri Rd and Brand Hiway (rest area), 27.47362uS 114.7054uE, 240 m, 24 Oct 2004, Cassis, Wall, Weirauch, Symonds, Pileanthus vernicosus F. Muell. (Myrtaceae) , det. Field ID, 4 U (00373119–00373122) ( AM). Kalbarri National Park, Loop Road, 27.56163uS 114.4376uE, 300 m, 28 Oct 1996, Schuh and Cassis, Pileanthus peduncularis borealis Endl. (Myrtaceae) , det. Perth 05120586, 7 - (0037- 3147–00373153), 8 U (00373156–00373163) ( AM), 2 - (00373154, 00373155) ( WAMP). NW Coastal Hiway 57 km N of Kalbarri Road, 27.44756uS 114.6867uE, 500 m, 30 Oct 1996, Schuh and Cassis, Pileanthus peduncularis borealis Endl. (Myrtaceae) , det. Perth 05120349, 11 - (00087215, 00373123–00373- 132), 9 U (00087216, 00373136–00373143) ( AM), 29 - (00087468, 00137322–00137324, 00137329–00137353), 32 U (00137359–001- 37369, 00137373–00137376, 00137379– 00137380, 00137383–00137397) ( AMNH), 2 - (00137354, 00137355), 2 U (00137377, 00137378) ( CNC), 3 - (00373133–00373135), 3 U (00373144–00373146) ( UNSW), 2 - (00- 137357, 00137358), 2 U (00137381, 0013- 7382) ( USNM), 4 - (00137325–00137328), 11 U (00137370–00137372, 00137398–001- 37405) ( WAMP).

OTHER SPECIMENS EXAMINED: AUSTRA- LIA: Western Australia: 4.5 km NW of jct of Blowholes Rd and North West Coastal Hiway, N of Carnarvon, 24.72267uS 113.7158uE, 28 m, 27 Oct 2004, Cassis, Wall, Weirauch, Tatarnic, Symonds, Scholtzia leptantha Benth. (Myrtaceae) , det. Perth6988687, 1 - (00373175) (AM). 54.3 km N of jct of Agana Kalbarri Rd and Brand Hiway (rest area), 27.47362uS 114.7054uE, 240 m, 24 Oct 2004, Cassis, Wall, Weirauch, Symonds, Pileanthus vernicosus F. Muell. (Myrtaceae) , det. Field ID, 3 - (00373116–00373118) (AM), 1 - (00373299) (AMNH). 66.2 km E of North West Coastal Hiway on Mardathuna Rd, 24.45443uS 114.5233uE, 103 m, 01 Nov 2004, Cassis, Wall, Weirauch, Tatarnic, Symonds, Pileanthus peduncularis subsp. pilifer Keighery (Myrtaceae) , det. Perth 6989985, 2 - (00373110, 00373111), 1 U (00373112) (AM).