Melaleucoides castanea, 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 : 43-45

Melaleucoides castanea , new species Figure 19, map 3, plate 2

DIAGNOSIS: Recognized uniquely among Melaleucoides spp. by the entirely castaneous coloration, the large, broad body (pl. 2), and the structure of the male genitalia, with the left paramere elongate but broad apically, and the endosoma with a long, apically oriented, ventral process associated with the secondary gonopore. Coloration most similar to M. rhaphiophyllae and M. uncinatae , but both of those species with the apex of the scutellum and the base of the cuneus pale.

DESCRIPTION: Male: Body broadly ovoid; mean total length 3.61, mean width pronotum 1.44. COLORATION (pl. 2): Head: Uniformly castaneous; scapus unicolorous dark; pedicellus yellow to dirty yellow; labium pale with segment 4 heavily infuscate. Thorax: Pronotum, scutellum, and hemelytron unicolorous castaneous; markings on cuneus absent; membrane and veins very strongly fumose; hind femur unicolorous pale, without black spots; hind tibial spines black, without dark spots at bases. Abdomen: Venter unicolorous dark. SURFACE AND VESTITURE: Dorsum with suberect or reclining black setae, without sericeous or woolly setae. STRUCTURE: Head: Weakly projecting; interocular space relatively large; eyes leaving gena broadly 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: Pulvilli present, flaplike, covering about one third of ventral claw surface. GENITALIA (fig. 19): Endosoma: Primary strap apically greatly elongate, nearly straight, apex spadelike, otherwise without ornamentation; secondary endosomal strap fused with primary strap proximal to secondary gonopore, reaching well beyond gonopore, fused with primary strap, ornamented with denticles; spinelike, elongate process arising near gonopore on dorsal surface absent; spinelike, elongate process near gonopore on ventral surface present and erect, parallel to primary endosomal strap; 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; ventral surface with a projecting keel; apex simple. Left Paramere: Shaft at right angles to body; body spoon shaped; apex medially elongate and broadly rounded; anterior process triangular in lateral view; posterior process in the form of a short, straight, fingerlike projection; base of posterior process without conspicuous shoul- der. Right Paramere: Body short and broad, lanceolate; apex with short fingerlike process.

Female: Body shape as in male; mean total length 3.84, mean width pronotum 1.55. COLORATION (pl. 2): As in male. GENI- TALIA: Not examined.

ETYMOLOGY: Named for the dark coloration, from the Latin castanea , ‘‘chestnut.’’

HOSTS: Melaleuca undulata Benth. (Myrtaceae) .

DISTRIBUTION (map 3): Recorded from one locality in southwestern Western Australia.

HOLOTYPE: AUSTRALIA: Western Australia: 4 km W of Lillian Stoke Rock, 33.079uS 120.0669uE, 370 m, 21 Nov 1999, R.T. Schuh and G. Cassis, Melaleuca undulata Benth. (Myrtaceae) , det. Perth 05671930, 1 - (AMNH_PBI 00087372) ( WAMP).

PARATYPES: AUSTRALIA: Western Australia: 4 km W of Lillian Stoke Rock, 33.079uS 120.0669uE, 370 m, 21 Nov 1999, R.T. Schuh and G. Cassis, Melaleuca undulata Benth. (Myrtaceae) , det. Perth 05671930,

1 U (00372754) ( AM), 1 U (00327133) ( AMNH), 1 U (00087373) ( WAMP).

Melaleucoides grossi , new species Figure 20, map 4, plate 2 DIAGNOSIS: Recognized among Melaleucoides spp. by the relatively large size (mean total length 3.34), the monotonous pale coloration of the dorsum, and the structure of the male genitalia, notably the secondary endosomal strap dorsal to the primary strap, free, elongate, conical, and uniformly covered

with short denticles. Most similar in size and coloration to M. cassisi and M. sheathiana . Distinguished from the former by the arrangement of the endosomal denticles in a clublike fashion ventral to the primary endosomal strap, and from the latter by the strongly orange scutellum and the fusion of the primary and secondary endosomal straps distad of the secondary gonopore with the spicules placed in somewhat irregular arrangement.

DESCRIPTION: Male: Body weakly to distinctly ovoid; mean total length 3.34, mean width pronotum 1.38. COLORATION (pl. 2): Head: Uniformly pale, weakly yellow; scapus and pedicellus yellow to dirty yellow; labium pale with segment 4 heavily infuscate. Thorax: Pronotum unicolorous, weakly yellow; scutellum white to weakly yellow; hemelytron, including cuneus, unicolorous weakly yellow; markings on cuneus absent; membrane weakly fumose, veins entirely red; hind femur unicolorous pale, without black spots; hind tibial spines black, without dark spots at bases. Abdomen: Venter unicolorous pale or mostly so. SURFACE AND VESTI- TURE: Dorsum with suberect or reclining black setae and some sericeous or woolly setae. STRUCTURE: Head: Barely projecting; interocular space moderate; eyes leaving gena moderately exposed in lateral view. Antenna: Segment 2 of equal diameter over entire length; antennal fossa with ventral margin at ventral margin of eye. Labium: Just reaching onto abdomen. Thorax: Pretarsus: Pulvilli present, flaplike, covering about one third of ventral claw surface. GENITALIA (fig. 20): Endosoma: Primary strap apically greatly elongate, weakly angled dorsally relative to body of endosoma, no ornamentation; secondary endosomal strap fused with primary strap proximal to secondary gonopore, free from primary strap distal to secondary gonopore, ornamented with denticles; spinelike, elongate process arising near gonopore on dorsal surface absent; spinelike, elongate process near gonopore on ventral surface present, recurved toward base of endosoma; bladderlike process distad of secondary gonopore absent; secondary gonopore seen frontally (facing up) in lateral view of endosoma. Phallotheca: Smoothly curving on dorsal margin; dorsal surface with a curving, posteriorly directed, platelike projection; anterior surface with a short to elongate keel; apex simple. Left Paramere: Shaft at right angles to body; body spoon shaped; apex medially broadly rounded; anterior process triangular in lateral view; posterior process in the form of a long, straight, fingerlike projection; base of posterior process without conspicuous shoulder. Right Paramere: Body short and broad, lanceolate; apex with short fingerlike process.

Female: Body shape as in male; mean total length 3.75, mean width pronotum 1.46. COLORATION (pl. 2): As in male. GENI- TALIA: Not examined.

ETYMOLOGY: Named for the collector of all known specimens, the late Gordon Gross, in recognition of his contributions to Australian heteropterology.

HOSTS: Melaleuca sp. (Myrtaceae) .

DISTRIBUTION (map 4): Known from Wallaroo in southeastern South Australia. Melaleucoides grossi is one of only two species in the Melaleucoides genus group that occur outside Western Australia.

HOLOTYPE: AUSTRALIA: South Australia: North Beach, Wallaroo , 33.906uS 137.63uE, 12 Feb 1964, G.F. Gross, 1 - (AMNH_PBI 00169227) ( SAMA).

PARATYPES: AUSTRALIA: South Australia: North Beach, Wallaroo, 33.906uS 137.63uE, 12 Feb 1964, G.F. Gross, 2 - (00169239, 00169240), 3 U (00169256–0016- 9258) ( AM), 4 - (00169219–00169220, 0016- 9225, 00169238), 5 U (00169215, 00169217, 00169246, 00169249, 00169253) ( AMNH), 15 - (00169221–00169224, 00169226, 001- 69228–00169237), 17 U (00169209–00169212, 00- 169216, 00169218, 00169241, 00169243–001- 69245, 00169247–00169248, 00169250–001- 69252, 00169254–00169255) ( SAMA).