Melaleucoides micranthae, 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 : 48-50

Melaleucoides micranthae , new species Figure 22, map 4, plate 3

DIAGNOSIS: Recognized by the presence of discrete small dark spots on the dorsum (pl. 3), and the structure of the male genitalia, the left paramere with a somewhat elongate, apex positioned somewhat asymmetrically and the posterolateral shoulder with a low projection; endosoma with a weakly elongate, condensed grouping of heavy denticles on the postgonoporal portion of the secondary strap and recurved ventral process associated with the secondary gonopore. Most easily confused with M. leuropomae on the form of the spots and the structure of the male genitalia, but the spots in that species usually smaller, the apical medial process of the left paramere more strongly asymmetrical, and the row of denticles on the secondary endosomal strap longer, with the denticles more evenly spaced. Spots on the dorsum of M. beaufortiae always somewhat coalescent and those in M. brevifoliae tiny and much more numerous.

DESCRIPTION: Male: Body weakly to distinctly ovoid; mean total length 3.14, mean width pronotum 1.22. COLORATION (pl. 3): Head: Pale with a few dark dots; scapus yellow to dirty yellow; pedicellus yellow to dirty yellow; labium uniformly pale. Thorax: Pronotum pale, yellowish, with a few brown spots; scutellum pale, yellowish; hemelytron unicolorous pale, yellowish, with small a few scattered dark spots; markings on cuneus present as a weakly castaneous apex; membrane weakly fumose, veins yellow; hind femur with many brown or black spots; hind tibial spines dark with very small dark bases. Abdomen: Venter unicolorous pale or mostly so. SURFACE AND VESTITURE: Dorsum with suberect or reclining black setae, without sericeous or woolly setae. STRUC- TURE: Head: Barely projecting; interocular space moderate; eyes leaving gena broadly exposed in lateral view. Antenna: Segment 2 weakly tapering, more slender at base; antennal fossa with dorsal margin somewhat below ventral margin of eye. Labium: Just reaching onto abdomen. Thorax: Pretarsus: Pulvilli present, flaplike, covering about one third of ventral claw surface. GENITALIA (fig. 22): Endosoma: Primary strap apically greatly elongate, curving dorsally near apex, no ornamentation; secondary endosomal strap fused with primary strap proximal to secondary gonopore, reaching well beyond gonopore, fused with primary strap, and with a few heavy denticles; spinelike, elongate process arising near gonopore on dorsal surface absent; spinelike, elongate process near gonopore on ventral surface present, strongly 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; anterior surface with a short to elongate keel; apex simple. Left Paramere: Shaft at right angles to body; body spoon shaped, apex medially drawn into a blunt fingerlike process; apex posterolaterally with a low shoulder; anterior process slender and cylindrical in lateral view; posterior process in the form of a short, curved, fingerlike projection; base of posterior process without conspicuous shoulder. Right Paramere: Body short and broad, lanceolate; apex short, clawlike, decurved.

Female: Slightly more ovoid than male; mean total length 3.53, mean width pronotum 1.16. COLORATION (pl. 3): As in male. GENITALIA: Not examined.

ETYMOLOGY: Named for the host species, Beaufortia micrantha (Myrtaceae) .

HOSTS: Beaufortia micrantha micrantha Schauer (Myrtaceae) .

DISTRIBUTION (map 4): Known from two localities in the Boorabbin and Wheatbelt regions in Western Australia.

HOLOTYPE: AUSTRALIA: Western Australia: 32 km SE of Paynes Find toward Beacon , 29.48558uS 117.7836uE, 250 m, 12 Dec 1997, Schuh, Brailovsky, 1 - (AMNH_ PBI 00131081) ( WAMP).

PARATYPES: AUSTRALIA: Western Australia: 32 km SE of Paynes Find toward Beacon, 29.48558uS 117.7836uE, 250 m, 12 Dec 1997, Schuh, Brailovsky, 1 - (00131082), 5 U (00131083–00131087) ( AMNH). 92.5 km W of Coolgardie at east side of Boorabbin National Park on Great Eastern Hwy, 31.21233uS 120.31uE, 445 m, 17 Nov 1999, R.T. Schuh and G. Cassis, Beaufortia micrantha micrantha Schauer (Myrtaceae) , det. Perth 05671957, 5 - (00087320, 00372252, 00372255–00372257), 5 U (00087321, 003722- 65–00372268) ( AM), 1 - (00087530) ( AMNH), 2 - (00372253, 00372254), 2 U (00372269, 00372270) ( WAMP).

OTHER SPECIMENS EXAMINED: AUSTRA- LIA: Western Australia: 92.5 km W of Coolgardie at east side of Boorabbin National Park on Great Eastern Hwy, 31.21233uS 120.31uE, 445 m, 17 Nov 1999, R.T. Schuh and G. Cassis, Beaufortia micrantha micrantha Schauer (Myrtaceae) , det. Perth 05671957, 10 nymphs (00372271–00372280) (AM).