Thaumastocoris kalaako Noack, Cassis & Rose

Noack, Ann E., Cassis, Gerasimos & Rose, Harley A., 2011, Systematic revision of Thaumastocoris Kirkaldy (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Thaumastocoridae), Zootaxa 3121, pp. 1-60 : 34-35

Thaumastocoris kalaako Noack, Cassis & Rose n.sp.

(Figure: 5B)

Etymology. This species is named after the aboriginal language group, Kalaako , south of Kalgoorlie, Western Australia ( Tindale 1974), where this species was collected.

Holotype: Ƥ, WESTERN AUSTRALIA: 49 km S of Kambalda Road, junction on Coolgardie-Esperance Highway; 300m, 31°43.025’S 121°41.434’E, 19 November 1999, RT Schuh, G Cassis and R Silveira, locality code SWA99-L13, ex Eucalyptus sp. ( WAM). Paratypes: 2Ƥ, same data as holotype (AM; UNSW).

Diagnosis. Thaumastocoris kalaako is recognised by the following combination of characters: body elongate, small; elongate labium, reaching the posterior margin of the forecoxae; mandibular plates flared anteriorly; medial margin of corium convex; abdomen strongly expanded laterally ( Figure 5 B). It can be distinguished from T. freomooreae by its elongate labium and the convex medial margin of the corium. The labium of T. freomooreae reaches the anterior margin of the forecoxae and the medial margin of the corium is excavate distally. In addition, T. kalaako is much smaller in size than T. freomooreae .

Description. Submacropterous. Female length 2.29–2.37, width 0.86–0.91. Colouration. Dorsum yellowish brown with contrasting cream and medium brown to fuscous markings. Head: mostly light cream; vertex and clypeus yellowish brown; lateral margins of mandibular plates and genae with fuscous stripe; genae and bucculae straw-coloured; gula yellowish brown. Antennae: mostly yellowish brown; apical half of AIII and two-thirds AIV dark brown ( Figure 5 B). Labium: LI–LIII straw-coloured; apex LIV fuscous. Pronotum: mostly yellowish brown, callosite region fuscous medially; disc cream medially. Thoracic sterna: prosternum mostly dark brown, paler anteriorly; mesosternum mostly dark brown, paler laterally. Scutellum : dark brown anteriorly, midline yellowish brown. Hemelytra: mostly yellowish cream, clavus more cream; membrane cream, medially infused with brown ( Figure 5 B). Legs: mostly yellowish brown, with second tarsomere light brown. Abdomen: uniformly yellowish brown. Texture. Dorsum polished, with scattered shallow to deep setose punctures. Head: vertex mostly impunctate; epicranial suture with irregular distribution of shallow punctures; mandibular plates irregularly punctate, denser posteriorly, punctures shallow. Pronotum: callosite region sparsely punctate, punctures shallow, denser along midline and anterolateral angles; disc densely and regularly punctate, punctures deep, posterolateral angles impunctate. Thoracic pleura and sterna: propleuron irregularly punctuate , punctures shallow, denser posteriorly; thoracic sterna mostly with sparsely and irregularly punctate; mesosternum strongly polished. Scutellum : densely and regularly punctate, punctures deep and fine, midline polished posteriorly. Hemelytra: clavus and corium with uniform and moderate distribution of deep punctures, larger than on pronotal disc ( Figure 5 B). Abdomen: impunctate, moderately polished. Vestiture. Dorsum with uniform distribution of setose punctures, setae short, erect, strawcoloured. Ventral surface of body with fine, straw-coloured, decumbent setae, most densely distributed on ventral aspect of mandibular plates, gula and lateral margins of prosternum; mesosternum with setae irregularly distributed medially, sparse laterally. Antennae: uniform distribution of decumbent setae intermixed with fine erect setae; AIII–AIV with same setae on lateral margins, otherwise bare. Structure. Head: mandibular plates elongate, surpassing clypeus by less than length of clypeus, contiguous subapically, flared anteriorly, weakly concave dorsally, anterolateral margins weakly recurved; bucculae strongly arcuate, weakly explanate posteriorly; gula weakly concave. Eyes: moderately pedicellate. Antennae: AI and AII cylindrical; AII slightly expanded distally; AIII and AIV dorsoventrally flattened; AIV weakly lanceolate. Labium: elongate, reaching posterior margin of forecoxae. Pronotum: constricted medially; callosite region and disc subequal, disc a little broader; callosite region strongly depressed along midline; anterolateral angles weakly tuberculate; lateral margin of disc weakly arcuate. Thoracic pleura and sterna: propleuron weakly swollen posteroventrally; prosternum weakly concave anteriorly, posterolateral margins weakly truncate. Hemelytra: at rest extending to basal abdominal TVIII; medial margin of corium convex; apex of corium at membrane blunt, medial margin more than 45° to costal margin ( Figure 5 B). Legs: forecoxal separation equal to slightly wider than coxal width; fore and mesofemora strongly incrassate; fossula spongiosa short, reaching distal half of second tarsomere.

Male unknown.

Measurements. See Table 2.

Distribution. This species is only known from the type locality, south of Kalgoorlie, in the Goldfields district of Western Australia ( Figure 20 B).

Host plant. Thaumastocoris kalaako is known only from an unidentified species of Eucalyptus ( Table 3 ).

Remarks. Thaumastocoris kalaako is the smallest Thaumastocoris described to date. The convex medial margin of the corium and blunt angle at which this margin meets the membrane are unique to this species.

Figures

FIGURE 5. Habitus, dorsal view. A Thaumastocoris macqueeni. B Thaumastocoris kalaako. C and D Thaumastocoris majeri. Scale bar = 1 mm.

FIGURE 20. Distribution map. A. Thaumastocoris australicus, T. busso, T. freomooreae and T. hackeri B. Thaumastocoris kalaako, T. majeri, T. macqueeni and T. nadeli.