Thaumastocoris majeri 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 : 36-38

Thaumastocoris majeri Noack, Cassis & Rose n.sp.

(Figures: 5C,D; 12A–H; 18D)

Etymology. This species is name in honour of Professor Jonathan Majer, Curtin University, who collected the type series.

Holotype: 3, WESTERN AUSTRALIA: Northam, 31° 39’S 116° 40’E, October 1999, JD Majer, ex Eucalyptus rudis ( WAM). Paratypes: 73, 5Ƥ same data as holotype (AM; UNSW).

Diagnosis. Thaumastocoris majeri is recognised by the following characters: body elongate; dorsum yellowish brown; mandibular plates gently and evenly rounded ( Figure 5 C,D); labium short, reaching just past anterior margin of prosternum ( Figure 12 B); pronotum moderately constricted ( Figure 5 C,D; 12D); abdomen visible beyond costal margins of hemelytra ( Figure 5 C,D); pygophoral lock elongate, slightly concave medially, with subapical notch; paramere securiform, elongate, weakly spatulate apically ( Figure 18 D). Thaumastocoris majeri can be distinguished from T. freomooreae by its shorter labium. The labium of T. freomooreae is longer, reaching the anterior margin of the forecoxae. Thaumastocoris majeri can be distinguished from T. nadeli and T. peregrinus by its antennal colouration. In T. majeri the apical half of AIII and apical two-thirds of AIV are dark brown. Whereas in T. nadeli and T. peregrinus , only the apical half of AIV is dark (cf. Figure 6 A,B; 7A,B).

Description. Submacropterous. Male length 2.53–2.73, width 0.84–0.91; female length 2.65–2.84, width 0.91–1.07. Females slightly larger and dorsum darker than males; thoracic sterna of females slightly lighter ( Figure 5 C,D). Colouration. Dorsum yellowish brown with contrasting dark brown to fuscous markings. Head: mostly yellowish brown; vertex medium brown; lateral margins of mandibular plates and genae with fuscous stripe; genae, gula and bucculae straw-coloured. Antennae: mostly yellowish brown; apical half of AIII and apical three quarters of AIV light to dark brown. Labium: LI–LIII dark straw-coloured; apex LIV fuscous. Pronotum: mostly yellowish brown; disc cream-coloured medially ( Figure 5 C,D). Thoracic sterna: prosternum dark brown; mesosternum dark brown paler laterally. Scutellum : dark brown anteriorly, posterior half of midline straw-coloured. Hemelytra: yellowish brown, with clavus more cream; membrane cream, medially infused with brown ( Figure 5 C,D). Legs: mostly straw-coloured, distal half of second tarsomere dark brown. Abdomen: uniformly yellowish brown. Texture. Dorsum moderately polished, with scattered shallow to deep setose punctures. Head: vertex mostly impunctate, with transverse puncticulate rows sometimes visible, punctures shallow; epicranial suture with irregular distribution of shallow to moderately deep punctures; mandibular plates irregularly punctate, denser posteriorly, punctures shallow ( Figure 12 A). Pronotum: callosite region sparsely punctate, punctures shallow, denser along midline and anterolateral angles; disc densely and regularly punctate, punctures deep; humeral angles impunctate ( Figure 12 D). Thoracic pleura and sterna: propleuron irregular distribution of shallow punctures; metapleural suture marked by single row of fine punctures; thoracic sterna mostly with sparse and irregular distribution of punctures; mesosternum strongly polished, midline with fine shallow punctuation. Scutellum : densely and regularly punctate, punctures deep, midline polished posteriorly. Hemelytra: clavus and corium with uniform and moderate distribution of deep punctures, as on pronotal disc ( Figure 5 C,D). Abdomen: impunctate, moderately polished. Vestiture. Dorsum with uniform distribution of setose punctures, setae short erect straw-coloured. Venter with fine straw-coloured, decumbent setae, most densely distributed on ventral aspect of mandibular plates, gula and prosternum ( Figure 12 B); mesosternum with irregular distribution of setae medially, sparse laterally. Antennae: uniform distribution of decumbent setae intermixed with fine erect setae; AIII–AIV with same setae on lateral margins, otherwise bare ( Figure 12 C). Male genitalia: pygophore clothed in fine setae, more elongate and denser near genital opening; pygophoral lock with larger setae surrounding subapical notch; paramere evenly beset with setae, becoming bare apically ( Figure 18 D). Structure. Head: mandibular plates elongate, surpassing clypeus by length of clypeus, contiguous posteromedially, flared anteriorly, concave dorsally, anterolateral margins strongly and evenly recurved ( Figure 12 A); bucculae strongly arcuate, weakly explanate posteriorly ( Figure 12 B); gula weakly excavate. Eyes: moderately pedicellate. Antennae: AI and AII cylindrical; AII slightly expanded distally; AIII and AIV dorsoventrally flattened; AIV weakly lanceolate ( Figure 12 C). Labium: short, reaching just past anterior margin of prosternum ( Figure 12 B). Pronotum: moderately constricted medially; callosite region and disc subequal in length, disc a little broader; callosite region depressed along midline; anterolateral angles weakly tuberculate; lateral margin of disc weakly arcuate ( Figure 12 D). Thoracic pleura and sterna: propleuron weakly swollen posteroventrally; prosternum weakly swollen anteriorly, posterolateral margins weakly flared and rounded ( Figure 12 B). Hemelytra: at rest extending to basal third of pygophore; medial margin of corium weakly excavate distally; apex of corium at membrane narrowed, medial margin less than 45° to costal margin ( Figure 5 C,D). Legs: forecoxal separation equal to slightly wider than coxal width ( Figure 12 B); fore and mesofemora strongly incrassate; fossula spongiosa elongate, reaching distal margin of second tarsomere ( Figure 12 F); 3–6 foretibial teeth, 4–8 mesotibial, 0–5 metatibial teeth. Male Genitalia: pygophoral lock elongate, weakly concave medially with subapical notch; paramere securiform, elongate distally, apex weakly spatulate ( Figure 18 D).

Measurements. See Table 2.

Distribution. Thaumastocoris majeri is known only from the type locality, east of Perth, Western Australia ( Figure 20 B).

Host plant. Thaumastocoris majeri is only known from Eucalyptus rudis , an endemic of southwest Western Australia ( Table 3 ).

Remarks. The pygophore of this species is more exaggerated than other species of Thaumastocoris , with a subapical notch on the elongate pygophoral lock and a securiform shaped paramere, which is spatulate apically ( Figure 18 D).

Figures

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

FIGURE 6. Habitus, dorsal view. A and B Thaumastocoris nadeli. C and D Thaumastocoris ohallorani. Scale bar = 1 mm.

FIGURE 12. Scanning electron micrographs: Thaumastocoris majeri. A Ƥ head, dorsal view. B Ƥ head and prosternum, ventral view. C Ƥ antenna, dorsal view. D Ƥ head and pronotum, dorsal view. E Ƥ head and thorax, lateral view. F Ƥ foretarsus, lateral view. G Ƥ tarsal claw, anterolateral view. H Ƥ genitalia, ventral view. cl = claw, fs = fossula spongiosa, tc = tibial comb, tii = second tarsomere. Scale bar = 0.1 mm except for G scale bar = 0.01 mm.

FIGURE 18. Male genitalia. A. Thaumastocoris australicus, ventral view B. Thaumastocoris busso, ventral view C. Thaumastocoris freomooreae, ventral view D. Thaumastocoris majeri, ventral view E. Thaumastocoris hackeri, ventral view F. Thaumastocoris hackeri, dorsal view G. Thaumastocoris ohallorani, ventral view H. Thaumastocoris ohallorani, dorsal view. Scale bar = 0.1 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.