Thaumastocoris roy 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 : 48-49

Thaumastocoris roy Noack, Cassis & Rose n.sp.

(Figures: 8A,B; 19D)

Etymology. This species is named in honour Roy Frederick Noack, father of the first author, who passed away before the completion of this project.

Holotype: 3, QUEENSLAND: Mt Glorious, 27°19’S 152°45’E, Y Basset site, 700m, II 1988, Y. Basset, ex Argyrodendron actinophyllum , 6091, T169567 (QM). Paratypes: 13 West Normanby R., 40 ml W of Cooktown, 12 xi 1965, G Monteith T169570 (QM); 2Ƥ same data as holotype T169568, T169569 (QM).

Diagnosis. Thaumastocoris roy is distinguished by the following combination of characters: body with dense distribution of setae; mandibular plates moderately expanded laterally; strongly pedicellate eyes; elongate labium, reaching posterior margin of prosternum; expanded abdomen, visible from above ( Figure 8 A,B); paramere keeled ( Figure 19 D). This species can be distinguished from T. hackeri by the paramere and the proximity of forecoxae to each other. The paramere of T. hackeri is hornlike apically and not keeled (cf. Figure 18 E,F). The forecoxae are inserted at a distance less than the forecoxal width, whereas in T. roy they are inserted at a distance equal to or slightly more than coxal width. Thaumastocoris roy is also much smaller than T. hackeri .

Description. Submacropterous. Male length 2.37–2.41, width 0.96–0.98; female length 2.57–2.69, width 0.98–0.98. Females darker in colouration, slightly larger in size, with the abdomen more expanded ( Figure 8 B). Colouration. Dorsum yellowish brown with contrasting dark brown to fuscous markings ( Figure 8 A,B). Head: mostly yellowish brown; vertex medium brown; genae with fuscous area medially; genae, gula and bucculae light brown. Antennae: mostly light brown; AII with subapical margin dark brown; subapical third of AIII and apical two-thirds of AIV dark brown to fuscous. Labium: LI–LIII straw-coloured; LIV fuscous. Pronotum: mostly yellowish brown; pronotal disc yellowish cream medially, posterior margin dark brown. Thoracic pleura and sterna: proepisternum yellowish brown; proepimeron dark brown posteriorly; prosternum fuscous. Scutellum : dark brown anteriorly, posterior half of midline straw-coloured. Hemelytra: yellowish brown, with clavus more creamcoloured; membrane cream, medially infused with brown ( Figure 8 A,B). Legs: mostly yellowish brown, second tarsomere light brown. Abdomen: mostly dark brown, fuscous medially. Texture. Dorsum moderately polished, with shallow to deep setose punctures. Head: vertex mostly impunctate, with transverse puncticulate rows sometimes visible; epicranial suture with irregular distribution of shallow to moderately deep punctures; mandibular plates irregularly punctate, denser posteriorly, punctures shallow. Pronotum: callosite region irregularly punctate, punctures shallow, denser along midline and anterolateral angles; pronotal disc densely and regularly punctate, punctures deep, posterior margin and posterolateral angles impunctate ( Figure 8 A,B). Thoracic pleura and sterna: pleura with regular distribution of shallow punctures; prosternum finely reticulate medially; mesosternum strongly polished medially. Scutellum : densely and regularly punctate, punctures deep, midline polished posteriorly. Hemelytra: clavus and corium with uniform and moderate distribution of deep punctures, larger than on pronotal disc ( Figure 8 A,B). Abdomen: impunctate, moderately polished. Vestiture. Dorsum with uniform distribution of setose punctures, setae short, erect, straw-coloured. Lateral aspects of body with elongate, shiny, straw-coloured, decumbent setae. Ventral aspects of body with short sparse setae. Antennae: AII–AIII with uniform distribution of decumbent setae, intermixed with fine, erect setae; AIV with same setae on lateral margins, otherwise bare. Male genitalia: pygophore with sparse distribution of fine setae; pygophoral lock with larger, denser setae medially; paramere with setae along margins, denser posteriorly, medially and apically bare ( Figure 19 D). Structure. Head: mandibular plates elongate, surpassing clypeus by less than clypeal length, contiguous medially, moderately flared anteriorly, weakly concave dorsally, lateral margins weakly recurved; bucculae arcuate. Eyes: strongly pedicellate ( Figure 8 A,B). Antennae: AI and AIII cylindrical; AII slightly distally expanded, AIV weakly dorsoventrally flattened. Labium: long, attaining posterior margin of prosternum. Pronotum: weakly constricted medially; callosite region shorter than disc, disc broader; anterolateral angles weakly tuberculate; lateral margins of disc weakly arcuate; disc slightly raised above callosite region. Thoracic sterna: prosternum concave medially. Hemelytra: extending to submarginal abdominal TIX at rest; corium expanded beyond claval commissure; medial margin of corium straight to weakly excavate distally; apex of corium at membrane narrowed, inner margin more than 45° to costal margin; ( Figure 8 A,B). Legs: forecoxal separation subequal to or slightly wider than coxal width; fore and mesofemora incrassate; fossula spongiosa short, not reaching distal half of second tarsomere; 12–13 foretibial teeth, 12–13 mesotibial, 5–6 metatibial teeth. Male Genitalia: pygophoral lock moderately long, tapering to gently rounded apex; paramere with large, broad keel ( Figure 19 D).

Measurements. See Table 2.

Distribution. Thaumastocoris roy is restricted to the tropical northeast coast of Queensland, from two widely separated localities ( Figure 21 B).

Host plant. Thaumastocoris roy has only been recorded from Argyrodendron actinophyllum , a large rainforest tree native to eastern Australia ( Table 3 ).

Figures

FIGURE 8. Habitus, dorsal view. A and B Thaumastocoris roy. C and D Thaumastocoris safordi. Scale bar = 1 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 19. Male genitalia. A. Thaumastocoris nadeli, ventral view. B. Thaumastocoris peregrinus, ventral view C. Thaumastocoris petilus, ventral view D. Thaumastocoris roy, ventral view E. Thaumastocoris safordi, ventral view F. Thaumastocoris slateri, ventral view. Scale bar = 0.1 mm.

FIGURE 21. Distribution map. A. Thaumastocoris ohallorani, T. peregrinus and T. petilus B. Thaumastocoris roy, T. safordi and T. slateri.