Melaleucaphylus vimineae, Schwartz & Weirauch & Schuh, 2018

Schwartz, Michael D., Weirauch, Christiane & Schuh, Randall T., 2018, New Genera And Species Of Myrtaceae-Feeding Phylinae From Australia, And The Description Of A New Species Of Restiophylus (Insecta: Heteroptera: Miridae) Michael D. Schwartz Christiane Weirauch, Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 2018 (424), pp. 1-161 : 62-65

Melaleucaphylus vimineae , new species

Figure 13 , map 4, plates 4, 24, table 1

DIAGNOSIS: Recognized by endosoma with single short apical spine of dorsal strap, relatively large secondary gonopore, wide membranous area distad and laterad of secondary gonopore, parempodia flat, strongly lamelliform and wide apically, black tibial spines, and dorsum with widespread dark setae. Very similar to M. glomeratae , but that species with pale dorsal setae, pale or pale brown tibial spines, narrower parempodia, endosoma with longer single apical spine of dorsal strap, and large strongly spiculate distal process of secondary gonopore.

DESCRIPTION: MALE: Mean total length 3.37, mean pronotum width 1.16. COLORATION (pl. 4): Dusky yellow with small diffuse paler areas; vertex near eyes, calli, and mesoscutum blotchy orange; antenna slightly darker than body; membrane weakly hyaline with small, diffuse, black area at apex of large membrane cell; interior of cells darker than rest of membrane; tibia with black spines without dark spots at bases. SUR- FACE AND VESTITURE (pl. 4): Weakly shining; dorsum with moderately dense, curved, reclining black simple setae, sometimes dark setae restricted to distal portions of clavus and corium and on cuneus. STRUCTURE: Labium reaching apex of mesocoxa. Pretarsus: Claws moderate sized, curved; parempodia lamelliform, thickened and rounded apically; pulvilli small, proximad of angle of claw (figs. 13). GEN- ITALIA (pl. 24A–J): Pygophore: Conical in dorsal view, with small clump of bristles ventrad of left paramere insertion. Endosoma: Region just proximal to apex with torsion to left side; ventral strap wide, entire, anterior surface terminating at base of secondary gonopore with gently rounded minutely serrate edge, posterior edge without process; dorsal strap narrow, not bifurcate, strap narrowing over length, apex just surpassing distal edge of secondary gonopore. Secondary gonopore: Large, well differentiated, and sclerotized, flattened and pointed apically, lateral surface strongly microspiculate ventroproximally, with strongly sclerotized and overlapping proximal process; proximal process of secondary gonopore absent, gonopore sclerite present. Phallotheca: Moderately large, attenuate apical region with weakly undulate anterior surface and weak crest along dorsal edge; aperture on anteroventral surface short, narrowly open. Parameres: Left paramere: Triangular in dorsal view, posterior process relatively short; anterior process very short, weakly extending beyond base, apex poorly differentiated with long terminal seta. Right paramere: Moderately small with smoothly rounded margins; apex short.

FEMALE (pl. 4): Coloration as in male; differing from male as in generic description; mean total length 3.58, mean pronotum width 1.26. GENITALIA (pl. 24K–Q): Posterior margin of sternite 7: Bearing elongate, relatively narrow projection. Vestibular sclerites: Relatively small, convoluted, weakly extending to right side, anterior margin extending even with middle of medial side of right sclerotized ring and occupying interring region in dorsal view. Dorsal labiate plate: Sclerotized rings large with narrow margins, subovoid and separated by less than width of ring, lateral margin of ring rounded, reaching lateral margin of dorsal labiate plate; posteroventral margin of dorsal labiate plate folded, not tumid. Intersegmental process: Strongly invaginated, large; apical margin unnotched, gently rounded, microspiculate. Posterior wall: Anterior surface of posterior wall microspiculate; interramal sclerites well sclerotized, wedge shaped, widely separated and placed on ventrolateral margins; posterodorsal portion of wall membranous, with pair of widely separated, tumid, microspiculate interramal lobes projecting anteriorly into genital chamber; midline of wall strongly sclerotized and strongly projecting posteriad.

ETYMOLOGY: Named for its occurrence on Melaleuca viminea .

HOSTS: Recorded from the following plant species: Melaleuca filifolia , M. glomerata (pl. 39B), M. megacephala (pl. 39H), M. sp., M. systena , M. teuthidoides (pl. 40C), M. uncinata (pl. 40D), M. viminea (pl. 40E) ( Myrtaceae : Melaleuceae ), and Verticordia polytricha (pl. 41E) ( Myrtaceae : Chamelaucieae ). We do not regard the record of three specimens from Grevillea hookeriana (Proteaceae) and two from Allocasuarina corniculata (Casuarinaceae) as hosts.

DISTRIBUTION (map 4): Known from several collecting events in Western Australia and two localities in south-central Northern Territory within four phytogeographic subregions: eastern desert, southwest interzone, southwestern, and western desert.

HOLOTYPE: AUSTRALIA: Western Australia: Kalbarri National Park, Loop Road, 27.56163 ° S 114.4376 ° E, 300 m, 28 Oct 1996, Schuh and Cassis, Verticordia polytricha Benth. (Myrtaceae) , det. PERTH staff PERTH 05120594, 13 ( AMNH _PBI 00136904) ( WAMP).

PARATYPES: AUSTRALIA: Northern Territory: 11 mi N of Alice Springs, 23.53956 ° S 133.8807 ° E, 625 m, 28 Oct 1962, Ross and Cavagnaro, 13 (00418715) ( AMNH). Finke Gorge National Park, Palm Valley, 24.03333 ° S 132.7101 ° E, 586 m, 04 Nov 2001, Cassis, Schuh , Schwartz, Silveira, Wall, Melaleuca glomerata F. Muell. (Myrtaceae) , det. NSW staff NSW 666320, 13 (00414881) ( AMNH). Western Australia: 2 km E of Nungarin on Rt 50, 31.43596 ° S 118.2627 ° E, 330 m, 16 Nov 1999, R.T. Schuh , G. Cassis, and R. Silveira, Grevillea hookeriana Meisn. subsp. apiciloba (Proteaceae) , det. PERTH staff PERTH 05670195, 13 (00391074) ( AM), 23 (00099392, 00129133) ( AMNH). 8.2 km E of Indian Ocean Rd on Coorow-Greenhead Rd, Lesuer National Park, 30.04767 ° S 115.0551 ° E, 30 m, 06 Nov 2004, Cassis, Weirauch, Tatarnic, Symonds, Melaleuca systena (Schauer) Craven (Myrtaceae) , det. PERTH staff PERTH 6990401, 13 (00414790) ( AMNH). 13.5 km W of Nungarin on Rt 50, 31.11547 ° S 117.945 ° E, 300 m, 16 Nov 1999, R.T. Schuh , G. Cassis, and R. Silveira, Melaleuca uncinata R. Br. (Myrtaceae) , det. PERTH staff PERTH 05670179, 43 (00390824– 00390827), 4♀ (00390820–00390823) ( AM), 33 (00129315, 00099393, 00110751), 4♀ (00099394, 00129316–00129318) ( AMNH). 15 km E of Merredin, 31.37749 ° S 118.6933 ° E, 330 m, 16 Nov 1999, R.T. Schuh , G. Cassis, and R. Silveira, Allocasuarina corniculata (F. Muell.) L.A.S. Johnson (Casuarinaceae) , det. PERTH staff PERTH 05670608, 13 (00099390), 1♀ (00099391) ( AMNH). 46.5 km W of Yalgoo, 28.41302 ° S 116.2151 ° E, 600 m, 27 Oct 1996, Schuh and Cassis, Melaleuca sp. (Myrtaceae) , det. PERTH staff PERTH 05120691, 13 (00128707) Melaleuca filifolia F. Muell. (Myrtaceae) , det. PERTH staff PERTH 05120691, 6♀ (00128708–00128710, 00128712, 00128713, 00128711) ( AMNH). 56.6 km W of Yalgoo, 28.42397 ° S 116.1233 ° E, 600 m, 27 Oct 1996, Schuh and Cassis, Melaleuca uncinata R. Br. (Myrtaceae) , det. PERTH staff PERTH 05120640, 73 (00372154–00372160), 18♀ (00372162–00372178, 00393384) ( AM), 33 (00368593–00368595), 1♀ (00368596) ( AMNH), 13 (00372161), 4♀ (00372179–00372182) ( WAMP). 91.4 km SE of Southern Cross, 31.97145 ° S 119.287 ° E, 375 m, 04 Dec 1997, Schuh , Cassis, Brailovsky, Asquith, Melaleuca teuthidoides Barlow (Myrtaceae) , det. PERTH staff PERTH 05054834, 23 (00390889, 00390890), 1♀ (00390891) ( AM). Cervantes, 30.49902 ° S 115.0684 ° E, 3 m, 10 Dec 1997, Schuh , Brailovsky, Melaleuca viminea Lindl. (Myrtaceae) , det. PERTH staff PERTH 05879205, 83 (00130609–00130615, 00130619), 12♀ (00130624–00130633, 00130643, 00130645) ( AMNH), 1♀ (00130637) ( ANIC), 33 (00130616–00130618), 9♀ (00130634–00130636, 00130638–00130642, 00130644) ( WAMP). Green Head, 30.06667 ° S 114.9667 ° E, 3 m, 10 Dec 1997, Schuh , Brailovsky, Melaleuca viminea Lindl. (Myrtaceae) , det. PERTH staff PERTH 05879205, 13 (00130646), 12♀ (00130647–00130658) ( AMNH). Kalbarri National Park, Loop Road, 27.56163 ° S 114.4376 ° E, 300 m, 28 Oct 1996, Schuh and Cassis, Melaleuca megacephala F. Muell. (Myrtaceae) , det. PERTH staff PERTH 05120616, 113 (00393530–00393536, 00393538– 00393541), 11♀ (00393545–00393551, 00393556–00393559) ( AM), Verticordia polytricha Benth. (Myrtaceae) , det. PERTH staff PERTH 05120594, 43 (00136905–00136908), 19♀ (00136909–00136927) ( AMNH), 3♀ (00136928– 00136930) ( CNC), Melaleuca megacephala F. Muell. (Myrtaceae) , det. PERTH staff PERTH 05120616, 23 (00393537, 00393542), 2♀ (00393552, 00393553) ( UNSW), 23 (00393543, 00393544), 2♀ (00393554, 00393555) ( WAMP). Moorine Rocks, 11.7 km N of Great Eastern Hiway on Noongar Road, 31.22843 ° S 118.979 ° E, 345 m, 04 Dec 1997, Schuh , Cassis, Brailovsky, Asquith, Melaleuca sp. (Myrtaceae) , 73 (00368564–00368570), 7♀ (00368577–00368582, 00368587) ( AMNH), 13 (00368572), 2♀ (00368583, 00368584) ( ANIC), 13 (00368571) ( CNC), 43 (00368573–00368576), 4♀ (00368585, 00368586, 00368588, 00368589) ( WAMP). Newman Rocks, 136.5 km E of Norseman, 32.11084 ° S 123.1704 ° E, 250 m, 22 Oct 1996, Schuh and Cassis, 13 (00390848) ( AM).

ADDITIONAL SPECIMENS EXAMINED: AUS-

TRALIA: Western Australia: Cervantes, 30.49902 ° S 115.0684 ° E, 3 m, 10 Dec 1997, Schuh , Brailovsky, Melaleuca viminea Lindl. (Myrtaceae) , det. PERTH staff PERTH 05879205, 4 nymphs (00130620–00130623) (AMNH). Moorine Rocks, 11.7 km N of Great Eastern Hiway on Noongar Road, 31.22843 ° S 118.979 ° E, 345 m, 04 Dec 1997, Schuh , Cassis, Brailovsky, Asquith, Melaleuca sp. (Myrtaceae) , 3 nymphs (00368590–00368592) (AMNH).

Figures

FIG. 13. Melaleucaphylus vimineae, AMNH_PBI 00393536. Scanning electron micrographs. A. Pretarsus, frontal view. B. Detail of parempodia, caudal view. Abbreviations: pe, parempodium; pul, pulvillus.