Restiophylus orientalis, 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 : 94-96

Restiophylus orientalis , new species

Map 5 , plates 5, 36, table 1

DIAGNOSIS: Similar to Restiophylus lyginiae Leon and Weirauch, 2016 , in mixed vestiture consisting of black simple and silvery sericeous setae, pronotum with one medial and a pair of lateral cream-colored longitudinal lines, and head with elongate anteocular region. Distinguished from R. lyginiae by the concolorous pale embolium and exocorium, endosoma without apical process, base of anterior process of left paramere with obvious prominence, and apex of right paramere narrow and relatively long.

Description: MALE: Macropterous, body elongate oval; mean total length 3.97, mean pronotum width 1.03. COLORATION (pl. 5): Reddish brown; head, pronotum, mesoscutum, and scutellum with cream-colored longitudinal median line, pronotum with cream-colored lateral line on each side of midline and on lateral margins; apex of scutellum white; hemelytron predominately pale with variable-sized patches of reddish brown on clavus medial to claval vein, surrounding cubitus distally, and on cuneus distally; tibia without spots at bases of black spines. SURFACE AND VESTITURE (pl. 5): Shining; dorsum with suberect black simple setae intermixed with shining, subappressed, sericeous setae on head, pronotum, and claval commissure. STRUCTURE: Head (pl. 5): Elongate, projecting anteriorly, triangular in dorsal view, posterior margin adjacent to anterior margin of pronotum; in lateral view frons surpassing anterior margin of eyes by 1.5× width of eye, eyes occupying 80% height of head, and antenna fossa with ventral margin slightly dorsal to ventral margin of eye; eyes medium sized, slightly emarginate near fossa; interocular space wide; antennal segment 2 longer than width of pronotum by 8% of segment length; labium reaching to middle of abdomen. Thorax (pl. 5): Pronotum rectangular, calli weakly raised, posterior lobe flat, anterior margin concave, lateral and posterior margins straight; mesoscutum broadly exposed. Pretarsus: Claws moderately large; parempodia setiform; puvillus large covering entire ventral surface of claw. Hemelytron: Elongate, costal weakly convex. GENITALIA (pl. 36A–G): Pygophore: With a few stout bristles on ventroposterior surface. Endosoma: J-shaped, single strap, with apical process absent. Secondary gonopore: Apical, of relatively slender structure, aperture on ventral surface of endosoma. Phallotheca: Narrow, apical portion relatively short and beaklike, aperture located at apex, base of apical portion with short, flattened pointed flange on right anterior side, basal portion elongate, nearly parallel sided. Parameres: Left paramere: Expanded prominence on base of anterior process; anterior process shorter than posterior process, distal portion of poste- rior process bent downward, apex chiseled; distal portion of anterior process moderately produced and bent upward. Right paramere: Moderately elongate apical region relatively short, pointed.

FEMALE: Coloration as in male; differing from male in smaller eyes, antennal segment 2 more slender, costal margin slightly more convex (pl. 5); mean total length 3.98, mean pronotum width 1.11. GENITALIA (pl. 36H–K): Posterior margin of sternite 7: With narrow medial projection. Vestibular sclerites: Relatively small, weakly sclerotized; formed by practically symmetrical medial plates, situated greatly anteriad of anterior margin of dorsal labiate plate in dorsal view. First gonapophyses: Flat plates attached ventrally to pair of small, narrow medial sclerites at base of first gonapophyses. Ventral labiate plate: Weakly sclerotized anteroventral extension short. Dorsal labiate plate: Medium sized, weakly sclerotized, subovoid, shifted greatly posteriad of orientation typical of phylines in dorsal view; short with concave margin laterally. Sclerotized rings: Small, subovoid, elongate, oriented in longitudinal axis of body separated by approximately 2× length of ring, thick walled; anterior angle with narrow spine reaching anterior margin of dorsal labiate plate. Posteromedial region: Divided, sunken, membranous, apparently without microspiculate, located ventrad of lateral oviducts and spermathecal gland. Anterolateral region: Small, apparently without microspicules. Intersegmental structure: Narrow, without microspicules, present only as a fold. Posterior wall: Strongly oriented in anteriorposterior plane, simple, not divided medially, membranous medially and posteriorly, without anteriorly or posteriorly directed prominence. Interramal sclerites: Pair of strongly sclerotized anterolateral plates occupying majority of interramal space. Interramal lobes: Absent.

ETYMOLOGY: Named for its occurrence in eastern Australia, in contrast to the other known species of Restiophylus ; from the Latin, orientalis , “eastern.”

HOST: The host labels on all specimens of this taxon indicate they were collected on the genus Leptospermum (Myrtaceae) . We strongly question the accuracy of this host association, because the four other members of Restiophylus are well documented as occurring on various genera of Restionaceae ; further fieldwork would be required to determine if the species are host specific. Although we have no explanation for the apparent error in labeling, deduction suggests that among the several possibilities, the actual host may well be Leptocarpus tenax (Restionaceae) , which is known to occur in the vicinity of the type locality. Although currently unverified, R. orientalis , n. sp., may have been collected at the UNSW Smiths Lake field station, south of Hat Head where L. tenax occurs in abundance (G. Cassis, personal commun.). In Western Australia L. tenax is the primary host plant of R. leptocarpi Leon and Weirauch, 2016 ; R. meeboldinae Leon and Weirauch, 2015 , was also taken on the same host. Leon and Weirauch (2015), considering the wider distribution of Leptocarpus spp. across southern Australia, posited that specimens of Restiophylus would eventually be collected beyond southwestern Western Australia. Documentation of R. orientalis from New South Wales supports this hypothesis.

Schuh and Schwartz (2016: 176) discussed specimens here placed in Restiophylus under their generic discussion of their new genus Pulvillophylus ( Phylinae : Cremnorrhinini : Cremnorrhinina ), because of the apparent similarity of appearance to Pulvillophylus angustatus Schuh and Schwartz, 2016 . Our eventual dissection of the male genitalia makes clear the fallacy of that comparison and the correct treatment of this taxon as a member of Restiophylus ( Schwartz and Schuh, 2016: 4) , the description of which was published during the period that the paper by Schuh and Schwartz (2016) was in proof.

DISTRIBUTION (map 5): Known only from the type locality in Hat Head National Park, east of Kempsey, New South Wales, in the southeastern phytogeographic subregion.

DISCUSSION: Currently R. orientalis is the only species of the genus distributed in eastern Australia. The characters of the male genitalia noted in the Diagnosis are not found in congeners.

HOLOTYPE: AUSTRALIA: New South Wales: Hat Head National Park near Kempsey, 31.06667 ° S 153.03333 ° E, 5 m, 22 Oct 1995, Schuh and Cassis, Leptospermum sp. (Myrtaceae) , det. NSW staff NSW 658210, 13 ( AMNH _PBI 00132198) ( AM).

PARATYPES: AUSTRALIA: New South Wales: Hat Head National Park near Kempsey, 31.06667 ° S 153.03333 ° E, 5 m, 22 Oct 1995, Schuh and Cassis, Leptospermum sp. (Myrtaceae) , 13 (00132197) Leptospermum sp. (Myrtaceae) , det. NSW staff NSW 658210, 13 (00132199), 6♀ (00132206–00132209, 00132212, 00132213) ( AM), Leptospermum sp. (Myrtaceae) , det. NSW staff NSW 658210, 23 (00132200, 00132201), 4♀ (00132204, 00132205, 00132210, 00132211) Leptospermum sp. (Myrtaceae) , 13 (00136149) ( AMNH).

ADDITIONAL SPECIMENS EXAMINED: AUS-

TRALIA: New South Wales: Hat Head National Park near Kempsey, 31.06667 ° S 153.03333 ° E, 5 m, 22 Oct 1995, Schuh and Cassis, Leptospermum sp. (Myrtaceae) , det. NSW staff NSW 658210, 2 nymphs (00132202, 00132203) (AM).

Figures

MAP 5. Distribution of Ancoraphylus victoriensis, Calytriphylus menzies, Leptospermia spp., Melaleucacoris glomeratae, Restiophylus orientalis, Xiphoidellus eucalyptae, and Xiphoides spp.