Xiphoides tasmanensis, 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 : 92-93

Xiphoides tasmanensis , new species

Figure 21 , map 5, plates 5, 35, table 1

DIAGNOSIS: Recognized by the small, ovoid, completely shining black body with dusky pale color on apex of scutellum, antennal segment 1, most of segment 2, and apex of femora; pale tibial spines with diffuse, darkened basal marking; relatively sparse, long, shining, golden simple dorsal vestiture; and male genitalia with thin endosoma, absence of anterior spine on phallotheca and right paramere with short apical process. Similar in appearance to dark-colored Xiphoidellus spp.

DESCRIPTION: MALE: Macropterous, subovoid; mean total length 2.74, mean pronotum width 1.01. COLORATION (pl. 5): Uniformly black with dusky pale yellow on mandibular and maxillary plates, antennal segment 1 and basal four-fifths of segment 2, apex of scutellum, apex of femora and tibia; bases of pale tibial spines diffusely dark. SURFACE AND VESTITURE (pl. 5): Shining; vestiture of relatively sparse, long, suberect, shining golden simple setae. STRUCTURE: Head (pl. 5): Short, transverse, confluent with anterior margin of pronotum; in lateral view frons surpassing anterior margin of eyes by one-half width of eye, eyes occupying 84% height of head; antennal fossa even with ventral margin of eye, shallowly emarginate near at fossa; antennal segment 2 62% of pronotum width; labium reaching to apex of metacoxa. Thorax (pl. 5): Pronotum relatively short, subquadrate, lateral margins curved, calli confluent, weakly raised, posterior lobe flat, posterior margin straight; mesoscutum moderately exposed. Pretarsus: Claw relatively large, slightly curved; parempodia somewhat lamelliform, rather long, curved, apices flattened, paddlelike; pulvilli short, moderately wide, proximad of angle of claw (figs. 21A, B). Hemelytron: Costal margin slightly convex. GENITALIA (pl. 35A–G): Pygophore: Small, broadly conical; left side of aperture without clump of bristles or tubercle; caudal surface with approximately eight transverse ridges. Endosoma: Sigmoid, consisting of two straps, ventral strap terminating approximately in middle of endosoma, dorsal strap continuing to terminate as thin spine with thin apex and smooth membrane on ventral surface; dorsal strap without spines basad of secondary gonopore. Secondary gonopore: Very faint, subapical, situated within distal membrane about the 5× length of secondary gonopore from apex of dorsal sclerotized strap. Phallotheca: Narrow, gently tapered to pointed apex; surface without flanges; small ovate aperture located terminally. Parameres: Left paramere: Short anterior process and narrow posterior process, body of paramere smoothly rounded in dorsal view, posterior shoulder not projecting. Right paramere: Relatively elongate, posterior margin gently rounded, small beveled apex with serrate edge.

FEMALE (pl. 5): Coloration as in male; body more strongly ovoid than in male, smaller eyes, antennal segment 2 more slender; mean total length 2.84, mean pronotum width 1.07. GENI- TALIA (pl. 35H–K): Posterior margin of sternite 7: With elongate triangular medial projection. Vestibular sclerites: Moderately large, coiled tube on right side, in dorsal view reaching to even with medial corner of right sclerotized ring and even with anterior margin of dorsal labiate plate. First gonapophyses: Vestibulum attached ventrally to pair of small triangular medial sclerites at base of first gonapophyses. Ventral labiate plate: Paramedial anteroventral extension moderately large, right-side sclerite larger than left; basomedial right-side extension weakly sclerotized but covering anterior surface of basal structures; surface of ventral labiate plate ventral to sclerotized rings microspiculate. Dorsal labiate plate: Moderately large, shield shaped, short lateral to ring, lateral margin convex. Sclerotized rings: Moderately large, separated by width of a ring, teardrop shaped, lateral angle attenuate, thick walled; lateral margin of ring not reaching lateral margin of dorsal labiate plate. Posteromedial region: Undivided, sunken, medial microspiculate membrane located anteroventrad of lateral oviducts and spermathecal gland. Anterolateral region: Region anterior of rings without microspicules. Posterior wall: Simple, entire, membranous. Intersegmental membrane: Narrow, weakly spiculate, small transverse fringe adjacent to dorsoposterior margin of interramal sclerite. Interramal sclerites: Membranous spanning interramal region, ventrolaterally with pair of very weakly sclerotized narrowed plates; anterior surface barely produced into genital chamber. Interramal lobes: Absent.

ETYMOLOGY: Named for its occurrence in the Australian state of Tasmania.

HOSTS (tables 2, 3): Recorded from Leptospermum rupestre , L. scoparium (pl. 38H, I) ( Myrtaceae : Leptospermeae ), and Arthrotaxis cupressoides (Taxodiacae) . The presence of X. tasmanensis on the last plant species is presumed to be a sitting record as the likely host, L. lanigerum (Aiton) Sm. , occurred at the same locality.

DISTRIBUTION (map 5, table 4): Known from Mount Wellington Park west of Hobart and Cradle Mountain, Lake Saint Clair National Park, Tasmania, in temperate forest of the Tasmanian phytogeographic subregion.

DISCUSSION: Xiphoides tasmanensis is the first species of the genus recorded from the island state of Tasmania. Of the six original species assigned to Xiphoides only X. regis Eyles and Schuh, 2003 , was taken on Myrtaceae ; its host, Kunzea ericoides Thompson, J. , also belongs to the Leptospermeae .

HOLOTYPE: AUSTRALIA: Tasmania: 4.1 km N of Huon Hwy and Pilliger Ave intersection, Mt. Wellington, The Springs, 42.91707 ° S 147.25546 ° E, 684 m, 15 Jan 2004, M.D. Schwartz and P.P. Tinerella, Leptospermum scoparium J.R. Forst. & G. Forst. (Myrtaceae) , det. NSW staff NSW 658210, 13 ( AMNH _PBI 00414867) ( TMAG).

PARATYPES: AUSTRALIA: Tasmania: 4.1 km N of Huon Hwy and Pilliger Ave intersection, Mt. Wellington, The Springs, 42.91707 ° S 147.25546 ° E, 684 m, 15 Jan 2004, M.D. Schwartz and P.P. Tinerella, Leptospermum scoparium J.R. Forst. & G. Forst. (Myrtaceae) , det. NSW staff NSW 658210, 4♀ (00414842, 00414843, 00414863, 00414865), 13 (00414866) ( AM), 4♀ (00414853–00414856), 23 (00414857, 00414858) ( AMNH), 2♀ (00414841, 00414864), 13 (00414868) ( TMAG). Cradle Mountain – Lake Saint Clair National Park, Visitor Centre, Cradle Mountain, 41.59618 ° S 145.9308 ° E, 823 m, 25 Jan 2004, M.D. Schwartz and P.P. Tinerella, Leptospermum rupestre Hook. f. ( Myrtaceae ), det. NSW staff NSW 658260, 13 (00414848), 1♀ (00414862) ( AMNH). Cradle Mountain – Lake St Clair Nat Park, Ronny Creek carpark and Little Kate House vicinity, 41.63579 ° S 145.94963 ° E, 868 m, 26 Jan 2004, M.D. Schwartz and P.P. Tinerella, Athrotaxis cupressoides D. Don (Taxodiaceae) , det. NSW staff NSW 658261, 23 (00414844, 00414846), 5♀ (00414849–00414852, 00414859) ( AM), 23 (00414845, 00414847), 2♀ (00414860, 00414861) ( AMNH).

Figures

FIG. 21. Xiphoides tasmanensis, AMNH_PBI 00414858. Scanning electron micrographs. A. Pretarsus, frontal view. B. Detail of parempodia, dorsal view. Abbreviations: pe, parempodium; pul, pulvillus.