Casuarinicola novacaledonica Taylor

Taylor, Gary S., Austin, Andy D., Jennings, John T., Purcell, Matthew F. & Wheeler, Gregory S., 2010, Casuarinicola, a new genus of jumping plant lice (Hemiptera: Triozidae) from Casuarina (Casuarinaceae), Zootaxa 2601, pp. 1-27 : 18-20

Casuarinicola novacaledonica Taylor , sp. nov.

Figs 30–36 , 44–46 , Tables 1–8

Types. NEW CALEDONIA: Holotype: 1 ɗ (slide) Tontouta River, 21°58.729’S, 166°11.861’E, JTJ, 28.xi.2009, Casuarina collina , ABCL 2009 570 (MNHN). Paratypes: 3 Ψ, 1 parasitised nymph (slide) same data as holotype (MNHN); 3 Ψ, 2 nymphs (slide) Rue du Fare, Ouen Toro, 22°18.340’S, 166°27.033’E, JTJ, 27.xi.2009, C. collina , ABCL 2009 568 (WINC); 1 Ψ (spirit) nr Sarramea, 21°39.506’S, 165°49.672’E, JTJ, 28.xi.2009, C. collina , ABCL 2009 572 (WINC).

Description. Adult. Colour ( Figs 30–35 ): Male: general colour pale ochraceous with light orange-brown markings. Vertex with a pale brown spot in vicinity of fovea; genal processes pale; antennal segments 1–2 ochraceous to brown; segment 3 yellow-brown; segments 4–10 brown to dark brown; pronotum with a pair of pale brown submedial spots; mesopraescutum with a pair of broad triangular light orange-brown markings anteriorly; mesoscutum with a pair of light orange-brown longitudinal submedial stripes; mesoscutellum pale ochraceous; fore wing clear; legs pale ochraceous with dorsal brown longitudinal infuscation; tarsi brown to dark brown; abdominal tergites pale brown; proctiger pale brown; subgenital plate ochraceous; parameres brown to dark brown. Female: as for male, except proctiger pale ochraceous merging to dark brown to black around circum-anal pore ring and at apex; subgenital plate pale ochraceous with brown towards apex.

Structure: measurements and ratios as in Tables 1–5. Antenna ( Fig. 36 ) short, 1.09–1.33 times width of head; genal processes short, conical 0.39–0.48 times length of vertex; length of vertex 0.40–0.46 times width of head; anterior margin of vertex delineated by moderate ridge, vertex with weakly defined medial suture and fovea; pronotum with moderate anterior medial node; fore wing elongate-oval with broadly rounded apex; Rs short, terminating well short of wing apex; vein M1+2 terminating near wing apex; cell m1 short, broad, m1 cell value 1.4–1.8; cell cu1 elongate triangular, cu1 cell value 0.7–1.0; male terminalia as in Figs 44–45 ; proctiger short with broad lateral expansions; parameres thin elongate, curved inward towards apex [note: distal segment of aedeagus appears twisted in Fig. 44 , but this is an artefact of the slide preparation of the only male specimen]; female terminalia as in Fig. 46 ; proctiger short, with dorsal profile flat, little rounded from lateral aspect, with broadly rounded flange-shaped lateral lobes.

Final instar nymph. As for generic description (see above). Measurements and ratios as in Tables 6–7 .

Etymology. Named after New Caledonia where the species was collected.

Distribution. Recorded from southern New Caledonia.

Host plant. Recorded from C. collina Poisson ex Pancher & Sebert. Casuarina collina (river sheoak) is the most common Casuarinaceae , and the only endemic species of Casuarina from New Caledonia. It occurs as a tall tree along watercourses, and is abundant on a wide range of mineral-deficient soils, particularly on veins of serpentinite in metamorphic rock or on calcareous soils up to an altitude of about 350 m. It becomes the dominant species in disturbed lands due to its rapid growth, ability to sucker and resistance to fire, thereby having a high potential for rehabilitation of degraded sites ( Jaffré et al. 1994).

Comments. This is the only species of Casuarinicola in which both females and males have clear wings, and the only one recorded from New Caledonia. Casuarina novacaledonica sp. nov. has short conical genal processes (shared with C. australis sp. nov., C. nigrimaculatus sp. nov. and C. mucronalatus sp. nov., but differs from C. warrigalensis sp. nov. in which they are considerably shorter); the pronotum has a moderate median lobe (shared with C. nigrimaculatus sp. nov. and C. mucronalatus sp. nov., but is more prominent in C. australis sp. nov. and reduced in C. warrigalensis sp. nov.); the fore wing is elongate oval with a rounded apex, cell m1 is short and broad and cell cu1 is narrow and high, each with a low cell value (shared with C. australis sp. nov., C. nigrimaculatus sp. nov. and C. warrigalensis sp. nov., but differs from C. mucronalatus sp. nov. in which the fore wing has a subangular apex, cell m1 is long and narrow and cell cu1 is short and broad, each with a high cell value); the hind tibia is short with a low length to head width ratio (differs from C. australis sp. nov., C. nigrimaculatus sp. nov., C. mucronalatus sp. nov. and C. warrigalensis sp. nov., with longer hind tibia and a higher tibia length to head width ratio). It is the only species known from C. collina .

Figures

FIGURES 30 – 36. Casuarinicola novacaledonica sp. nov. (30), habitus, female (dorsal aspect); (31), habitus, male (dorsal aspect); (32), habitus female (lateral aspect); (33), habitus male (lateral aspect); (34), fore wing, female; (35), fore wing, male; (36), head (dorsal aspect). Scale = 0.5 mm.

FIGURES 44 – 49. Casuarinicola novacaledonica sp. nov. and C. warrigalensis sp. nov. Casuarinicola novacaledonica sp. nov. (44), male terminalia (lateral aspect: note twisting of distal segment of aedeagus is an artefact); (45), paramere (inner face, lateral aspect); (46), female terminalia, (lateral aspect: note alignment of circumanal pore ring is an artefact); Casuarinicola warrigalensis sp. nov. (47), male terminalia (lateral aspect); (48), paramere (inner face, lateral aspect); (49), female terminalia, (lateral aspect). Scale = 0.2 mm.