Germalus lineolosus Distant

Malipatil, M. B. & Blacket, M. J., 2013, Review and revision of Australian Germalus Stål, with new genera and further new species of Australian Geocorinae (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Geocoridae), Zootaxa 3746 (2), pp. 257-300 : 272-276

Germalus lineolosus Distant

( Figs. 45–62 )

Germalus lineolosus Distant, 1904: 266 .

Geocoris roseobistriatus Kirkaldy, 1908: 773 . Syn. nov.

Type specimens: Lectotype female, “ Type ”, “Townsville Qld 21.10.0 2 F. P. Dodd”, “ Germalus lineolosus Dist. ”, “1903–356”, designated here, in NHM. Paralectotype male, same data as lectotype, designated here, in NHM. Holotype female, “ Type of Geocoris roseobistriatus Kirkaldy , “Bundaberg, Q Austr. 9–12 1904, “Coll. Koebele, teneral specimen; part of abdomen, posterior part of scutellum and parts of wings and hind legs damaged, both antennae missing, in BPBM. Syn. nov.

Other specimens: NEW SOUTH WALES 2 females (one with head and pronotum missing, dissected), Tamworth, 23.iv.1981, C Easton, inside communal Pyralid nest in eucalypt, in ASCU. SOUTH AUSTRALIA 1 female, East Parklands, Adelaide, 6.xi.1965, RV Southcott, Eucalyptus cladocalyx , in SAM. WESTERN AUSTRALIA 1 female, Hamersley Range, 8.ix.1985, RP McMillan, dissected, in WAM.

Redescription. Colouration: Generally ochraceous to pale ochraceous ( Fig. 45 ), with dark punctures, fuscous lines, and blackish suffusions on hemelytra; head pale ochraceous ( Fig. 47 ), with a central longitudinal line, and a shorter line at each ocellus, black; antennae ochraceous, eyes reddish. Pronotum pale ochraceous, darkly punctate, with six longitudinal fuscous lines, two central and four on each lateral area; each pronotal callus with faint dark irregular spot [as in type of G. kinbergi ]; scutellum ochraceous, with two medial blackish spots, a transverse line of dark punctures near base, and the apical area darkly punctuate. Corium pale ochraceous, subhyaline, with veins usually darker, and apical area more or less suffused with black; narrow margins of claval commissure, and posterior margin of corium, fuscous; membrane pale fuscous hyaline, veins of membrane usually darker. Femora with broad subapical bands indistinctly darker; connexivum ochraceous, posterior third spotted with rosy red; body beneath and legs ochraceous; lateral areas of sternum thickly darkly punctate; abdomen with a submarginal rosyred, sometimes black, fascia.

Measurements: are of lectotype female, paralectotype male, followed by ranges of all non-type specimens measured in round brackets.

Body: Elongate, subshiny, dorsum covered with appressed pubescence, not with bristles or setae ( Fig. 45 ). Length including wings 5.40, 4.78 (5.00–5.70); maximum width 2.07, 1.74 (1.75–2.07).

Head: Length 0.76, 0.76 (0.63–0.73); width across eyes 1.79, 1.71 (1.63–1.79); interocular space 1.02, 0.87 (0.89–1.03); interocellar space 0.48, 0.38 (0.41–0.46); eye-ocellar space 0.26, 0.25 (0.23–0.27); eye length 0.52, 0.49 (0.47–0.50); eye width 0.37, 0.41 (0.30–0.40); Labium extending to about middle coxae, length of segments: I 0.68, 0.57 (0.55–0.64); II 0.58, 0.45 (0.46–0.50); III 0.57, 0.52 (0.46–0.50); IV. 0.46, 0.45 (0.40–0.42). Antennae, length of segments: I 0.35, 0.36 (0.30–0.34); II 0.75, 0.76 (0.64–0.78); III 0.50, 0.45 (0.46–0.55); IV 0.64, 0.60 (0.57–0.63).

Thorax: Pronotum ( Fig. 46 ) about 1.5 times as wide posteriorly as long, lateral margins not parallel, gradually narrowed from posterior to anterior margin; width at anterior margin subequal to median length; dorsally weakly and indistinctly punctate, the punctures shallow and difficult to distinguish particularly towards margins and on posterior lobe. Median length 1.21, 1.14 (1.10–1.26); width at posterior margin 1.84, 1.67 (1.63–1.80). Scutellum length 0.92, 0.73 (0.71–0.92); width 1.03, 0.91 (0.87–1.08). Hemelytra with clavus hyaline glass-like in distal 2/3, with sparse punctures in inner and outer rows; these rows distinct only near basal area, otherwise punctures very weak and indistinct ( Fig. 45 ). Corium with a line of punctures following claval suture and longitudinal veins. Length of hemelytra 3.90, 3.22 (3.54–4.14); length of corium 2.71, 2.30 (2.30–2.76); claval commissure 0.50, 0.41 (0.43–0.50).

Abdomen: Abdominal terga and sterna weakly and almost uniformly sclerotised in pattern as in Figs. 48, 49 , 53, 54 . Male with internal median apodeme on anterior margin of sternum VII broad and blunt and extending to about middle of sternum VI.

Female genitalia: Spermatheca ( Fig. 50 ) with bulb heavily sclerotised and conical in shape, with flange near base sclerotised and indistinct; duct part behind flange short, wide but gradually narrowing to a uniformly thin tube with one twist near base; basal part of duct short and narrow. Ovipositor as in Figs. 51, 52 .

Male genitalia: Pygophore dorsally covered with long posteriorly directed bristly setae ( Fig. 55 ). Paramere apex slightly fluted and truncated but not pointed ( Figs. 60–62 ); near base on ventral aspect, blade with tuft of long bristly setae. Aedeagus as in Figs. 56–58 ; phallotheca with a moderately pigmented broad band, and a heavily sclerotised plate on dorsal aspect; conjunctiva tubular, membranous, gradually narrowed towards upper end. Ejaculatory reservoir ( Fig. 59 ) with body, wings and neck well developed, neck not produced behind body. Vesica without distinct sclerotised lobes. Helicoid process with about 1½ coils; ejaculatory duct inside vesica with 3–5 turns; gonoporal process beyond helicoid process very short; secondary gonopore simple ( Figs. 56–58 ).

Distribution. The species is recorded from Queensland, New South Wales, South Australia and Western Australia.

Notes. Germalus lineolosus can be distinguished from the closely related G. victoriae by the darkly punctate, pale ochraceous, pronotum with six rather vague broken longitudinal fuscous lines (two central and four on each lateral area); the broad subapical bands on all femora (indistinctly darker); the ochraceous scutellum with two medial blackish spots, a transverse line of dark punctures near its base, and the apical area darkly punctate; and the very short duct behind the spermathecal bulb. This species has some similarities with G. kinbergi Stål , the type species of the genus Germalus , in general facies and a short duct on the spermatheca; but it differs in having fuscous spots on the scutellum, and lacking a distinct fuscous spot on each humeral angle of the pronotum as well as vague roundish fuscous spots on each pronotal callus.

Germalus roseobistriatus was considered a synonym of G. victoriae by Cassis & Gross (2002). However, examination of types of these species during the present study has resolved this not to be the case, and the species are hence resurrected from that synonymy. On the other hand, as noted above, G. roseobistriatus is treated now as a synonym of G. lineolosus here,, primarily based on the colouration of the scutellum and the femora.

The specimens of G. lineolosus examined in this study exhibit variation in colour markings and in the density and colour markings of punctures. The punctures on the scutellum and hemelytra are larger and sparser in some specimens. The female specimen from Western Australia shows considerable variation in colour markings from the type series: the body colour is generally stramineous rather than ochraceous; the fuscous lines on the head and pronotum, and the fuscous areas on the scutellum, are more distinct; the four median and submedian lines on pronotum appear continuous and occupy its entire length; and the broad subapical dark bands on the femora (particularly on the hind femora) are more distinct than in the type series.

Figures

FIGURES 45 − 47. Germalus lineolosus, female, dorsal view: 45, habitus; 46, head, pronotum, and scutellum enlarged; 47, head enlarged.

FIGURES 48 − 52. Germalus lineolosus, female: 48, abdominal dorsum; 49, abdominal venter; 50, spermatheca; 51, 52, ovipositor.

FIGURES 53 − 62. Germalus lineolosus, male: 53, abdominal dorsum; 54, abdominal venter; 55, pygophore, dorsal view; 56 – 58, aedeagus, ventral, lateral and dorsal views; 59, ejaculatory reservoir and helicoid process, enlarged; 60 – 62, paramere, different views.