Sadoletus variabilis, Gao & Malipatil, 2019

Gao, Cuiqing & Malipatil, M. B., 2019, Revision of the genus Sadoletus Distant, with description of new species from China and Australia (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Heterogastridae), Zootaxa 4613 (2), pp. 251-289 : 273-276

10. Sadoletus variabilis sp. nov.

( Figs. 16 –17)

Description. Head blackish brown to black with tip of tylus ochraceous, covered with short decumbent golden hairs; ocellus red; antenna generally ochraceous with apical three fourth of segment IV slightly fuscous. Pronotum black in anterior lobe and dark brown in posterior lobe; a pale yellow median longitudinal line present on posterior lobe of pronotum, and along which also with two dark longitudinal stripes in meson area of posterior lobe; male with much darker colour of posterior lobe than that in female ( Fig. 16 ); posterior margin of pronotum pale yellow ( Fig. 16 ). Scutellum black with tip pale yellow. Corium pale yellow in basal half and black in distal half (covered inner angle) except lateral margin in male ( Fig. 16a, c ), whereas, corium pale yellow only with apical and inner angle dark brown in female; clavus pale yellow with apical one fourth fuscous; hemelytral membrane hyaline, with oval brownish spot at middle. Venter of head and thorax almost black, covered with dense decumbent silvery hairs; labium ochraceous with tip fuscous; antennifer yellowish brown; buccula pale yellow; acetabula ochraceous and peritreme testaceous. Colour of legs vary from ochraceous to blackish brown ( Fig. 16b, d, f ); tibiae with two dark annulations, vague in some specimens; tarsomeres I and II ochraceous, apex of tarsomeres I and III brown to dark brown. Abdomen blackish brown, shining, with less hairs than head and thorax, especially in median area.

Structure. Eyes occupying nearly half area of head in lateral view; labium exceeding metacoxae. Posterior pronotal lobe with much more coarse punctures than that on anterior lobe; posterior margin slightly convex. Scutellum weakly tumid transversely in median area; punctures on distal part much more coarse than basal part. Hemelytra distinctly exceeding apex of abdomen; claval suture evidently longer than apical margin of corium. Abdominal connexivum fully covered by hemelytra in male and slightly exposed in female; sternum covered with short decumbent hairs. Male different from female in colour of posterior lobe of pronotum and corium as mentioned above.

Abdomen: Hind margin of outer laterotergite VI rounded. Anterior margin of tergite I, posterior half of tergites II and III, and median areas of tergites IV–VI covered with regular dense punctures; tergite VII covered with quite a few sparse shallow punctures (Fig. 17a, c). Sternites I–V fused together. Trichobothria on sternites III–IV almost in the same lines.

Male (Fig. 17a, b): Inner laterotergites not distinct. Distal margin of tergite VII slightly sinuated. Posterior margins of sternites III–V straight, VI distinctly concaved cephalad. Mid length of sternite VI less than one half of sternite VII. Male genitalia (Fig. 17e–k): Cuplike sclerite fused with median projection of pygophore; median pro- jection with a flattened protuberance on dorsal side and other two lateral small outgrowths pointed laterally; apex of median projection rounded. Paramere with a small outer lobe, without inner lobe; blade arched, and tip truncate with a small hook.

Female (Fig. 17c, d): Inner laterotergites III–VI present. Anterolateral angles of tergite VIII with anterolateral apodemes (as Fig. 9k ). Mid line of sternites IV–V weakly sclerotized (Fig. 17d). Posterior margins of sternites III–V straight; posterior margins of sternites VI slightly sinuated. The two halves of the medially completely bisected sternite VII, and middle margin of two halves of sternite VII slightly curved laterally and slightly overlapped each other. Female genitalia (Fig. 17l): Spermathecal bulb sclerotized, globular, without any rim or flange; duct elongated, with distal part enlarged.

Types Examined. AUSTRALIA: HOLOTYPE , male, Lockerbie Area \ Cape York, N. Qld. \ 13–27 Apr., 1973 \ G. B. Monteith leg. (QMB); PARATYPES, 26♂♂ 5♀♀, same data with holotype ( QMB) ; 1♂, Lockerbie Scrub , \ Cape York, N. Qld. \ 14–18. iv. 1973 \ G. B. Monteith leg. ( QMB) ; 4♂♂, Awoonga Dam. Boyne Rv \ SW. Gladstone, Cent. Q. \ 27.i. 1975, at light \ B.K. Cantrell leg. ( QDAF) ; 1♂, Upper Mulgrave \ River, N. Qld. \ 1–3. xii. 1965. \ G. Monteith leg. ( QDAF) ; 1♂, Iron Range , \ cape York Pen N. Qld. \ 16–23.xi. 1965 \ G. Monteith leg. ( QDAF) ; 1♂ 1♀, Little Crystal Ck. \ bridge, rd. to Paluma, QLD \ 28 Jun. 1992 C. Reid \ beating rainf. bushes ( NKUM) .

Distribution. Australia (Queensland).

Etymology. The species name “ variabilis ”, derived from Latin “varius” (= different), alludes to the variation in colour markings of the legs and pronotum of individuals of one or both sexes.

Remarks. This new species is most similar to S. montanellus in general appearance ( Fig. 10 ), but it can be distinguished from the latter by a combination of the following characters: labium exceeding metacoxae (vs. reaching mesocoxae in S. montanellus ); posterior margin of pronotum pale (vs. posterior margin same colour with other part of posterior lobe); distal dark spot covered inner angle of corium in male (distal dark spot not covered inner angle in male); body length more than 3.5 mm (vs. less than 3.5mm).

The new species differs from S. montivagus ( Fig. 11 ) in having the posterior margin of pronotum pale, posterior lobe of pronotum with longitudinal ridge (vs. pronotum totally black, posterior lobe without any longitudinal ridge in S. montivagus ); distal lateral margin of corium pale in male (vs. distal lateral margin of corium black in male); colour of femora vary from ochraceous to blackish brown (vs. all femora brownish black); apex of scutellum pale (vs. scutellum totally black).

Figures

FIGURE 9. Sadoletus planus sp. nov. paratypes. a, male abdominal dorsum, dorsal view; b, male abdominal venter, ventral view; c, female abdominal dorsum, dorsal view; d, female abdominal venter, ventral view; e, pygophore, posterodorsal view; f, phallotheca, lateral view; g–j, left paramere, four different aspects; k, female, tergite VIII, dorsal view; l, ovipositor, inner view. Abbreviations: ap, apodeme; sm, spermatheca.

FIGURE 10. Lectotype of Sadoletus montanellus Bergroth, 1918 and its labels. a, dorsal view; b, ventral view; c, pygophore, posterodorsal view; d, labels (Photographed by Pekka Malinen, MZH).

FIGURE 11. Lectotype of Sadoletus montivagus Bergroth, 1918 and its labels. a, dorsal view; b, ventral view; c, pygophore, posterodorsal view; d, labels (Photographed by Pekka Malinen, MZH).

FIGURE 16. Sadoletus variabilis sp. nov. paratypes. a, male, dorsal view; b, same, ventral view; c, male, dorsal view; d, same, ventral view; e, female, dorsal view; f, same, ventral view.