Xiphoidellus eucalyptae, 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 : 87-89

Xiphoidellus eucalyptae , new species

Figure 20 , map 5, plates 5, 33, table 1

DIAGNOSIS: Distinguished from all congeners by short anteocular portion of head, large eyes in male, somewhat dull, slightly rugose head and pronotum (fig. 20), coloration pattern of dark castaneous head, pronotum, base and distal portion of hemelytron, most of cuneus, and metafemora contrasting with pale proximal portion of clavus, apex of embolium margin, base of cuneus, and remainder of appendages, as well as conspicuous orange-red mesoscutum and scutellum.

DESCRIPTION: MALE: Macropterous, body moderately elongate, parallel sided; mean total length 3.01, mean pronotum width 0.98. COL- ORATION (pl. 5): Castaneous brown on head, pronotum, embolium, base and distal one-half of hemelytron, base of coxae and metafemora, except apex, and ventral portion of thorax and abdomen contrasting with pale on middle of clavus, corium along cuneal fracture, base of cuneus, and reminder of legs, antennal segment 1 and base of segment 2 variable dusky white to pale brown; mesoscutum and scutellum orange red; tibia without dark spots at bases of pale spines. SURFACE AND VESTITURE (fig. 20, pl. 5): Head and pronotum subshining, faintly rugose, with flattened circular discs (fig. 20B), vestiture of moderately distributed, recumbent silvery and golden, shining simple setae (pl. 5). STRUCTURE: Head (fig. 20A, pl. 5): Short, transverse, removed from anterior margin of pronotum, posterior margins of eyes bowed posteriad; frons in lateral view surpassing anterior margin of eyes by one-half width of eye; eye occupying 95% height of head; ventral margin of eye extending beyond fossa by 2× diameter of fossa; eyes large, weakly bulging, deeply emarginate near fossa; interocular space narrow; antennal segment 2 subequal to width of pronotum; labium reaching to base of abdomen. Thorax (fig. 20A, pl. 5): Pronotum relatively short, triangular lateral margins straight, calli weakly raised, posterior lobe flat, posterior margin broadly concave; mesoscutum broadly exposed. Pretarsus: Claws small, delicate, short, base of claw somewhat expanded; parempodia narrow fleshy (based on broken structure); pulvilli apparently absent. Hemelytron: Costal margin straight. GENITALIA (pl. 33A–H): Pygophore: Posteroventral surface of pygophore laterally compressed, bowlike, covered with short, pointed spicules (pl. 33H), caudal surface produced posteriad of posterior margin of aperture in lateral view; left side of aperture without patch of bristles. Endosoma: Strongly sigmoid with one com- plete coil, formed by two straps confluent until ventral strap terminates midway between basal bend in endosoma and secondary gonopore; dorsal strap extending beyond secondary gonopore with gradually attenuate, distal portion 4× length of secondary gonopore, terminating in narrow pointed spine. Secondary gonopore: Well sclerotized; gonopore sclerite emanating from proximal edge, reaching to proximal of bend in endosoma; distal edge with prominent flat, fingerlike protuberance with wide rounded apex projecting caudally. Phallotheca: Elongate, narrow apically, aperture located on ventral surface; basal portion strongly sclerotized on surface adhering pygophore. Parameres: Left paramere: Posterior process approximately 2× as long as anterior process, base of posterior process without distinct shoulder; region between processes not produced posteriad. Right paramere: Body moderately large with abruptly attenuate, narrow and short apex.

FEMALE (pl. 5): Coloration as in male; differing from male with smaller eyes, antennal segment 2 more slender, and costal margin slightly more distinctly convex; mean total length 3.15, mean pronotum width 1.06. GENITALIA (pl. 33I–K): Posterior margin of sternite 7: With shield-shaped medial projection. Vestibular sclerites: Relatively large, coiled tube on right side, in dorsal view reaching to even with lateral corner of right sclerotized ring and just beyond anterior margin of dorsal labiate plate. First gonapophyses: Pair of medial sclerites attached to base of vestibulum. Ventral labiate plate: Paramedial anteroventral extension moderately large, right-side sclerite much larger than leftside sclerite; basomedial right-side extension covering anterior surface of basal structures. Dorsal labiate plate: Moderately large, subrectangular, long and with undulating lateral margin. Sclerotized rings: Large, subovoid, separated by width of a ring, relatively thick walled; lateral margin of ring with narrow piece reaching lateral margin of dorsal labiate plate. Posteromedial region: Undivided, sunken, medial microspiculate membrane, located anteroventrad of lateral oviducts and spermathecal gland. Anterolateral region: Portion anterior to rings with small patch of microspicules. Intersegmental membrane: Membranous fold. Posterior wall: Simple, entire, mostly sclerotized, anterior surface barely produced into genital chamber. Interramal sclerites: Sclerite spanning interramal region as broad dorsoposterior sclerotized transverse band, ventrolaterally with pair of strongly sclerotized narrowed plates, ventromedially membranous. Interramal lobes: Entire posterodorsal portion of posterior wall weakly microspiculate on anterior surface.

ETYMOLOGY: Named for its occurrence on the genus Eucalyptus , which by botanical tradition is considered feminine.

HOST: Recorded from Eucalyptus camaldulensis ( Myrtaceae : Eucalypteae ).

DISTRIBUTION (map 5, table 4): Known only from the type locality—Cadelga Homestead— in northeastern South Australia, located in the middle of the eastern desert phytogeographic subregion.

DISCUSSION: We place our new species in Xiphoidellus aware that not all features listed in the diagnosis of the genus ( Weirauch and Schuh, 2011 ) are present in X. eucalyptae . Conforming to the diagnosis are: tibial spines without dark spots at bases, vestiture consisting of simple setae only, ventral (i.e., secondary) strap of endosoma reaching midway to secondary gonopore from major bend in endosoma, secondary gonopore with proximal sclerite, aperture seen laterally, fingerlike protuberance at distal margin, female with posterior margin of posterior wall reflexed dorsally, and right vestibular sclerite larger and more strongly elongated than left sclerite. Features of X. eucalyptae that differ from the diagnosis are: posterior process of left paramere about 2× as long as anterior process (not slightly longer), right paramere with short nonserrate apical process rather than long and serrate as in other species. The large eyes and relatively narrow vertex, head and pronotum with woolly surface texture and patterned dorsal coloration of the male are currently apomorphic for the genus. Xiphoidellus eucalyptae is the second species of the genus known from South Australia and the first collected in the interior of Australia (table 4).

Almost all collection records for X. dumosus ( Weirauch and Schuh, 2011) indicate that this species predominately utilizes myrtaceous plant hosts in the tribe Leptospermeae ( Taxandria spp. and Kunzea sp. ). Two other Xiphoidellus spp. ( X. aureus , X. unicolor ) found on a wide variety of host-plant families, were also taken in small numbers on genera of Chamelaucieae and Melaleuceae . Based on the few known collection records, perhaps X. eucalyptae is the sole member of Xiphoidellus to utilize Eucalypteae .

HOLOTYPE: AUSTRALIA: South Australia: Cadelga Homestead , 26.08949 ° S 140.4106 ° E, 150 m, 04 Nov 1998, Schuh , Cassis, Silveira, MV light, 13 ( AMNH _ PBI 00087348 ) ( SAMA).

PARATYPES: AUSTRALIA: South Australia: Cadelga Homestead, 26.08949 ° S 140.4106 ° E, 150 m, 04 Nov 1998, Schuh , Cassis, Silveira, Eucalyptus camaldulensis Dehnh. (Myrtaceae) , det. Royal Bot Gard. NSW 427487, 13 (00274801), 1♀ (00274798) ( AM), 13 (00274803), 1♀ (00274800) ( AMNH), 13 (00274802), 1♀ (00274799) ( SAMA), MV light, 1♀ (00390320) ( AM), 1♀ (00371751) ( AMNH), 3♀ (00390318, 00390319, 00087349) ( SAMA).

Figures

FIG. 20. Xiphoidellus eucalyptae, AMNH_PBI 00274800. Scanning electron micrographs. A. Head and pronotum, dorsal view. B. Detail of pronotal setae and sculpturation, dorsal view.