Callitricola graciliphila, Symonds & Cassis, 2018

Symonds, Celia L. & Cassis, Gerasimos, 2018, Systematics And Analysis Of The Radiation Of Orthotylini Plant Bugs Associated With Callitroid Conifers In Australia: Description Of Five New Genera And 32 New Species (Heteroptera: Miridae: Orthotylinae), Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 2018 (422), pp. 1-229 : 121-124

Callitricola graciliphila , new species

Figures 13 , 36 , 48 ; map 2

DIAGNOSIS: Defined by the following characters: large size: labium extends over abdomen; forewing membrane veins yellow-orange; pygophore dorsal margin weakly concave, with right submedial tergal lobe and left lateral tergal process; left paramere, apophysis subrectangular, apex truncate with strongly recurved hook; right paramere, base elongate, apex twisted but not curved inward, subapical inner ventral ridge small, subapical margins serrate; phallotheca with twisted point at apex, subbasal lobe on right dorsal margin large and round, with left and right lateral tumescence; aedeagus with spicules all compact and situated adjacent, PES not wrapped sheathlike around secondary gonopore, appears trifurcate in distal third, branches short, equal length or left branch slightly longer than divided right branch, left branch strongly curved downward; DES2 bifurcate in distal half, branches equal in length, both narrow and acuminate; DES1 bifurcate in distal half, branches unequal in length, dorsal branch greatly reduced to round lobe with smooth margins; female laIRL uniform width, straight, base spiniferous with two spiniferous lobes; mIRL elongate, almost as long as laIRL, subrectangular, margins and distal surface (sparsely) serrate.

DESCRIPTION: Male: Large size, elongate, body length 5.13–5.73 mm, pronotal width 1.14– 1.35 mm. COLORATION: Faded yellow-green dorsum, often faded to yellow; forewing membrane light brown, veins yellow-orange with tint confined to vein only, major cell with dark green spot medially that is sometimes faded in dried specimens (fig. 13). VESTITURE: Dorsum with moderately dense distribution of simple setae.

STRUCTURE: Head: Antennae with AI 1.5× vertex width, AII 2× pronotal width; labium elongate, extending beyond metacoxae over abdomen. Hemelytra: Cuneus elongate; major cell of membrane greatly elongate, major membrane vein straight. GENITALIA: Pygophore: Dorsal margin of genital opening weakly concave, with one sclerotized left lateral tergal process, and broad tergal lobe, narrowing apically, positioned right of midline; left tergal process, short, digitiform, surface from base to apex with minute spinelike serrations, apex round; ventral margin very weakly convex medially; phalloguide broadly subrectangular, margin ventrad to right paramere articulation with weakly expanded round lobe, sclerotized and with minute spinulae (fig. 36A). Left paramere: Apophysis subrectangular, apex truncate with strongly recurved hook (fig. 36B). Right paramere: Base elongate; apex twisted, not curved inward; inner subapical ventral margin constricted to form small. well-defined ridge, slightly more sclerotized than rest of paramere, margin with minute spinulae; subapical inner dorsal margin slightly swollen, covered with minute spinulae; mesiolateral surface weakly excavate (fig. 36C, D). Phallotheca: Dorsal opening large, pointed distally; apex with twisted point; large subapical ventral tumescence; left lateral tumescence; large right lateral tumescence; small right lateral basal tumescence; large, round lobe on right dorsal margin, subbasal (figs. 36E–H). Aedeagus: Spic- ule arrangement (fig. 36): PES left ventrolateral to secondary gonopore, not wrapped sheathlike around secondary gonopore, DES2 dorsad to PES and secondary gonopore, DES1 dorsad to DES2; base of PES slightly more distal to bases of DES1 and DES2 (which are adjacent) (fig. 36I, J); PES, bifurcate in distal third, branches short, constricted slightly before bifurcation point, left branch short and strongly curved downward, right branch very short, further divided at apex, all branches distally serrate (fig. 36I); DES2 bifurcate in distal half, branches equal in length, both narrow and acuminate, distally serrate (fig. 36J); DES1 bifurcate in distal half, branches unequal in length, dorsal branch greatly reduced to round lobe with smooth margins, ventral branch elongate slightly constricted below leafshaped apex, distal margins serrate (fig. 36J); DES1 basal keel (DESk) elongate (fig. 36J).

Female: Large, slightly subovate, body length 4.55–5.22 mm, pronotal width 1.17–1.31 mm.

GENITALIA: Interramal lobes (fig. 48): mIRL partially joined to laIRL at base; laIRL uniform width, straight, base spiniferous with two spiniferous lobes, one large and one small; mIRL elongate, almost as long as laIRL, subrectangular, margins and distal surface sparsely serrate.

ETYMOLOGY: The name of this species come from a combination of the host-plant species name Callitris gracilis and Greek phila meaning “lover.”

HOST PLANTS: Known from Callitris gracilis in Victoria and Callitris verrucosa in South Australia (table 2). Hosts from two other localities in South Australia were unable to be identified to species; this is in a region where a number of Callitris species are known to cooccur and hybridize ( Hill, 1998).

HOLOTYPE: AUSTRALIA: South Australia: 7 km E Para Wirra National Park near Williamstown , 34.70001 ° S 138.85 ° E, 250 m, 31 Oct 1995, Schuh, Cassis, and Gross, Callitris sp. , Field ID, 1♂ ( AMNH _ PBI 00002453 ) ( SAMA).

PARATYPES: AUSTRALIA: South Australia: 7 km E Para Wirra National Park near Williamstown, 34.70001 ° S 138.85 ° E, 250 m, 31

Oct 1995, Schuh, Cassis, and Gross, Callitris sp. , Field ID, 1♂ ( AMNH _PBI 00002452), 5♀ ( AMNH _PBI 00002455–00002459) ( AMNH), 1♂ ( AMNH _PBI 00002454), 4♀ ( AMNH _PBI 00002460–00002463) ( SAMA). 11 km W of Gawler, 34.60001 ° S 138.6167 ° E, 100 m, 31 Oct 1995, Schuh, Cassis, and Gross, Callitris glaucophylla or gracilis , det. K.D. Hill 1996 NSW 395960, 1♂ ( AMNH _PBI 00016328) ( AM), 2♀ ( AMNH _PBI 00000302, 00000303) ( AMNH), 1♀ ( AMNH _PBI 00016327) ( SAMA). Road to Streaky Bay from Poochera, 32.73441 ° S 134.7605 ° E, 100 m, 21 Oct 1996, Schuh and Cassis, Callitris sp. , det. Field ID, 2♀ ( AMNH _PBI 00016323, 00016324) ( AM), 1♂ ( AMNH _PBI 00000152) ( AMNH), 2♀ ( AMNH _PBI 00016325, 00016326) ( SAMA). Victoria: Wyperfeld National Park, Moonah Track, 35.46302 ° S 142.0464 ° E, 65 m, 04 Nov 2002, Cassis, Schuh, Schwartz, Silveira, Callitris gracilis , det. RBG Sydney NSW658101, 2♀ ( AMNH _PBI 00016321, 00016322), 1♂ ( AMNH _PBI 00016337) ( AM), 7♀ ( AMNH _PBI 00003935– 00003940, 00003942), 1♂ ( AMNH _PBI 00003933) ( AMNH), det. RBG Sydney NSW658101, 1♀ ( AMNH _PBI 00003941), 1♂ ( AMNH _PBI 00003934) ( MVMA).

OTHER SPECIMENS EXAMINED: AUSTRA- LIA: South Australia: Scorpion Springs Cons. Park, 35.4493 ° S 140.874 ° E, 120 m, 10 Nov 1998, Schuh, Cassis, Silveira, Callitris verrucosa , det. RBG Sydney NSW427497, 4♀ ( AMNH _PBI 00021797- AMNH _PBI 00021800) ( AM). Scorpion Springs Cons. Park, 35.62872 ° S 140.8598 ° E, 100 m, 09 Nov 1998, Schuh, Cassis, Silveira, Callitris verrucosa , det. RBG Sydney NSW427497, 2♀ ( AMNH _PBI 00008002, 00008003), 2♀ ( AMNH _PBI 00021795, 00021796) ( AM).

DISTRIBUTION: Known from six localities spanning northwestern Victoria to the Eyre Peninsula in South Australia (map 2). It was collected with other Callitricola and Erysivena species , including at four localities with E. schwartzi (table 2).

REMARKS: The form of PES and the phallotheca relates Callitricola graciliphila to C. cordy-

lina. It can be differentiated from C. cordylina by the following characters (cf. figs. 13, 32): larger size; presence of a left lateral tergal process on the pygophore; a larger right subbasal lobe on the phallotheca; PES having a shorter and downturned left branch; DES2 more distally bifurcate in the distal third, with the subbranches of equal length and narrow; DES1 having a short dorsal branch reduced to a round lobe with smooth margins; the female laIRL of uniform width and narrow with two basal lobes (as opposed to slightly broader and incurved distally, with only one basal lobe); and the mIRL subrectangular (rather than subtriangular). In C. cordylina all endosomal spicules are more elongate and slender and PES curves away from the base and then back toward DES1 and DES2 (figs. 31D, F, 32F); DES2 possesses a distinctive splayed apex on the longer branch (fig. 31D), and DES1 has only a small lobe below the bifurcation point and is then divided with slender serrate branches (figs. 31E, 32F). Due to the large body size and distinctive yellow wing membrane venation, this species is easily distinguished from the other species with which it cooccurs, C. parawirra and C. silveirae .

Figures

FIG. 13. Callitricola species, dorsal habitus photographs of males. Scale bar = 1 mm.

FIG. 36. Male genitalia of Callitricola graciliphila. A. Pygophore, dorsal. B. Left paramere, ventral. C. Right paramere, right lateral. D. Right paramere, left lateral. E, J. Phallotheca, right lateral. F, H. Phallotheca, dorsal. I. Aedeagus, ventral. G. Aedeagus, dorsal. Scale bars = 0.1 mm.

FIG. 48. Callitricola female genitalia: right interramal lobes of species, posterior wall of C. graciliphila, dorsal. Scale bar = 0.1 mm.