Callitricola gammonensis, 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 : 120-121

Callitricola gammonensis , new species

Figures 13 , 35 , 48 ; map 2

DIAGNOSIS: Defined by the following characters: moderately small size; large eyes; pale, dusty yellow-green coloration; forewing membrane veins yellow-green; pygophore dorsal margin with one left lateral tergal process, short digitiform and distally serrate; pygophore, right side lobe on phalloguide with large sclerotized and spiniferous pad; left paramere apophysis tapering, apex narrow with weakly recurved hook; right paramere base short, subquadrate in lateral view, deeply excavated groove on inner ventral margin, apex strongly curved, inward and ventrally forming sclerotized and slightly serrate ridge, subapical dorsal margin round with small spinelike serrations; phallotheca strongly curved to right side, round apex with large left lateral tumescence, large right lateral basal tumescence; aedeagus with PES wrapped sheathlike around secondary gonopore, ventral position, bifurcate distally, both branches distally serrate; DES2 unbranched, apex acuminate with smooth margins; DES1 unbranched, expanded medially, distally and medially serrate; female laIRL uniformly narrow and straight, base with large spiniferous lobe; mIRL subrectangular, moderate length, two-thirds length of laIRL, margin only serrate.

DESCRIPTION: Male: Moderately small size, total length 3.19–3.59 mm, pronotal width 0.80– 0.97 mm. COLORATION: Dorsum mostly faded to yellow with some dusty/pale green coloration on posterior half of pronotum and lateral margins of hemelytra; forewing membrane translucent, clear medially, light gray-brown laterally, veins yellow (faded) with color suffused slightly onto surrounding membrane, major cell with faint green spot (fig. 13). VESTITURE: Dorsum with moderately dense distribution of lightbrown simple setae, intermixed with more sparse distribution of longer, more bristlelike, lightbrown simple setae. STRUCTURE: Head: Eyes exerted greatly from outline of head; antennae with A1 subequal to vertex width, AII 1.4× pronotal width; labium elongate, extending just beyond metacoxae over abdomen. Hemelytra: Cuneus moderately elongate, major cell of membrane elongate, major membrane vein straight (fig. 13). GENITALIA: Pygophore: Dorsal margin of genital opening straight, with one tergal process, positioned medially to just left lateral of midline; tergal process short, linear, and distally serrate; ventral margin weakly convex medially; phalloguide with small, round lobe ventrad to right paramere articulation, right margin of lobe enlarged, sclerotized, surface spiniferous (fig. 35A). Left paramere: Apophysis tapering; apex narrow with very small, weakly recurved hook (fig. 35B). Right paramere: Base short, subquadrate in lateral view; apex strongly curved inward ventrally with small sclerotized ridge, with few small serrations; subapical dorsal margin round, with few small spinelike serrations spread broadly across surface; inner ventral surface with strongly excavated groove (fig. 35C). Phallotheca: Opening large, distal to medial; strongly curved to right side; apex round; lobe on right dorsal margin extending from below apex to base, weakly expanded, small subapical ventral tumescence; large left lateral tumescence; large right lateral basal tumescence (fig. 35D). Aedeagus: Spicule arrangement (fig. 35): PES ventral to secondary gonopore, base wrapped sheathlike around part of secondary gonopore; DES2 left lateral to PES, DES1 left lateral to DES2; bases of spicules flattened and broad; bases of all spicules originating adjacently at base of secondary gonopore (fig. 35E, F); PES bifurcate in distal third, branches subequal in length, both distally serrate, left branch strongly downcurved (fig. 35E); DES2 unbranched, acuminate apically, margins smooth (fig. 35E, F); DES1 unbranched, expanded medially, tapering apically, distally serrate margins, medially serrate on one side of expanded margin, basal keel elongate (DESk) (fig. 35F).

Female: Relatively small, body length 3.16– 3.33 mm, pronotal width 0.83–0.86 mm. GENI-

TALIA: Interramal lobes (fig. 48): mIRL partially joined to laIRL at base; laIRL uniformly narrow, straight, base with large spiniferous lobe; mIRL subrectangular, moderate length, two-thirds length of laIRL, margin serrate.

ETYMOLOGY: Named after the type locality in the Gammon Ranges, South Australia.

HOST PLANT: Known from Callitris glaucophylla (table 2).

HOLOTYPE: AUSTRALIA: South Australia: 12 km E of Nepabunna, Gammon Ranges National Park, 30.60057 ° S 139.092 ° E, 440 m, 07 Nov 1998, Schuh, Cassis , Silveira , Callitris glaucophylla , det. RBG Sydney NSW427486, 1♂ ( AMNH _ PBI 00016259 ) ( SAMA).

PARATYPES: AUSTRALIA: South Australia: 12 km E of Nepabunna, Gammon Ranges National Park, 30.60057 ° S 139.092 ° E, 440 m, 07 Nov 1998, Schuh, Cassis, Silveira, Callitris glaucophylla , det. RBG Sydney NSW427486, 2♂ ( AMNH _PBI 00016261, 00016265), 1♀ ( AMNH _PBI 00016264) ( AM), 1♂ ( AMNH _ PBI 00016260), 2♀ ( AMNH _PBI 00016262, 00016263) ( SAMA).

OTHER SPECIMENS EXAMINED: AUSTRA- LIA: South Australia: 12 km E of Nepabunna, Gammon Ranges National Park, 30.60057 ° S 139.092 ° E, 440 m, 07 Nov 1998, Schuh, Cassis, Silveira, Callitris glaucophylla , 1♀ (AMNH_PBI 00016562) (AM).

DISTRIBUTION: Known from one locality in central eastern (outback) South Australia, in the Gammon Ranges (map 2), and collected with Avititerra xerophila (table 2).

REMARKS: Callitricola gammonensis is distinct in comparison to congeners based on characters of the male genitalia. This includes the pygophore having a large sclerotized and spiniferous lobe on the phalloguide ventrad to right paramere articulation (larger than all other species in the group) (fig. 35A), and the right paramere quadrate (fig. 35C), rather than subovate to ovate, which is typical of the genus. This species is similar in external appearance to C. finke ,

which is pale green and small in size, but the latter differs by being more dusty pale green, having larger bulbous eyes, and being smaller in size (cf. fig 13). The parameres of C. gammonensis bear some resemblance to those of C. finke , in that both have a slender left paramere and more subquadrate to round right paramere. However, the right paramere of C. gammonensis differs by being more subquadrate rather than more round as in C. finke , oriented more ventrally, with a deeper groove on the mesiolateral surface and a round and unexpanded subapical dorsal margin, which is expanded in C. finke . The linear, apically serrate, left submedial tergal process on the ventral margin of the pygophore also differentiates this species from C. finke , which has a serrate comblike tergal process. This tergal process type is found in C. gammonensis as well as C. ballina , C. boorabbin , C. parawirra , and C. finlayae .

Figures

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

FIG. 35. Male genitalia of Callitricola gammonensis. A. Pygophore, dorsal. B. Left paramere, ventral. C. Right paramere, ventrolateral. D. Aedeagus, ventral. E. Phallotheca, dorsal. F. 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.