Blattakeraia, 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 : 76-79

Blattakeraia , new genus

TYPE SPECIES: Blattakeraia actinostrobi , n. sp., by original designation.

DIAGNOSIS: Defined by the following characters: large, elongate body (fig. 12); large, bulbous eyes; dorsum with moderately dense distribution of pale or dark simple setae; bright green to yellowish-green coloration; AI bright to dark red, reddish brown (fig. 12); forewing membrane light gray-brown, slightly darker laterally, with subcuneal clear spot (fig. 12B); forewing membrane veins green with adjacent green suffusion, major cell with green spot (fig. 12); pygophore genital opening large, round, dorsal margin strongly concave, without any tergal processes, phalloguide with sclerotized and serrate lobe, ventrad to right paramere articulation (figs. 22A, 26A); ventral surface of pygophore proximal to genital opening with short, light-brown, spinelike setae (figs. 21E, 25D); left paramere prominent externally, extending across ventral surface of pygophore with apex directed anteriorly (figs. 21B, 25B), right paramere with only apex visible externally (figs. 21D, E, 25B, D); phallotheca and aedeagus visible externally and extending beyond parameres from genital opening (figs. 21B, C, 25B–D) covered with membranous proctiger (figs. 21A, C, 24H, 25B–D); left paramere L-shaped with broad apophysis, truncate apex with weakly recurved and inset subapical hook (figs. 22B, 26B); right paramere club shaped with apical flange and unexpanded subapical dorsal margin, apical flange and subapical dorsal margin with small spinelike serrations (figs. 22C, 26C); phallotheca lightly sclerotized, dorsal opening large, apex round (figs. 22D, 26D); aedeagus with three sclerotized endosomal spicules, all dorsad to secondary gonopore (fig. 11); PES partially sheathing secondary gonopore at base, distally bifurcate with serrate or smooth apical margins; PES with ventrally positioned submedial process projecting distally, before bifurcation point (figs. 22E, 26E); DES2 unbranched, with broad base, narrow acuminate apex, margins smooth (figs. 22E, 26E); DES1 bifurcate in distal third, branches unequal in length, with elongate basal keel (figs. 22E, 26E); DES2 and DES1 closely associated at base situated adjacent, originating distad to base of PES; vestibulum of female with lightly sclerotized, asymmetrical structure (fig. 27B); mesial surface of ventral labiate plate spiniferous, with small lateral lobes adpressed at surface (figs. 23A, 27A); small narrow mediolateral lobes on dorsal labiate plate; interramal sclerites with membranous attachment to posterior wall at base (fig. 27C), with one pair of bifurcate, spiniferous interramal lobes (figs. 23B, 27C).

DESCRIPTION. Male: Macropterous, large size, body elongate, parallel sided (fig. 12); body length 4.51–5.06 mm. COLORATION: Dorsum uniformly bright green, including head and hemelytra; AI bright to dark red, remainder yellowish orange, darkening apically; cuneus of forewing concolorous, sometimes slightly more yellowish green than rest of hemelytra (fig. 12); forewing membrane translucent, light graybrown, with slightly darker patches laterally, with subcuneal clear spot (fig. 12B); forewing membrane veins bright green, adjacent membrane suffused with green, major cell with bright green spot (fig. 12); legs mostly pale yellow; tarsi dark brown; abdominal venter pale yellowish green; phallotheca golden. SURFACE AND VESTI- TURE: Dorsum smooth, weakly polished, with moderately dense distribution of light or dark, semierect simple setae, few setae more elongate and bristlelike on head and lateral margins of dorsum; antennae with dense distribution of short, brown simple setae; AI also with few dark, elongate, erect, spinelike setae (approx. 5); femora with light-brown simple setae, intermixed with few, more elongate, erect, spinelike setae; tibiae and tarsi with light-brown simple setae, on tibiae intermixed with light-brown spines; hind tibiae with rows of minute, dark spinulae; pygophore ventral surface proximal to genital opening with short, light-brown, spinelike setae (figs. 21D, E, 25). STRUCTURE: Head: Subovate in lateral view, strongly expanded anteriorly; mandibular and maxillary plates and clypeus large; maxillary plate subovate, anterodorsal margin round, aligned with round anterodorsal margin of mandibular plate; clypeus prominent, round or slightly pointed in dorsal view, dorsal edge round in lateral view; vertex flat; eyes large, strongly exerted beyond outline of head, extending well beyond anterolateral angles of pronotum (figs. 20A–D, 24A–D); labium medium to elongate length. Antennae: Elongate, insertion dorsal to ventral margin of eyes, very slightly removed from anterior margin of eyes (figs. 20B, 24B); AI elongate, longer than width of vertex, slightly wider than remaining segments (fig. 12); AII elongate, ca. 1.5× pronotum width; AIII moderately long, ca. 2× length of AIV; AIV subequal or slightly shorter length to AI; AIII and AIV slightly thinner than AII. Pronotum: Trapezoidal, broad or narrow; anterior margin weakly concave; collar reduced to thin lip; callosite region weakly defined; lateral margins straight, weakly to strongly angled from 30–45° to midline of body; humeral angles round; posterior margin very weakly sinuous or concave to straight (figs. 20C, 24C). Mesoscutum: Slightly raised; mesoscutum wide, exposed, one-third length of scutellum (fig. 12). Metathorax: Metathoracic spiracle elongate, subcylindrical, with evaporative area spanning anterior margin and expanded dorsally (figs. 20E, F, 24E, F); metathoracic scent gland with ostiole subcylindrical, peritreme subtriangular extending onto posterior ostiole margin, evaporative area with small subovate to elongate evaporative bodies (figs. 20E, G, 24E, G). Hemelytra: Elongate, extending well beyond apex of abdomen, abdomen extends to cuneal fracture; lateral margins parallel; cuneus elongate; forewing membrane major cell elongate, major vein straight, parallel to inner margin of cuneus (fig. 12). Legs: Elongate, fem- ora slightly flattened; pretarsus with moderately short claws, pulvilli moderately sized, fleshy parempodia broad, apically convergent (fig. 20H). GENITALIA: Pygophore: Transverse to subquadrate, weakly narrowing posteriorly, genital opening large, round (figs. 21A, B, 22A, 24H, 25A); dorsal margin of genital opening strongly concave, lacking tergal processes (figs. 21A, 22A, 24H, 26A); ventral margin of genital opening straight; phalloguide round, extending just beyond ventral margin of opening, with round, strongly sclerotized lobe ventrad to articulation of right paramere, with minute spinelike serrations (figs. 22A, 25B, 26A); left paramere extending across ventral surface of pygophore (figs. 21B, 25A); right paramere mostly nested within pygophore, only apex visible (figs. 21D, E, 25B, D); phallotheca visible externally from pygophore and extending beyond parameres (figs. 21, 25), covered with membranous proctiger (figs. 21A, C, 24H, 25B–D). Left paramere: L-shaped; sensory lobe greatly (fig. 26B) or only weakly expanded (fig. 22B); apophysis uniformly broad, either elongate and curved (fig. 26B) or short and relatively straight (fig. 22B), ca. 45° to rest of paramere; apex truncate, round with weak hook, slightly inset from tip of apex (figs. 21D, 22B, 25D, 26B); simple setae on sensory lobe and outer surface. Right paramere: Club shaped, subovate in lateral view; apex weakly (figs. 25B, 26C) to moderately curved inward (figs. 21D, 22C), forming small, unexpanded or weakly expanded, sclerotized, flattened flange, with or without small, marginal, spinelike serrations; mesiolateral surface weakly excavate; subapical dorsal margin round, unexpanded, lightly sclerotized, with few small spinelike serrations; simple setae present on outer lateral surface. Phallotheca: Lightly sclerotized, dorsal opening large, apex round, with left lateral tumescence, with small subapical ventral tumescence (figs. 22D, 26D), sometimes with left dorsal margin retracted laterally (fig. 26D). Aedeagus: Secondary gonopore elongate, cylindrical, membranous; three elongate sclerotized endosomal spicules, subequal in length (fig. 11); PES dorsad to sec- ondary gonopore, originating at base of secondary gonopore, sheathlike, partially bounding gonopore, bifurcate distally, branches unequal in length, branches extending distally, left branch perpendicularly oriented to right branch at base, apical margins smooth or serrate; PES with elongate submedial process, ventrally positioned, slender, elongate, serrate or smooth distally, projected distally (figs. 22E, 26E); DES2 and DES1 originating distad to PES (e.g., fig. 26E); DES2 dorsad to PES, unbranched, tapering to apex or broad and constricted at apex, margins smooth (figs. 22E, 26E); DES1 dorsal (fig. 22) or left dorsolateral (fig. 26) to DES2, bifurcate in distal third, branches unequal in length, apical margins serrate (fig. 26E) or mostly smooth (fig. 22E), left branch very short, narrow, right branch elongate, tapering to arcuate apex, with elongate basal keel (DESk) (e.g., fig. 22E); DESk situated adjacent, ventrad to DES2 and with partial membrane join to base of DES1; base of PES and DES2 broad and flattened, base of DES1 tubular.

Female: As in male except eyes slightly smaller, vertex wider and hemelytra shorter; abdomen extending almost to tip of cuneus; only very marginally shorter than male, occasionally slightly larger, body length 4.34–5.28 mm. GEN- ITALIA: Vestibulum with lightly sclerotized asymmetrical tubular processes (fig. 27B); ventral labiate plate (VLP) sclerotized, mesial surface spiniferous, with small spiniferous lateral lobes arising laterally adjacent to gonapophyses 8, adpressed to VLP (figs. 23A, 27A); dorsal labiate plate with paired mediolateral lobes, lobes small and narrow, surface mostly smooth, marginally spiniferous, positioned posterolateral in genital chamber adjacent to base of rami of gonapophyses 8 (figs. 23A, 27A); sclerotized rings large, subovate, anterior margin round, anterior surface spiniferous (figs. 23A, 27B); posterior wall sclerotized (fig. 27); medial region of posterior wall lightly sclerotized, margin slightly convex, positioned just below anterior margin of interramal sclerites (IRS) (fig. 27); IRS deeply divided, with U-shaped junction, forming posterior margin of posterior wall of bursa copulatrix, posterior margin ill defined, membranous (fig. 27); IRS with one pair of interramal lobes (IRL) (figs. 23B, 27C); IRLs spiniferous, bifurcate basally (fig. 27C) or medially (fig. 23B), outer branch elongate.

ETYMOLOGY: Named for the distinctive red first antennal segment of the species described in this genus, from Latin blatta meaning “bloodclot” and Greek keraia “feeler or antenna.” The gender is feminine.

REMARKS: Blattakeraia species are most easily distinguished from other callitroid-inhabiting Orthotylini by their relatively large size, elongate reddish first antennal segment, green wing membrane veins and dorsal vestiture of simple setae. Blattakeraia is most closely related to Callitricola + Erysivena . The most striking differences of Blattakeraia (to the other four genera) are the elongate reddish first antennal segment (fig. 12), the very broad apophysis of the left paramere, which has a broad and rounded apex and weak subapical hook (figs. 22B, 26B), as well as the position of the left paramere, which projects over the ventral surface of the pygophore in repose (figs. 21B, 25). Other characters that differentiate Blattakeraia from both Callitricola and Erysivena are the absence of pygophoral tergal processes on the dorsal margin of the pygophore (figs. 21A, 22A, 24H, 26A), a lightly sclerotized and golden colored phallotheca, the three endosomal spicules all positioned dorsad to the secondary gonopore and with differing substructure (cf. fig. 11), and a more cylindrical club-shaped right paramere (figs. 22C, 26C). The female genitalia of Blattakeraia is characterized by divided interramal processes but without additional medial or basal lobes (figs. 23B, 27C).

Blattakeraia most closely resembles Callitricola externally, with both genera not having red coloration on the hemelytra and the membrane veins are often green (cf. figs. 12, 13), the presence of a subcuneal clear spot on the hemelytral membrane (e.g., fig. 12B), the dorsum has simple setae only, the right paramere is club shaped, and left paramere is relatively long and L-shaped, with a hooked apex. Blattakeraia is differentiated from Callitricola by the characters above that the latter genus has in common with Erysivena , as well as the strongly concave dorsal margin of the pygophore. In addition, the attachment of the basal keel to DES1 is more membranous in Blattakeraia . The keel extends adjacent to DES 2 in Blattakeraia and Erysivena and because of its proximity, we first interpreted it to be attached to DES2 rather than DES1. On closer examination its attachment to DES1 was established, although the join is more membranous than observed in other Australian orthotyline genera.