Erysivena molloy, 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 : 186-188

Erysivena molloy , new species

Figures 14 , 66 , 74 ; map 5

DIAGNOSIS: Defined by the following characters: moderately small size; head weakly expanded anteriorly; eyes large; labium extending over abdomen; tip of cuneus and forewing membrane veins red; pygophore with two serrate tergal processes positioned left lateral and far right lateral; far right lateral tergal process elongate, linear, with expanded lobed base; left lateral tergal process subrectangular, curved downward and pointed distally; left paramere strongly expanded, subtriangular, prominent sensory lobe with tumescencelike appearance and with short dark bristlelike setae, apophysis moderately elon- gate, apex with blunt hook; right paramere hammer shaped, with greatly expanded subapical dorsal lobe longer than apex, apex broad and flattened; phallotheca opening small and drop shaped; female mIRL half height of laIRL, round and serrate distally; laIRL slightly curved inward at apex and uniform width, with small spiniferous basal lobe.

DESCRIPTION: Male: Moderately small size, elongate ovoid, body length 3.28 mm, pronotal width 1.02 mm. COLORATION: Dorsum yellowish green, faded; cuneus tip red; forewing membrane uniformly light gray-brown, veins red posteriorly with color confined to veins, subcuneal clear spot enlarged. VESTITURE: Dorsum with moderately dense distribution of lightbrown simple setae. STRUCTURE: Head: Weakly expanded anteriorly; eyes large, extending well beyond anterolateral angle of pronotum; labium elongate, extending to abdomen; cuneus round in dorsal view. Hemelytra: Cuneus and major cell of membrane moderately short, major membrane vein straight (fig. 14). GENITALIA: Pygophore: Dorsal margin of genital opening strongly concave, two sclerotized tergal processes, positioned left and far right lateral of midline (fig. 66A); left tergal process subrectangular, apex pointed and slightly curved downward, distally serrate; far right tergal process linear, elongate, with expanded lobed base, distally serrate; ventral margin of genital opening slightly convex; phalloguide sclerotized and round ventrad to right paramere articulation, with serrate margin (fig. 66A). Left paramere: Strongly expanded medially, subtriangular; sensory lobe prominent, expanded, margins slightly indented, so lobe appears swollen; sensory lobe with dark brown, bristlelike setae; apophysis moderately elongate, inner margin smooth; apex with blunt hook (fig. 66B). Right paramere: Hammer shaped; medial flange on inner lateral margin, small and rounded, directed downward; subapical dorsal margin, expanded with large lobe; apex not greatly expanded (shorter than subapical lobe), strongly curved, with flattened distal edge; toothlike spines present intermit- tently spaced on subapical lobe and in two rows on inner and outer margin along apex; lightbrown, short, bristlelike setae on apex (fig. 66C). Phallotheca: Dorsal opening small, drop shaped; closed medially; round distally, without pointed apex; basal margin of opening V-shaped; small subapical tumescence on ventral surface (fig. 66D). Aedeagus: Unknown.

Female: Subequal size to male, body length 3.34–3.42 mm, pronotal width 0.95–0.97 mm.

GENITALIA: IRS posterior margin convex. Interramal lobes (fig. 74): mIRL entirely separated from laIRL; laIRL linear, uniform width, weakly curved inward distally, base spiniferous with small spiniferous lobe; mIRL half height of laIRL, subrectangular, distally round, and serrate.

ETYMOLOGY: Named after Mt. Molloy, near the type locality, on the Atherton Tablelands in northeastern Queensland. Noun in apposition.

HOST PLANT: Known from Callitris intratropica (table 2), a slight variant morphologically in this area near Mt. Molloy (Paul Gadek, personal commun.).

HOLOTYPE: AUSTRALIA: Queensland: 12.8 km NW of Mt. Molloy, on Hwy 81, 16.63719 ° S 145.23661 ° E, 401 m, 24 May 2006, Cassis, Barrow , Finlay , and Symonds , Callitris intratropica , det. RBG Sydney , 1♂ ( AMNH _ PBI 00005756 ) ( QM).

PARATYPES: AUSTRALIA: Queensland: 12.8 km NW of Mt. Molloy, on Hwy 81, 16.63719 ° S 145.23661 ° E, 401 m, 24 May 2006, Cassis, Barrow, Finlay, and Symonds, Callitris intratropica , det. RBG Sydney, 1♀ ( AMNH _PBI 00005758) ( AM), 1♀ ( AMNH _PBI 00005757) ( QM).

OTHER SPECIMENS EXAMINED: AUSTRA- LIA: Queensland: 12.8 km NW of Mt. Molloy, on Hwy 81, 16.63719 ° S 145.23661 ° E, 401 m, 24 May 2006, Cassis, Barrow, Finlay, and Symonds, Callitris intratropica , det. RBG Sydney, 1 juv. (AMNH_PBI 00005760) (AM), 1 juv. (AMNH_PBI 00005759) (QM).

DISTRIBUTION: Known from one locality in northeastern Queensland on the Atherton Tablelands near Mt. Molloy (map 5).

REMARKS: The aedeagus of the only male specimen of this species was not fully formed,

and was not examined. However, differences found in the parameres, tergal processes, and phallotheca are sufficient to distinguish this species. Erysivena molloy is closely related to E. majori , E. bundjalung , and E. mareeba , and is differentiated by the blunt hook on the left paramere, and the greatly expanded subapical dorsal process on the right paramere, which is longer than the apex (in the other species the subbasal lobe is small and round and significantly shorter than the apex).

Erysivena molloy and E. mareeba are both found in the Atherton Tablelands and on Callitris intratropica . However, the population of Callitris intratropica near Mt. Molloy, which is the host of E. molloy , is significantly different morphologically and is geographically separated from the other Callitris intratropica populations in the Atherton tablelands (Paul Gadek, personal commun.). This may be indicative of incipient speciation in the host plant, and putatively tracked by these Erysivena species. Additional morphological differences between E. mareeba and E. molloy are the elongate right tergal process on the pygophore that is without a basal lobe, and a more sclerotized and serrate lobe on the phalloguide. The female genitalia of these two species also differ, with the interramal lobes in E. molloy slightly narrower and shorter laIRL, and a more elongate basal lobe on the laIRL, in comparison to E. mareeba , as well as a broader mIRL (cf. fig. 74).

Figures

FIG. 14. Erysivena species, dorsal habitus photographs of males. Scale bar = 1 mm.

FIG. 66. Male genitalia of Erysivena molloy. A. Pygophore, dorsal. B. Phallotheca, dorsal. C. Left paramere, ventral.D. Right paramere, right lateral. Scale bars = 0.1 mm.

FIG. 74. Erysivena female genitalia: right interramal lobes of species, posterior wall of E. schuhi, dorsal. Scale bar = 0.1 mm.