Carinatala, Hill, Lionel, 2015

Hill, Lionel, 2015, Three new genera of Schizopteridae from Australia with description of six new species (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Schizopteridae), Zootaxa 3990 (1), pp. 73-96 : 89-90

Carinatala gen. n.

( Figs 11–13 , dimensions in Table 1 )

Material. Holotype male of Carinatala septentrionalis sp. n. as well as other material listed below for this species, an additional newly described and one undescribed species.

Diagnosis. Mostly brown but with several pale markings on fore wings, 1.1–1.4 mm long, oval in dorsal view, flat (macropters) to weakly convex (submacropters) in lateral view, antennae reaching two-thirds along body, A3 170–230% as long as A4, general body setation of medium length (longer than in Dextritubus ), three macrosetae on anteclypeus ( Fig. 13C ), 3-segmented labium reaching mid coxae, head declivent, half as long as high, no pore on frons, eyes small, partly overlapping pronotal collar, ocelli present in macropters, absent in submacropters, pronotal disc constricted anteriorly, mesoscutellum with proximal half depressed and distal half salient, fore wings macropterous (males) or submacropterous (males and females) and overlapping, venation evident including carinate longitudinal vein, male tarsal formula 3,3,3, female 2,2,3, male fore and mid claws with several long, ventral teeth ( Fig. 12D ); left paramere small, irregular, right paramere long, slender, curving to right anteriorly around vesica, vesica membranous distally and inflatable with everted spines ( Fig. 11C ), female with simple rectangular T8, ovipositor membranous.

Description. General appearance broadly oval in dorsal view, flat (macropterous males) to weakly convex (submacropterous males and females) in lateral view, apex of scutellum salient in lateral view and apically incrassate in dorsal view. Colour brown, posterior margin of disc light brown, fore wing with venation mostly brown but with some cream markings on veins and membrane. Head half as long as high in lateral view, narrow in anterior view, without prominent setae except anteclypeus; anteclypeus, bucculae, maxillary and mandibular plates glabrous; eyes moderate size, one third height of head, weakly protruding to embrace lateral ends of pronotal collar, 1–2 small seta on each eye as long as 2–3 facet-diameters; ocelli present in macropterous male, located one eye-facet diameter from eyes, absent in female; vertex without macrosetae including no pair of ocular macrosetae overhanging eyes, vertex with pair of shallow convergent furrows leading anteriorly to two rows of small, circular cibarial muscle scars that then diverge anteriorly towards antennal insertions, vertex abruptly deflexed near posterior margin into inserted postocular part ( Figs 13B–C ) which projects interiorly to prothorax and which is concavely decurrent, weakly emarginate dorsomedially, broadest submedially as a faint apodeme linked to maxillary stylets and tapering laterally to eyes; frons gently convex, without medial pore, projection or transverse carinae; anteclypeus weakly swollen basally but not tumid, roughly oval in anterior view, roughly twice as long as wide, with three very long (as long as anteclypeus) slender macrosetae (pair basally and one medially); labrum slender, reaching apex L2; labium stout, 3-segmented, reaching to mid coxae, L1 very broad in anterior view and greater diameter than L2, L1–2 subequal length, L3 as long as L1–2, L3 tapering to point; bucculae, anteclypeus and L1 compose a globular body that is more ventrally salient than in Dextritubus (such that head appears tall in anterior view); bucculae large and swollen, widening and closed posteriorly; gula as long as height of eye; genae extensive ventral to antennal insertions, with gentle constriction near posterior margin extending from gula to eyes and projecting interiorly to prothorax. Antennae three-quarters as long as body, insertions with annular rim, located clearly dorsal to level of base of anteclypeus; A1 and A2 subequal, A3 weakly incrassate subbasally, weakly curved and more or less twice as long as straight A4, A4 not incrassate subbasally; A3–4 with long semierect fine setae up to half length of each antennomere. Thorax: pronotum weakly (elytrous morph) to steeply (macropterous morph) declivent, collar present, coplanar with disc in lateral view and not embraced laterally by disc in dorsal view; disc with fine punctation, constricted in anterior half, sides straight and convergent in anterior half and convex in posterior half in dorsal view ( Fig. 13B ), disc weakly convex in lateral view, with transverse depression at point of constriction, lateral margins rounded in cross section, posterolateral angles rounded in dorsal view, not tumid; mesoscutellum with disc centrally depressed in anterior half, with pair of small, shallow pits at midlength, distal half posterodorsally salient, apex roundly diamond shape in dorsal view ( Fig. 13B ); metascutellum ( Fig. 13D ) well developed and bearing posteriorly a well-developed arcuate postnotal flange which occupies about one third width of thorax ( Fig. 13D ); lateral areas of metanotum are inclined triangular discs that project a little posteriorly to the level of the posterior margin of the postnotal flange ( Fig. 13D ); prosternum with roundly triangular shallow depression; proepisternal rims of fore coxal cavity narrow medially, cradling L 1 in repose; mesosternum flat, with salient notch on posterior margin at medial ends of transverse carinae that run along anterior margins of hind coxal cavities, no salient central process; metasternum with rounded, fin-like process projecting posteroventrally from long base; metendosternite broad; metapleura without spur-like lateral process at dorsal ends unlike Silhouettanus ( Fig. 13D ), posteroventral angles of metepisterna and metepimera rounded in lateral view. Fore wings: Macropterous male fore wings ( Fig. 12A ) lie flat, overlapping, veins with setae twice as long as vein width and spaced one setal-length apart (more closely on marginal vein); anterior and claval furrows present; veins weakly raised, one conspicuously carinate vein extending along longitudinal axis of wing becoming less carinate distally; cells with fine polygonal mosaic defined by densely-spaced double rows of microgranules, interior areas of polygons sparsely filled with microgranules on distal membrane but densely and uniformly filled with microgranules on proximal half of wing; costal margins explanate and abruptly deflexed (not reflexed) to form broad, flat, steeply inclined to near vertical epipleura, twice as wide as dorsal view of explanate costal margin, as wide as hind tibial diameter, tapering to S6; hindwing trilobite and full-length. Submacropterous male and female fore wing similar to macropter but weakly convex, apical venation condensed, distal membrane absent, weakly overlapping distally, carinate longitudinal vein remaining carinate to apex of wing ( Fig. 13 E), anterior and claval furrows present, margin between most posterior vein and the wing margin opposite trapezoidal cell as narrow as 2–3 vein-widths ( Figs 13A , E), hindwings absent. Legs. Male tarsal formula 3,3,3, female 2,2,3; tarsi slender except male fore and mid tarsi weakly swollen and with pseudotetramerous appearance created by an apodeme that appears to subdivide second tarsomere; claws of male fore and mid legs with 4–5 long, slender, ventral teeth ( Fig. 12D ); arolial sacs present but presence of parempodia uncertain; hind tarsi with straight parempodia as long as slender claw lacking teeth; all claws expanded basally ( Fig. 12D ); femora ventrally with several oblique long setae, no erect macrosetae; tibiae without conspicuous macroseta except a few distally on hind tibae; hind tibiae with three erect, fine, ventral setae, four tibial diameters in length and located between mid and three-quarter length from base of tibiae; ratio length hind tarsus/hind tibia 0.4. Abdomen: Macropterous male, T1- 4 not sclerotized,T5–7 more or less large, rectangular and lightly sclerotized, T8 with slender curved process projecting laterally and complementing opposing weakly hooked hyaline process arising from genital capsule or anophore ( Figs 11A, 11C ); S3 gently contoured to hind coxae, S4 symmetrical, S5 widened and modified on right side into an oblique, semicylindrical concavity ( Fig. 11B ); S6 modified on right side into broad rectangular process closely associated with cavity of S5 to enclose a tubular space; S7 asymmetrical, posterior margin convex, right side projecting as a blunt cone ( Fig. 11A ); spiracles on S6, S7 and left side (at least) T8. Genitalia: Male: T8 with slender curved process projecting laterally and complementing opposing weakly hooked broad hyaline process arising from either genital capsule or anophore, no spiracle detected on T8 process; two lamellate hyaline projections on right side (including the one opposing T8 right process) perhaps of anophoric origin or arising from rim of genital capsule; right paramere very long, slender, strongly curved, weakly tapering with small subbasal protuberance; left paramere very short and irregular ( Fig. 11D ); vesica inflated into membranous mass bearing 10 or so sclerotized spines ( Fig. 11C ).

Notes: The carinate vein running longitudinally for half (macropters) or all (elytrous morphs) of the length of the fore wing is a conspicuous character of Carinatala . Pinochius Carayon 1949 has a conspicuous raised vein but it runs more obliquely and has three anterior veins emanating in parallel from it ( Carayon, 1949; Rédei, 2008). Dentate claws on the male fore- and midlegs have not previously been documented in the family. In reviewing the legs of Schizopteridae, Emsley (1969, p 19) wrote ‘The shape of the claws varies generically from strongly curved to almost straight and they may bear basal processes’. The broad epipleura are merely deflexed to near vertical rather than strongly reflexed. In submacropters, the margin between most posterior vein and fore wing margin is much narrower than in the elytrous Dextritubus .

The male genitalia of Carinatala superficially resemble Dundonannus Wygodzinsky, 1950 in the presence of a very long right paramere and an inflatable, membranous intromittent organ projecting on the right side posterior to a semicyclindrical cavity derived from elaboration of the lateral margins of two preceding sterna. No spinous vesica could be observed in Carinatala although a tubular proximal portion was evident ( Fig. 11C ).

Etymology: The generic name is composed of the Latin adjective carinatus, - a, - um (provided with carina) and the feminine Latin noun ala (wing), alluding to the conspicuous carinate vein of the fore wings. Gender feminine.

Type species. Carinatala septentrionalis sp. n., by present designation.

Distribution. There are perhaps three species in this genus distributed in south-east Queensland ( C. septentrionalis ), northern New South Wales (undescribed) and southern New South Wales ( C. meridiana ). A macropterous male of the first species and a submacropterous male of the last one have been seen. The genus is known from between 80 and 600 m above sea level and the habitat appears to be moist forest litter.

Figures

FIGURE 11. A – D, Carinatala septentrionalis male (Lower Ballunjui Falls, HILL 00059); A, abdominal terminalia, dorsal; B, abdominal terminalia, ventral; C, genital capsule (pygophore); D, left paramere. gc, genital capsule (pygophore); lp, left paramere; rp, right paramere; S, sternum; T; v, tubular basal portion of otherwise membranous, spiculate vesica. All scale lines 0.1 mm.

FIGURE 12. A – D, Carinatala septentrionalis macropterous male (Lower Ballunjui Falls, HILL 00059); A, left fore wing, dorsal; B, right mid leg, posterior; C, right hind leg, anterior; D, one claw of hind leg. All scale lines 0.1 mm.

FIGURE 13. A – D, Carinatala septentrionalis (Lower Ballunjui Falls, HILL 00059); A – B, submacropterous female, dorsal (head and scutellum exserted by ethanol preservation); A, habitus, B, anterior half, dorsal; C – D, macropterous male, C, head, right anterolateral; D, pterothorax, dorsal. E, Carinatala meridiana submacropterous male (Cabbage Tree Creek), habitus, dorsal. A, antennomere; o, postocular part of vertex (retracts internally to prothorax); lm, lateral metanotum; m, metascutellum; mp, metapleuron; pf, postnotal flange. All scale lines 0.1 mm.