Lasiacantha graminicola, Cassis & Symonds, 2011

Cassis, Gerasimos & Symonds, Celia, 2011, Systematics, biogeography and host plant associations of the lace bug genus Lasiacantha Stål in Australia (Insecta: Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Tingidae) 2818, Zootaxa 2818 (1), pp. 1-63 : 32-34

Lasiacantha graminicola , sp. nov.

( Figs 1 , 3b , 6 , 12e –f, 13f , 14c )

Holotype. ♂, AUSTRALIA: Queensland: Lake Broadwater via Dalby, 27.35 ° S 151.1 ° E, 19–22 Nov 1985, Dvac (199271) ( QDPI).

Paratypes. AUSTRALIA: New South Wales: Banyabba Nature Reserve , 29.38°S 152.99777°E, 84 m, 05 Dec 2009, Matthew Binns, ex. sweeping grass, 1 m (17851), 1 f (17852) ( UNSWIC) . Queensland: Greenbank, 27.71666°S 152.95°E, 28 Feb 1965, T. Weir, 1 m (192982) ( UQIC); Lake Broadwater via Dalby, 27.35°S 151.1°E ,

20 Sep 1985, D-vac, 1 f (199276) ( QDPI), 19–22 Nov 1985, D-vac, 5 m (199267–199270, 199272), 3 f (199273– 199275) ( QDPI).

Diagnosis. Lasiacantha graminicola ( Fig. 6 ) is recognised by the following combination of characters: dorsum pale brown, with some mottled dark brown patches; dense covering of white microtrichae; major setiferous tubercles on pronotum and hemelytra short, terminal seta elongate, much longer than tuberculate base; keel and surface of collum, pronotal carinae with major setiferous tubercles; costal area with setiferous tubercles extending to posterior hemelytral margin; carinate margins of discoidal area with major setiferous tubercles, posterior angle without clump of setiferous tubercles; pronotum and hemelytra with moderately elongate hairlike setae, uniformly, densely distributed; abdominal venter with short, straight, silvery, porrect, hairlike setae; cephalic spines moderately elongate, frontal spines shorter than AI, medial spine straight; AIV with compact base collum columnar, higher than medial carina, projected anteriorly and covering entire head; paranota three areolae wide; costal area two areolae wide, all areolae subequal size; areolae in subcostal, discoidal and sutural areas smaller than in costal area; sternal carinae with metasternal carinae weakly concave but close to equal width to mesosternal carinae.

Description. Medium size, brachypterous ( Fig. 6 ); males 2.86–3.17, females 2.92. COLOURATION. Dorsum pale brown, with some mottled dark brown patches; dense covering of white microtrichae, making appearance grey brown at first glance. Head: dark brown; spines and bucculae pale brown to red brown; labium basal half orange brown, apical half darker red brown; antennae, AI–AII red brown, AIII–AIV orange brown. Pronotum: disc red brown, diminishing posteriorly to stramineous brown; paranota slightly mottled, stramineous with small dark brown patches; collum mostly red brown to dark brown, base pale brown; carinae mixed, stramineous with red to dark brown along most of dorsal edge, rarely unicolourous. Thoracic pleura and sterna: pleura red brown, supracoxal lobes slightly paler; mesosternum dark brown; sternal carinae orange to red brown. Legs: mostly orange brown, basal three quarters of femur slightly darker; tip of tarsi and tarsal claw red brown. Hemelytra: mostly pale brown, costal area mottled with dark brown patches; also dark brown patches medially and posteriorly on carinate margins of discoidal area. Abdomen: red brown, sometimes slightly darker. VESTITURE. Dorsum uniformly covered with dense distribution of moderately elongate, silvery, hairlike setae and white microtrichae. Head: adpressed, pale elongate woolly setae present; antenniferous tubercles with minor setiferous tubercles, terminal seta greatly elongate; antennae with minor setiferous tubercles, pale, AI–AII setiferous tubercles in multiple rows with moderately elongate curved terminal seta, AIII setiferous tubercles with greatly elongate straight terminal seta. Pronotum: paranota margins with short major setiferous, terminal seta much longer than tuberculate base; keel and surface of collum, and pronotal carinae also with major setiferous tubercles. Thoracic pleura and sterna: pleura with hairlike setae as on dorsum; supracoxal lobes with elongate, scalelike setae. Legs: dense distribution of minor setiferous tubercles; terminal seta pale, elongate, erect, bristlelike. Hemelytra: costal margins with major setiferous tubercles as on paranota, extending to posterior margin of hemelytra; major setiferous tubercles on carinate margins of discoidal area and cubitus + R+M vein, not clumped (aggregated) at posterior angle of discoidal area; hairlike setae distributed over entire hemelytra. Abdomen: dense distribution of short, silvery, porrect, hairlike setae. STRUCTURE. Head: spines moderately elongate; frontal spines parallel, shorter than AI; medial spine straight; occipital spines weakly curved outwards, extending well past outer margin of eye; labium moderate length, extending to metasternum; antennae, AI elongate and twice length of AII, AIV with compact base and weakly clavate apex. Pronotum: disc flat; collum columnar, uniformly broad, anteriorly projected over whole of head, much higher than medial carina; carinae moderately elevated, all one areole wide; lateral carinae unthickened; paranota expanded, semi-circular, three areolae wide. Thoracic sterna: metasternal carinae sinuous to slightly concave, close to same width as mesosternal carinae, both straight. Hemelytra: areolae very small, subequal size over entire hemelytra, excluding costal area with areolae large; costal area two areolae wide, both rows of areolae equal size; subcostal area three areolae wide; discoidal area four areolae wide; sutural area three areolae wide. Male genitalia: pygophore subquadrate; strongly tapered, rounded posteriorly; broadly cleft posterior margin; dorsal opening shallow, concave ( Fig. 12e–f ); parameres with sensory lobe angular, weakly expanded ( Fig. 13f ); distal u-shaped endosomal sclerite with shallow cleft, basal branches short ( Fig. 14c ).

MEASUREMENTS. Ranges for 5 ♂ and 2 ♀ are given in Table 6.

Host plant. Swept from grass.

Distribution. Known from three localities in southeastern Queensland and northern New South Wales, inland from the coast on the Great Dividing Range ( Fig. 3b ).

Etymology. In reference to the grass dwelling habit of this species, after the Latin for grass graminis and inhabitant cola.

Remarks. See remarks for L. gingera for differential diagnosis.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Implied weights phylogeny for Australian Lasiacantha Stål, 1873, with nodes numbered (refer to Table 3 for character state changes at nodes), bootstrap values are given as branch supports, and biogeographic area and host plant mapped next to the species name. Map of areas of endemism, redrawn from Crisp et al. (1995). Abbreviations for biogeographic areas as follows: ED = Eastern Desert; EQ = Eastern Queensland; MM = Macleay-McPherson; P = Pilbara; SE = Southeast New South Wales; SW = Southwest Western Australia; TAS = Tasmania; and, WD = Western Desert.

FIGURE 3. Distribution map of Lasiacantha species. (a) Clade 3 spp. and (b) Clade 1 and 2 spp.

FIGURE 6. Photographs of Australian Lasiacantha species: L. graminicola sp. nov. (habitus and lateral), L. gingera sp. nov, L. kosciuszko sp. nov., L. leai sp. nov, L. windorah sp. nov., L. discordis sp. nov. (habitus and lateral), L. vittata sp. nov. and L. serraseta sp. nov.. Scale = 1mm. Plate 2 of 2.

FIGURE 12. Male pygophore, dorsal and ventral, of three Australian Lasiacantha species, from the three species groups: (a) and (b) L. aureolus; (c) and (d) L. discordis; (e) and (f) L. graminicola. Scale = 0.1mm.

FIGURE 13. Male paramere, dorsal, of seven Australian Lasiacantha species, from the three species groups: (a) L. eremophila; (b) L. aureolus; (c) L. luritja; (d) L. serraseta; (e) L. discordis; (f) L. graminicola. Abbreviations: Ap, apophysis; SL, sensory lobe. Scale = 0.1mm.

FIGURE 14. Male endosoma, ventral, of three Australian Lasiacantha species, from the three species groups: (a) L. aureolus; (b) L. discordis; (c) L. graminicola. Abbreviations: DUES, distal u-shaped endosomal sclerite; bb, basal branches of DUES; cl, cleft of DUES. Scale = 0.1mm.