Austrimonus melaleucae (Kirkaldy) Fletcher & Dai, 2018

Fletcher, Murray J. & Dai, Wu, 2018, A new genus Austrimonus for Eutettix melaleucae Kirkaldy (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae: Deltocephalinae: Opsiini) and nine new species, Zootaxa 4387 (2), pp. 310-330 : 312

Austrimonus melaleucae (Kirkaldy) , comb. nov.

(Figs 1–2, 21, 31A)

Eutettix melaleucae Kirkaldy 1907: 53

Hishimonus melaleucae (Kirkaldy) , Evans 1966: 236

Lectotype, male (examined), designated by Fletcher & Condello 1993: 45, Bundaberg, Qld, ix–xii.1904 (BPBM).

Material examined. QUEENSLAND: 4 males, Ingham, Qld, 15.iii.1961, K.L.S. Harvey, light trap ( ANIC) ; 1 male, same data as previous but 20.iv.1961 ( ANIC) ; 1 male, Crystal Creek , 23 mi. SSE of Ingham, 18°58’05”S 146°16’E 9.xii.1968, Britton & Misko, at light ( ANIC) ; 1 male, Brisbane , vi.1904 ( BPBM) ; 1 male, Dunwich area, Stradbroke Island, 24–26.ix.1985, at light (QDPI); 2 females, paralectotypes, same data as lectotype but “coll. Koebele ” ( BPBM) .

Description. Head and body (Figs 1, 2) pale testaceous with brown flecking. Vertex (Fig. 2) with indistinct, narrow, transverse band subapically which lacks brown flecking, occipital suture dark brown. Tegmen (Fig. 1) whitish with brown flecking, veins pale brown, claval suture sometimes yellowish.

Genitalia. Male: Subgenital plate ( Fig. 21B ) tapering into apical finger-like process. Parameres ( Fig. 21C ) each with preapical lobe well developed; apical process with preapical tooth. Connective ( Fig. 21E ) long with arms about as long as stem. Aedeagal shafts in posterior aspect ( Fig. 21F ) broadly divergent at base and evenly curved dorsally and of even width to gonopore, bearing narrow, bifurcated apical process directed dorsomedially; in lateral view ( Fig. 21D ) curved basally, then more or less straight. Basal apodeme ( Fig. 21D ) short, blunt apically. Female: Apical margin of pregenital sternite ( Fig. 31A ) transverse with medial section extended slightly posteriorly and shallowly concave.

Comments. This species was omitted from Knight’s (1970a) revision of the genus Hishimonus on the basis that he did not have representative material. It is possible, however, that he recognised that the species did not fit into the genus as he had defined it. The species is reasonably well represented in collections and distributed through much of coastal Queensland. It is frequently found on species of Melaleuca L. (Fam. Myrtaceae ) which appear to be its natural host.

Figures

FIGURE 21. A. melaleucae, male genitalia. A. terminalia, lateral view, B. subgenital plates and pregenital sternite, ventral view, C. paramere, D. aedeagus, lateral view, E. connective, ventral view, F. aedeagus, posteroventral view.

FIGURE 31. Female pregenital sternite: posterior margin.A. A. melaleucae, B. A. apicalis, C. A.clavatus.