Austrimonus litorus, 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 : 314

Austrimonus litorus sp. nov.

zoobank.org:act:C6C8EBC6-0307-4DA4-AA5E-E15E2D324C13 (Figs 7–8, 24)

Types. Holotype, male, Lake Parramatta , NSW, 8.xi.1975, M.I. Nikitin, coll. by sweeping ( ASCU: ASCTHE004677 ) . Paratypes. QUEENSLAND. 2 males, Norman River, Karumba , 3–17.xi.1979, W.A. Houston, malaise trap mangrove-salt marsh boundary ( QDPI) ; 1 male, Yule Pt, Cairns-Mossman Rd, 27.x.1966, E.B. Britton, near mangroves, 7941 (ANIC); 1 male, Bundaberg, ix-xii.1904, coll. Koebele, “Paralectotype: Hishimonus melaleucae Kirkaldy , det. M.J. Fletcher 1993 ” (BPBM); 3 males, Brisbane , 22.ii.1926, H. Hacker (QM) ; 1 male, DPI Indooroopilly site, Brisbane , 23.xi.–6.xii.1979, malaise trap ( QDPI) ; 1 male, Sandgate , “ 9–11–1919 ” (might be 9.xi.1919 or 11.ix.1919), F. Muir ( BPBM) ; 1 male, Brighton , 19.i.1955, E.J. Reye & M.B. Wilson, light trap 1900–2100, mangrove swamp ( UQIC).

Other material examined: 1 male (missing except for genitalia in vial), Careel Bay , Avalon, NSW, 3.ii.1973, D.K. McAlpine, mangroves (AM).

Description. Face, vertex and scutellum (Figs 7, 8) pale yellow testaceous, sometimes with darker brown mottling. Pronotum (Fig. 8) pale testaceous with brown mottling. Tegmen (Fig. 7) whitish with scattered brown fine mottling and larger diffuse brown markings at base and apex of clavus and on anterior margin at apex of costal cell, otherwise indistinct pale ocellations on remainder of tegmen.

Genitalia. Male: Subgenital plates ( Fig. 24B ) narrow triangular tapering into apical process which is not well defined. Paramere ( Fig. 24F ) with poorly developed preapical lobe; apical lobe curving gradually laterally, acute apically. Connective ( Fig. 24D ) long with stem much longer than arms. Aedeagus, in posterior view ( Fig. 24C ) with shafts diverging from base with posterior basal process fused to shaft on each side to about half shaft length, then extending dorsally as acutely pointed process; in lateral view ( Fig. 24E ), shafts curved anteriorly with gonopore on anterior face and free portion of basal process extending about halfway to apex of shaft. Basal apodeme ( Fig. 24E ), short directed at right angles to shaft. Female: unknown.

Etymology. The species name is derived from a combination of litus (Latin = coast) and ora (Latin = rim) reflecting the possible connective with coastal mangroves.

Comments. This species differs from all other species in the genus in the arrangement of the basal processes of the aedeagus and the relatively short connective arms compared with the length of the connective stem. The species is reasonably common along the eastern coastline of Queensland from North Queensland to Brisbane with two records from the Sydney region in NSW. The species has been collected in mangroves on four separate occasions and may be associated with this vegetation type.

Figures

FIGURE 24.A. litorus, male genitalia.A. terminalia, lateral view, B. subgenital plates and pregenital sternite, ventral view, C. aedeagus, posteroventral view, D.connective, ventral view, E.aedeagus, lateral view,F.paramere.