Kiwisaldula manawatawhi, Larivière & Larochelle, 2016

Larivière, Marie-Claude & Larochelle, André, 2016, Aoteasalda and Kiwisaldula, two new genera of Saldidae (Hemiptera: Heteroptera), with a key to New Zealand genera and a new synonymy in Zemacrosaldula, Zootaxa 4085 (4), pp. 451-480 : 468-472

Kiwisaldula manawatawhi new species

Kiwisaldula manawatawhi Larivière & Larochelle , new species. Holotype: Male ( NZAC) labelled “ Tasman Valley / Three Kings Is Great I. Nov 70 NZ . Ent. Div. Exp. / HOLOTYPE [male symbol] Kiwisaldula manawatawhi Larivière & Larochelle, 2016 (red label).” Paratypes: 3 males (1 AMNZ, 2 NZAC), 4 females (1 AMNZ, 1 MONZ, 2 NZAC) with same data as holotype, bearing blue paratype labels.

Description (Subbrachypterous adult). Body length 2.90–3.97 (3.43) mm; short-ovate ( Fig. 12 ). Dorsal colour largely dark, with broadly pale lateral margins of pronotum and well-developed, often coalesced pale markings on hemelytra. Facial colour ( Fig. 16 ) slightly to moderately contrasted. Head, pronotum, and scutellum strongly shiny, contrasting against mostly dull hemelytra. Dorsal pubescence short to moderately long, reclined to semi-erect, mostly golden brown (sometimes silvery on head), usually thicker, longer and more densely distributed on hemelytra (especially clavus and endocorium); also with more erect, dark brown setae near lateral margins of pronotum and costal margin of hemelytra. Hemelytra with somewhat reduced cells in membrane; hindwings distinctly reduced, reaching subapex of corium to middle of hemelytral membrane. Head ( Fig. 16 , facial view). Frons with barely distinct to slightly (shallowly) developed longitudinal furrow medially. Preocellar spots whitish yellow or yellowish brown to pale brown. Preocellar furrows shallow to moderately deep, about as deep as or slightly deeper than longitudinal frontal furrow. Preocular spots yellowish or pale brown. Transverse swelling moderately to strongly developed (sometimes rather flat on each side of facial midline); lateral portions contiguous; whitish yellow to yellowish brown or pale brown, (sometimes bright yellow), darker at facial midline. Mandibular plates evanescent to moderately developed, concolorous with or darker than transverse swelling. Maxillary plates slightly to moderately developed, whitish yellow, yellowish brown or pale brown, sometimes bright yellow. Anteclypeus yellowish brown to pale brown, usually marked with darker brown basally and along margins. Rostrum yellowish brown to dark brown, extending to hind coxae. Antennae 3.1–4.1x longer than pronotum + collar medially; segment I whitish yellow or yellowish brown to pure brown, ventral and dorsal sides often dark (usually striped at least on dorsal side); segment II yellowish brown to pale brown, often darker along one side and sometimes in apical fourth, 2.0–2.1x longer than segment I, clothed over entire length with setae about as long as segment width, with some longer setae in apical half; segments III–IV dark brown. Thorax. Lateral margins of pronotum subrectilinear to slightly convex, distinctly explanate, broadly pale yellow to yellowish brown (pale area at midlength at least 2x the width of antennal segment II). Scutellum 1.4–1.6x longer than pronotum + collar medially. Thoracic underside black, with slightly to moderately contrasting, broadly or very narrowly pale acetabula (acetabulum I broadly or narrowly pale, acetabulum II broadly or narrowly pale, sometimes completely dark, acetabulum III very narrowly pale, almost completely dark) and broadly pale lateral margins; pubescence rather dense, silvery, and appressed (except for glabrous lateral margins). Legs largely pale, whitish yellow to yellowish brown, with dark brown to black coxae; femora with more or less defined brown spots on anterior and posterior faces; fore and mid femora often with ventral side brown subapically (not distinctly striped); tibiae pale or dark at base and apex; fore tibiae pale or slightly infumate dorsally (sometimes darkly striped throughout); hind tibiae 2.6–2.8x longer than tarsal segments II+III combined; hind tarsal segments usually dark apically, segment II slightly shorter than or about as long as segment III. Hemelytra: corium ( Figs 12 , 20 ) largely dark brown to nearly black, with reduced pale markings on endocorium and more extensive pale markings (whitish yellow to brownish) on exocorium; endocorium with distinct brown eyespot subbasally near R vein, without irregular or subtriangular pale mark next to midportion of clavus; costal margin lined with rather narrow, mostly uninterrupted pale band (sometimes evanescent in apical third); colour pattern in female consistent with that in male; pruinose areas well developed, distributed on base of clavus, seldom on apex, on most of endocorium, often on apical third or inner half of exocorium, and sometimes on membrane near apex of clavus; basal pruinose area of clavus narrow and short, covering less than one-third of clavus length; basal pale spot of clavus usually present; subapical pale spot of clavus present; membrane whitish yellow, often mixed with brown, with pale to moderately dark brown apical margin, veins and patch medially in each of four somewhat reduced or well-formed cells; cell 1 the shortest, distinctly shorter than cells 2 and 3, oval to subtriangular; cells 2 subrectangular, narrowed or not apically; cell 3 subrectangular, subequal or slightly longer than cell 2; cell 4 the narrowest, slender, subequal in length to slightly longer than cell 3, ending apically before tip of cell 3. Abdomen. Venter: male, black, with or without very posterior margin of segments narrowly pale brown; female, moderately to broadly margined with yellowish ivory to yellowish brown, darker medially. Pubescence dense, silvery, and appressed in both sexes. Male parandria ( Fig. 28 ) elongate, rather broadly subtriangular, acutely rounded at tip; inner margins sinuate; medial membrane with angular inward projection on each side; basal margin almost straight. Male paramere ( Fig. 24 ) with barely distinct processus sensualis bearing less than ten setae; processus hamatus rather short and moderately constricted basally, its tip moderately narrow and acutely rounded. Apical half of male aedeagus, in lateral view, with visible sclerites configuration similar to K. parvula . Female subgenital plate (segment VII ventrally) dark brown to nearly black with apical half pale. Other characters as in generic description.

Geographic distribution ( Fig. 33 ). Three Kings Islands.

Material examined. A total of 13 specimens including types, from the following localities. Offshore Islands. TH – Three Kings [Islands] ( Great Island , Castaway Camp ( NZAC) ; Tasman Valley ( AMNZ, MONZ, NZAC)) .

Biology. Altitudinal range. Lowland. Coastal or inland (near to the coast). Habitat. [Probably similar to K. parvula .] Seasonality. Adults, including newly emerged adults (tenerals), collected in November. [Reproduction and life cycle probably similar to K. parvula .] Food. Predator or scavenger. Behaviour. [Probably similar to K. parvula .]

Remarks. This species is named after its type locality, Manawatawhi also known as the Three Kings Islands, a small archipelago located about 55 km northwest of the northernmost tip of the North Island of New Zealand.

Kiwisaldula manawatawhi is known from subbrachypterous specimens only. Females tend to have slightly more developed wings than males.

The main characters of the male genitalia that set this species apart from its closest geographical and morphological relative K. parvula , are: inner margins of parandria sinuate; inward projections of medial membrane of parandria angular; processus hamatus of paramere rather short, its tip moderately narrow. In general, K. manawatawhi has hemelytra with a narrower pale band along the costal margin and bears a basal pale spot on the clavus.

Figures

FIGURE 33. Collecting localities of Kiwisaldula species, New Zealand’s North Island and nearby offshore islands.

FIGURES 9 – 12. Dorsal view of Kiwisaldula species (males; legs and antennae omitted). Scale bar = 1 mm. (9) K. stoneri, (10) K. porangahau, (11) K. parvula, (12) K. manawatawhi.

FIGURES 13 – 16. Facial view of Kiwisaldula species. (13) K. stoneri, (14) K. porangahau, (15) K. parvula, (16) K. manawatawhi.

FIGURES 19 – 20. Eunomy (left corium) of Kiwisaldula species; most frequently observed pigmentation patterns. (19) K. parvula, (20) K. manawatawhi.

FIGURES 25 – 31. Schematic view of Kiwisaldula species male genitalia. (25 – 28) Parandria, posterior view. (25) K. stoneri, (26) K. porangahau, (27) K. parvula, (28) K. manawatawhi. (29 – 30) K. parvula. (29) Anterior half of aedeagus, lateral view, (30) sclerites of aedeagus, ventral view. (31) Kiwisaldula species. Filum gonopori, lateral view.

FIGURES 21 – 24. Schematic view of Kiwisaldula species male genitalia: paramere, ventral. (21) K. stoneri, (22) K. porangahau, (23) K. parvula, (24) K. manawatawhi.