Aoteasalda, 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 : 454-455

Aoteasalda new genus

Type species. Saldula maculipennis Cobben, 1961 , by present designation.

Description. Body length 3.77–5.06 (4.28) mm; elongate-ovate ( Fig. 1 ). Dorsal colour somewhat speckled; largely dark, with narrowly pale lateral margins of pronotum and well-developed, mostly individual (not coalesced) pale markings on hemelytra, including a line of four spots along R vein. Macropterous. Head not closely appressed to thorax (eyes distinctly separated from thorax), with three pairs of long trichobothrium-like setae (two dorsally on mandibular plates, two near preocellar furrows, two near preocellar spots). Frons with barely distinct to welldeveloped longitudinal furrow medially. Ocelli slightly elevated from surface of vertex, separated by the diameter of one ocellus or less, closer to each other than to eyes. Preocellar spots distinct, usually paler than surrounding area, subtriangular to crescent-shaped, narrowly to broadly touching eyes (by one ocellus width or more), slightly to strongly extending in front of ocelli. Preocellar furrows present, deeper than longitudinal frontal furrow. Preocular spots indistinct, of same colour as surrounding area. Transverse swelling (postclypeus of Cobben) rather flat, slightly to moderately developed; lateral portions separated by a gap (mostly) or almost contiguous near facial midline. Mandibular plates rather flat, barely to moderately developed. Maxillary plates slightly to moderately developed. Antennae largely dark; segment II 2.2–2.3x longer than I, clothed over entire length with very short setae (shorter than or subequal to segment width), without longer setae in apical half; segments III–IV not wider than apex of segment II, with short setae and a number of longer setae (subequal to or slightly longer than segment width). Thorax. Pronotum 0.6x as long as scutellum medially; subtrapezoidal; lateral margins ( Fig. 1 ) subrectilinear to slightly sinuate-concave, narrowly pale (pale area narrower than or about as wide as antennal segment II), rarely completely dark, not explanate and not separated from disc by a longitudinal furrow; collar present, continuous (not interrupted medially), delimited posteriorly by a row of punctures; calli not strongly raised although well differentiated from disc, contiguous, forming a transverse elevation with a median pit, delimited posteriorly by a row of punctures curving forward laterally and reaching lateral margins of pronotum. Thoracic underside: xyphus 2 short (much wider than long), obtusely rounded. Legs: hind tibiae with subapical comb; hind tarsal segment II 0.9–1.0x as long as segment III. Hemelytra without a distinct eyespot subbasally on endocorium; pubescence short to moderately long, mostly reclined, whitish yellow to golden brown, rather evenly distributed; clavus and corium largely pruinose; costal margin slightly convex along entire length; costal fracture straight, nearly reaching apex of R vein, barely extending towards clavus from membrane; embolar modification of female moderately developed; subapical pale spot of clavus present; membrane with four well-formed cells, cell 2 about as long as cell 3, cell 4 distinctly longer than cell 3; hypocostal ridge simple; secondary hypocostal ridge absent. Abdomen. Venter: male, dark, with or without posterior margin of segments narrowly pale; female, dark medially, broadly pale laterally and along posterior margin of segments. Paired eversible glands present; when externally visible, one gland located on each side near posterior margin of segment VII. Male parandria ( Fig. 4 ) elongate, narrowly subtriangular; tip acuminate; inner membrane present near very base of inner margins only. Male paramere ( Fig. 3 ) without distinct processus sensualis; processus hamatus at an obtuse angle with corpus paramerus (as opposed to a right angle in Zemacrosaldula ); corpus paramerus generally more pubescent than in Zemacrosaldula and Kiwisaldula , dorsal margin bearing short to long setae. Male aedeagus containing four pairs of sclerites ( Fig. 6 ), two basally joined, larger, branched median sclerites, their outer branch hooked apically, and six individual, smaller, simple anterolateral sclerites. Male filum gonopori coiled 1.5 times ( Fig. 7 ). Female subgenital plate (segment VII, ventrally) with posterior margin produced caudally, truncate medially. Ovipositor with gonapophyse 1 distinctly serrate. Spermathecal pump flange present. Gynatrial ring gland sclerotised.

Remarks. The generic name Aoteasalda is derived from Aotea- (Aotearoa, Maori name for New Zealand) and Salda (nominate genus of the family Saldidae ).

The main morphological characters of Aoteasalda are listed here, with generic level apomorphies from Polhemus (1985) in italics: size moderate (3.77–5.06 mm); dorsal colour speckled, largely dark, with narrowly pale lateral margins of pronotum and well-developed, mostly individual (not coalesced) pale markings on hemelytra, including a line of four pale spots along R vein; hemelytra lacking a distinct eyespot subbasally on endocorium; antennal segment II long, clothed over entire length with very short setae, without long setae in apical half; frons with barely distinct to well-developed longitudinal furrow medially; lateral margins of pronotum not explanate, not separated from disc by a longitudinal furrow; calli of pronotum forming a transverse elevation with a distinct median pit and delimited posteriorly by a row of punctures reaching lateral margins; hemelytra and hindwings fully developed; membrane with four well-formed cells; embolar modification of female hemelytra developed; hind tibiae with subapical comb; male aedeagus with anterolateral sclerites; processus sensualis of male paramere indistinct; filum gonopori of male coiled 1.5 times; female abdominal venter not concolorous with underside of thorax, broadly pale laterally and along posterior margin of segments.

The male abdominal grasping plate was not studied in detail; preliminary observations in A. maculipennis indicate that it bears around 16 spines, an outer row of three to four and an inner group of roughly 12 moderately long spines.

A single species of this genus could be identified on the North Island of New Zealand. South Island specimens that superficially resemble A. maculipennis were also noticed but confirmation of their identity awaits further study of South Island collections.

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 2. Aoteasalda maculipennis. Scale bar = 1 mm. (1) Dorsal view (legs and antennae omitted). (2) Facial view.

FIGURES 3 – 8. Aoteasalda maculipennis. (3 – 7) Schematic view of male genitalia. (3) Paramere, ventral view, (4) parandria, posterior view, (5) anterior half of aedeagus, lateral view, (6) sclerites of aedeagus, ventral view, (7) filum gonopori, lateral view. (8) Eunomy (left corium), most frequently observed pigmentation patterns.