Howickia omamari Marshall

Marshall, S. A., Luk, S. P. L. & Dong, H., 2014, A revision of the New Zealand species of Howickia Richards, Zootaxa 3887 (1), pp. 1-36 : 20-22

Howickia omamari Marshall sp. nov.

( Figs. 7, 8 , 39 )

Description. Colour: Face bare and shining at middle only, upper and lower margins white pruinose; gena mostly bare with vibrissal angle and upper margin white pruinose. Legs mostly brown with orange knees, first tarsomere of fore and mid leg reddish brown, other tarsomeres pale brown to white.

Head: Interfrontal bristles in 3 small equal pairs. Upper orbital bristle small, outer vertical similar. Ocelli small but distinct. Aristal hairs 1.5X as long as width of first aristomere.

Thorax: Scutum entirely microtrichose. Postalar and dorsocentral bristles twice as long as scutellar bristles. Scutellum bare and shining except for microtrichose margin, 2.8X as wide as long. Anterior dorsal katepisternal bristle minute or absent, posterior dorsal bristle large. Fore femur swollen, twice as thick as mid femur. Wing present as a short, oval, transluscent flap with a single loop of venation. Portion of wing flap beyond loop of venation subequal to portion enclosed by vein.

Male abdomen: As described for H. mercurialis , except for the surstylus which is somewhat differently shaped, with a smaller anteroventral lobe, a larger posteroventral spur, and a sinuate ventral surface with a small subquadrate lobe near middle.

Female abdomen: No everted specimens or dissections were available.

Type material. Holotype female ( NZAC): New Zealand, Northland, Omamari Beach Marsh, 27.Jan.1999, S.A. Marshall. Paratypes: Noises Islands, Otata Island, 11–16.Dec.1977, J.C. Watt (1 male, 2 females, NZAC); same location but 16.Dec.1977 – 14.Jan.1978, B.M. May and J.C. Watt, pit trap (3 females, one headless, NZAC); same data but collected 12.Apr.–14.Jun.1978 (1 male, 6 females, one headless, NZAC); same data but collected 25.Oct.1979 (1 female, NZAC); Whangarata, 17.Apr.1981, G. Kuschel, rotten wood (1 male, NZAC); Taupo Bay, pitfall, 21–25.Apr.1985, E. Richardson (1 female, DEBU); Little Barrier Island, Summit Track, 245 m, pit trap, 7–10.Mar.1974, J.C. Watt (1 female, NZAC).

Etymology. This species is named for the type locality, Omamari Beach Marsh.

Comments. This is clearly the sister species to H. mercurialis , from the Mercury Islands and the nearby Cuvier Island. Both species have a capsule-like abdomen and similar male genitalia with the exception of the surstylus, which has a unique midventral process in H. omamari . This species is easily distinguished from H. mercurialis by its dull, microtrichose scutum.

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 8. Howickia trilineata group, plate 1. Howickia bicolor Marshall, sp. n.: 1, habitus. Howickia oliveri Marshall, sp. n.: 2, habitus; 3, head; 4, right wing. Howickia mercurialis Marshall, sp. n.: 5, habitus; 6, left wing. Howickia omamari Marshall, sp. n.: 7, head; 8, habitus.

FIGURES 34 – 39. Howickia mercurialis Marshall, sp. n.: 34, epandrium, posterior; 35, male left surstylus; 36, male sternite 5; 37, aedeagus and associated structures; 38, female spermathecae. Howickia omamari Marshall, sp. n.: 39, male left surstylus.