Aacanthocnema torulosae Taylor

Taylor, Gary S., Jennings, John T., Purcell, Matthew F. & Austin, Andy D., 2011, A new genus and ten new species of jumping plant lice (Hemiptera: Triozidae) from Allocasuarina (Casuarinaceae) in Australia, Zootaxa 3009, pp. 1-45 : 23-27

Aacanthocnema torulosae Taylor , sp. nov.

Figs 51–59 , 63–65 , 137 ; Tables 1–8

Types. AUSTRALIA, New South Wales: Holotype: 13 (slide) Sydney, Baulkham Hills, Woodlands Street, 33°46.27’S 150°59.82’E, D.S. Kent, 26.v.2002, ex Allocasuarina torulosa (ASCU). Paratypes: 9 3, 7 Ƥ (slide), 9 nymphs (3 slides) same data as holotype (WINC).

Other material examined. AUSTRALIA, Queensland: from Allocasuarina torulosa : 1 Ƥ 24 km S Cardwell ( WINC); 1 3, 8 Ƥ Cunninghams Gap ( WINC); 1 3 (dried) Kilcoy-Beerwah ( WINC); 4 3, 5 Ƥ (slide), 2 3 (dried), 17 3, 26 Ƥ Maryborough-Tin Can Bay ( WINC); 2 Ƥ S Miriam Vale ( WINC); 2 3, 2 Ƥ North Stradbroke Is. ( WINC); 15 3, 12 Ƥ (dried) Yungaburra, Atherton Tableland ( MHNG). New South Wales: from A. torulosa : 1 Ƥ (dried) 37 km WSW Coramba ( ANIC); 3 3, 7 nymphs Sydney, Baulkham Hills ( WINC).

Description. Adult ( Figs 51–57 ). Colour: Male: general colour pale cream to ochraceous with brown to dark brown markings. Vertex ochraceous; genal processes pale; antennal segments 1–2 pale brown; segment 3 pale, darker apically; segments 4–10 brown to dark brown; pronotum mesoscutum, mesopraescutum and mesoscutum with pale orange infuscation (sometimes with a very pale median longitudinal stripe); mesoscutellum pale ochraceous; wings clear; legs pale with dorsal brown infuscation; tarsi pale brown; abdominal tergites light brown to brown; proctiger subgenital plate, and aedeagus pale; parameres pale with brown apices. Female: As for male, except pale longitudinal stripe on mesoscutum more prominent, abdominal tergites brown to dark brown, distinctly darker medially especially on distal segments; proctiger with a pair of dark brown markings lateral to circum-anal pore ring; subgenital plate with pale brown infuscation towards apex.

Structure: measurements and ratios as in Tables 1–5. Antennae short, 1.30–1.71 times width of head; genal processes broad, conical, rounded with blunt, slightly divergent apices; anterior margin of vertex rounded from dorsal aspect, delineated from genal processes by prominent ridge; vertex without obvious fovea and weak medial suture; pronotum with weak median node; thorax weakly arched; head about as wide as pronotum, narrower than mesoscutum; fore wings short with apex broadly rounded; veins R+M+Cu trifurcating very little shorter than mid length of wing, Rs very short, terminating on costa well short of apex of wing; m1 cell short, broadly triangular, m1 cell value 0.86–1.16; cu1 cell short triangular, cu1 cell value 0.95–1.32; radular areas elongate, triangular, at margin of wing in cells m2 and cu1; male terminalia as in Figs 63–64 ; proctiger simple, without lateral expansion; apical segment of aedeagus short; parameres expanded basally, with strongly inwardly-curved blade-like apices. Female terminalia as in Fig 65 ; proctiger short, broadly rounded, dorso-posterior margin rounded from lateral aspect; subgenital plate very short, broadly rounded, apex truncate from lateral aspect.

Nymph ( Figs 58–59 ): Measurements and ratios as in Tables 6–7 . Body dark brown to black with light brown markings. Eyes dark brown; head with anterior margin light brown; thorax with medial brown marking anteriorly, meso-and metathoracic depressions dark brown to black with a light brown medial marking between them; caudal plate with a broad light brown medial longitudinal stripe. Body elongate-ovate; anterior margin of head weakly pointed medially; mesothorax and caudal plate very prominently arched; metathoracic depressions very deep; dorsum of body without medial longitudinal ridge; caudal plate broad with hind margin broadly rounded.

Etymology. Named after the host plant, Allocasuarina torulosa .

Distribution. Recorded from widely separated subcoastal montane localities in eastern Queensland from the Atherton Tableland to Brisbane, in northern New South Wales, and in Sydney and environs ( Fig. 137 ).

Host plant. Recorded from Allocasuarina torulosa (Aiton) L. Johnson (forest sheoak). Allocasuarina torulosa occurs as a 5–20 m tree in an understory in open forest to tall open forest, in coastal and subcoastal mountain regions in eastern Australia, from the McIllwraith Ranges, Queensland to Macquarie Pass and Jenolan Caves, New South Wales ( Wilson & Johnson 1989).

Comments. Aacanthocnema torulosae is close morphologically to Aa. dobsoni , Aa. huegelianae and A. luehmannii (see Comments under Aa. dobsoni for diagnoses).

Figures

FIGURES 51 – 59. Aacanthocnema torulosae sp. nov.: (51), habitus, male (dorsal aspect); (52), habitus, female (dorsal aspect); (53), habitus male (lateral aspect); (54), habitus female (lateral aspect); (55), fore wing, male; (56), fore wing, female; (57), head, female (dorsal aspect); (58), nymph (dorsal aspect); (59), nymph (lateral aspect). Scale = 0.5 mm.

FIGURES 60 – 65. Aacanthocnema luehmannii sp. nov. and Aa. torulosae sp. nov.: Aa. luehmannii: (60), male terminalia (lateral aspect); (61), paramere (inner face, lateral aspect); (62), female terminalia (lateral aspect); Aa. torulosae: (63), male terminalia (lateral aspect); (64), paramere (inner face, lateral aspect); (65), female terminalia (lateral aspect). Scale = 0.2 mm.

FIGURES 136 – 137. Distribution for species of Aacanthocnema in Australia: (136),, Aa. burckhardti sp. nov.;, Aa. casuarinae (Froggatt);, Aa. dobsoni (Froggatt); (137),, Aa. huegelianae sp. nov.;, Aa. luehmannii sp. nov.;, Aa. torulosae sp. nov.