Thaumastocoris freomooreae Noack, Cassis & Rose

Noack, Ann E., Cassis, Gerasimos & Rose, Harley A., 2011, Systematic revision of Thaumastocoris Kirkaldy (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Thaumastocoridae), Zootaxa 3121, pp. 1-60 : 29-32

Thaumastocoris freomooreae Noack, Cassis & Rose n.sp.

(Figures: 4A,B; 11A–H; 18C)

Etymology. Named in honour of Jennifer Moore for her substantial support in field and laboratory investigations of Thaumastocoris species. The suffix, freo, reflects her passion for the Fremantle Football Club.

Holotype: 3, VICTORIA: 27 km W of Hattah, Murray Sunset National Park, -34.73835 142.01, 45 m, 3 November 2002, RT Schuh, G Cassis, MD Schwartz and R Silveira, locality code TAS02-L5-H11, ex Eucalyptus costata Behr and Muell. ex F. Muell. Royal Bot. Gard. , ( NSW staff NSW 658091) (AM). Paratypes: 53, 5Ƥ same data as holotype (AM; UNSW). SOUTH AUSTRALIA: 1Ƥ, 1 nymph, Billiatt Conservation Park, 32 km S Alawoona, 34°59’29”S 140°28’22”E, 27–28 March 2000, ex pitfall traps, JA Forrest ( SAMA); 13, Monarto, approx 4 km E Callington, 35°07’S 139°05’E, 16 November 1984, ex Eucalyptus porosa woods and forests ( SAMA); 23, 3Ƥ, 1 nymph, Ngarkat Conservation Park, 8 km S of Bews, 60 m, 35°33’07”S 140°25’59”E, 9 November 1998, RT Schuh, G Cassis and R Silveira, locality code 98-L36H76, ex Eucalyptus calycogona Turcz. ( NSW 427496) (AM); Ngarkat Conservation Park, border track SSE Pinnaroo 30 Mar 2000, vehicle net, J.A. Forrest 1Ƥ ( SAMA); 33, 5Ƥ, 1 nymph, Scorpion Springs Conservation Park. 35°29’14”S 140°51’58”E, 120 m, 10 November 1998 RT Schuh, G Cassis and R Silveira, locality code L42 H90, ex Eucalyptus costata (AM; UNSW). VICTORIA: 2Ƥ, Murray Sunset National Park, Lost Hope Track, 34.79166S 141.8357E, 55 m, November 4 2002, G Cassis, RT Schuh, MD Schwartz and R Silveira, locality code TAS02-L7-H18, ex Eucalyptus leptophylla F.Muell. ( NSW staff NSW 6580980) (AM); 13, 1Ƥ, 1 nymph, 27 km W of Hattah, Murray Sunset National Park, 34.73835S 142.01E, 35 m, November 3 2002, RT Schuh, G Cassis, MD Schwartz and R Silveira, locality code TAS02-L5-H11, ex Eucalyptus costata Behr and Muell. ex F. Muell. Royal Bot. Gard. ( NSW staff NSW 658091) (AM); 23, 3Ƥ, 13 km S of Kaniva 36.50001S 141.2167E, 150 m, 3 November 1995 RT Schuh and G Cassis, locality code NSW 95-L49- H81, ex Eucalyptus costata murrayana Behr. and Muell. Ex F. Muell. Royal Bot. Gard., K.D. Hill 1996 NSW 395980 (AM; UNSW). WESTERN AUSTRALIA: 23, 2Ƥ, 23 km ESE of Cocklebiddy 32°08’S 126°18’E 12 October 1981, ID Naumann and JC Cardale ( ANIC); 23, 1Ƥ, Highbury, 33°00.811’S 117°14.577’E, 323 m, 1 July 2008, ML Moir, ex Eucalyptus longicornis ( MMPC); 13, 2Ƥ, 1 nymph, Highbury, 33° 00.828S 117° 13.838E, 329 m, 2 July 2008, ML Moir, ex Eucalyptus sideroxylon ( MMPC); 43, 9Ƥ, 3 nymphs, Highbury, 33°00.828’S 117°13.838’E, 329 m, 1 July 2008, ML Moir, ex Eucalyptus wandoo ( MMPC); 2Ƥ, 1 nymph, Highbury, 33°00.811’S; 117°14.577’E, 323 m, 1 July 2008, ML Moir, ex Eucalyptus astringens ( MMPC); 13 Swan River, AM Lea ( WAAD); 13, 4Ƥ, Westonia 16 April 2003, JD Majer, chemical knockdown, ex Eucalyptus salubris ( MMPC); 13, Westonia 16 April 2003, JD Majer, chemical knockdown, ex Eucalyptus woodwardi ( MMPC); 1Ƥ, Westonia 16 April 2003, JD Majer, chemical knockdown, ex Eucalyptus sargentii ( MMPC).

Diagnosis. Thaumastocoris freomooreae is recognised by the following combination of characters: body narrow, costal margins subparallel ( Figure 4 A,B); mandibular plates gently and evenly rounded ( Figure 11 A); labium moderately long ( Figure 11 B); pronotal constriction weak, with truncate to rounded anterolateral angles ( Figure 4 A,B; 11A); pygophoral lock weakly trapezoidal; paramere subrectangular, apically recurved. ( Figure 18 C). This species is distinguished from T. majeri and T. ohallorani by its longer labium. The labium of T. freomooreae reaches the anterior margin of the forecoxae, whereas the labium of T. majeri and T. ohallorani is shorter, just extending past the anterior margin of the prosternum in both the last two species. In addition, the paramere of T. freomooreae is recurved apically, whereas the paramere of both T. majeri and T. ohallorani is spatulate apically (cf. Figure 18 D,G,H).

Description. Submacropterous. Male length 2.45–3.00, width 0.62–0.93; female length 2.77–3.12, width 1.01–1.17. Females larger in size, abdomen greatly expanded beyond costal margins. Colouration. Dorsum yellowish brown with contrasting dark brown to fuscous markings ( Figure 4 A,B). Head: mostly yellowish brown; vertex golden yellow to medium brown; lateral aspects of mandibular plates and genae with fuscous stripe; genae, gula and bucculae straw-coloured. Antennae: mostly yellowish brown; subapical half to two-thirds of AIII and apical two-thirds of AIV dark brown to fuscous; female AIII and AIV sometimes less darker. Labium: LI–LIII strawcoloured; apex LIV fuscous. Pronotum: mostly yellowish brown; pronotal disc cream-coloured medially ( Figure 4 A,B). Thoracic pleura and sterna: mostly yellowish brown; prosternum fuscous, paler at anterior margin; mesosternum fuscous medially becoming paler laterally. Scutellum : dark brown anteriorly, posterolateral margins paler, posterior half of midline straw-coloured. Hemelytra: yellowish brown, with clavus more cream-coloured; membrane cream, medially infused with brown ( Figure 4 A,B). Legs: mostly straw-coloured, with distal half of second tarsomere dark brown. Abdomen: uniformly yellowish brown. Texture. Dorsum moderately polished, with scattered shallow to deep setose punctures. Head: vertex mostly impunctate, with transverse puncticulate rows; epicranial suture with irregular distribution of moderately deep punctures; mandibular plates irregularly punctate, denser posteriorly, punctures shallow ( Figure 11 A). Pronotum: callosite region sparsely punctate, punctures shallow, denser along midline and at anterolateral angles; disc densely and regularly punctate, punctures deep, posterolateral angles impunctate ( Figure 11 A). Thoracic pleura and sterna: proepimeron finely punctate posteriorly; metapleuron with irregular distribution of fine punctures posteriorly ( Figure 11 E); thoracic sterna impunctate, mesosternum strongly polished medially. Scutellum : densely and regularly punctate, punctures deep, midline polished posteriorly. Hemelytra: clavus and corium with uniform distribution of deep punctures, larger than on pronotal disc (Figure 11F). Abdomen: impunctate moderately polished. Vestiture. Dorsum with uniform distribution of setose punctures, setae, short, erect, straw-coloured. Ventral surface of body with fine, straw-coloured, decumbent setae, most densely distributed on ventral aspect of mandibular plates, gula, and prosternum ( Figure 11 B); mesosternum with irregular distribution of fine setae medially, sparse laterally. Antennae: uniform distribution of decumbent setae, intermixed with fine, erect setae; AIII and AIV with same setae on lateral margins, otherwise bare ( Figure 11 C). Legs: dorsal surface of femora and tibia with short, erect setae. Male Genitalia: pygophore with irregular distribution of fine setae; pygophoral lock irregularly setose medially, margins mostly bare; paramere evenly beset with setae medially, becoming sparse apically ( Figure 18 C). Structure. Head: mandibular plates elongate, surpassing clypeus by less than length of clypeus, contiguous medially, moderately flared anteriorly, concave dorsally, with lateral margins moderately recurved ( Figure 4 A,B; 11A); bucculae strongly arcuate, weakly explanate posteriorly ( Figure 11 B); genae swollen, truncate anteriorly; gula concave. Eyes: moderately pedicellate ( Figure 4 A,B: 11A). Antennae: AI cylindrical; AII slightly expanded distally; AIII and AIV dorsoventrally flattened; AIV weakly lanceolate ( Figure 11 C). Labium: moderately long, reaching beyond anterior margin of forecoxae ( Figure 11 B). Pronotum: weakly constricted medially; callosite region and disc subequal in length, disc a little broader; callosite region weakly depressed along midline; anterolateral angles rounded to weakly tuberculate; lateral margin of disc weakly arcuate ( Figure 11 A). Thoracic sterna: prosternum weakly concave medially ( Figure 11 B). Hemelytra: at rest extending to basal third of pygophore; medial margin of corium convex medially, weakly excavate distally; apex of corium at membrane narrowed, medial margin less than 45° to costal margin ( Figure 4 A,B). Legs: forecoxal separation equal to slightly wider than coxal width; fore and mesofemora strongly incrassate ( Figure 11 B); fossula spongiosa elongate, reaching distal third of second tarsomere ( Figure 11 B,D); 3–8 foretibial teeth, 0–6 mesotibial teeth, metatibiae bare. Male Genitalia: pygophoral lock moderately elongate, subtrapezoidal, with apical angle strongly flared, medial angles weakly pointed; paramere subrectangular, apical angle recurved ( Figure 18 C).

Measurements. See Table 2.

Distribution. Thaumastocoris freomooreae is distributed through southern Australia; collected from northwest Victoria ( Figure 2 B), south eastern South Australia, and Cocklebiddy on the southeast coast of Western Australia, and northeast of Perth, Western Australia ( Figure 20 A).

Host plants. This species is known from fifteen species of Eucalyptus ( Table 3 ).

Remarks. Thaumastocoris freomooreae is known from drier environments. From one collecting event in Highbury, Western Australia, this species was taken in conjunction with T. nadeli on Eucalyptus wandoo . The specimens collected from the goldfields district in Western Australia (Westonia), are slightly smaller and paler than other populations of T. freomooreae .

Figures

FIGURE 4. Habitus, dorsal view. A and B Thaumastocoris freomooreae. C and D Thaumastocoris hackeri. Scale bar = 1 mm.

FIGURE 11. Scanning electron micrographs: Thaumastocoris freomooreae. A 3 head and pronotum, dorsal view. B 3 head and prosternum, ventral view. C 3 antenna, dorsal view. D 3 head and propleura, lateral view. E 3 thorax, lateral view. F 3 hemelytra, dorsal view. G 3 genitalia, ventral view. H Ƥ genitalia, ventral view. Scale bar = 0.1 mm.

FIGURE 18. Male genitalia. A. Thaumastocoris australicus, ventral view B. Thaumastocoris busso, ventral view C. Thaumastocoris freomooreae, ventral view D. Thaumastocoris majeri, ventral view E. Thaumastocoris hackeri, ventral view F. Thaumastocoris hackeri, dorsal view G. Thaumastocoris ohallorani, ventral view H. Thaumastocoris ohallorani, dorsal view. Scale bar = 0.1 mm.

FIGURE 20. Distribution map. A. Thaumastocoris australicus, T. busso, T. freomooreae and T. hackeri B. Thaumastocoris kalaako, T. majeri, T. macqueeni and T. nadeli.

FIGURE 2. A. Thaumastocoris petilus on Melaleuca glomerata, Palm Valley, Finke Gorge National Park, NT, Australia. (photo C Symonds) B. Thaumastocoris freomooreae mallee habitat, Murray Sunset National Park, Vic, Australia. (photo A Noack).