Calofulcinia australis La Greca, 1966

Connors, Matthew G., Yeeles, Peter, Lach, Lori & Rentz, David C. F., 2023, Revision of the genus Calofulcinia Giglio-Tos (Mantodea: Nanomantidae: Fulciniinae) in Australia, Zootaxa 5296 (3), pp. 333-361 : 340-343

Calofulcinia australis La Greca

Figures 1–3 , 11

Calofulcinia australis La Greca, M. 1966 , Su du specie di Mantodei dell’Australia. Annuario dell’Istituto e Museo di Zoologia della Università di Napoli, vol. 17(4), pp. 1–8 [3].

Type material. Holotype male. Label 1. “ Calofulcinia australis L.G. (typus) LA GRECA DET.”. Label 2. “N. AUSTRALIA: S.E. QUEENSLAND, SAMFORD. UPPER CEDAR CK. 10.OCT.1965. C.R. HEMBROW.”. Label 3. “T.6562” . Holotype in Queensland Museum, Brisbane.

Specimens examined. QLD: 2♀♀ 1♁ Mt Dryander 700–800m, 20°15’S 148°33’E, 21 NOV 1992, Monteith, Thompson, Cook & Janetzki ( QM) ; 1♁ Eungella Nat. Pk. Via Mackay, 18–19 DEC 1966, B. Cantrell, Ex UQIC donated 2011 ( QM) ; 1♁ Eungella 2400ft, 7 MAY 1955, Norris & Common, Genitalia prep.MG104 J. Balderson ( ANIC) ; 1♁ Dwyer Creek , Imbil 100m, 26°28’S 152°38E, 27 MAY 2002, G.B. Monteith, pyrethrum on trees, 10624 ( QM) ; 1♁ Mt. Tenison Wood via Mt. Glorious 760m, 13 FEB 1977, N. Rose, Ex UQIC donated 2011 ( QM) ; 1♁ same locality; 13 MAR 1977, S.S. Simpson, Ex UQIC donated 2011 ( QM) ; 2♀♀ 1♁ Cedar Ck. via Samford , FEB 1967, C. Hembrow, Ex UQIC donated 2011 ( QM) ; 1♀ Tamborine Mt. , 4 NOV 1959, F.J.D. McDonald, Ex UQIC donated 2011 ( QM) ; Nr. Wilson’s Peak via Teviot Gap , 31 MAR 1972, I. Naumann, on tree trunk in rainforest, Ex UQIC donated 2011 ( QM) ; 1♀ nymph, Mt. Lindsay , 27 JUL 1963, S.R. Curtis, on moss, Ex UQIC donated 2011 ( QM) ; 1♁ ‘ National Park Q. ’ [no locality], DEC 1921, H. Hacker ( QM) .

NSW: 1♁, Rain Forest, Acacia Plat. Acacia Creek, 14 DEC 1966, T.G.Campbell ( ANIC) ; 1♀ Brindle Ck., ca. 1km N. of Kyogle, 15 NOV 1978, S. & J. Peck ( ANIC) ; 2♀♀ 2♁♁ Newell Falls Dorrigo Mtn, [no date], A. O’Farrel, ANIC Uni. of New England Coll. Donated 1983 ( ANIC) .

Differential diagnosis. C. australis can be distinguished from C. oxynota and C. paraoxypila by the keeled dorsomedian lobes on the third and fourth abdominal tergites of the male abdomen reaching approximately one third the length of the following tergite, by the greatly expanded, flattened, dorsally-directed dorsomedian lobes on the third and fourth tergites of the female abdomen, and by the L4A of the male genitalia lacking laterally-projecting lobes.Additionally, C. australis can be distinguished from C. oxynota by the lack of paired tubercles on the pronotum except at the extreme posterior, and it can be distinguished from C. paraoxypila by the slender body form, lack of a postocellar process, and short female tegmina that reach the hind margin of the first abdominal tergite.

Description.

Head. Clypeus of some males with a broad longitudinal medial section weakly elevated; anterior corners somewhat depressed in male, entire anterior area depressed in females; anterior margin straight in male, somewhat sinuate in female. Lower frons generally five-sided. Eyes distinctly projecting dorsally in female. Vertex without postocellar process, convex in dorsal view, weakly so in female; juxtaocular bulge relatively weak, not strongly projecting beyond vertex ( Figure 2D–E ). Antennae of female reaching midpoint of pronotum.

Thorax. Pronotum elongate, slender, approximately 2.5–3.0 times as long as wide, broadest just posterior to supracoxal sulcus. Median keel very weakly indicated on posterior of prozone, well-defined on almost entire metazone, slightly weaker in female. Prozone ovate, with sides almost parallel, weakly elevated anteriorly and without tubercles; posteriorly with low, undulating diagonal ridges that extend onto lateral prozone. Metazone very elongate, approximately 1.8 times length of prozone, elevated posteriorly, anterolateral sulcus generally weaker in female, dorsolateral longitudinal carinae rather long, covering posterior half except extreme posterior region, posterior tubercle with a pair of blunt, dorsally-directed spines or rounded knobs. Posterolateral expansion usually evenly rounded and somewhat expanded adjacent to anterior corners of metazone ( Figure 1A–B , 2A–B ). Postcervical sclerite with anterior margin broadly incised; T-shaped sclerite very narrow medially in male, broader in female.

Foreleg spination formula: F = 3DS/8–12AvS/4PvS; T = 6–8AvS/5–6PvS.

Legs. Forecoxa very elongate, narrow. Forefemur elongate, narrow, broadest slightly distal to tibial spur groove, concave dorsally; posterior keel weak, slightly stronger in male; tibial spur groove weakly-defined distally; anteroventral forefemur spines alternating between small and large, with the distal three spines iiI or IiI. Foretibia slender.

Wings. Tegmina of male with area between first and third branch of anterior cubitus with many crossveins; media fused with radius for a short distance approximately halfway along the tegmen ( Figure 1B ). Tegmina of female very short, reaching hind margin of first abdominal tergite; veins heavily reticulate ( Figure 1A ). Hind wings of female very short, not exceeding tegmina.

Abdomen. Male abdomen with posterior margin of second to eighth tergite with a keeled median lobe extending posteriorly, in third and fourth tergites this lobe extending around one third the length of the following tergite, in other tergites present as a short triangular projection only. Female abdomen with second to eighth tergites with dorsomedian and dorsolateral projections, ninth tergite with dorsomedian projection only; dorsolateral projections present as short, blunted, keeled spines, these especially well-developed on third to fifth tergite; dorsomedian projections present as blunted, keeled, posteriorly projecting spines on seventh to ninth tergite, the same but projecting dorsally on sixth tergite, on second and fifth tergite these spines larger and flattened, on third and fourth tergites these greatly expanded into broad, flattened lobes directed dorsally ( Figure 2C ). Cerci somewhat laterally compressed in male, less so in female; apical segment relatively large, ovate, flattened, especially in male ( Figure 2F–G ). Supra-anal plate of male with lateral margins broadly convex, exceeding posterior edge of subgenital plate. Supra-anal plate of female similar but larger, exceeding tip of subgenital plate. Subgenital plate of male weakly incised at posterior tip between styli; styli short, subconical ( Figure 2G ).

Genitalia. Male genitalia with pda bifurcate, the sinistral process a short, very finely shagrinate, blunted, posterodorsally-projecting triangular lobe; the dextral process similar but rather narrower and more dorsally-directed than the left lobe; in many specimens the dextral process is almost obsolete, present only as a weakly sinuate, convex edge; in a few specimens the sinistral process is likewise almost obsolete, however at least one lobe is always present; afa usually weakly bifurcate, rather kidney-shaped, the posterior lobe moderately elongate, anterior lobe very short to obsolete, at most little more than a dextrally-directed knob; paa very weakly bent to the left; fda moderately broad; pia a very low, rounded, convex ridge; pva an elongate projection narrowing gradually to a blunt point, this directed ventrally and curving evenly along its length such that the apex is directed posteriorly ( Figure 1C–D ).

Colour. Body colour green or greenish brown with darker markings, pattern relatively consistent but somewhat variably in intensity and shade.

Head mostly pale green or greenish brown with some dark markings; anterior corners of lower frons and adjacent area of genae dark brown except for swellings; a narrow posterior border on lower frons dark; ocellar tubercle with a dark V-shaped mark anteriorly, connecting ocelli; a dark, sinuate transverse stripe on extreme posterior of head; with variable dark markings on clypeus, vertex, and genae. Antennae annulated along entire length. Eyes green or brown, often with some darker longitudinal stripes laterally; these generally fading after death.

Pronotum ground colour relatively pale, with dense darker mottling; usually with a vague mid-green or -brown T-shaped marking on the posterior prozone, this extending onto the anterodorsal metazone as a broad subquadrilateral marking; lateral region of supracoxal sulcus and adjacent area of metazone very dark, often this dark patch extending onto lateral pronotal expansion, forming a somewhat triangular mark; usually a diagonal mid-green or -brown marking on the lateral metazone, this sometimes extending anteriorly and posteriorly to cover almost the entire lateral metazone; lateral pronotal expansion with isolated dark patches along most of its length; some specimens very heavily spotted dorsally. Prosternum pale with variable irregular symmetrical dark markings.

Legs pale with broad mid-green or -brown bands, these sometimes indistinct on tibiae and tarsi, often with darker spots in pale regions, especially on forelegs; forecoxa and forefemur often with very dark spots along dorsal and posterior keels; tarsomeres of forelegs often pale basally, dark apically, first tarsomere usually also with medial band.

Tegmina of male pale greenish, sometimes blueish or almost white; with irregular darker brown or green mottling on plicatum and between branches of anterior cubitus; a broad dark arc in mediodistal quarter of tegmen, running along media and then curving anteriorly to meet anterior radius, in some specimens this marking interrupted medially into two disjunct ovate patches; irregular dark patches on membrane adjacent to distal portions of major veins; sometimes also with irregular dark patches elsewhere; pterostigma pale; most major veins green, posterior cubitus brown, radius basally and costa distally with regularly-spaced dark patches, these often extending onto membrane; crossveins in pale regions brown, in dark regions green. Tegmina of female pale with some irregular dark mottling; veins green. Hind wings of male mostly hyaline; costal region and extreme apical portion of remigium pale, opaque; costal crossveins with distinct dark spots where they meet the anterior margin of the wing; membrane adjacent to extreme apical portion of posterior radius, media, and anterior cubitus with irregular dark patches; veins brown. Hind wings of female almost entirely hyaline; veins pale brown.

Abdomen green or greenish brown, mottled with irregular darker and lighter patches; in female dorsomedially with an ovate patch on anterior portion of second to seventh tergite, indistinct on eighth and ninth tergite, this bounded by a very pale margin and a very dark outline around that, this darker shade then diffusing laterally into the ground colour; dorsomedian process of second to fifth tergite of female heavily mottled with dark and light patches; sternites irregularly mottled; lateral margins of tergites and sternites usually with an irregular pale border; cerci with faint pale annulations ( Figure 1A–B , 3 ).

Nymph. Older nymphs are similar in morphology and colour to adults, but lack wings; in females the abdomen is more slender with slightly smaller lobes. Very young nymphs are rather long-legged with very small abdominal lobes.

Ootheca. Unknown, but probably similar to that of C. oxynota .

Measurements. Body length, 13.8–17.0 (♀), 15.1–16.6 (♁). Pronotum length, 3.9–5.1 (♀), 3.4–4.1 (♁). Pronotum width, 1.5–2.0 (♀), 1.3–2.0 (♁). Tegmen length, 0.3–0.32 (♀), 14.2–16.1 (♁).

Distribution. C. australis has been collected from rainforest and rainforest-adjacent habitats in southeastern Queensland and northern New South Wales, from approximately Gympie in the north to near Port Macquarie in the south. Specimens have also been collected from rainforest further north at Eungella and Proserpine ( Figure 11 , 12D–F ).

Remarks. Females of this species are remarkable in the extreme development of the dorsomedian abdominal lobes, which are produced into broad ovate structures that closely resemble the leaves and stems of mosses ( Figure 2C , 3A,D ). Such lobes are otherwise only known in the Papuan C. viridula ( La Greca 1966) .

C. australis males show significant geographical variation in the structure of the posterior process of the left phallomere. Two distinct lobes are present in the majority of specimens ( Figure 1C–D ), but either the sinistral or the dextral process is moderately to strongly reduced in many specimens. A number of specimens from the southern portion of the species’ range show an almost complete reduction of the dextral lobe, and a few specimens from the northern portion of the range show a similar reduction in the sinistral lobe; intermediate forms are also known, with one lobe small but still present. This variation is more extreme but otherwise similar to the variation seen in the posterior process of the left phallomere of Nesoxypilus albomaculatus Werner, 1933 ( Milledge 1990) .

This species is infrequently collected and almost nothing is known of its biology. Females and nymphs have been collected primarily from moss-covered tree trunks, logs, and rocks ( La Greca 1966), where they are well camouflaged. When disturbed, they often remain motionless but may move in short bursts in a similar way to other fulciniines (M. Colpus & A. Maynard pers. comm.).

C. australis has been collected primarily from high rainfall, high humidity rainforest environments ( La Greca 1966), and is often found close to creeks and other water sources (M. Colpus & N. J. Fisher pers. comm.) ( Figure 12D–F ). Unlike C. oxynota , it has been recorded at relatively low elevations (approximately 100m) as well as highaltitude forest.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Calofulcinia australis La Greca. A. Dorsal habitus, adult female. B. Dorsal habitus, adult male. C. Male genitalic complex, dorsal view. D. Male genitalic complex, ventral view. A–B. Scale = 10 mm. C–D. Scale = 0.5 mm.

FIGURE 2. Calofulcinia australis La Greca. A. Lateral pronotum, adult female. B. Lateral pronotum, adult male. C. Lateral abdomen, adult female. D. Head, adult female. E. Head, adult male. Subgenital plate, adult female. F. Subgenital plate, adult male. A–B, D–F. Scale = 1 mm. C. Scale = 5 mm.

FIGURE 3. Calofulcinia australis La Greca, live photographs. A. Adult female, Tamborine Mountain, Queensland, photograph by Nicholas John Fisher. B. Adult male, Mount Glorious, Queensland, photograph by Andrew Maynard. C. Adult male, Maleny, Queensland, photograph by Dianne Clarke. D–E. Adult female, Tamban, New South Wales, photograph by Nick Lambert.

FIGURE 11. Distribution of Calofulcinia spp. in Australia. A. Distribution in northeastern Queensland. B. Distribution in southeastern Queensland and northern New South Wales. Green = C. australis, Blue = C. oxynota, Purple = C. paraoxypila. Stars = type locality, Circles = specimens, Triangles = photographic records. Base map courtesy of Google Maps ©2023 and TerraMetrics ©2023.

FIGURE 12. Typical habitat of Calofulcinia spp. A. Rainforest at Lake Eacham, Queensland, habitat of C. oxynota and C. paraoxypila, photograph by Matthew Borella. B. Rainforest edge at Wongabel, Queensland, habitat of C. oxynota and C. paraoxypila. C. Transitional rainforest-wet sclerophyll forest at Mount Baldy, Queensland, habitat of C. oxynota. D. Rainforest at Tamborine Mountain, Queensland, habitat of C. australis and C. paraoxypila, photograph by Caitlin Henderson. E. Rainforest at Cunninghams Gap, Queensland, habitat of C. australis, photograph by John-Michiel Koens. F. Rainforest at Guanaba, Queensland, habitat of C. australis and C. paraoxypila, photograph by Nicholas John Fisher. G. Wet sclerophyll forest at Coffs Harbour, New South Wales, habitat of C. paraoxypila, photograph by Nick Lambert. H. Rural garden/restored rainforest edge at Witta, Queensland, habitat of C. paraoxypila, photograph by Larney Grenfell.