Austrimonus luteus, Fletcher & Dai, 2018

Fletcher, Murray J. & Dai, Wu, 2018, A new genus Austrimonus for Eutettix melaleucae Kirkaldy (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae: Deltocephalinae: Opsiini) and nine new species, Zootaxa 4387 (2), pp. 310-330 : 317-320

Austrimonus luteus sp.nov.

zoobank.org:act:FA5E48B9-8EB1-48EF-9510-CC9316D691C8 (Figs 13–14, 27)

Types. Holotype male, Bald Hill Stn, near Cooktown, N. Qld, 6.xii.1986, M.S. & B.J. Moulds (ASCU: ASCTHE004701)

Paratypes. QUEENSLAND. 1 male, same data as holotype ( ASCU) . NORTHERN TERRITORY. 1 male, 34 miles NW of Dorisvale HS, NT, 14.13S 130.55E, 14.viii.1968, M. Mendum ( ANIC) . PAPUA NEW GUINEA. 1 male, Mt Lamington district , Northern Division , Papua, C.T. McNamara (AM).

Description. Face pale testaceous, vertex (Fig. 14) with some pale orange markings on either side of midline and some fine brown speckling along apical margin. Pronotum and scutellum (Fig. 14) pale orange with faint brown markings. Tegmen (Fig. 13) pale whitish translucent with small brown speckles scattered sparsely across surface, veins pale brown, darker in apical area.

Genitalia. Male: Subgenital plates ( Fig. 27B ) narrow triangular, tapering into apical process. Parameres ( Fig. 27F ) with preapical lobe well developed, angular, apical process directed laterally with distinct preapical angular prominence. Connective ( Fig. 27E ) long with stem distinctly longer than arms. Aedeagus, in posterior view ( Fig. 27C ) with long basal processes diverging from base and tapering from base to acute apex, obscuring shafts; in lateral view ( Fig. 27D ), basal processes curve dorsally, more so in apical section, processes not fused at all to shafts which curve evenly dorsally, of even width from base to apex. Gonopore apical. Basal apodeme ( Fig. 27D ) short, straight, at right angles to base of shafts. Female: unknown.

Etymology. Most specimens have some pale orange colouring on the vertex and pronotum and the species name refers to this colouring ( luteus, Latin = orange).

Comment. This species is close to M. clavatus from Western Australia in general appearance and in the structures of the male genitalia except that this species has simple shafts with apical gonopore while M. clavatus has the shaft extended to form a broad process beyond the gonopore. It also shows similarity with M. flagellatus except that the basal processes in those species are fused to the shafts to the level of the gonopore.

Figures

FIGURE 27. A. luteus, male genitalia. A. terminalia, lateral view, B. subgenital plates and pregenital sternite, ventral view, C. aedeagus, posteroventral view, D.aedeagus, lateral view, E. connective, ventral view,F.paramere.