Thaumastocoris ohallorani 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 : 41-42

Thaumastocoris ohallorani Noack, Cassis & Rose n.sp.

(Figures: 6C,D; 18G,H)

Etymology. This species is named in honour of Mr. David O’Halloran in recognition of his generous support of Thaumastocoris research.

Holotype: 3, AUSTRALIA: South Australia: 5 km N Yunta trwd Arkaroola, 250 m, 32°32’S 139°33,E, October 29, 1995, Schuh and Cassis [95-35]. Host: Eucalyptus porosa F. Muell. ex miq. Det: K.D. Hill 1996 NSW 395957 site 95-35 host 95-58 (AM); Paratypes: 23, 4Ƥ same data as holotype (AM; UNSW).

Diagnosis. Thaumastocoris ohallorani can be recognised by the following combination of characters: body narrow and elongate; dorsum golden yellow; mandibular plates evenly rounded apically and slightly contiguous medially, moderately long labium, pronotum moderately constricted ( Figure 6 C,D); paramere elongate and spatulate apically ( Figure 18 G,H). Thaumastocoris ohallorani can be distinguished from T. freomooreae by the paramere, which in T. freomooreae is recurved apically (cf. Figure 18 C), whereas the T. ohallorani paramere is spatulate.

Description. Submacropterous. Male length 2.77–2.92, width 0.80–0.95; female length 2.84–3.00, width 0.96–1.05. Females similar to male but larger in size, dorsum slightly lighter in colouration. Colouration. Dorsum light golden coloured to yellowish brown with contrasting cream to light brown. Head: mostly straw-coloured; vertex more yellow; lateral aspect of mandibular plates and genae with light brown stripe; genae, gula and bucculae straw-coloured. Antennae: AI and AII straw-coloured, male antennal segments AII and AIV unknown ( Figure 6 C,D). Labium: LI–LIII straw-coloured; apex of LIV dark brown. Pronotum: mostly yellowish brown; midline of callosite region brown; disc cream-coloured medially. Thoracic pleura and sterna: mostly straw-coloured, propleura and prosternum darker. Scutellum : yellowish brown anteriorly, posterior half of midline straw-coloured. Hemelytra: mostly yellowish to light golden yellow; clavus and membrane cream, with membrane medially infused with light brown ( Figure 6 C,D). Legs: uniformly light golden yellow, with distal half of second tarsomere light brown. Abdomen: uniformly light golden yellow colour. Texture. Dorsum polished, with scattered shallow to deep setose punctures. Head: vertex mostly impunctate, with transverse puncticulate rows sometimes visible, punctures shallow; epicranial suture with irregular distribution of shallow to moderately deep punctures; mandibular plates with regular distribution of punctures posteriorly and medially, punctures shallow. Pronotum: callosite region sparsely punctate, punctures shallow, denser along midline and anterolateral angles; pronotal disc densely and regularly punctate, punctures deep; humeral angles impunctate ( Figure 6 C,D). Thoracic pleura and sterna: propleuron with deep irregular distribution of punctures posteriorly; metepisternum and metepimeron with fine irregular punctation; prosternum transversely finely rugulose anteriorly on midline; mesosternum strongly polished medially. Scutellum : densely and regularly punctate, punctures deep, midline polished posteriorly. Hemelytra: clavus and corium with uniform and moderately dense distribution of deep punctures, slightly larger than as in pronotal disc ( Figure 6 C,D). Abdomen: impunctate, moderately polished. Vestiture. Dorsum with uniform distribution of setose punctures, setae short erect, straw-coloured. Lateral and ventral aspects of body, with elongate, shiny, strawcoloured, decumbent setae, shorter and denser adjacent to bucculae, anteromedially on prosternum and medial to mesocoxal cavity; mesosternum with irregular distribution of setae, sparse medially. Antennae: AI and AII with uniform distribution of decumbent setae intermixed with fine erect setae; AIII and AIV. Male genitalia: pygophore irregularly clothed with fine seta, more dense near genital opening, pygophoral lock with irregular distribution of setae, becoming sparse at angles; paramere evenly beset with dense seta, becoming bare apically ( Figure 18 G,H). Structure. Head: mandibular plates elongate, surpassing clypeus by length of clypeus, contiguous medially, moderately flared anteriorly, moderately concave dorsally, anterolateral margins moderately and evenly recurved (Figure 6C,D); bucculae moderately arcuate, weakly explanate posteriorly; gula weakly concave. Eyes: moderately pedicellate. Antennae: AI and AII cylindrical. Labium: moderately long, reaching just past anterior margin of prosternum. Pronotum: weakly constricted medially; callosite region and disc subequal in length, disc a little broader; callosite region depressed along midline; anterolateral angles weakly tuberculate; lateral margin of disc weakly arcuate ( Figure 6 C,D). Thoracic sterna: prosternum moderately concave anteriorly. Hemelytra: at rest extending to anterior 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 6 C,D). Legs: forecoxal separation equal to slightly wider than coxal width; fore and mesofemora strongly incrassate; fossula spongiosa reaching distal margin of second tarsomere; 4–5 foretibial teeth, 2–4 mesotibial teeth, metatibial without teeth. Male Genitalia: pygophoral lock trapezoidal, with angles flared and rounded; paramere elongate, spatulate apically ( Figure 18 G,H).

Measurements. See Table 2.

Distribution. Thaumastocoris ohallorani is represented from a single collection site north of Yunta in the southern Flinders Ranges, South Australia ( Figure 21 A).

Host plant. This species was collected from Eucalyptus porosa , a common species of mallee found throughout the Flinders Rangers and drier areas of western New South Wales and north western Victoria ( Table 3 ).

Figures

FIGURE 6. Habitus, dorsal view. A and B Thaumastocoris nadeli. C and D Thaumastocoris ohallorani. Scale bar = 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 21. Distribution map. A. Thaumastocoris ohallorani, T. peregrinus and T. petilus B. Thaumastocoris roy, T. safordi and T. slateri.