Acaraptera myersi Usinger and Matsuda, 1959

Larivière, Marie-Claude & Larochelle, André, 2022, Synopsis of the subfamily Carventinae in New Zealand (Heteroptera: Aradidae), Insecta Mundi 2022 (961), pp. 1-54 : 10-12

Acaraptera myersi Usinger and Matsuda, 1959

Fig. 33 , 48–49 , 73

Acaraptera (Acaraptera) myersi Usinger and Matsuda, 1959: 149 . Holotype: female (BMNH) labeled “Ohakune [TO] NZ. 8.IV.23 JG Myers (hand-written) / J.G. Myers Coll. B.M. 1937-789. (typed) / spec. Figured Acaraptera myersi Usinger (hand-written) det. RLUsinger’49 (typed) / HOLOTYPE Acaraptera myersi Usinger-Matsuda (red label; typed except for taxon name).” Paratypes: 2 males with same data as holotype ( Usinger and Matsuda 1959).

Acaraptera myersi: Kormilev and Froeschner, 1987: 65 .

Description (incrustation removed). Body length about 3.0 mm (male), 3.4 mm (female). Dorsal color (male) yellowish brown; dark brown approaching black medially on pronotum and mesonotum, laterally on metanotum and dmtg I–II, basally on tergal plate of abdomen; yellowish laterally on thorax, on plates and markings of metanotum, dmtg I–II, tergal plate of abdomen; alternate yellowish and dark brown on connexivum. Female overall darker brownish black. Eyes reddish. Antennae and legs slightly paler than main body. Ventral color mostly matching dorsal color. Head. About 0.7× as long as wide across eyes. Genae about as long as or slightly shorter than clypeus. Antenniferous tubercles narrowly subtriangular (inner margin sinuate), their apices subacutely rounded and subparallel. Postocular tubercles rounded-subquadrate, moderately to strongly produced laterally. Antennae about as long as or barely longer than width of head across eyes, mostly granulate. Ratio of length of antennal segments II–IV/I about 0.5: 0.8: 1.0. Segment I narrowed,smooth in basal fourth to third, then thickened; II slightly curved basally, gradually thickened toward apex; III pedunculate in basal fifth to fourth, gradually thickened toward apex; IV fusiform, pilose in apical fourth. Thorax. Pronotum about 2.8× wider than long medially,including collar (male), 3.1× (female). Anterior margin barely incised on each side of collar; sinuate medially. Anterolateral angles rounded-subtriangular, slightly to moderately (mostly) produced in front of collar, extending along part of anterior margin but not reaching close to sides of collar. Lateral portions with four rather small, irregularly shaped plates and, submarginally, a finely granulate to nearly smooth, curved bead extending from anterior to posterior margin. Posterolateral angles rounded-subquadrate, unproduced. Mesonotum about 3.0× wider than long medially including backward projection (male), 3.2× (female). Lateral portions with a deep sulcus near anterior margin and, submarginally, one or two irregularly shaped plates and some granules. Lateral margins slightly convex. Metanotum fused with dmtg I of abdomen. Disc strongly elevated, bearing two pairs of small longitudinal plates. Lateral portions with one or two longitudinal sulci near anterior margin and three to four irregularly shaped plates (sometimes barely elevated), and one small, rounded callosity or spot near posterior margin of dmtg I, in line with similar spots on dmtg II and tergal plate of abdomen. Abdomen widest across tergite III (male), tergite IV (female). Dmtg I–II separated from each other for their entire width. Disc of dmtg II strongly elevated, bearing a pair of small longitudinal plates flanked by two small, rounded callosities or spots, each adjacent to a short carina and in line with inner apodemal spots on dltg III–VI, and submarginally, a small, often faint, rounded callosity or spot in line with outer apodemal spots on dltg III–VI. Tergal plate (dmtg III–VI). Disc slightly to moderately elevated. Lateral margins slightly convex (male), moderately convex (female). Surface with distinct longitudinal carinae between inner and outer apodemal markings, with or without faint carinae around outer markings; inner and outer rows of markings made of distinct, suboval to rounded, smooth spots. Dmtg VII broadly smooth medially, narrowly marked with small callosities and granules laterally, moderately to strongly elevated posteromedially (male); smooth throughout, unevenly surfaced, lateral margins subrectilinear (female). Connexivum moderately reflexed toward apex (male), flat or slightly reflexed (female). Posterolateral angles of dltg III–IV rounded-subtriangular, slightly produced, V–VI slightly reflexed, distinctly more rounded and produced, VII rounded-subtriangular, strongly thickened, moderately produced and reflexed (male); III–VI rounded, unproduced or barely produced, VII rounded, not distinctly thickened, unproduced or faintly so, flat (female). Male genitalia. Right paramere ( Fig. 33 , outer lateral view) with broad subrectangular head and short shaft; anterior margin of head slightly rounded, with acutely subtriangular projection. Ventral surface. Head. Rostrum reaching or slightly surpassing posterior margin of subovate, carinate rostral groove. Thorax. Pro-, meso-, and metasternum fused, flat (not depressed) medially; suture line between metasternum and vmtg I of abdomen distinct. Abdomen. Ventral mediotergites (vmtg) I–III fused; other mediotergites well demarcated from each other; IV–VI flat (not depressed) medially; VII about 3.0× longer than VI medially, without wrinkles posteriorly (male), medially split into two subquadrate plates with inner margin of each plate about 1.6× longer than VI medially, surface rugose in inner posterior angle (female). Apodemal spots (vmtg IV–VI) flat or slightly elevated, paler than or nearly concolorous with remainder of venter; outer rows often more distinct or with larger spots. Connexivum faintly demarcated from remainder of venter (more distinctly demarcated in female).

Material examined. Nearly 2,000 specimens ( AMNZ, BMNH, MONZ, NZAC (mostly)).

Geographic distribution ( Fig. 73 ). North Island: AK, BP,CL, GB, HB, ND, RI, TK, TO, WA, WO.

Biology. Altitudinal range. Lowland to montane (up to 950 m). Habitat. Occurs in broadleaf-podocarp forests and, in the lower North Island, southern beech forests ( Nothofagus sensu lato) or Weinmannia forests; can be locally abundant in forests where Beilschmiedia is predominant. Collected in large numbers in leaf litter, leaf and twig litter, or decaying wood litter along or under fallen rotting branches, dead fallen trees, and decaying logs; found in small numbers on the moist, moldy bark from the underside of fallen rotting branches. Seasonality. Adults: throughout most of the year (abundant in November to January). Tenerals: September–January (abundant in November–December), April–June. Nymphs: September–January (abundant in January), May–June. Mating probably occurs in December–January.

Remarks. Acaraptera myersi is a morphologically highly variable species. It is by far the most wide-ranging and locally abundant carventine species in New Zealand. Some morphological characters vary considerably within and between populations, e.g., the length and shape of antenniferous tubercles, degree of development of anterolateral angles of pronotum, and shape of mesonotal plate. Acaraptera myersi is, however, easily distinguished from A. waipouensis by features of the male genitalia and characters given in the key to species.

Figures

Figures 23–35.Male left paratergite VIII. 23) Lissaptera, outer lateral.24) Acaraptera, outer lateral.25) Leuraptera, outer lateral. 26) Carventaptera spinifera, dorsolateral. 27) C. hallae new species, dorsolateral. 28) Modicarventus, outer lateral. 29) Neocarventus, outer lateral.30) Tuataraptera, outer lateral. Right paramere, outer lateral. 31) Lissaptera completa. 32) L. heissi new species. 33) Acaraptera myersi. 34) A. waipouensis. 35) Leuraptera zealandica.

Figures 48–51. Dorsal habitus. 48) Acaraptera myersi, male. 49) A. myersi, female. 50) A. waipouensis, male. 51) A. waipouensis, female. Scale line = 1 mm.

Figures 73–78. Species distribution maps. 73) Acaraptera myersi. 74) A. waipouensis. 75) Carventaptera hallae new species. 76) C. spinifera. 77) Clavaptera ornata. 78) Leuraptera zealandica.