Lampromicra regia BERGROTH 1895

Gerry Cassis & Loren Vanags, 2006, Jewel Bugs of Australia (Insecta, Heteroptera, Scutelleridae), Denisia 19, pp. 275-398 : 374-375

publication ID	https://doi.org/ 10.5281/zenodo.12996779
DOI	https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.13715244
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/0380878F-FFDC-FFF9-FDD0-FA3AC079FCD7
treatment provided by	Luisschmitz
scientific name	Lampromicra regia BERGROTH 1895
status

Treatment

Lampromicra regia BERGROTH 1895 ( Figs 21g View Fig , 28d View Fig , 41 View Fig )

Lampromicra regia BERGROTH 1895: 287 (n.sp.); DISTANT 1904: 276 (description); SCHOUTEDEN 1904: 30 (list); BERGROTH 1906: 1 (note); FROGGATT 1907: 328 (biology); MCDONALD 1963: 24, 29 (male genitalia); GAEDIKE 1971: 90 (type); MCDONALD & CASSIS 1984: 557 (description); CASSIS & GROSS 2002: 596 (catalogue) PHilia leucocHalcea BREDDIN 1903: 58 (n.sp.); KIRKALDY 1909: 300 (synonymy)

Diagnosis: Lampromicra regia is recognised by the following combination of characters: head, most of pronotum, and anteri-or 1/3 of scutellum purple-fuscous, with iridescent green tinge ( Fig. 28d View Fig ); posterior 2/3 of scutellum yellow ( Fig. 28d View Fig ); femora yellow; tibiae iridescent green; abdominal venter mostly dark iridescent green, lateral margins green ( Fig. 21g View Fig ); CAII(M) apex serrate and hooked; CAIII medially fused; and, vesica moderately sized, weakly arcuate.

Description: Body moderate-sized, males 9.3-12.0 mm, females 8.8-12.0 mm.

Colouration. Body bicoloured ( Fig. 28d View Fig ), with head, pronotum and anterior 1/2 of scutellum (latter (pentagonal marking) purple-fuscous with green iridescence, remainder of scutellum yellow; coxae, trochanters and femora yellow, tibiae mostly iridescent green with bases narrowly yellow; tarsi iridescent green; abdominal venter mostly iridescent green, lateral margins yellow ( Fig. 21g View Fig ).

Texture. Head sparsely punctate, with shallow punctures ( Fig. 28d View Fig ); vertex weakly rugopunctate. Pronotum: moderately dense punctate; posterior margin of callosite region with irregular row of dense punctures. Scutellum: densely punctate, less so on anterior callus. Thoracic pleura: mostly with dense punctures. Pregenital Abdomen: sterna densely punctate, lateral regions (laterad of trichobothria) impunctate.

Vestiture. Body moderately setose. Legs: ventral surface of femora, and tibiae densely setose.

Structure. Labium: reaching posterior margin of abdominal SIII. Male Genitalia: pygophore with ventral margin deeply bisinuate, with a short medial process; crown of parameres with short hook; ejaculatory apparatus well-developed, ventral conducting canal with up to 12 convolutions; CAI absent; CAII bifid; CAII(L) with large, digitiform lobal sclerite, weakly arcute, apex acute; CAII(M) with serrate, hook-shaped lobal sclerite. CAIII fused medially, bifid post-thecal margin. Female Terminalia: bi-planar, caudal in orientation; paratergites VIII moderately-sized, subtriangular; paratergites IX small, suboval; gonocoxae I large, medially depressed, posterior margin weakly concave.

New specimens examined: Queensland: 1♂, Wongabal S[tate] F[orest] 10 km S Atherton, 12 June 1992, C Reid, ex beating rainforest bush-es/vines ( AM) ; 1♂, Upper Nesbit Riv[er], Claudie Creek , Lake Lands, 1500 feet, 16-21 August 1948, Archibold Expedition, LJ Brass ( AMNH) .

Distribution: Lampromicra regia is restricted to tropical north Queensland ( Fig. 41 View Fig ).

Host plants and biology: Lampromicra regia is known from a few specimens, and there is no recorded host plant. A single species was found in rainforest understorey.

Remarks: Body colouration in species of Lampromicra is usually of no diagnostic value, except in species such as L. regia and L. leucocyanea . No other species approximates the colour pattern of the former species, with its yellow and fuscous-iridescent green dorsum. In contrast, its relationships are uncertain, as the genitalia do not provide a basis for sister-group relationships, although they bear a strong resemblance to L. aerea .