Laticlerada tasmanica, Malipatil & Blacket, 2011

Malipatil, M. B. & Blacket, M. J., 2011, Three new species of Cleradini from Australia (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Rhyparochromidae), Zootaxa 3003 (1), pp. 43-54 : 50-53

Laticlerada tasmanica sp. nov. ( Figs. 28–37 )

Specimen examined: Holotype female, Tasmania, Coles Bay , M.V. [mercury vapour light], 5.iii.1989, L. Hill, in TM.

Description:

Colour: Body ( Fig. 28 ) and appendages (except 4th antennal segment) ferruginous-black; 4th segment lighter than other segments, light brown, particularly in basal area. Pronotum with humeral angles, and a narrow area along posterior margin, reddish-orange; membrane with paler blotches; coxae, trochanters, apices of femora, most of tibiae, and tarsi reddish brown; claws fuscous. Abdomen below reddish-orange; postero-medial area of last visible abdominal sternum (VI) blackish in triangular form on either side of median cleft (see Fig. 34 ).

Structure: Measurements are of holotype. Body ( Fig. 28 ) broad and flat, shiny above, with rather short antennae; abdomen parallel-sided. Body length including wings 7.13; maximum width 2.57.

Head: Gradually narrowed from base to apex ( Fig. 30 ), tylus rounded and well exceeding jugae, these narrowed; antennifers slightly projecting anterolaterad; ocelli small, clear; bucculae very short and indistinct; head ventrally and medially not grooved to base of head; head above corrugated and conspicuously swollen, not similarly punctuate as pronotum. Length of head 1.19; width across eyes 1.03; interocular space 0.62; interocellar space 0.80; eye-ocellar space 0.04; eye length 0.33; eye width 0.23. Antennae ( Fig. 32 ) short and stout, geniculate, 1st segment with one-quarter of its length extending beyond apex of head, 4th segment slightly heavy, 2nd swollen towards distal end; length of segments: I 0.43; II 0.92; III 0.41; IV 0.96. Labium ( Fig. 31 ) short, reaching mid coxae, 1st segment reaching to level of middle of eye; length of segments: I 0.64; II 0.60; III 1.15; IV 0.43.

Thorax: Pronotum ( Fig. 29 ) roughly trapezoidal, with lateral margins only slightly sinuate; with anterior collar well demarcated and lowered; posterior margin straight. Anterior quarter to third, including calli, raised and impunctate, remainder with 3 depressed areas; entire surface almost uniformly punctuate, punctures obsolete towards posterior margin; median length 1.01; width at posterior margin 2.27. Metathoracic scent gland auricle prominently projecting above pleural surface, orifice directed posteriorly. Legs slender, all femora of uniform thickness, armed below with a few long setae in two rows on fore femora and in one row on other femora; hind basitarsus slightly less than 2 x as long as distal 2 segments combined. Scutellum with a distinct median laevigate ridge, uniformly punctate; length 1.03; width 1.26. Clavus with coarse punctures as follows: an almost complete inner row adjoining corial margin, an almost complete middle row, and the area between middle row and claval anal margin covered with unevenly spaced punctures; claval commissure 0.87. Corium almost parallel-sided, basal quarter slightly narrowed, then expanded and gradually narrowed posteriorly; vein R+M distinctly carinate above corial surface; punctuate as follows: 2 more or less complete parallel rows adjoining claval margin (with an incomplete row between), 1 or 2 short incomplete rows exterior to outer row; remainder of corium covered with uniform, but unevenly spaced punctures. Length of hemelytra 4.60, length of corium 3.45; width of membrane 1.75. Hind wings not examined.

Abdomen: Dorsally flat, ventrally medianly keeled ( Fig. 34 ), subshiny; submedian trichobothria on stenum III in triangular series and those of sternum IV in rectilinear series; trichobothrial areas rugulose and raised above surface; intersegmental suture between III-IV curved indistinctly forward well before margin, but distinct on margin. Lateral tergites broad, except the last one which is long and thin ( Fig. 33 ). Terga ( Fig. 33 ) mostly membranous, with a broad median sclerotised patch gradually widening from about posterior half of 3rd segment to apex of abdomen ( Fig. 33 ). Anterior scent gland scar slightly wider than posterior two scars, these equal in width.

Female: Ovipositor ( Figs. 36, 37 ) short and broad; 1st gonapophysis narrowly pointed, with 1st ramus extending to about 2/3 its length; 2nd gonapophysis very broad, oblong, abruptly narrowed to a conical point at distal end, with a few long upturned bristles; lower aspect of distal ½ with sparse and shorter bristles as in Fig. 37 . Spermathecal bulb large, spherical, heavily pigmented, with a basal neck but no basal flange; duct very narrow and with 4–6 loose coils ( Fig. 35 ).

Male: Unknown.

Distribution. Tasmania.

Diagnosis. Laticlerada tasmanica is distinguished from L. nidicolloides Slater & O’Donnell by the much shorter labium (reaching only to mid coxae vs. to beyond abdominal segment II, Fig. 31 ), and by the relative lengths of antennal segments II and IV (II shorter than IV vs. II longer than IV, Fig. 32 ). L. tasmanica is distinguished from L. laticollis Horváth by the uniformly narrow reddish-orange band across the posterior of the pronotum ( Fig. 29 , this band gradually widening towards the humeral angles in L. laticollis ); and by the differences in head width to interocular space ratio ( Fig. 30 ).

Etymology. This species, the first member of Cleradini to be described from Tasmania, is named after the type locality.

Notes. Laticlerada (now comprising eight species) is mostly known from eastern Australia ( Malipatil 1983, Slater & O’Donnell 1995, and the present study).

Figures

FIGURES 28–32. Laticlerada tasmanica: 28, habitus holotype female; 29, anterior part of body, dorsal view; 30, head enlarged dorsal view; 31, anterior part of body, lateral view; 32, antenna.

FIGURES 33–37. Laticlerada tasmanica holotype female: 33, abdominal tergum; 34, abdominal sternum; 35, spermatheca; 36, 37, first and second gonapophyses. Abbreviations: Ga, gonagulum; 1Gpo, 2Gpo, first and second gonapophysis; 1Gx, 2Gx, first and second gonocoxa; ptVIII, eighth paratergite; 1r, 2r, first and second ramus; sp8, spiracle of eighth segment.