Mauropsocus, Smithers, 2007

Smithers, C. N., 2007, Lord Howe Island Psocoptera (Insecta), Records of the Australian Museum 59 (1), pp. 9-26 : 19

Mauropsocus n.gen.

Belonging to the Pseudocaeciliidae : Zelandopsocinae . Females micropterous. Tarsi 3-segmented. Claws with a minute denticle on one claw of each pair. Subgenital plate incipiently bilobed, each lobe with one large posteriorly directed seta near hind margin. Ventral valve and dorsal valve of gonapophyses with large, pointed apophysis. Setae on head, thorax and abdomen (other than genitalia) include many seated in large, raised alveoli and have distal ends truncate, expanded or extended on one side at the apex. No ocelli. Apical antennal segment distally narrow. Abdominal terga each with well sclerotized posterior transverse band and a more lightly sclerotized anterior band.

Type species: Mauropsocus monteithi n.sp.

Mauropsocus differs significantly from other genera of the subfamily in having many of the setae conspicuously modified. They arise from greatly exaggerated, raised alveoli and many have the apex of unusual form. The apex of some setae is simply truncate, in others it is distally expanded or the apex is modified so that one side of the apex is extended beyond the other ( Figs 10–14 ). The modified setae are also much thicker than normal setae and in many the base is also modified, being narrowed, neck-like, at the attachment to the alveolus ( Fig. 13 ). The male of M. monteithi is not known but on the basis of the female characters alone its nearest relatives appear to be Zelandopsocus , Austropsocus and Howeanum . Howeanum is known from two species, H. costale (Thornton and New) (Australian) and H. huberi Smithers (Lord Howe Island). The former is macropterous in both sexes and the latter is macropterous in the male and micropterous in the female.

Figures

Figs 9–18. Mauropsocus monteithi n.gen. and n.sp. Female: (9) head, lateral (setae not shown); (10, 11, 12) modified setae; (13) large modified seta at wing apex; (14) fore wing; (15) hind wing; (16) epiproct; (17) paraproct; (18) gonapophyses.