Philotarsopsis hellyeri, Schmidt & New, 2008

Schmidt, Evan R. & New, Timothy R., 2008, The Psocoptera (Insecta) of Tasmania, Australia, Memoirs of Museum Victoria 65, pp. 71-152 : 130-131

Philotarsopsis hellyeri sp. nov.

Figures 180–84

Material examined. Holotype: Tasmania, Cradle Mtn, Cradle Valley above Weindorfers grave, 41 ° 38’S 145 ° 57’E, fogging Nothofagus cunninghamii , 25 Feb 1990 ( R. Coy, P. Lillywhite, A. Yen). Twenty-five paratypes: same data as holotype ( MV).

Description of female. Coloration (after ca 3 years in alcohol). Head ground colour buff, with the following dark brown: confluent markings dorsal to eyes, along back of vertex and along each side of blackish median epicranial suture; large patch centrally on frons, extending to include background of ocelli; ring surrounding antennae base; lateral margins of postclypeus; basal half of anteclypeus; labrum; apical segment of maxillary palp. Gena buff ventrally, merging brown dorsally. Scape and pedicel dark brown, basal flagellar segment light brown, apically merging dark brown, remainder of flagellar segments dark brown. Ocelli pale, centripetal margins blackish. Eyes black. Fore wing (fig. 180) with brown markings, veins dark brown, membrane with pale brown tinge. Hind wing (fig. 181) membrane with pale brown tinge. Thorax dark brown, sutural areas pale on dorsa. Legs with coxa dark brown, femur and tibia pale brown, tibia merging brown apically, tarsi dark brown. Abdomen buff, terga with lateral grey-brown annulations, terminal segments dark brown.

Morphology. IO:D = 2.9. Distal margin of labrum bearing 11 sensilla, each lateral sensillum posterior to remaining sensilla, anterior margin of outer surface with distinct row of four sensilla. Epistomal suture present, clypeal shelf absent, but narrow remnant appears present on lateral margins of epistomal suture. Lacinia with apical lateral projection larger than median. Postclypeal striae not distinct. Vertex of head with obvious reticulate pattern, surface of head strongly granulated except patch of polygonal cells centrally on frons anterior to median ocellus. Vertex, frons and gena bearing setae of two lengths, one short and narrow, the other thick and very long. Postclypeus bearing short narrow setae. Antennae flagellar segments bearing setae of differing lengths, placoid sensilla distributed as follows: 1 base f 1, 1 apex f 4. Trichoid sensillum near apices of f 6 and f 10, each bearing a long slender filament. Terminal segment apically attenuated, bearing large apical seta. Fore wing (fig. 180) veins, including cu 2, bearing single rank of large setae. Medial and radial veins, and vein cu 1b bearing a second rank of shorter fine setae. Costa adjacent to pterostigma strongly thickened. Setae on hind wing (fig. 181) veins: r 1 1, rs 0, r 2+3 0, r 4+5 10 (2 ranks), m 12 (2 ranks), cu 1 1. Both wings with microtrichia on margins and membranes. Ninth tergite with central reticulate field of polygonal cells. Epiproct (fig. 182) with 2 large setae at each posterolateral margin. Paraproct (fig. 182) with round field of 13–17 trichobothria. Subgenital plate (fig. 183): lobe elongated, narrowing posteriorly, apex with 4-5 small setae; pigment band extending into pair of anteriorly diverging arms. Gonapophyses (fig. 184): ventral valve long, slender; dorsal valve broad with sclerotised basal bar, rudimentary spine apically pointed; external valve transverse, posterior margin shallowly rounded, setose. Spermathecal sac (fig. 184) membranous, basal portion of duct sclerotised.

Dimensions. B 3.0, FW 2.83, HW 2.18, F 0.63, T 1.17, t 1 0.427, t

2

0.071, t

3

0.111, rt 6:1:1.5, ct 12,0,0, f

1

0.411, f

2

0.253.

Male. Unknown.

Remarks. This species, found only on Nothofagus from Cradle Valley, is similar to P. guttata and P. paraguttata in the pigmentation of the fore wing. P. hellyeri differs from these two species in lacking distinct postclypeal striae converging towards a pale midline, in the shape of both the apical spine on the dorsal valve and the external valve of the gonapophyses, and in possessing a sclerotised basal portion on the spermathecal duct.

Etymology. Named for Henry Hellyer, an early surveyor and explorer in Tasmania.

Figures

Figures 180-184. Philotarsopsis hellyeri. Female: 180, fore wing; 181, hind wing; 182, epiproct and paraproct; 183, subgenital plate; 184, gonapophyses and spermathecal sac. Figures 180, 181 and 182-184 to common scales.