Ausejanus, Menard & Schuh, 2011

Menard, Katrina L. & Schuh, Randall T., 2011, Revision Of Leucophoropterini: Diagnoses, Key To Genera, Redescription Of The Australian Fauna, And Descriptions Of New Indo-Pacific Genera And Species (Insecta: Hemiptera: Miridae), Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 2011 (361), pp. 1-159 : 40-42

Ausejanus , new genus Figures 6–10 , 44H–K ; plates 1–4

TYPE SPECIES: Idatiella albisignatus Knight, 1938 .

DIAGNOSIS: Distinguishable from other genera in Leucophoropterini and other Australian Phylinae by combination of primarily red to dark brown coloration of body and hemelytra, a contrastingly colored white to transparent transverse fascia on anterior portion of hemelytra in all but two species, presence of only simple setae in hemelytron and body vestiture, a simple male S-shaped endosoma composed of two straps united by a membrane and simple secondary gonopore, sexual dimorphism in coloration of antennal segment 2 and hemelytron, and large reddish to purple eyes.

DESCRIPTION: Male: Macropterous, relatively small to medium sized, elongate, and parallel sided. Total length 2.38–3.96, width pronotum 0.76–1.09, maximum width across hemelytra 0.89–1.38. COLORATION: Hemelytra gold yellow, pale brown to dark brown, and ruby red to burgundy, with majority of species having transverse, transparent or white pigmented fascia on anterior portion. Head: Head red, medium brown, or dark brown. Antennal segment 1 gold to pale brown, segment 2 red basally or gold yellow darkening distally toward segment 3 or completely dark, segment 3 completely to dark brown except basal joint where pale, segment 4 dark brown. Labium same color as head. Eyes ruby red to dark red. Thorax: Pronotum and scutellum red, medium brown, or dark brown. Thorax red, medium brown, or dark brown. Scent gland same coloration as thorax or paler. Presence of white band along posterior dorsal edge of metepisternum and scent gland in some species. Legs: Procoxa entirely pale yellow, red, pale brown, or dark brown, with meso- and metacoxae darker basally and golden apically, pale brown, red, or completely dark brown. Pro- and mesofemora gold brown, red, or pale brown to dark brown; metafemur gold or dark red to burgundy. Tibiae gold or dark brown with parallel rows of dark spicules. Tarsomeres completely dark brown or pale basally pale distally brown. Hemelytra: Primarily red, burgundy, gold, pale brown, or dark brown, sometimes with transparent to white-colored partial to complete transverse fascia on anterior portion of hemelytra. Transverse fascia can range from paler area next to claval suture to complete fascia that transverses clavus and corium. Cuneus white along fracture, extending approximately K to M of cuneus, remainder of cuneus dark red to brown. Membrane pale brown, with veins colored in some species red to dark brown. Abdomen: Red, dark brown, or gold, with abdominal sclerites 3–7 weakly paler. SURFACE AND VESTITURE: Dorsum shining, densely covered with subadpressed, simple gold setae. STRUCTURE: Head: Clypeus in dorsal view visible and produced, eyes occupy majority of width and height of head. Vertex flat, width ranging from less than width of eye to greater than width of eyes. Eye height equal to total height of head or nearly equal, anterior margins of eyes removed from dorsal surface of vertex, posterior margins partially obscuring anteri- or margin of pronotum. Antennal segment 1 inverted-coke-bottle shaped, length surpassing apex of head; segment 2 long and equal to in diameter or wider than segment 1, increasing in diameter distally toward segment 3. Length of antennal segment 2 just longer than head width to at least 1.5 times head width. Antennal segments 3 and 4 slender and less than half length of segment 2. Apex of labial segment 1 surpassing posterior margin of head, and apex of fourth segment reaching or passing apex of metacoxa. Thorax: Pronotum more than two times as wide as long, no demarcation between anterior and posterior margins laterally or dorsally, dorsal surface nearly flat, lateral margins straight forming trapezoidal appearance in dorsal view. Calli weakly visible and raised. Pronotum without collar. Mesoscutum exposed, scutellum weakly transversely rounded. Scent gland approximately half of metepimeron. Legs: Long, slender with metafemora weakly flattened dorsoventrally. Claws of moderate length and width, pulvilli less than half of claw length. Parempodia parallel and setiform. Hemelytra: Lateral margins weakly sinuous, dorsally transversely rounded. Cuneus elongate triangular at least equal to or longer than M total length of hemelytral membrane, cuneal fracture angled anteromesially, and with or without thickenings on lateral margins or posterior to cuneal fracture. Abdomen: Narrow, elongate, with genital capsule less than M total length. GEN- ITALIA: (figs. 9–10): Pygophore: Small and lacking elaborations, occupying about J length of abdomen, ventral margin sloping upward toward apex. Endosoma: Small, slender, twisted, S-shaped, composed of two sclerotized straps, fused into tube toward base and separating toward apex, unified by membrane. Secondary gonopore small, weakly sclerotized, located at apex of endosoma (fig. 9A). Phallotheca: Fairly small, C- to L-shaped, apex gently tapering toward point (fig. 9B) or twisted at apex (10: C). Right Paramere: Moderately sized, smaller than left paramere, parallel sided (fig. 10C). Left Paramere: Moderately sized; posterior process slender, with sensory pits, and gently curving ventrally, relatively elongate compared to anterior process (fig. 9D–K) or relatively short and closer in size to anterior process (fig. 10A, B, D); anterior process stout but without sensory pits on interior margin.

Female: Macropterous. Total length 2.30– 3.66, width pronotum 0.76–1.22, maximum width across hemelytra 1.04–1.54. COLOR- ATION: Similar to male, but often pigmentation much more intense, with transverse fascia (if present) often containing white pigmentation to further contrast with red, dark red, brown, or dark brown hemelytra. Sexual dimorphism in segment 2, dark apically and paler basally. SURFACE TEX- TURE AND VESTITURE: As in male. STRUCTURE: Head: Clypeus produced, minimally to strongly exserted in dorsal view. Vertex convex, width ranging from less than width of eye to greater than width of eyes. Eyes less than total height of head in lateral view. Antennal segment 2 longer and more slender than segment 1 at basal joint, increasing in diameter distally. Length of antennal segment 2 from just short of total head width to 1.25 times total head width. Pronotum more than two times as wide as long. Mesoscutum exposed, scutellum weakly transversely rounded. Lateral margins of hemelytron convex, dorsally transversely rounded. Cuneus shorter and wider than in male, cuneal fracture angled anteromesially. Abdomen parallel sided, ventral margin sloping dorsally. Spine sometimes present on ventral surface of ovipositor. GENITA- LIA (fig. 44H–K): Two separate triangularshaped vestibular sclerites, internal lateral tube absent, vulva covered by apical sclerite (fig. 44J); lateral margins of first gonapophyses sclerotized between dorsal and ventral labiate plates; sclerotized rings weakly sclerotized (fig. 44K). Posterior wall mostly membranous, posterior margin sclerotized across margin, medial invagination (fig. 44H), lateral region of interramal sclerite sclerotized (fig. 44I).

ETYMOLOGY: A name formed by combining Australia and Sejanus ; masculine.

HOSTS: Mostly endemic genera of Fabaceae , Myrtaceae , and Asteraceae in Australia, although several species are generalists and show little host specificity (e.g., A. albisignatus on introduced apple trees in New Zealand).

DISTRIBUTION: Throughout Australia and parts of southern Papua New Guinea, New Caledonia, New Zealand, and Mauritius (figs. 6–8).

DISCUSSION: Ausejanus is described to accommodate many of Australian species previously placed in Sejanus , which were found to form a distinct lineage in an analysis of generic limits within the tribe (Menard and Woolley, in press). Several morphological and genitalic features, including the shape of the endosoma, unite Ausejanus spp. There is slight variation in the shape of the left paramere and phallotheca in three species, A. minutus , A. bournda , and A. schwartzi , which have the anterior process closer in length to the posterior process (fig. 10A, B, D), whereas all other species of Ausejanus have the posterior process relatively elongate (fig. 9D–K). Also, in A. bournda the phallotheca is relatively narrow, with a twisted apex, and with ridges on the posterior surface (fig. 10C), whereas the remaining Ausejanus species have an untwisted apex and a relatively wide body (fig. 9B). The overwhelming majority of species, however, do not have any quantifiable differences in the form of the male genitalia. Therefore, we emphasize the external morphology and coloration for the majority of the specieslevel character information. The female genitalia are identical for all of the currently known species. Species described by Carvalho and Gross on the basis of female holotypes were associated with male specimens when possible and rediagnosed on the basis of male characters. Species that could not be confidently associated with male specimens are treated as incertae sedis. All holotypes of new species are males.

Figures

Figure 6. Distribution map of Ausejanus spp. (A–I).

Figure 7. Distribution map of Ausejanus spp. (L–T).

Figure 8. Distribution map of Ausejanus spp. (S, U, V).

Figure 9. Male genitalia of Ausejanus spp. A. Endosoma, A. schwartzi. B. Phallotheca, A. cordatus. C. Right paramere, A. neboissi. D–K. Left paramere. D. A. meridionalis. E. A. neboissi. F. A. femoralis. G, K. A. albisignatus. H. A. arvensus. I. A. vividus. J. A. iris.

Figure 10. Male genitalia of Ausejanus spp. A, B, D. Left paramere. A. A. minutus. B. A. bournda. C. Phallotheca, A. bournda. D. A. schwartzi.

Figure 44. Female genitalia of Aitkenia exocarpos (A–D), Arafuramiris queenslandensis (E–G), Ausejanus albisignatus (H–K), Austrodapus nitens (L–O), Blesingia gularis (P–Q), Collessicoris bellissimus (R–S), and Leucophoroptera quadrimaculata (T–U). Ls5 lateral reduced interramal sclerites; PM–PW5 posterior margin sclerite on the posterior wall; Osp5 ovipositor spine; SR5 sclerotized rings; As 5 anterior sclerite of first gonapophysis; Vg 5 vestibular sclerite of first gonapophysis.