Aitkenia exocarpos, 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 : 22-23

Aitkenia exocarpos , new species Figures 2 , 3A–D , 44A–D ; plates 1, 8

DIAGNOSIS: Recognized by relatively elongate head as compared to A. latevagans , with at least J total height of head below eyes, wider margin of white along dorsolateral margin of metepisternum extending ventrally to lateral margin of scent gland, and genitalic structure. Female recognized by more strongly quadrate pronotum compared to A. latevagans .

DESCRIPTION: Male: Macropterous, medium sized, elongate, and parallel sided. Total length 2.97, width pronotum 0.84, maximum width across hemelytra 0.99. COLORA- TION: Dorsolateral margin metepisternum and scent gland with narrow white band extending into anterolateral margins, width equal to about one-fifth of total width of scent gland. STRUCTURE: Anterior margin of frons surpasses anterior margin of clypeus, obscuring clypeus in dorsal view, area of head below eyes greater than J total height of head (pl. 8). GENITALIA: (fig. 3A–D) Endosoma: Apex relatively broad, secondary gonopore horse-collar shaped in dorsal view (fig. 3B). Phallotheca: Ventral-anterior surface smooth, lacking ridges (fig. 3D). Left Paramere: Dorsal medial surface rounded.

Female: Macropterous, medium sized, with nearly parallel lateral margins. Total length 2.57–2.82, width pronotum 0.83–0.94, maximum width across hemelytra 0.91–1.03. STRUCTURE: Vertex takes up greater than half total head width. Length antennal segment 2 greater than 1.10 times head width. Hemelytral margins weakly constricted medially. COLORATION: Same as male except transverse fascia more opaque white versus nearly transparent in male.

ETYMOLOGY: Named for the genus of plant on which this species was collected.

HOSTS: Primarily Exocarpos sp. (Santalaceae) ; also sporadically found on Fabaceae and Asteraceae .

DISTRIBUTION: Central and Western Australia (fig. 2).

DISCUSSION: Only two males were found for this species and both are teneral; however, the relatively narrow area of the head below the eyes as compared to the type species, A. latevagans , confirms that it represents a different taxon. Furthermore, associated females have a more trapezoidal pronotum as compared to females of A. latevagans , whose anterior margin is closer in width to the posterior margin. Lastly, this species appears to be host specific to Casuarina cunninghamiana , unlike A. latevagans , where males and females were collected in large numbers on Santalaceae .

HOLOTYPE: AUSTRALIA: South Australia: 5 km SW of Whyalla, 33.05085 ° S 137.5004 ° E, 30 m, 21 Oct 1996, Schuh and Cassis, Exocarpos aphyllus R.Br. (Santalaceae) , det. PERTH staff PERTH 05056209, 18 (00273352) ( SAMA).

PARATYPES: AUSTRALIA: Northern Territory: Renner Springs, 27 Nov 1972, D.H. Colless, 18 (00168816) ( ANIC). South Australia: 5 km SW of Whyalla, 33.05085 ° S 137.5004 ° E, 30 m, 21 Oct 1996, Schuh and Cassis, Exocarpos aphyllus R.Br. (Santalaceae) , det. PERTH staff PERTH 05056209, 1♀ (00393279) ( ANIC), 1♀ (00393280) ( SAMA), 18 (00393281) ( USNM). 20 km W of Nepabunna, Mt. Serle, 30.55365 ° S 138.8304 ° E, 630 m, 07 Nov 1998, Schuh, Cassis, Silveira, Acacia victoriae Benth. (Fabaceae) , det. Det: Royal Bot Gard. NSW NSW427617, 1♀ (00393287) Exocarpos aphyllus R. Br. (Santalaceae) , det. Det: Royal Bot Gard. NSW NSW427339, 6♀ (00393282– 00393286, 00393288) ( AM), 1♀ (00393289) ( TAMU). 28.8 km N of Port Augusta on Stuart Hiway, 32.26667 ° S 137.5692 ° E, 77 m, 19 Oct 2001, Cassis, Silveira, Wall, Exocarpos aphyllus R.Br. (Santalaceae) , det. NSW staff NSW658282, 28 (00274793, 00274795), 1♀ (00274792) ( AM), 18 (00274794) ( UNSW). 75 km NW of Morgan, 5 km N Cane Grass, 33.53334 ° S 140.05 ° E, 100 m, 02 Nov 1995, Schuh, Cassis, and Gross, Exocarpos aphyllus R. Br. (Thymelaeaceae) , det. B.M. Wiecek 1996 NSW 395968, 1♀ (00393278) ( AM). 96 km NW of Morgan, Pine Valley Stn, 33.31667 ° S 140.2 ° E, 150 m, 02 Nov 1995, Schuh, Cassis, and Gross, Exocarpos aphyllus R. Br. (Santalaceae) , det. B.M. Wiecek 1996 NSW 395968, 9♀ (00273339–00273343, 00273348–00273351) ( AMNH). Mt Serle district (near Gammon Ranges National Park), 30.55001 ° S 138.837 ° E, 567 m, 08 Nov 2001, Cassis, Schuh, Schwartz, Exocarpos aphyllus R.Br. (Santalaceae) , det. NSW staff NSW666360, 2♀ (00371774, 00371775) ( AMNH), 1♀ (00371773) ( TAMU). Tea Tree Swamp, 6 mi W of Warooka, 27 Jan 1962, P. Aitken, 18 (00169262) ( SAMA). Wilochcreek, 60 km N Port-Augusta, 31.95 ° S 137.76666 ° E, 30 Apr 1978, V.I. Tobias, 18 (00229519) ( ZISP). Western Australia: Blowholes Rd NW of North West Coastal Hiway, Beagle Hill Area, 24.49068 ° S 113.4626 ° E, 20 m, 27 Oct 2004, Cassis, Wall, Weirauch, Tatarnic, Symonds, Exocarpos aphyllus R.Br. (Santalaceae) , det. PERTH staff PERTH 6988741, 1♀ (00195999) ( WAMP). Eneabba on Brand Hiway, 29.80735 ° S 115.2699 ° E, 100 m, 31 Oct 1996, Schuh and Cassis, Exocarpos sp. (Santalaceae) , 1♀ (00088827) ( UNSW), Exocarpos sp. (Santalaceae) , 1♀ (00088826) ( WAMP). Newman Rocks, 136.5 km E of Norseman, 32.11084 ° S 123.1704 ° E, 250 m, 22 Oct 1996, Schuh and Cassis, Olearia sp. (Asteraceae) , det. PERTH staff PERTH 05095050, 1♀ (00272182) ( USNM).

Figures

Figure 2. Distribution map of Aitkenia spp.

Figure 3. Male genitalia of Aitkenia spp., and illustration of weakly sclerotized and horse-collar– shaped secondary gonopores in Leucophoropterini (A–H).

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.