Aitkenia Carvalho and Gross

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 : 19-22

Aitkenia Carvalho and Gross Figures 2–3 , 44A–D ; plates 1, 8

Aitkenia latevagans Carvalho and Gross, 1982: 40 (n. gen., descr., disc., key to spp.).

TYPE SPECIES: Aitkenia latevagans Carvalho and Gross,1982 , by original designation.

REVISED DIAGNOSIS: Recognized by castaneous coloration, nearly complete to complete white transverse fascia with a dark brown posterior margin, parallel-sided lateral margins of corium, dorsoventrally flattened metafemur, and presence of only simple setae on the dorsum. Female recognized by trapezoidal to box-shaped pronotum in dorsal view with anterior margin relatively narrow compared to posterior margin, and lateral margin of hemelytron more strongly convex than in Leucophoroptera .

REDESCRIPTION: Male: Macropterous, medium sized, elongate, and parallel sided. Total length 2.92–2.97, width pronotum 0.89–0.90, maximum width across hemelytra 0.94–0.99. COLORATION: Brown, pale brown and castaneous. Head: Brown. Eyes deep red to purple. Labium brown. Antennal segment 1 golden, remaining segments dark brown. Thorax: Pronotum, scutellum, and thorax dark brown. Dorsolateral margin of metepisternum and scent gland with relatively narrow white band, width nearly equal onefifth of total width of scent gland. Legs: Coxae brown, meso- and metacoxae sometimes gold distally. Femora brown. Pro- and mesotibiae basally dark brown, distally golden, metatibia completely dark brown and with parallel rows of dark spicules. Tarsomeres dark brown. Hemelytra: Pale brown to castaneous with translucent to whitish transverse fascia on anterior margin of hemelytron, most of anterior margin of corium and most of clavus excluding adjacent to claval suture, dark brown posterior margin transverses entirety of hemelytron (pl. 1). Posterolateral margins of corium reddish castaneous. Anterior margin of cuneus white with yellowish tinge on lateral margin, less than one-fifth total area of cuneus, remainder of cuneus reddish brown. Abdomen: Brown. SURFACE AND VESTITURE: Dorsal surface of body and hemelytron with fine, golden simple setae, reflective patches medially on hemelytron and claval suture. STRUCTURE: Head: Clypeus sometimes visible in dorsal view, obscured by frons in anterior view or visible with clypeus surpassing frons anteriorly in dorsal view. Vertex flat and declining along posterior margin, width less than width of eye. Eye height greater than 1.5 total height of head, vertex visible in lateral view anterior to anterior surface of eyes, less than or equal to M of head below eyes, posterior margin of eyes partially obscuring anterior margin of pronotum (pl. 8). 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 segment 2 equal to 1.25 times total head width or short of 1.33 times head width. Segments 3 and 4 slender and less than half length of segment 2. Apex labial segment 1 extending past posterior margin of head, apex of segment 4 reaching 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. Pronotal collar not present. Mesoscutum exposed, scutellum weakly transversely rounded. Scent gland approximately M total area of metepimeron. Legs: Moderate length, slender, metafemora weakly flattened dorsoventrally. Claws moderate length and width, pulvilli less than half of total claw length. Parempodia parallel and setiform. Hemelytra: Lateral margins nearly parallel sided, dorsally transversely rounded. Cuneus triangular, length approximately equal to M total length of hemelytral membrane, cuneal fracture angled anteromesially, partial thickening on lateral margin of cuneus white. Abdomen: Narrow, elongate. GENITALIA: (fig. 3A–H): Pygophore: Small, with minute protuberance on posteroventral surface, occupying about J length of abdomen, ventral margin sloping upward toward apex. Endosoma: Small, slender, twisted, Sshaped, composed of two sclerotized straps, fused into tube toward base, separating toward apex, and unified by membrane. Secondary gonopore small, weakly sclerotized (fig. 3F) or horse-collar shaped and aperture of the secondary gonopore is open in the lateral plane of the endosomal straps (fig. 3A), located at apex of endosoma. Phallotheca: C-shaped, apex gently tapering toward point, sometimes with ridges on ventral-anterior surface (fig. 3D, H). Right Paramere: Moderately sized, nearly parallel sided and with tapering, pointed apex ( Fig. 3A, E ). Left Paramere: Moderately sized; posterior process slender, with sensory pits, directed perpendicular to base of paramere, relatively elongate compared to anteri- or process; anterior process stout but without sensory pits on interior margin, dorsal margin at or below greatest height of paramere body;

dorsomedial surface between anterior and posterior processes rounded to nearly flat (fig. 3C, G).

Female: Macropterous, medium sized, with nearly parallel lateral margins. Total length 2.62–3.17, width pronotum 0.87–0.96, maximum width across hemelytra 0.99–1.09. COL- ORATION: Similar to male but much darker brown and antennal segment 2 paler brown proximally. SURFACE TEXTURE AND VESTITURE: As in male. STRUCTURE:

Head: Clypeus produced, strongly exserted in dorsal view. Vertex convex, width greater than 1.5 times width of one eye. Eyes less than total height of head in lateral view. Antennal segment 2 long and more slender than segment 1 at basal joint, increasing in diameter distally to segment 3. Length antennal segment 2 ranging from just over 1.10 times total head width to less than 1.25 times total width. Thorax: Pronotum more than two times as wide as long, width of anterior margin nearly four-fifths total width of posterior margin to nearly equal in width. Mesoscutum exposed, scutellum weakly transversely rounded. Hemelytra: Lateral margins convex, dorsally transversely round- ed. Cuneus shorter and wider than male, fracture angled anteromesially. Abdomen: Parallel sided, ventral margin sloping dorsally. Spine present on ventral surface of ovipositor (fig. 44C). Remaining characters as in male. GENITALIA (fig. 44A, B, D): Two separate triangular-shaped vestibular sclerites, internal lateral tube absent, vulva covered by apical sclerite; lateral margins of first gonapophyses sclerotized between dorsal and ventral labiate plates; sclerotized rings weakly sclerotized (fig. 44D). Posterior wall mostly membranous, posterior margin sclerotized and possessing flat medial invagination (fig. 44A), lateral region of interramal sclerite sclerotized (fig. 44B).

HOSTS: Primarily Santalaceae and Casuarinaceae , but also found on Asteraceae ( Olearia sp. ).

DISTRIBUTION: Australia.

DISCUSSION: The original description of Aitkenia was extremely vague and essentially uninformative, indicating only that the taxon could be distinguished from species that we place in Ausejanus by the relatively narrow vertex, the tendency for the antennal segment 2 to be somewhat flattened, the more narrow anterior margin of the pronotum, and a slight medial constriction of the hemelytron in dorsal view ( Carvalho and Gross 1982). These attributes characterize several other genera besides Aitkenia . The species of Aitkenia which demonstrate the aforementioned characters most strongly now belong in Blesingia (e.g., Blesingia cantrelli (Carvalho and Gross) ; see treatment of Blesingia below).

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.