Gulacapsus australiensis, 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 : 100-101

Gulacapsus australiensis , new species Figures 21–22 ; plates 6, 8

DIAGNOSIS: Recognized by completely white profemur, tibiae dark basally and pale distally (pl. 8), and presence of spine on ovipositor. Similar in coloration to Blesingia gularis but differentiated by unicolorous cuneus and structural characters of head and eyes (pl. 6).

DESCRIPTION: Male: Macropterous, small, medially constricted. Total length 3.32, width pronotum 0.75, maximum width across hemelytra 0.89. COLORATION: Head dark brown. Eyes dark purple. Labium pale brown. Antennal segment 1 golden, segment 2 golden basally and pale brown distally, segment 3 golden basally, dark brown distally, and segment 4 completely brown. Pronotum, scutellum, and thorax dark brown. Dorsolateral margin of metepisternum and scent gland with narrow white margin, equal to J total width of scent gland. Procoxa completely white, mesocoxa dark reddish brown, metacoxa brown basally for nearly half of length, white distally. Profemur golden white, and meso- and metafemora dark brown (pl. 8). Pro- and mesotibiae dark brown basally and golden distally, metatibia golden apically, dark brown for remainder of length and also possessing two parallel rows of dark spicules. Basal golden, distally dark brown. Anterior margin of corium dark brown along with anterior half of clavus transitioning into complete white fascia with dark brown margin, M of total area of anterior portion of corium and part of median of clavus, dark posterior margin extending across entire width of hemelytron. Remainder of hemelytron pale brown, lateral posterior margins of hemelytron reddish brown (pl. 6). Cuneus same coloration as hemelytron. Membrane dark brown without pigmentation on veins. Abdomen dark brown. STRUCTURE: Clypeus projecting beyond anterior margin of frons in lateral view, visible in dorsal view. Vertex flat with posterior margin declining, width M width of one eye, eyes weakly removed from anterior margin of vertex. Nearly K of total height of head below eyes. Length of antennal segment 2 more than 1.5 times total head width, weakly curving medially. Labrum laterally compressed but not elongate. Apex of segment 4 surpassing procoxae. Pronotum nearly O as long as wide, dorsal surface swollen dorsally and convex in posterior lobe of pronotum, with dorsal indentation separating anterior and posterior lobes, dorsal lateral margins narrowed anteriorly and widening distally forming bell-shaped pronotum in dorsal view. Scent gland less than M total area of metepimeron. Cuneus narrow, triangular, length approximately equal to M total length of hemelytral membrane. Abdomen narrow for most of length, expanding in diameter to pygophore. GENITALIA (fig. 22); Pygophore missing from genitalia vial of holotype. Endosoma: Small, slender, twisted, S-shaped, composed of two sclerotized straps unified by membrane, apex twisted and reflexed. Secondary gonopore small, horse-collar shaped (fig. 22B). Phallotheca: Small, L-shaped, apex gently tapering toward a point, base short (fig. 22A). Right Paramere: Small, relatively short with nearly parallel lateral margins, apex rounded (fig. 22A). Left Paramere: Moderately sized; posterior process broad, with sensory pits, dorsal surface convex with apex directed perpendicular to base of paramere, posterior process relatively elongate compared to anterior process; anterior process stout but without sensory pits on interior margin, apex directed perpendicular to base of paramere, dorsal surface below median line of height of paramere. Dorsomedial surface between anterior and posterior processes convex (fig. 22B).

Female: Macropterous, small, medially constricted. Total length 3.02, width pronotum 0.91, maximum width across hemelytra 0.76. COLORATION: Similar patterning as in male except antennal segment 2 more yellow basally. SURFACE TEXTURE AND VESTITURE: As in male. STRUC- TURE: Height of head below eyes greater than in male, at least half total height of head, gula more developed and elongate. Length of antennal segment 2 at least 1.5 times total head width. Ventral surface of abdomen parallel to dorsal surface for greater than half of posterior length. Ovipositor spine present. GENITALIA: Not examined.

ETYMOLOGY: Named for this species’ occurrence in Australia.

HOSTS: Unknown.

DISTRIBUTION: Northern Territory.

DISCUSSION: The endosoma of G. australiensis differs from genitalia illustrated by Schuh (1984) for the genus in the shape of the secondary gonopore, but the keellike gula, the shape and coloration patterns of the hemelytra, the pronotal collar, and the exserted posterior margin of the eyes clearly place this species in Gulacapsus .

HOLOTYPE: AUSTRALIA: Northern Territory: Black Jungle, nr. Humpty-doo , 24 Nov 1958, J.L. Gressitt. 18 (00318906) ( BPBM).

PARATYPES: AUSTRALIA: Northern Territory: Black Jungle, nr. Humpty-doo, 24 Nov 1958, J.L. Gressitt, 1♀ (00318907) ( BPBM). Daly River, 13.75 ° S 130.7 ° E, 09 Aug 1980 – 10 Aug 1980, M.B. Malipatil, 2♀ (00393669, 00393670) ( AM). Fogg Dam area, 12.56666 ° S 131.3 ° E, 14 Oct 1980, M.B. Malipatil, 18 (00393668) ( AM).

Figures

Figure 21. Distribution map of Gulacapsus spp.

Figure 22. Male genitalia of Gulacapsus australiensis (A–D).