Ausejanus tiramisu, 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 : 67

Ausejanus tiramisu , new species Figure 7 ; plate 4

DIAGNOSIS: Distinguished from other members of Ausejanus by dark brown coloration of legs and all antennal segments, patterning on hemelytra of a pale white patch on a dark brown background on posterior portion of corium (pl. 4), and relatively small eyes for genus.

DESCRIPTION: Male: Macropterous, small, elongate, and parallel sided. Total length 2.57–3.26, width pronotum 0.81–0.95, maximum width across hemelytra 0.89–1.09. COLORATION: Chocolate brown and white. Head dark to medium brown. Antennae dark brown. Labium dark brown. Eyes ruby red. Thorax, pronotum, and scutellum dark brown. Coxae dark brown basally, lightening to gold at joint with trochanter and femora. Pro- and mesofemora proximally dark brown, distally pale brown. Metafemora completely dark brown. Pro- and mesotibiae proximally gold, dark brown distally. Metatibia completely dark brown with parallel rows of dark spicules. Tarsomeres completely dark on all legs. Corium and clavus brown with white transverse fascia covering most of basal half of corium and middle third of clavus. Clavus dark brown next to margin of scutellum and distal J corresponding to dark area of corium. Apical half of corium brown with lightening toward middle portion of last half of corium, approximately corresponding to apex of claval commissure (pl. 4). Cuneus white on basal half, dark brown for remaining posterior lobes. Membrane dark brown. Abdomen dark brown, with abdominal sclerites 3–7 weakly paler. STRUCTURE: Vertex width approximately same width as an eye, eye height nearly total height of head. Length of antennal segment 2 just less than 1.33 total head width. GENITALIA: See generic description.

Female: Macropterous. Total length 2.23– 2.72, width pronotum 0.81–0.90, width at widest part of wings 0.81–0.90. STRUC- TURE: Vertex over half total head width. Length of antennal segment 2 nearly 1.10 times total head width. COLORATION: Same as male with exception of cuneus and margin of metepimeron, which have larger lobes white.

ETYMOLOGY: Named for the unique coloration pattern of the hemelytra that mirrors the interior layers of tiramisu, the famous Italian dessert.

HOSTS: Recorded primarily from Olearia axillaris (DC.) Benth (Asteraceae) , including nymphs, suggesting this is a breeding host plant. Also recorded on Boronia alata Sm. (Rutaceae) .

DISTRIBUTION: Western Australia along the coast, most likely wherever host plant is located.

DISCUSSION: Most similar in coloration pattern to A. vividus , but unique in its patterning of the posterior portion of the hemelytra containing a white patch versus completely dark brown as in A. vividus (pl. 4), and A. tiramisu is structurally different in having eyes shorter in height and width relative to the total width of the head. Ausejanus tiramisu appears to be host specific to one genus and species of plant, Olearia axillaries , where it was collected in large numbers along with nymphs.

HOLOTYPE: AUSTRALIA: Western Australia: Conspicuous Beach, Walpole-Nornalup National Park, 10 km E of Nornalup, 35.03725 ° S 116.8443 ° E, 30 m, 17 Dec 1997, Schuh, Cassis, Brailovsky, Olearia axillaris (DC.) Benth. (Asteraceae) , det. PERTH staff PERTH 05095328. 18 (00108592) ( WAMP).

PARATYPES: AUSTRALIA: Western Australia: 2.1 km S of Coorow-Greenhead Rd, on Cockleshell Gully Rd, 30.08751 ° S 115.12 ° E, 156 m, 06 Nov 2004, Cassis, Weirauch, Tatarnic, Symonds, Allocasuarina humilis (Otto & F.Dietr.) L.A.S.Johnson (Casuarinaceae) , det. PERTH staff PERTH6987478, 18 (00392798) ( AMNH). 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, 1♀ (00195642) ( AMNH). Cape Leeuwin, Leeuwin Naturaliste National Park, 34.37277 ° S 115.135 ° E, 02 Dec 1998, G. Cassis, 2♀ (00196980, 00196981) ( AM), 18 (00196978) ( ANIC), 18 (00196979) ( USNM). Cape Naturaliste National Park, 33.54034 ° S 115.0123 ° E, 50 m, 14 Dec 1997, Schuh, Cassis, Brailovsky, Olearia axillaris (DC.) Benth. (Asteraceae) , det. PERTH staff PERTH 05055334, 38 (00196965–00196967), 10♀ (00196968–00196977) ( AM), 78 (00272054– 00272060), 5♀ (00271790–00271793, 00275379) ( AMNH). Conspicuous Beach, Walpole-Nornalup National Park, 10 km E of Nornalup, 35.03725 ° S 116.8443 ° E, 30 m, 17 Dec 1997, Schuh, Cassis, Brailovsky, Olearia axillaris (DC.) Benth. (Asteraceae) , det. PERTH staff PERTH 05095328, 158 (00196907, 00196911– 00196924), 28♀ (00196925–00196952) ( AM), 18 (00272066), 258 (00108519, 00108537– 00108538, 00271788, 00272064–00272065, 00272067– 00272079, 00272081–00272086), 27♀ (00108518, 00108541–00108542, 00271794–00271817) ( AMNH), 18 (00196906) ( ANIC), 1♀ (00271818) ( SAMA), 18 (00196909) ( TAMU), 18 (00196908) ( UNSW), 28 (00196904, 00196910) ( USNM), 38 (00272061–00272063) ( WAMP), 18 (00196905) ( ZISP). Forest Grove Road, 0.9 km E of Caves Road, 34.07227 ° S 115.0462 ° E, 60 m, 15 Dec 1997, Schuh, Cassis, Brailovsky, Pultenaea reticulata (Sm.) Benth. (Papilionaceae) , det. PERTH staff PERTH 05056349, 18 (00272080) ( AMNH). Gnarabup Beach, 33.99527 ° S 114.99138 ° E, 03 Dec 1998, G. Cassis, Boronia alata Sm. (Rutaceae) PERTH 05227593, 1♀ (00196999) ( AM), 18 (00197000) ( QM). Greenough River Mouth, 28.86304 ° S 114.6343 ° E, 05 Nov 2004, Cassis, Weirauch, Tatarnic, Symonds, Olearia axillaris (DC.) Benth. (Asteraceae) , det. PERTH staff PERTH6988334, 148 (00197032– 00197045), 19♀ (00197013–00197031) ( AMNH). Sloping Rocks, Leeuwin Naturaliste NP, 34.09777 ° S 114.99305 ° E, 02 Dec 1998, G. Cassis, 3♀ (00275396, 00275403–00275404), 68 (00275385–00275387, 00275389, 00275393– 00275394) ( AM), 1♀ (00275398), 18 (00275384) ( ANIC), 1♀ (00275399), 18 (00275388) ( QM), 2♀ (00275397, 00275405), 18 (00275391) ( SAMA), 1♀ (00275401) ( TAMU), 1♀ (00275400), 18 (00275390) ( UNSW), 28 (00275376, 00275377), 1♀ (00275378) ( WAMP), 1♀ (00275402), 18 (00275392) ( ZISP). Yalgorup National Park, 32.83472 ° S 115.6524 ° E, 80 m, 04 Dec 1999, R.T. Schuh and G. Cassis, Olearia axillaris (DC.) Benth. (Asteraceae) , det. PERTH staff PERTH 05671744, 98 (00196694–00196695, 00196697, 00196700, 00196705–00196709), 25♀ (00196735– 00196752, 00196754–00196760) ( AM), 3♀ (00196719, 00196725, 00196731) ( ANIC), 3♀ (00196720, 00196726, 00196732) ( QM), 18 (00196710), 1♀ (00196753) ( SAMA), 3♀ (00196721, 00196727, 00196733) ( TAMU), 3♀ (00196717, 00196723, 00196729) ( UNSW), 3♀ (00196718, 00196724, 00196730) ( USNM), 78 (00196696, 00196698–00196699, 00196701– 00196704) ( WAMP), 3♀ (00196722, 00196728, 00196734) ( ZISP). Yalgorup National Park, 32.83583 ° S 115.65111 ° E, 27 Nov 1998, G. Cassis, Olearia axillaris (DC.) Benth. (Asteraceae) , det. PERTH staff PERTH 05227461, 248 (00196762–00196779, 00196898–00196903), 61♀ (00196799–00196805, 00196812–00196828, 00196830–00196860, 00196870–00196875) ( AM), 9♀ (00196861–00196869) ( AMNH), 1♀ (00196808) ( ANIC), 1♀ (00196809) ( QM), 1♀ (00196829) ( SAMA), 18 (00196780), 1♀ (00196810) ( TAMU), 1♀ (00196806) ( UNSW), 18 (00196781), 1♀ (00196807) ( USNM), 178 (00196782–00196798) ( WAMP), 1♀ (00196811) ( ZISP).

Figures

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