Blesingia tamborinea Carvalho and Gross, 1982

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 : 91-92

Blesingia tamborinea Carvalho and Gross Figures 14 , 16 ; plate 5

Blesingia tamborinea Carvalho and Gross, 1982: 50 , figs. 79–81, 125 (n. sp., descr., DV, MG).

DIAGNOSIS: Recognized by wide anterior portion of hemelytron, relatively swollen posterior margin of pronotum, and thickened base of labrum.

REDESCRIPTION: Male: Macropterous, medium sized, elongate, medially constricted. Total length 3.12, width pronotum 0.98, maximum width across hemelytra 1.09. COLORATION: Brown, pale brown, and castaneous. Eyes deep red to purple. Labium brown. Antennal segment 1 golden basally, dark brown distally, remaining segments dark brown. Dorsolateral margin of metepisternum and scent gland with wide white band, width at widest point equal to about half of total width of scent gland. Procoxae white with reddish tinge distally, mesocoxae reddish brown, metacoxae dark basally pale distally for less than half of total length. Pro- and mesofemora pale brown, metafemora dark brown. All tibiae basally dark brown, distally golden, metafemora also with parallel rows of dark spicules. Basal tarsomeres golden brown, distally dark brown. Hemelytra dark brown with transparent transverse fascia on anterior margin of hemelytron occupying most of anterior margin of corium and transverses median of clavus, posterior area of clavus dark brown like remaining area of corium, transverse fascia with dark brown posterior margin to fascia that transverses across entirety of hemelytron (pl. 5). Anterior margin of cuneus and part of lateral margin white, occupying less than J total area of cuneus, posterior dark brown. STRUCTURE: Clypeus not visible in dorsal view, not surpassing frons anteriorly in dorsal or lateral view. Area of head below eyes in anterior view weakly constricted laterally and width wider than width of vertex. Vertex convex, with posterior margin flat, width nearly equal to width of one eye and less than M total head width. Eyes weakly removed from anterior margin of vertex, height greater than half total height of head, vertex visible in lateral view. Greater than M total height of head below eyes, gula short, flat. Length of antennal segment 2 greater than 1.5 times total head width, weakly curving medially. Labrum thickened at base for K of length of buccula but not laterally compressed, remaining of length slender. Labial segment 1 apex does not extend past posterior margin of head, apex of segment 4 reaching apex of mesocoxa. Pronotum less than two times as wide as long, posterior lobe of pronotum swollen and with dorsal surface of pronotum sharply angled ventrally, lacking dorsal demarcation between anterior and posterior lobes of pronotum, lateral margins straight and forming trapezoidal shape in dorsal view, Scent gland approximately K of total area of metepimeron. Metatibia straight and tubular. Anterolateral margins of hemelytron wider than posterior margins. Cuneus nearly triangular with lateral margin weakly angled inward and convex, length less about M total length of hemelytral membrane, cuneal fracture angled anteromesially, and with partial thickening on lateral margins of cuneus in area occupied by white margin. GENITALIA (fig. 16): Pygophore: Small, about M total length of abdomen, with small protuberance on ventral-posterior surface, ventral margin weakly sloping upward toward apex. Endosoma: Small, slender, twist- ed, S-shaped, composed of two sclerotized straps, fused into tube toward base and separating toward apex, unified by membrane. Secondary gonopore apical, small, weakly sclerotized or horse-collar shaped ( Carvalho and Gross, 1982: fig. 79). Phallotheca: C-shaped, apex gently tapering to a point (fig. 16A). Right Paramere: Moderately sized, smaller than left paramere, parallel sided (fig. 16B). Left Paramere: Moderately sized; posterior process of medium width and gently curving ventrally, relatively elongate compared to anterior process (fig. 16C; Carvalho and Gross, 1982: fig. 80).

Female: Unknown.

HOSTS: Unknown; collected at M.V. Light.

DISTRIBUTION: Queensland.

NOMENCLATURAL NOTES: Blesingia tamborinea was spelled two different ways in the original work: B. tamborinea in the description and illustrations and B. tamborinei in the key and introduction. As first revisers, we select Blesingia tamborinea as the correct spelling due to its association with the original description.

DISCUSSION: The holotype of this species is badly damaged, with the legs glued separately on the card, the abdomen and one-half of the hemelytron missing. However, the shape of the pronotum, the antennal coloration, and the overall coloration still allowed for the identification of one additional specimen. The male genitalia are described based on the original description and images of the genitalia from the holotype, because the additional specimen examined is the only intact specimen for the species and we therefore chose not to dissect it.

HOLOTYPE: AUSTRALIA: Queensland: Tamborine Mountain , 17.iii.1964, G. Monteithi. 18 ( QM).

SPECIMENS EXAMINED: AUSTRALIA: Queensland: Kenmore, 08 Jan 1977, M.A. Schneider, 18 (00393672) ( AM).

Figures

Figure 14. Distribution map of Blesingia spp.

Figure 16. Drawings of male genitalia of Blesingia tamborinea glued to card with holotype. A. Phallotheca, B. Right paramere, C. Left paramere.