Germalus littoralis Malipatil

Malipatil, M. B. & Blacket, M. J., 2013, Review and revision of Australian Germalus Stål, with new genera and further new species of Australian Geocorinae (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Geocoridae), Zootaxa 3746 (2), pp. 257-300 : 284-285

Germalus littoralis Malipatil , sp. nov.

( Figs. 98–115 )

Type specimens: Holotype female, Queensland, 7941 Yule Point, Cairns-Mossman Road, 27.x.1966, EB Britton, near mangroves, in ANIC. Paratypes 3 males, 1 female, same data as holotype, in ANIC; 1 male, 1 female, Mackay, mangroves, 19.i.1967, D McAlpine & G Holloway coll, in AM; 1 male, Cairns dist., AM Lea, in SAM.

Description. Colouration: Body pale stramineous ( Fig. 98 ) with punctures on pronotum, scutellum and hemelytra slightly fuscous; abdominal dorsum, below hemelytra and membrane, with median narrow fuscous patch for entire length; apical segments of labium brown; tip of head with median line on clypeus, and inner lines demarcating jugae, fuscous ( Fig. 100 ).

Measurements: are of holotype female, paratype male, followed by ranges of remaining paratype specimens measured within round brackets.

Body: Narrow, elongate, parallel-sided ( Fig. 98 ); length 5.42, 4.83 (4.83–5.30); maximum width 1.65, 1.44 (1.40–1.63).

Head: Surface impunctate; anterior of eyes almost parallel-sided ( Fig. 100 ); head width across eyes subequal to body width; eyes stylate with antennifers slightly projecting outward ( Fig. 100 ); bucculae abruptly diminishing behind flaps portion almost to surface of head just posterior of antennifers, continuing as parallel lines before joining in V-form, thereafter continuing as a fine line to base of head; gular area broadly strongly flattened, demarcated, covered with long dense fine setae. Length of head 0.85, 80 (0.78–0.82); width across eyes 1.42, 1.38 (1.34–1.45); interocular space 0.80, 0.75 (0.73–0.82); interocellar space 0.32, 0.27 (0.32–0.34); eye-ocellar space 0.24, 0.23 (0.20–0.24); eye length 0.46, 0.46 (0.44–0.46); eye width 0.27, 0.25 (0.24–0.27). Labium robust, extending to mid coxae, 1st segment almost reaching base of head; length of segments: I 0.57, 0.48 (0.50–0.57); II 0.48, 0.46 (0.40–0.48); III 0.43, 0.45 (0.43–0.46); IV 0.43, 0.40 (0.40–0.44). Labrum extending to about ½ length of 2nd labial segment. Antennae with 1st segment exceeding clypeus by about 1/3, generally short and stout; 4th segment incrassate, thicker than other segments; basal segment with bristles, remainder with pubescence only. Length of antennal segments: I 0.34, 0.35 (0.34–0.40); II 0.59, 0.64 (0.59–0.62); III 0.30, 0.30 (0.30–0.32); IV 0.57, 0.52 (0.52–0.60).

Thorax: Pronotum quadrate ( Fig. 99 ), narrowly carinate on lateral margins, slightly concave about middle, calli impunctate, posterior margin straight, sparsely but distinctly punctuate all over except on calli and anterior and posterior margins. Median length 0.98, 0.92 (0.99–1.03); width at posterior margin 1.38, 1.26 (1.29–1.40). Thoracic pleura densely punctate with dark punctures. Scent gland opening narrow and directed posteriorly, evaporative area narrow. Legs particularly femora shiny, fore femora more incrassate than other femora; all legs covered with minute black spicules irregularly distributed on tibiae and femora, particularly on posterior (outer) and dorsal (upper) surfaces and on apical ½ of mid and hind femora (thus surfaces rubbing against body devoid of spicules). [Note these spicules are present in many other species examined in the present study, but the spicules appear to be more conspicuous by their black colour on a pale background and their density, particularly in this species and in Unicageocoris griseus ]. Scutellum length 0.65, 0.62 (0.60–0.67); width 0.69, 0.66 (0.66–0.71). Hemelytra parallel-sided ( Fig. 98 ); corium with almost three complete rows of punctures: inner row continuing brokenly onto posterior margin, one submarginal row almost complete to tip, and one middle row; clavus parallelsided with faint punctures in two rows: one incomplete row along inner margin continuing onto commissural area, one almost complete row along outer margin becoming indistinct in apical third. Length of hemelytra 3.86, 3.35 (3.35–3.68); length of corium 2.53, 2.16 (2.25–2.50); claval commissure 0.46, 0.41 (0.43–0.46).

Abdomen: Narrow and parallel-sided. Inner laterotergites narrow, almost absent. Dorsal scent gland scars between terga IV–V and V–VI subequal in width; sutures moderately curved posteriorly from margin to meson ( Figs. 101 , 106 ). Trichobothria on tergum III reduced, in sublinear to triangular series; those on IV reduced, arranged in linear series. Female with tergum almost fully membranous, not sclerotised except for narrow median light fuscous band, as in Fig.101 ; abdominal sternum not sclerotised. uniformly covered with short decumbent setae ( Fig. 102 ). Male apodemes on anterior margin of sternum V with a pair of broad flaps on either side of midline ( Fig. 107 ); those on anterior margin of VII with one large flap in middle extending to about anterior ¼ of sternum VI; sternum III with a median pair of minute flaps on anterior margin ( Fig. 107 ).

Female genitalia: Spermathecal bulb ( Fig. 103 ) almost spherical, with a flange near base, sclerotised and almost evenly expanded; duct part behind flange short and tubular, with no twists or coils; basal part with duct short and narrow. Ovipositor thin and elongate, 1st ramus traversing to almost 5/6 length of 1st gonapophysis ( Fig. 104 ); 2nd gonapophysis narrow, spatulate; 2nd gonocoxae crescentic ( Fig. 105 ).

Male genitalia: Pygophore as in Fig. 108 , with brushy long setae. Paramere ( Figs. 113–115 ) with acutely pointed sickle-shaped blade, dorsal lobe pointed, ventral lobe indistinct; blade above dorsal lobes with a tuft of long setae. Aedeagus as in ( Figs. 109–111 ). Phallotheca moderately sclerotised in a band form near base on ventral aspect; dorsally membranous except for two ill defined heavily sclerotised plates: one small near base, the other large elongate towards apical area near base of vesica. Ejaculatory reservoir ( Fig. 112 ) with neck, body, and wings well developed, body and neck not produced posteriorly. Vesica membranous; helicoid process moderately sclerotised, with 1½ coils, then gradually narrowed. Gonoporal process robust, with 2–3 coils, ending in a blunt unusually enlarged and flared gonopore ( Fig. 112 ).

Distribution. Only northern Queensland, commonly collected in the vicinity of mangroves.

Notes. The species name alludes to the “shore (‘littus’ or ‘littoris’) habitat from which the type series was collected.

This species can be readily distinguished from other species examined in the present study by the narrow, elongate, parallel-sided body ( Fig. 98 ), dorsally impunctate head, broad flattened and pilose gular area, and the quadrate pronotum. Further, the near spherical spermathecal bulb with its short non-coiled duct ( Fig. 103 ), and the flared gonoporal process ( Fig. 112 ), help to diagnose G. littoralis .

The Mackay specimens have fuscous brown irregular areas or spots on the antennae and the humeral angles of the pronotum.

Figures

FIGURES 98 – 100. Germalus littoralis, female, dorsal view: 98, habitus; 99, head, pronotum and scutellum enlarged; 100, head enlarged.

FIGURES 101 − 105. Germalus littoralis, female: 101, abdominal dorsum; 102, abdominal venter; 103, spermatheca; 104, 105, ovipositor.

FIGURES 106 − 115. Germalus littoralis, male: 106, abdominal dorsum; 107, abdominal venter; 108, pygophore, dorsal view; 109 – 111, aedeagus, ventral, lateral and dorsal views; 112, ejaculatory reservoir and helicoid process enlarged; 113 – 115 paramere, different views.