Brachysandalus ayyammae Malipatil & Liu, 2024

Liu, Yingqi & Cai, Wanzhi, 2024, Revision of Australian Brachysandalus with the description of nine new species including one cavernicolous species (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Reduviidae), and observations on male extragenital structure and leg teratology, Zootaxa 5490 (1), pp. 1-112 : 12-17

publication ID	https://doi.org/ 10.11646/zootaxa.5490.1.1
publication LSID	lsid:zoobank.org:pub:E939D165-05C8-4557-BF13-751B26188C39
DOI	https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.13212335
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/0A0987BA-FFFD-FFE4-D69C-F901B5FAD97C
treatment provided by	Plazi
scientific name	Brachysandalus ayyammae Malipatil & Liu
status	sp. nov.

Treatment

Brachysandalus ayyammae Malipatil & Liu , sp. nov.

( Figs. 3–5 View FIGURE 3 View FIGURE 4 View FIGURE 5 )

Type specimens. Holotype macropterous male, Australia , New South Wales, 33.55S 146.27E, 5 km S by W Taleeban, 12–18. x.1999, 2 T, D. Driscoll pitfalls, reserve plus spinifex, ‘2T1 (1.8)’ ( ANIC) GoogleMaps . Paratypes: NEW SOUTH WALES. 1 brachypterous female, 33.53S 146.25E, 4 km W by S Taleeban, 12–19.xi.1999, 9 T, D. Driscoll pitfalls, ungrazed roadside spinifex, ‘T9, 13.xi.1999 1.8’ ( ANIC); GoogleMaps 1 macropterous male (dissected), 7.5 km NE by N Gubbata, New South Wales, 12–19.xi.1999, 3 G, D. Driscoll pitfalls, strip ( ANIC) GoogleMaps .

Diagnosis.

Macropterous male and brachypterous female known, body small sized. Black, shiny, pronotum, scutellum and legs with slight metallic blue lustre ( Figs. 3 View FIGURE 3 , 4 View FIGURE 4 ); macropterous male with abdominal sternum mostly orangish brown with pygophore and adjoining areas of sternum VII black, hemelytron with apical 1/3 of clavus and adjoining narrow area of corium between veins PCu+1A and Cu yellow ( Fig. 3 View FIGURE 3 ); brachypterous female with abdomen blackish brown with connexiva dorsally and ventrally appear banded with orangish red and blackish brown areas, disc of abdominal venter also with orangish red intersegmental patches, hemelytral flaps generally brown with a pale-yellow speck on corresponding claval area ( Fig. 4 View FIGURE 4 ). Fore femur armed below with inner and outer rows of sparse minute tubercles separated by a shallow furrow, in addition sparsely pilose laterally and above, mid femur armed below with rows of minute tubercles ( Figs. 3B View FIGURE 3 , 4B View FIGURE 4 ); fore tibia with fossula spongiosa occupying about 1/3 tibial length, mid tibia with fossula spongiosa only about 1/3 its length ( Figs. 3B&C View FIGURE 3 , 4B&C View FIGURE 4 ); in male, abdominal sternite VII with a small narrow spine-like extragenital structure originating from cuticle close to posterior margin ( Figs. 3B View FIGURE 3 , 56J View FIGURE 56 , 57J View FIGURE 57 ); male genitalia with median process long, thin and straight, tapered to pointed apex, oblique to right side, venter strongly ridged in caudal view ( Fig. 5B View FIGURE 5 ), broadly spatulate, widest predistad while apex pointed, base of blade bent and distinctly narrowed to neck-like in lateral view ( Fig. 5C View FIGURE 5 ); inner margin of lateral phallothecal sclerite almost straight and smooth ( Fig. 5I View FIGURE 5 ).

Description.

Macropterous male ( Fig. 3 View FIGURE 3 )

Colouration ( Fig. 3 View FIGURE 3 ): Black, shiny. Pronotum, scutellum and legs with slight metallic blue lustre; legs with extreme bases of tibia, parts of tarsi yellowish brown; abdominal sternum mostly orangish brown with pygophore and adjoining areas of sternum VII black; hemelytron with apical 1/3 of clavus and adjoining narrow area of corium between veins PCu+1A and Cu yellow, membrane greyish brown.

Structure ( Figs. 3 View FIGURE 3 , 5 View FIGURE 5 ): Body small sized, densely covered with yellowish white pilosity along with longer darker bristly setae; lateral margins of head, lateral margins of pronotum, and legs with brown to blackish brown, suberect, long setae.

Head: elongate fusiform, wholly covered with short whitish pilosity and sparse longer bristly setae, prominent on mandibular plates, dorsal aspect of head and between eyes, and on dorsal aspect of first labial segment.Anteocular region elongate triangular, clypeus near its base slightly elevated and knobbed above mandibular plates. Interocular region with arcuate convex sulcus at posterior border of eyes, a small pit near base. Postocular region almost rounded to neck. Neck with lateral tubercles slightly obvious. Antennae with all segments cylindrical, with whitish suberect setae and sparse longer brown setae. Scape thickest, pedicel thinner, then basi-and distiflagellum thinnest. Eyes large, reniform, not reaching ventral margin in lateral view. Ocelli moderately developed, conspicuously raised, separated from each other by about 1.5X diameter of single ocellus, separated from eye by about similar distance.

Thorax: Pronotum generally shiny.Anterior lobe of pronotum with integument smooth, sulci or stripes indistinct, except shallow median longitudinal sulcus in basal half. Posterior pronotal lobe arcuately quadrate, integument finely rugulose, with short pilosity, humeri rounded, posterior margin almost smoothly rounded, posterior angles not developed. Scutellum triangular, disc conspicuously depressed and granulate, sides carinate, integument pilose, scutellar process short, posteriorly directed with apex strongly pointed. Propleuron with integument finely faintly granulate, smoothly pilose, set off from dorsal surface by an indistinct carina. Mesopleuron integument minutely granulate, sparsely pilose. Metapleuron with integument more distinctly granulate but granules not striate, metapleural sulcus distinctly bicarinate and curved, pilose with silvery dense hairs posteriorly. All sternites smooth, moderately pilose. Mesosternum with disc raised, metasternum with disc tumid and with bristly setae. Hemelytra distinctly exceeding abdomen.

Legs: Generally shiny. Fore leg with coxa with whitish pilosity; trochanter unarmed, sparsely hairy; femur strongly fusiform, greatly incrassate near base narrowing distally, much thicker than other femora, armed below with inner and outer rows of sparse minute tubercles separated by a shallow furrow, in addition sparsely pilose laterally and above; tibia cylindrical, more or less straight but apex slightly reflexed, fossula spongiosa occupying about 1/3 tibial length. Mid leg with coxa globular, femur only slightly thickened, armed below with rows of minute tubercles, tibia with short whitish pilosity for whole length, with fossula spongiosa only about 1/3 its length, brush of setae, denser at apex. Hind leg with femur cylindrical, tibia with brush of setae, denser at apex.

Abdomen: Dorsally elongate oval, sternum carinate in midline and curved to right side of body, shiny, smooth with sparse longer hairs in addition to pilosity ( Fig. 3B View FIGURE 3 ), sternite VII with a small narrow spine-like extragenital structure originating from cuticle close to posterior margin ( Figs. 3B View FIGURE 3 , 56J View FIGURE 56 , 57J View FIGURE 57 ). Connexivum with golden pilosity as elsewhere on sternum. Spiracles situated below connexival suture, about halfway between anterior and posterior margin of each segment. Each spiracle postero-ventrally with impressed spot-like area on cuticle but not obviously visible.

Male genitalia ( Fig. 5 View FIGURE 5 ): Median process long, thin and straight, tapered to pointed apex, oblique to right side, venter strongly ridged in caudal view ( Fig. 5B View FIGURE 5 ); broadly spatulate, widest predistad and apex pointed, base of blade bent and distinctly narrowed to neck-like in lateral view ( Fig. 5C View FIGURE 5 ). Parameres broad and subtriangular, moderately curved in middle ( Fig. 5D&E View FIGURE 5 ), left paramere ( Fig. 5D View FIGURE 5 ) slightly longer than right paramere ( Fig. 5E View FIGURE 5 ). Phallus ( Fig. 5F–I View FIGURE 5 ) in resting condition with basal plate subequal to length of basal plate bridge ( Fig. 5F View FIGURE 5 ), pedicel curved and subequal to length of basal plate ( Fig. 5H&I View FIGURE 5 ); length of struts distinctly longer than half length of phallosoma ( Fig. 5F View FIGURE 5 ); apex of dorsal phallothecal sclerite bluntly rounded ( Fig. 5F View FIGURE 5 ); lateral phallothecal sclerite subquadrangular, inner margin almost straight and smooth ( Fig. 5I View FIGURE 5 ); pair of slender sclerites near base of venter of phallosoma moderately sclerotized ( Fig. 5G View FIGURE 5 ).

Brachypterous female ( Fig. 4 View FIGURE 4 )

Generally blackish brown, head, anterior lobe of pronotum and legs shiny black, abdomen blackish brown with connexiva dorsally and ventrally appear banded with orangish red and blackish brown areas, disc of abdominal venter also with orangish red intersegmental patches. Hemelytral flaps generally brown with a pale-yellow speck on corresponding claval area. Ocelli obsolete. Pronotum with anterior lobe gibbous, about four times as long as posterior lobe which is about as wide as anterior lobe. Posterior lobe coarse and rugulose black, not shiny as anterior lobe. Hemelytron reduced to narrow flaps, reaching to posterior margin of abdominal tergite I. Meso- and metathoracic pleura with rather less distinct granules than in male. Dorsum with three small scent gland scars of subequal width on abdominal terga III–IV, IV–V and V–VI.

Measurements: [of holotype macropterous male, followed by paratype brachypterous female]. Body length 9.36 (♂), 9.15 (♀); maximum width of abdomen 2.34 (♂), 3.12 (♀); length of head 1.36 (♂), 1.60 (♀); length of anteocular region 0.53 (♂), 0.68 (♀); length of postocular region 0.41 (♂), 0.40 (♀); width of head across eyes 1.02 (♂), 1.06 (♀); width of interocular space 0.45 (♂), 0.49 (♀); width of interocellar space 0.15 (♂), 0.16; (♀) length of eye in dorsal view 0.41 (♂), 0.48 (♀); width of eye in dorsal view 0.26 (♂), 0.30 (♀); lengths of antennal segments I–IV 0.79 (♂), 0.68 (♀) / 1.71 (♂), 1.44 (♀) / 1.78 (♂), 1.48 (♀) / 1.73 (♂), 1.63 (♀); length of visible labial segments I–III 0.45 (♂), 0.58 (♀) / 0.83 (♂), 0.82 (♀) / 0.30 (♂), 0.25 (♀); length of pronotum 2.16 (♂), 1.93 (♀); length of anterior pronotal lobe 1.33 (♂), 1.52 (♀); length of posterior pronotal lobe 0.79 (♂), 0.41 (♀); width of anterior pronotal lobe 1.59 (♂), 1.74 (♀); width of posterior pronotal lobe 2.35 (♂), 1.82 (♀); length of scutellum 1.02 (♂), 0.83 (♀); maximum width of scutellum 1.40 (♂), 0.87 (♀); length of hemelytron 5.80 (♂), 1.56 (♀); length of fore tibia 1.59 (♂), 1.71 (♀); length of fossula spongiosa on fore tibia 0.49 (♂), 0.64 (♀).

Distribution. Australia (New South Wales).

Etymology. The species epithet has been derived from ‘ Ayyamma ’, the first name of the beloved mother of the first author (MBM), to commemorate her centenarian (100 th) birthday in 2023.

Comparative notes. This species is related to B. punctorius Stål, 1867 but differs from the latter in the following. Macropterous male with shorter, covering only distal 1/4 of clavus and adjoining corial area, yellow marking on hemelytron (vs. longer, covering almost distal 2/3 of clavus and adjoining corial area in B. punctorius ); abdominal venter mostly orangish brown except pygophore and adjoining area on sternite VII (vs. uniformly black in B. punctorius ). Brachypterous female with abdomen above and below distinctly bicoloured (vs. uniformly black abdomen both above and below in B. punctorius ).