Brachysandalus maculatus 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 : 75-78

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.13212347
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/0A0987BA-FFBC-FFB9-D69C-FEE1B383DCE4
treatment provided by	Plazi
scientific name	Brachysandalus maculatus Malipatil & Liu
status	sp. nov.

Treatment

Brachysandalus maculatus Malipatil & Liu , sp. nov.

( Figs. 38 View FIGURE 38 , 39 View FIGURE 39 )

Type specimens. Holotype male, Australia, New South Wales, Macquarie Marshes, Longstowe station near Carinda , UV light trap, 10–12.iii.2002, leg K. & G. Hangay ( ANIC) . Paratypes: 2 males (one dissected), same as holotype ( ANIC) .

Other specimens. QUEENSLAND. 1 male (dissected), Noccundra, SW. Qld , 21–22. ix.1990, G. B. Monteith ( QM); 1 male , Queensland, Nat Mus. Victoria ( MV) .

Diagnosis.

Only macropterous male known, body medium sized. Dark brown to black ( Fig. 38 View FIGURE 38 ), hemelytron with a yellow oval spot involving apical 1/2 of clavus and adjoining area of corium between veins Pcu+1A and Cu, and an irregular small vague yellow to yellowish-brown patch on membrane near confluence of veins Cu and M ( Fig. 38A View FIGURE 38 ). Fore femur armed below with rows of bristly setae and in addition with a few minute tubercles in inner and outer rows ( Fig. 38B&C View FIGURE 38 ); fore and mid tibiae with fossula spongiosa occupying about 1/3 tibial length ( Fig. 38B&C View FIGURE 38 ); in male, abdominal sternite VII with extragenital structure in the form of an elongate narrow apically pointed flattish process, with lateral adjoining cuticular area slightly swollen ( Figs. 38B View FIGURE 38 , 55I View FIGURE 55 , 56I View FIGURE 56 ); male genitalia with median pygophore process long and straight, tapered to pointed apex, venter strongly ridged in caudal view ( Fig. 39B View FIGURE 39 ), and slenderly spatulate, curved and narrowly at base and gradually narrowing to a slightly reflexed apex in lateral view ( Fig. 39C View FIGURE 39 ); inner margin of lateral phallothecal sclerite generally smooth, only weakly undulate ( Fig. 39I View FIGURE 39 ).

Description.

Macropterous male ( Fig. 38 View FIGURE 38 )

Colouration ( Fig. 38 View FIGURE 38 ): Dark brown to black. Antenna brown with apical two segments pale brown; third visible labial segment brown; legs with tibiae and tarsi brown to yellowish brown; oval spot involving apical 1/2 of clavus and adjoining area of corium between veins Pcu+1A and Cu yellow, an inconspicuous yellowish white, thin, curved stripe near base of costal margin on membrane, and an irregular small vague yellow to yellowish-brown patch on membrane near confluence of veins Cu and M.

Structure ( Figs. 38 View FIGURE 38 , 39 View FIGURE 39 ): Similar to B. gunbalanyae sp. nov., but differs from the latter species in the following.

Body medium sized, wholly covered with denser and longer bristly, pilosity.

Head: Antennae with all segments cylindrical, second and third segments with brushy yellow-white pilosity that is about equal in length to width of segments, also several sparse longer darker setae. Eyes large, reniform, reaching ventral and dorsal margins of head in lateral view, width of eye longer than interocular width. Ocelli large and conspicuously raised, separated from each other by less than diameter of single ocellus, separated from eye also by less than diameter of single ocellus.

Thorax: Pronotum entirely covered with longer bristly shiny golden pilosity; anterior lobe with collar armed with rounded and obvious tubercles at lateral ends, integument smooth, stripes indistinct, sulci indistinct except very shallow median longitudinal sulcus in basal half.

Legs: Fore leg with femur elongate, strongly fusiform, moderately incrassate slightly narrowing distally, much thicker than other femora, armed below with rows of bristly setae and in addition with a few minute tubercles in inner and outer rows.

Abdomen: Dorsally elongate oval, sternum carinate in midline and slightly curved to right side of body, shiny, smooth with sparse longer hairs in addition to pilosity ( Fig. 38B View FIGURE 38 ), sternite VII with extragenital structure in the form of an elongate narrow apically pointed flattish process, with lateral adjoining cuticular area slightly swollen ( Figs. 38B View FIGURE 38 , 55I View FIGURE 55 , 56I View FIGURE 56 ).

Male genitalia ( Fig. 39 View FIGURE 39 ): Median pygophore process long and straight, tapered to pointed apex, oblique to right side, venter strongly ridged in caudal view ( Fig. 39B View FIGURE 39 ); slenderly spatulate, curved and narrowly at base and gradually narrowing to a slightly reflexed apex in lateral view ( Fig. 39C View FIGURE 39 ). Parameres ( Fig. 39D&E View FIGURE 39 ) subtriangular and curved in middle, apex somewhat truncate, with outer surfaces covered with obvious sparse longer bristles as on pygophore, left paramere ( Fig. 39D View FIGURE 39 ) slightly broader and longer than right paramere ( Fig. 39E View FIGURE 39 ). Phallus ( Fig. 39F–I View FIGURE 39 ) in resting condition with basal plate longer than basal plate bridge ( Fig. 39F View FIGURE 39 ), pedicel curved and subequal to length of basal plate ( Fig. 39H&I View FIGURE 39 ); length of struts distinctly longer than half length of phallosoma ( Fig. 39F View FIGURE 39 ); apex of dorsal phallothecal sclerite truncate ( Fig. 39F View FIGURE 39 ); lateral phallothecal sclerite subquadrangular, inner margin generally smooth, only weakly undulate ( Fig. 39I View FIGURE 39 ); pair of slender sclerites near base of venter of phallosoma weakly sclerotized ( Fig. 39G View FIGURE 39 ).

Measurements: [of holotype male]. Body length 14.80; maximum width of abdomen 4.60; length of head 2.35; length of anteocular region 0.95; length of postocular region 0.50; width of head across eyes 1.78; width of interocular space 0.57; width of interocellar space 0.22; length of eye in dorsal view 0.79; width of eye in dorsal view 0.62; lengths of antennal segments I–IV 1.10 / 2.56 / 2.65 / 2.47; length of visible labial segments I–III 1.02 / 1.33 / 0.57; length of pronotum 3.34; length of anterior pronotal lobe 1.97; length of posterior pronotal lobe 1.36; width of anterior pronotal lobe 2.54; width of posterior pronotal lobe 3.87; length of scutellum 1.71; maximum width of scutellum 2.09; length of hemelytron 10.92; length of fore tibia 2.73; length of fossula spongiosa on fore tibia 0.83.

Distribution. Australia (New South Wales and Queensland).

Etymology. The species epithet is the Latin adjective maculatus (meaning ‘marked with spot or patch’; formed from maculo + diminutive suffix -atus), in allusion to the vague yellow patch on membrane near confluence of veins Cu and M.

Comparative notes. This species is similar to B. gunbalanyae sp. nov. but differs from the latter in having setae on second and third antennal segments brushy and as long as segment width (vs. much shorter than segment width in B. gunbalanyae ); fore femur ventrally with distinct tubercles in addition to bristles in two rows inner and outer (vs. only bristles and indistinct minute tubercles in B. gunbalanyae ); body generally with longer and denser setae (vs. generally with shorter and less dense setae in B. gunbalanyae ); a more prominent extragenital structure that is elongate narrow apically pointed flattish process with lateral adjoining cuticular area of sternite VII slightly swollen, and the presence of a vague yellow patch near confluence of veins Cu and M.

Both these species ( B. gunbalanyae sp. nov. and B. maculatus sp. nov.) are related to B. alutaceus , but they both differ from the latter in possessing a pronotum with posterior lobe broad, about 1.5X anterior lobe width (vs. less than 1.5X in B. alutaceus ), the larger and more prominent eyes, with each eye much wider than interocular space (vs. eyes smaller, subequal to interocular space in B. alutaceus ), and the extragenital process small and narrowly pointed (vs. large, flat, broadly elongate triangular with apical area out curved in B. alutaceus ).