Trachylestes barrowensis Malipatil

Malipatil, M. B., Kwak, M. L. & Gunawardene, N., 2016, A revision of the Australian genus Trachylestes with the description of two new species (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Reduviidae: Harpactorinae), Zootaxa 4105 (1), pp. 88-100 : 91-94

Trachylestes barrowensis Malipatil , sp. nov.

( Figs. 5–11)

Type material. Holotype ♂, Barrow Is., WGS84: 34.1133 7707251, Western Australia, 19–30.iii.2012, WAPZ 2SUC1, N. Gunawardene & C. Taylor, in WAM. Paratypes: same data as holotype except WGS84: 34.1012 7707195, 14–24.iii.2011, WAPZ 2SU1 (1 ♂, WAM); same data as holotype except WGS84: 335361 7711047, 17–29.iii.2013, HDDZ 1 WIN 4 (1 ♂ WAM); same data as holotype except WGS84: 335789 7710137, 17–29.iii.2013, HDDZ 2SU5 (1 ♀ WAM).

Description. Colour. Ground colour of body and legs beige; head dorsally dark brown to black; short oblique stripes behind each eye anterior of ocelli, narrow median line on posterior lobe area of head, and most of head ventrally beige; antennae with segments 2–4 fuscous; segment 1 beige with three broad bands (one basal, one medial and one apical) fuscous to black; labium with segment 1 fuscous except apical third to half paler, segments 2 and 3 fuscous to black; pronotum beige with fuscous areas as in Fig. 5; legs with coxae and trochanters fuscous, femora and tibiae with three broad fuscous bands, one basal, one median and one apical, tarsi uniformly fuscous; scutellum beige with a pair of fuscous bands as in Fig. 5, hemelytra with clavus, corium excluding outer broad marginal almost beige band over distal two-thirds, and membrane uniformly fuscous. Abdomen in both sexes generally beige, in lateral view appear longitudinally banded with fuscous patches in two rows: one on connexivum and another submedially on venter. In males distal half of paramere fuscous.

Structure. Measurements in millimetres (of holotype male followed by paratype female in parentheses).

Body length 6.6 (7.3); maximum width 1.47 (1.40).

Head. Head dorsally shiny, covered with medium-length blunt tipped erect bristles sparsely but usually in pairs, ventrally clothed with short dense setae. Antennae with short pubescence, segments 1 and 2 in addition with very short blunt bristles and interspersed with a few longer bristles. Length 1.61 (1.61), width across eyes 0.94 (0.99), interocular space 0.46 (0.46), interocellar space 0.36 (0.34), eye-ocellar space 0.18 (0.18), eye length 0.48 (0.52), eye width 0.27 (0.27). Lengths of antennal segments: I, 1.92 (1.93), II, 0.87 (0.92), III, 0.73 (0.70), IV, 1.84 (1.71). Lengths of labial segments: I, 0.62 (0.69), II, 1.03 (1.15), III, 0.30 (0.30).

Thorax. Pronotum shiny to subshiny, with antero-lateral angles gradually pointed, each with one bristle, lateral marginal area with several short bristles borne on fine tubercles, tubercles near posterolateral angles slightly larger; anterior lobe area with one large tubercle on either side of midline each with one bristle, posterior lobe without distinct tubercles. Pronotum median length 1.74 (1.57–1.74); width posterior margin 2.30 (2.23–2.39). Scutellum apically leaflike, disc conspicuously raised above surface in a triangle with median disc with a conspicuous pit, length 0.85 (0.76–1.25), width 1.04 (1.04–1.27). Legs with short pubescence, in addition with long scattered strong bristles as well as very short blunt spikes. Thoracic and abdominal venter with pubescence and some sparse erect bristles. Tarsi very thin compared to tibiae; claws well developed. Hemelytra slightly exceeding abdomen, exposing margins of entire visible abdominal segments 3–5 and parts of other abdominal segments, clavus and corium covered with dense curved pubescence, often with trapped white waxy material; corium and membrane with raised veins; length hemelytra 5.25 (4.76–5.39); length corium 3.78 (3.61–4.18); width membrane 1.75 (1.71–1.99).

Abdomen. Lateral margins gradually widened to posterior margin of fourth visible segment and gradually narrowed to posterior end; connexiva of segments not produced.

Male genitalia: Pygophore ( Figs. 7–8 ) with posterior median projection short, broad and apically narrowed to a rounded process, process outer surface medially faintly keeled, pygophore outer margin covered with short, posteriorly directed sparse bristles ( Fig. 7 ). Paramere ( Fig. 9 ) elongate, simple, distinctly curved, banana shaped and tubular throughout, basal area slightly narrowed, distal third to half covered with 5–7 thick blunt bristles borne on clear bases which appear as tiny round holes, in addition with finer and shorter bristles on inner aspect. Phallus with basal plate moderately sclerotised, phallosoma sclerotised as shown in Figs 10–11 , endosoma not differentiated into conjunctiva and vesica; endosoma with moderately to heavily sclerotised lobes, spines and other structures as follows: two moderately sclerotised apically converging outer marginal leaf like lobes, two inner narrower and shorter lobes also converging apically and one short broad median lobe which is emarginate apically; base of the median lobe membranous dorsal aspect with apical membranous lobes with sclerotised spines, 8–12 spines each in number in two indistinct compact groups, each spine tubular, apex rather abruptly ending into a minute heavily sclerotised acute point ( Figs. 10–11 ); another batch of shorter and finer spinules over a broad area in two indistinct batches basad of large spine groups.

Female genitalia: Not examined.

Notes. The new species exhibits slight variation in colour. In some specimens the beige stripe behind the eye is larger, almost reaching the ocelli behind.

This species is close to the type species, T. aspericollis , however differs from the latter in the following: the distinct pronotal colour pattern as in Fig. 5; abdominal venter with dark fuscous patches one on connexival margin and one below submarginal, in a way appearing like two longitudinal bands on either side of midline along the length of abdomen ( Fig. 6).

Figures

FIGURES 7 – 11. Trachylestes barrowensis, paratype male: 7, pygophore, lateral view; 8, pygophore, posterior view; 9, right paramere, dorsal view; 10, phallus, dorsal view; 11, phallus, ventral view. Abbreviations: apt, articulatory apparatus; dps, dorsal phallothecal sclerite.