Coleotichus excellens ( WALKER 1867 )

Gerry Cassis & Loren Vanags, 2006, Jewel Bugs of Australia (Insecta, Heteroptera, Scutelleridae), Denisia 19, pp. 275-398 : 314-316

Coleotichus excellens ( WALKER 1867) ( Figs 3e , 6 )

Coleotichus excellens WALKER 1867: 3 (n. sp.); LETHIERRY & SEVERIN 1893: 15 (catalogue); DISTANT 1899: 30 (Australia, Samoa); HUTTON 1904: 332 (erroneous New Zealand record); SCHOUTEDEN 1904: 6 (list); SCHOUTEDEN 1905: 328 (description); BERGROTH 1908: 139 (description); KIRKALDY 1909: 313 (catalogue); MCDONALD & CASSIS 1984: 540, Figs 11-15 (description; female genitalia); CASSIS & GROSS 2002: 585 (catalogue) Coleotichus borealis DISTANT 1899: 31 (n.sp.) New Synonymy Coleotichus handlirschi SCHOUTEDEN 1905: 332 (n. sp.); MCDONALD & CASSIS 1984: 540 (synonymy) Coleotichus (Epicoloeotichus) schultzei TAEUBER 1929: 221 (n.sp.) New Synonymy

Diagnosis: Coleotichus excellens is recognised by the following characters: AIII and AIV subequal, longest antennal segments; labium reaching abdominal sterna IV, LIIIV subequal in length, longest segments; callosite region of pronotum with pair of small submedial black spots; scutellum with antero-sublateral orange calli; scutellum often with six small black spots; female abdominal SVII broad caudally, ventral margin shallowly concave; posterior margin of male pygophore convex; males without abdominal sternal glands; CAII symmetrical, bipartite; CAII separated; and, vesica short.

Description: Body elongate-ovoid, tapered towards terminalia; large species, males 17.67-21.50 mm, females 18.17-21.83 mm;

Colouration. Body uniformly yellow-brown ( Fig. 3e ), with yellow midline, often with green or purple iridescent punctures. Head: punctures of jugal margins strongly iridescent green. Pronotum: callosite region with pair of submedial black spots. Scutellum with pair of antero-sublateral black spots, and medial black spot.

Texture. Dorsum uniformly punctate; with moderately deep punctures; anterolateral margins of pronotum broadly impunctate; anterolateral calli of scutellum smooth; ventral aspect of jugae and antennifers deeply punctate; thoracic pleura moderately punctate.

Vestiture. Dorsum glabrous. Antennae: AI-AII(a,b) near glabrous, AIII-AIV with moderate distribution of short setae. Legs: femora with sparse distribution of short setae; tibiae with moderate distribution of short setae, more so on ventral surface. Abdominal Venter: scattered short simple semierect setae, more so on terminalia.

Structure. Antennae: AI and AII(a), and AIII and AIV subequal in length. Labium: elongate, reaching abdominal SIII, LIIIV roughly subequal in length. Pregenital Abdomen: SIII medially sulcate, contiguous with thoracic sternal keel. Male Genitalia: ventral margin of pygophore arcuate; genital opening broad; parameres with hooked crown, tip blunt, with flange at base of crown; CAI absent; CAII symmetrical, mostly membraneous, bifid, CAI(L) and CA(M) with acute lobal sclerites; CAIII, heavily sclerotized, S-shaped, segregated. Female Terminalia: ventrally oriented, co-planar; paratergites VIII large, posterior margin arcuate, medially contiguous; paratergites IX large, subelliptoid, medial margins arcuate; gonocoxae I large, subtriangular, posterior margin weakly convex. Spermatheca: fecundation canal elongate; spermathecal reservoir large, oval; bulb round, moderately sclerotized.

Measurements. MCDONALD & CASSIS 1984: Table 1 .

Type material examined: Coleotichus excellens WALKER : Lectotype, ♀, ‘124’, ’56-69’, ‘B.M. Hem. No. 369’, ‘ Coleotichus excellens WALKER (type)’ ( BMNH ; here designated); Paralectotypes, 1♀: ‘56-69’, ‘ Coleotichus excellens WALKER’S catal.’, ‘ Coleotichus excellens : Det. J. Cassis’ ( BMNH; here designated); 1♀, ‘55-69’, ‘127’, ‘ Coleotichus excellens WALKER’S catal.’ ( BMNH ; here designated). WALKER (1867) listed three specimens in his original description, as follows: ‘ a,b. ___? From Mr Macgillvray’s collection’ and c.___? Presented by Sir John Liddell’ . Neither the original description, nor the label data indicate a type locality. All the specimens are fe-males, and the specimen labeled as ‘ Coleotichus excellens WALKER (type)’ and ‘B.M. Hem. Type No. 369” is designated as the lectotype; the other two specimens as paralectotypes; Coleotichus bore-alis DISTANT : Holotype, ♀, ‘ Formosa’ , ‘ Coleotichus borealis DIST. (type)’, ‘B.M. Hem. Type No. 370’ ( BMNH); Paratype: ♂, same data as holotype, ‘ Coleotichus borealis DIST. ’ (BMNH); Coleotichus schultzei TAEUBER: Holotype, ♂, ‘ Surigao’, ‘ Minando’ , ‘13351’, ‘Taeuber Coll. 1949- 474 ’ ‘Holotype Coleotichus (Epicoleotichus) schultzei TAEUBER 1929 ’, ‘B.M. Hem. Type No. 602’ (BMNH; genitalia dissected, in microvial).

Other material examined: Queensland: 1♂, Black River , 20 km N Townsville, 14-i-1990, T Woodger, at light ( AM) ; 1♂, Gap Creek , 15°51’S 145°20’E, 29 May 1994, P Zborowski, ex light, rainforest ( ANIC) ; 1♂, 1 km E Mt Cook , 13°30’S 145°16’E, 13 October 1980, T Weir ( ANIC) ; 4♂♂, Warraber Island , 10°12’S 142°49’E, March 1978 ( ANIC) ; 1♂, Mt Webb National Park , 15°04’S 145°07’E, 27-30 April 1981, A Calder ( ANIC) ; 2♀♀, 12 km SE Daintree, 16°19’S 145°24’E, 22 November 1981, J Balderson ( ANIC) ; 1♀, 32 km N by W of Isabella Creek, 15°18’S 145°00’E, 230 m, 22 May 1975, IFB Common & ED Edwards ( ANIC) ; 1♀, Mackay, AJ Turner, 1905-125 ( BMNH ; identified as Coleotichus borealis ; Northern Territory: 1♀, Smith Point , Cobourg Peninsula, 11°07’S 132°08’E, 3-21 February 1972, RC Lewis, ex watertrap ( ANIC) ; 1♂ 1♀, 1 km N Cahills Crossing, E Alligator River , 12°25’S 132°58’E, 31 October 1972, M Upton & Barrett ( ANIC) ; New Caledonia: Province Sud, 1 km S Poya , 21°21’19.4“S 165°10’8.1E, 61 m, 27 April 2005, G Cassis, MA Wall, N Tatarnic & GB Monteith, ex Ficus sp. ( AM) ; Papua New Guinea: 1♂, Port Moresby, Broko , Cent[ral Dist[trict], 15-iii-1959, ex Hibiscus rosasinesis, JJH Szent-Ivany ( BMNH) ; 1♂, Port Moresby, 26 February 1969, R Lossin ( AM) ; 1♀, Amazon Bay area , Doveta, 2400 ft, 24.vii-11.ix, 1962, WW Brandt ( ANIC) ; 1♂, Kokoda , 1,200 ft, ix-1933, LE Cheesman, B.M. 1934-321’ ( BMNH) ; 2♂♂, Madew, St Joseph’s River , 2000-3000 ft, W Stalker, 1909-22 ( BMNH) ; Solomon Islands: 1♀, Malaita, Auki Harbour , 24-xii-1965, Roy. Soc. Exped. Brit. Mus. 1966-1’, ‘169’, ‘ Coleotichus excellens WALKER’ s catal.’ ( BMNH ; identified as Coleotichus handlirschi ) ; 4♀♀, Guadalcanal, PJM Greenslade , xii-1964, 3-I-1965, 8-I-1965 ( BMNH) ; Fiji: 3♀♀, Rotuma Is., 17-27-iv-1971, GS Robinson, B.M. 1972-46 ( BMNH) ; 1♀, Suva , 20-I-1030, B.M. 1948-548 ( BMNH) ; Philippines: 2♂♂ 2♀♀, Balabae, Dalwan Bay , Noona Dan Exp. 61-62, 18-30 to 23-30, [1962], ex mercury light ( BMNH ; identified as Coleotichus borealis ) ; 1♀, C.S. Banks 1908-228, Acc. No. 6377, Bu. of Sci., P.I. ( BMNH ; identified as Coleotichus borealis ) ; Indonesia: 1♂, [Irian Jaya], Waigeu Camp Nok , N Dutch New Guinea, 2,500 ft, LE Cheesman, B.M. 1938-593 ( BMNH).

Distribution: Coleotichus excellens is broadly distributed in the Australian zoogeographic region, extending to the northeast of Australia (Solomon Islands, New Caledonia, Fiji, and Samoa), and to the Oriental region, including the Philippines and Taiwan. We provide the first record of this species from Indonesia, Papua New Guinea and Fiji. Within Australia, its found primarily in the tropical regions of the Northern Territory and Queensland, extending in the latter as far south as Rockhampton ( Fig. 6 ). CASSIS & GROSS (2002) reported this species from New Zealand, in an erroneous reference to HUTTON (1904). LARIVIÈRE & LAROCHELLE (2004) did not mention it in their New Zealand catalogue.

Host plants and biology: There are no host plants recorded in the literature for Coleotichus excellens . We recently collected a large series from an undetermined Ficus species in New Caledonia, at a roadside reststop, where there were few shrubs or trees. We also record specimen from New Guinea (see above) which was collected on an ornamental Hibiscus .

Remarks: New synonymy for this species is proposed, with Coleotichus borealis DISTANT and Coleotichus schultzei, established as junior synonyms. The external features of the holotypes are identical to those of the holotype of C. excellens . The male genitalia of the holotype of C. schultzei, and a paratype of C. borealis were examined, and are consistent with those found in C. excellens .

MCDONALD & CASSIS (1984) gave the most recent redescription of Coleotichus excellens , including the description and illustration of the male and female genitalia. It is distinct from the other Australian species of Coleotichus , and can be distinguished from them by the larger body, dorsal markings, elongate labium (with modified abdominal SIII housing), and the segregated CAIII. Its affinities are unknown, as it differs from oth-er Coleotichus species in that the ventral conjunctival appendages are not fused. This species approaches the Hawaiian species, Coleotichus blackburniae , in size, however, the male genitalia of this species have not been examined. A dissected male specimen of C. bulowi in the BMNH, which is similar in colouration and size to C. blackburniae , and its aedeagus is very similar to that of C. excellens (CAII bifurcate, branches near symmetrical, with conical lobal sclerites).

Figures

Fig. 3: Habitus of Australian Elvisurinae species (a) Austrotichus rugosus, Oi (b) Solenotichus circuliferus, Oi (c) Coleotichus artensis, Oi (d) Coleotichus costatus, Oi (e) Coleotichus excellens, Oi. Scale bars: 1 mm.

Fig. 6: Distribution of Australian Elvisurinae species.

Fig. 11: Habitus of Morbora species (a) M. australis (b) M. hirtula (c) M. schoutedeni. Scale bars = 1 mm.

Fig. 12: Scanning electron micrographs of key characters of Morbora australis (a) Head, dorsal view (b) Head, lateral view (c) Head and thorax, ventral view (d) External efferent system of metathoracic glands, ventral view (e) male pygophore, ventral view (f) male pygophore, dorsal view. Abbreviations: Ag = androconial glands; Ea = evaporative areas; Pe = peritreme; P(r) = right paramere. Scale bars = 1 mm.

Fig. 14: Male genitalia of Morbora schoutedeni (a) pygophore, dorsal view (b) paramere, lateral view (c) aedeagus, lateral view (d) aedeagus, ventral view. Abbreviations: C = crown of right paramere ; CAI = first conjunctival appendage; CAII = second conjunctival appendage ; CAIII = third conjunctival appendage; DS(D) = ductus seminis dorsalis ; DS(P) = ductus seminis proximalis; Er = ejaculatory reservoir; GO = genital opening; Pt = phallotheca; S = stem of paramere; V = vesica ; VCC = ventral conducting canal of ejaculatory apparatus; VM = ventral margin of genital opening.

Fig. 15: Distribution of Morbora species.