Cercotingis croajingolong Shofner and Cassis, 2024

Shofner, Ryan & Cassis, Gerasimos, 2024, Phylogenetics and taxonomy of the Indo-Australian genus Ulonemia sensu Drake (Hemiptera: Tingidae), with the recognition of new genera and species collected from Proteaceae in Australia, Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 200 (2), pp. 360-425 : 378-391

Cercotingis croajingolong Shofner and Cassis sp. nov.

( Figs 6A–D , 7A–D , 8 , 9 )

Zoobank registration: urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:CB418FCD-9449-471F-8967-936B1A9A58EC .

Type material

Holotype: AUSTRALIA: New South Wales: Nerriga, 35.07°S 150.05°E, Sep 1979, P. vanderDuys, Hakea sericea Schrad. and J.C. Wendl ( Proteaceae ), 1 ♂ ( UNSW_ENT 00046505 ) ( ANIC).

Paratypes: AUSTRALIA: New South Wales: McPherson State Forest, 33.21667°S 151.13333°E, 07 Oct 1990, Tom Gush, 1 ♀ (UNSW_ENT 00046526) (ANIC). Nerriga, 35.07°S 150.05°E, Sep 1979, P. vanderDuys, Hakea sericea Schrad. and J. C. Wendl ( Proteaceae ), 2 ♂ (UNSW_ENT 00046504, UNSW_ENT 00046506), 3 ♀ (UNSW_ENT 00046507, UNSW_ENT 00046508, UNSW_ENT 00046523) (ANIC). Terrigal, 33.449°S 151.443°E, Oct 1933, RRS, 1 ♂ (UNSW_ENT 00046525) (AM). Wedderburn, 34.1485°S 150.8179°E, 18 Oct 1959, C. E. Chadwick, Grevillea sp. ( Proteaceae ), 1 ♂ (UNSW_ ENT 00046524) (ASCU). Victoria: 5 km E of Cann River, Reedy Creek, 37.5681°S 149.2036°E, 70 m, 19 Nov 2002, Cassis, Schuh, Schwartz, Silveira, Hakea teretifolia (Salisb.) Britten subsp. hirsuta ( Proteaceae ), det. NSW staff NSW658194, 1 ♀ (UNSW_ENT 00046510) (AM). Coastal forest nr Mallacoota Foreshore Holiday Park, 37.56014°S 149.7588°E, 11 m, 07 Nov 2016, R. Shofner, Hakea sp. ( Proteaceae ), det. Val Stajsic and Daniel Ohlsen RBGV, 5 ♂ (UNSW_ENT 00027773-UNSW_ ENT 00027777), 4 ♀ (UNSW_ENT 00027778-UNSW_ENT 00027781) (UNSW).

Other material examined

AUSTRALIA: New South Wales: Nerriga , 35.07°S 150.05°E, 19 Sep 1979, P. vanderDuys, Hakea sericea Schrad. and J. C . Wendl ( Proteaceae ), 10 mixed sexes ( UNSW _ENT 00046509) ( ANIC).

Diagnosis: Cercotingis croajingolong is recognized by the following combination of characters: frontal and occipital spines not exceeding height of pronotal disc; lateral margin of paranota free from pronotal disc, paranotal areolae laterad to pronotal disc often visible from dorsal view; pronotal carinae elevated from pronotal disc, areolate; anterior portion of costal area biseriate; metasternal carinae straight, parallel, equal to width between mesosternal carinae.

Male: Macropterous; large morph 3.58 ± 0.10 mm (N = 5), small morph 3.14 mm (N = 1) ( Table 3 ). COLORATION (LIGHT MORPH). Brown to straw-coloured. Head: dark brown; medial spine dark brown, golden-brown distally; frontal and occipital spines golden-brown to straw-coloured; bucculae straw-coloured, clypeus dark brown, genae dark brown; eyes black to reddish-black. Antennae: AI–AII dark reddish brown, AIII golden-brown, AIV golden-brown proximally to dark brown distally. Labium: mottled straw-coloured and dark brown, LIV black distally. Pronotum: disc golden-brown, golden-brown to straw-coloured on posterior projection; calli dark brown; collum brown, paranota light brown anteriorly, dark brown posteriorly, areolae translucent; lateral carinae straw-coloured anteriorly, brown across disc, straw-coloured posteriorly; medial carina straw-coloured anteriorly, brown across disc with black macula at apex of disc, straw-coloured on the posterior projection. Thoracic pleura and sterna: proepisternum golden-brown anteriorly, dark reddish brown posteriorly, proepimeron and supracoxal lobes golden-brown; mesepisternum mostly dark reddish brown, mesepimeron and supracoxal lobes golden-brown; metepisternum golden-brown; peritreme of metathoracic gland straw-coloured; prosternum and mesosternum brown, metasternum golden-brown; sternal carinae straw-coloured. Hemelytra: discoidal area straw-coloured anteriorly, golden-brown to brown medially, posterior 1–3 areolae straw-coloured; costal and subcostal areas brown medially, straw-coloured to light brown anteriorly and posteriorly; cubitus vein with two dark brown bands; R + M vein with straw-coloured, golden-brown, and brown bands. Legs: tarsi brown to dark brown, tarsal claws golden-brown; tibiae golden-brown; femora dark brown; trochanter golden-brown; coxae dark brown. Abdominal venter: golden-brown; abdominal sterna mostly golden-brown, darkening dorsally; spiracles dark brown; pygophore brown. COLORATION (DARK MORPH). Dark brown with straw-coloured patches. Head: dark brown to black; medial and frontal spines dark brown to black, occipital spines dark brown; bucculae straw-coloured, clypeus dark brown to black, genae dark brown to black; eyes black to reddish-black. Antennae: AI–AII dark brown, AIII golden-brown, AIV dark brown. Labium: golden-brown, LIII and LIV dark brown to black. Pronotum: disc dark brown; calli dark brown to black; collum dark brown; paranota dark brown, straw-coloured anteriorly, areolae translucent; lateral carinae straw-coloured, dark brown at apex of disc, straw-coloured to white on posterior projection; medial carina straw-coloured to brown, with black macula at apex of disc, straw-coloured to white on posterior projection. Thoracic pleura and sterna: proepisternum dark brown anteriorly, black posteriorly, proepimeron and supracoxal lobes brown to golden-brown; mesepisternum mostly dark brown, mesepimeron and supracoxal lobes brown to golden-brown; metepisternum brown to golden-brown; peritreme of metathoracic gland brown; prosternum and mesosternum dark brown to black, metasternum dark brown; sternal carinae straw-coloured. Hemelytra: discoidal area straw-coloured anteriorly, dark brown medially, posterior one to three areolae straw-coloured to white; costal and subcostal areas dark brown medially, straw-coloured to light brown anteriorly and posteriorly; cubitus vein with two black bands; R + M vein with straw-coloured and black bands. Legs: tarsi dark brown, tarsal claws golden-brown; tibiae golden-brown; femora brown; trochanter brown; coxae dark brown. Abdominal venter: dark reddish brown; spiracles dark brown to black; pygophore dark reddish brown. VESTITURE. Head: white decumbent setae in bands from antenniferous tubercles to occipital spines and from frontal spines along either side of medial spine to back of head; bucculae with short white setae; dense globules of wax covering bucculae, gena, frons, encircling eye and from frons to apex. Occipital and medial spines with white decumbent setae. Antennae: AI–AIII with white to straw-coloured decumbent setae, AIV with straw-coloured semi-erect to erect aciculate setae; distal ends of AII and AIII with dense ring of microtrichia. Pronotum: anterior margin glabrous, rarely with short setae; paranotal margins, medial and lateral carinae, and disc with short scale-like setae; disc with numerous punctures containing six to eight triangular tuberculate processes distributed evenly around internal rim; calli glabrous, globules of wax often covering calli. Thoracic pleura and sterna: anterior portion of proepisternum, proepimeron, posterior portion of mesepisternum, mesepimeron, and metepisternum with moderate distribution of short white setae and tubercle-lined punctures as on pronotal disc; anterior portion of pro- and mesepisternum glabrous; sternal carinae with sparse distribution of arcuate setae; all surfaces covered with globules of wax, propluron heavily coated with wax. Legs: coxae to tibiae with white short setae; ventral surface of tarsi with semi-erect aciculate setae; coxae covered with wax. Hemelytra: costal margins glabrous or rarely sparsely covered with short setae; subcostal, discoidal, and sutural area veins glabrous; cuboidal and R + M veins with sparse distribution of white to straw-coloured short setae. Abdominal venter: moderate distribution of decumbent arcuate setae, with white wax coating entire abdomen. STRUCTURE. Head: spines rounded apically; frontal spines upright, parallel or convergent distally, less than half the length of AI; medial spine conical, stout, length slightly exceeding that of frontal spines, width about one-half of length; occipital spines straight, entirely protruding beyond collum or with only base of spine hidden. Antennae: AI and AII short, AI 2× longer than AII; AIII longer than the pronotal width across humeral angles, AIV weakly clavate. Labium: moderate length, exceeding anterior margin of metasternum. Pronotum: strongly convex; collum apex inflated to subglobose, height one-half of disc; medial and lateral carinae raised, uniseriate; medial and lateral carinae equal thickness except for slight thickening of medial portion of medial carina, lateral carinae slightly divaricating; paranota curved, adpressed to disc medially, upturned and erect posteriorly, two to three areolae wide, exceeding height of hemelytra, one-half height of disc. Thoracic sterna: mesosternal and metasternal carinae elevated, uniseriate, areolae rectangular; mesosternal carinae straight, parallel; metasternal carinae curved, convergent posteriorly. Legs: legs thin; femora tapered proximally. Thoracic pleura: peritreme large, loop-like, strongly depressed medially, with dorsal extension reaching hemelytral margin. Hemelytra: areolae small and uniform size in discoidal and subcostal areas; sutural area areolae similar to discoidal area proximally, increasing in size 5× to 8× distally; costal area areolae large, rectangular; costal area biseriate anteriorly, uniseriate posterior two-thirds, subcostal area mostly biseriate, discoidal area increasing from one to six areolae wide, sutural area one to eight areolae wide. Male genitalia: pygophore ( Fig. 8A, B ); parameres ( Fig. 8C–E ); aedeagus with Y-shaped dorsal plate ( Fig. 8F ); endosomal membrane not spinulate ( Fig. 8F–H ); pair of elongate, medium-sized, spinulate endosomal lobal sclerites ( Fig. 8F–H ).

Female: Macropterous; large morph 3.66 ± 0.12 mm (N = 7), small morph 3.23 mm (N = 1) ( Table 3 ). COLORATION. Overall lighter than male with more pronounced patterning, straw-coloured to golden-brown. VESTITURE. As in male. STRUCTURE. As in male.

Plant associations: Recorded from two genera in the Proteaceae : Grevillea sp. , 1 specimen; Hakea sericea , 16 specimens, H. teretifolia , 1 specimen; Hakea sp. , 9 specimens.

Distribution: Known from south-eastern NSW and far north-eastern Victoria ( Fig. 9 ).

Etymology: Croajingolong is a derivation of the Guani word Krauatungalung, which means ‘belonging to the east’. Cercotingis croajingolong takes its name both from this meaning, and from the region where many specimens were collected—near Croajingolong National Park in Victoria.

Remarks: This species has two size classes and two colour morphs; both colour morphs are present in both size classes. Specimens of differing morphs can occur in a single population; all size class and colour morph combinations have been collected off a single shrub. This species and C. namadgi are very similar, but C. croajingolong is distinguished by the slightly longer frontal, medial, and occipital spines, free paranota (vs. adpressed to the disc on C. namadgi ), taller medial carina on the pronotum, larger costal area areolae, and Y-shaped dorsal plate on the aedeagus (vs. U-shaped on C. croajingolong ).

Figures

Figure 6. Dorsal habitus photos of Cercotingis species: C. croajingolong sp. nov. male light morph (A), male dark morph (B), female light morph (C), female dark morph (D); C. decoris stat. nov. male (E), female (F); C. impensa stat.nov.male (G), female (H); C. namadji sp. nov. male (I), female (J); C. tasmaniensis sp. nov.male (K), female (L). Scale bar = 1 mm.

Figure 7. Lateral habitus photos of Cercotingis species: C. croajingolong sp. nov.male light morph (A), male dark morph (B), female light morph (C), female dark morph (D); C. decoris stat. nov. male (E), female (F); C. impensa stat. nov.male (G), female (H); C. namadji sp. nov. male (I), female (J); C. tasmaniensis sp. nov.male (K), female (L). Scale bar = 1 mm.

Figure 8. Male genitalia of Cercotingis croajingolong sp. nov.: pygophore, dorsal view (A); pygophore, ventral view (B); left paramere, dorsal view (C); right paramere, lateral view (D); right paramere, dorsal view (E); aedeagus, dorsal view (F); aedeagus, ventral view (G); aedeagus, right lateral view (H). See Methods for abbreviations. Scale bars = 0.1 mm.

Figure 9. Distribution map for Cercotingis croajingolong sp. nov., C. decoris stat. nov., C. impensa stat. nov., C. namadgi sp. nov., and C. tasmaniensis sp. nov. Locality information taken from the PBI database.