Callitricola finke, Symonds & Cassis, 2018

Symonds, Celia L. & Cassis, Gerasimos, 2018, Systematics And Analysis Of The Radiation Of Orthotylini Plant Bugs Associated With Callitroid Conifers In Australia: Description Of Five New Genera And 32 New Species (Heteroptera: Miridae: Orthotylinae), Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 2018 (422), pp. 1-229 : 113-117

Callitricola finke , new species

Figures 6A, 13 , 33 , 48 ; map 2

DIAGNOSIS: Defined by the following characters: small size; large, bulbous eyes; pale, dusty green coloration, forewing membrane veins yellow-green; pygophore with comblike, serrate left lateral tergal process; left paramere with tapering apophysis, narrow apex with weakly recurved hook; right paramere base short, apex strongly curved inward with bulbous apical margin; inner ventral margin with small serrate ridge, subapical dorsal margin expanded and bulbous with spinelike serrations; phallotheca with subapical right lateral tumescence and large, broad lobe on right dorsal margin; aedeagus with PES wrapped sheathlike around secondary gonopore, left ven- trolateral position, bifurcate distally, both branches serrate, with small medial process, left branch weakly downturned; DES2 bifurcate with right branch twisted above bifurcation point and distally serrate, left branch forked at apex with smooth margins; DES1 unbranched and shorter than PES and DES2; female laIRL uniformly narrow, curved inward at apex, base with small spiniferous lobe; mIRL moderately elongate, three-quarters height of laIRL, subrectangular with an acuminate apex, margin only serrate.

DESCRIPTION: Male: Small size, total length 2.84–3.11, pronotal width 0.83–0.89 mm. COL-

ORATION: Dorsum dusty pale green, with some darker bright green pigmentation on hemelytral margins, cuneus faded to yellow; forewing membrane translucent gray-brown, slightly darker patches laterally, veins yellow (perhaps faded from green) with color extending onto membrane around vein, major cell without colored spot (fig. 13). VESTITURE: Dorsum with moderately dense distribution of pale simple setae, intermixed with sparse distribution of more elongate darker, midmedium-brown, bristlelike setae. STRUCTURE: Head: Eyes very large, bulbous, greatly exerted from outline of head; antennae with A1 subequal to vertex width, A11 1.2× pronotal width; labium medium length, extending to metacoxae. Hemelytra: Cuneus short, major cell subovate, major membrane vein slightly rounded (fig. 13). GENITA- LIA: Pygophore: Dorsal margin of genital opening straight, one left lateral tergal process, only weakly produced from margin; left tergal process sclerotized and serrate, comblike (fig. 33A); ventral margin weakly convex medially; phalloguide with small, slightly sclerotized lobe, at base of right paramere articulation (fig. 33A). Left paramere: Apophysis tapering apically, apex narrow with strongly recurved hook (fig. 33B). Right paramere: Base short; paramere round in lateral view; apex strongly curved inward, apical margin bulbous; inner ventral margin with small sclerotized ridge, with minute serrations on margin; apical dorsal margin expanded into bulbous lobe, with small spine- like serrations; inner surface excavated (fig. 33C). Phallotheca: Opening large, distal to medial; strongly curved to right side; apical margin round; apex flattened; large subapical right ventrolateral tumescence; small left lateral tumescence; small right lateral basal tumescence; large medial lobe on right dorsal margin (fig. 33D). Aedeagus: Spicule arrangement: PES left ventrolateral to secondary gonopore, base wrapped sheathlike around part of secondary gonopore, DES2 left dorsolateral to PES, DES1 left lateral to DES2 (fig. 33); bases of PES and DES2 spicules flattened and broad, base of DES1 tubular and narrower; bases of all spicules originating adjacently at base of secondary gonopore (fig. 33F); PES bifurcate in distal third, branches subequal in length and both distally serrate, small, hooklike submedial process below bifurcation point, left branch weakly downcurved (fig. 33F); DES2 bifurcate in distal half, left branch bifurcate at apex with smooth distal margins, right branch twisted just above bifurcation point with serrate distal margins, right branch slightly shorter than left branch, left branch slightly longer than PES; DES1 unbranched, distally serrate, significantly shorter than other two spicules, basal keel elongate (DESk) (fig. 33E, F).

Female: Small, subovate, body length 2.81– 3.22 mm, pronotal width 0.82–0.89 mm. GENI-

TALIA: Interramal lobes (fig. 48): mIRL partially joined to laIRL at base; laIRL uniformly narrow, curved inward at apex, base with small spiniferous lobe; mIRL moderately elongate, three-quarters height of laIRL, subrectangular with an acuminate apex, margin serrate.

ETYMOLOGY: Named after the type locality in Finke Gorge, central Australia. Noun in apposition.

HOST PLANTS: Known from Callitris glaucophylla (table 2).

HOLOTYPE: AUSTRALIA: Northern Territory: Finke Gorge National Park, Palm Valley, 24.03333 ° S 132.7101 ° E, 586 m, 04 Nov 2001, Cassis , Schuh , Schwartz , Silveira , Wall , Callitris glaucophylla , det. RBG Sydney NSW666321, 1♂ ( AMNH _ PBI 00016207 ) ( MAGNT).

PARATYPES: AUSTRALIA: Northern Territory: Finke Gorge National Park, Palm Valley, 24.03333 ° S 132.7101 ° E, 586 m, 04 Nov 2001, Cassis, Schuh, Schwartz, Silveira, Wall, Callitris glaucophylla , det. RBG Sydney NSW666321, 4♂ ( AMNH _PBI 00016203–00016206), 6♀ ( AMNH _PBI 00016210– AMNH _PBI 00016215) ( AM), 2♂ ( AMNH _PBI 00016208, 00016209), 3♀ ( AMNH _PBI 00016216–00016218) ( MAGNT). Kings Canyon, Watarrka National Park, 24.25001 ° S 131.5689 ° E, 633 m, 02 Nov 2001, Cassis, Schuh, Schwartz, Silveira, Wall, Callitris glaucophylla , 2♂ ( AMNH _PBI 00016220, 00016221), 5♀ ( AMNH _PBI 00016224– 00016226, 00016230, 00016231) ( AM), 2♂ ( AMNH _PBI 00016222, 00016223), 3♀ ( AMNH _PBI 00016227–00016229) ( MAGNT).

OTHER SPECIMENS EXAMINED: AUSTRA- LIA: Northern Territory: Finke Gorge National Park, Palm Valley, 24.03333 ° S 132.7101 ° E, 586 m, 04 Nov 2001, Cassis, Schuh, Schwartz, Silveira, Wall, Callitris glaucophylla , det. RBG Sydney NSW666321, 1 juv. (AMNH_PBI 00016219) (AM). Kings Canyon, Watarrka National Park, 24.25001 ° S 131.5689 ° E, 633 m, 02 Nov 2001, Cassis, Schuh, Schwartz, Silveira, Wall, Callitris glaucophylla , 1 juv. (AMNH_PBI 00016232) (AM).

DISTRIBUTION: Known from two localities in central Australia, Kings Canyon and Finke Gorge (map 2). This is the only Callitricola species from the Northern Territory.

REMARKS: Callitricola finke is the smallest species in the genus and of all other callitroidinhabiting orthotylines. It is recognized by its pale dusty coloration, large, bulbous eyes (fig. 13), the phallotheca has a flattened and rounded apex as well as a prominent subapical right ventrolateral tumescence (fig. 33D), the shapes of PES and DES2 (fig. 33E, F), and the female interramal lobes with a more slender laIRL, and more slender and apically acuminate mIRL (fig. 48). This is a very distinctive species within Callitricola and C. gammonensis and C. wiradjuri are

also a slighter paler and more dusty yellow-green (cf. to bright yellow-green). Callitricola finke is distinguished from both these species by its single serrate comblike left tergal process and the body is smaller than C. wiradjuri (fig. 13). See also remarks for C. gammonensis .

Figures

FIG. 13. Callitricola species, dorsal habitus photographs of males. Scale bar = 1 mm.

FIG. 33. Male genitalia of Callitricola finke. A. Pygophore, dorsal. B. Left paramere, ventral. C. Right paramere, right lateral. D. Phallotheca, dorsal. E. Aedeagus, right lateral. F. Aedeagus, dorsal. Scale bars = 0.1 mm.

FIG. 48. Callitricola female genitalia: right interramal lobes of species, posterior wall of C. graciliphila, dorsal. Scale bar = 0.1 mm.