Callitricola ballina, 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 : 104-105

Callitricola ballina , new species

Figures 5C–D, 13 , 28 , 48 ; map 2

DIAGNOSIS: Defined by the following characters: small size; yellow-green forewing membrane veins; pygophore with one tergal process on dorsal margin, just left lateral of midline, tergal process broad round and spiniferous; left paramere with strong apical hook; right paramere base short, apex strongly curved inward and bulbous, subapical dorsal margin round, apical flange and subapical dorsal margins with small spinelike serrations; phallotheca with twisted point at apex, subapical right ventrolateral tumescence, large lobe on right dorsal margin, medially, and retracted left dorsal margin at base; aedeagus with short PES and DES2 originating above base of secondary gonopore, elongate DES1 originating adjacent to base of secondary gonopore; PES left lateral to secondary gonopore, bifurcate distally with left branch weakly downcurved; DES2 bifurcate, branches unequal in length, distally serrate; DES1 unbranched, elongate; female laIRL slightly wider distally, uncurved, base with large spiniferous lobe, margin of lobe sinuous; mIRL moderately elongate, three-quarters length of laIRL, subovate, apex pointed, margin only serrate.

DESCRIPTION: Male: Moderately small size, subovate, body length 3.13–3.48 mm, pronotal width 0.91–0.96 mm. COLORATION: Dorsum with patches of bright green pigmentation remaining on hemelytra, creating spotted appearance on faded yellow background; forewing membrane light brown, with slightly darker patches laterally, vein yellow-green with color confined to vein only, major cell with faint green spot (fig. 13). VESTITURE: Dorsum with moderately dense distribution of mediumbrown simple setae, slightly bristlelike. STRUC-

TURE: Head: Antennae with AI subequal to vertex width, AII 1.2× pronotal width; labium medium length, extending to mesocoxae. Hemelytra: Cuneus and major cell of membrane short, major membrane vein very slightly rounded (fig. 13). GENITALIA: Pygophore: Dorsal margin of genital opening straight, with one tergal process medially to just left lateral of midline (not illustrated); left tergal process broad, lobelike, distally round, with spiniferous surface; ventral margin weakly convex medially; phalloguide with small, round, lightly sclerotized, lobe ventrad to right paramere articulation, with minute serrations on right lateral margin of lobe (fig. 28A). Left paramere: Apophysis subrectangular; apex truncate with strongly recurved hook (fig. 28B). Right paramere: Base short; apex strongly curved inward, bulbous, with slight ridge at edge; subapical dorsal margin weakly expanded and angular, continuous with apical margin; apical margin slightly sclerotized, with minute spinelike serrations on surface; mesiolateral surface weakly excavate (fig. 28C). Phallotheca: Dorsal opening large, distal to medial, narrowing distally; apex with twisted point; large subapical right ventrolateral tumescence; small left lateral tumescence; small right lateral basal tumescence; large lobe on right dorsal margin medially; left dorsal margin retracted medially down to base (fig. 28D). Aedeagus: Spicule arrangement: PES left lateral to secondary gonopore, not wrapped sheathlike around secondary gonopore, DES2 dorsad to secondary gonopore, DES1 dorsad to DES2 (fig. 28); PES and DES2 short with bases originating near apex of secondary gonopore, DES1 elongate with base originating adjacent to base of secondary gonopore; PES bifurcate distally, branches equal length with serrate margins, left branch only weakly downturned; DES2 bifurcate, branches unequal length, distally serrate; DES1 unbranched, distally serrate, basal keel (DESk) elongate (fig. 28E, F).

Female: Moderately small, subovate, body length 3.13–3.36 mm, pronotal width 0.89–0.96 mm. GENITALIA: Interramal lobes (fig. 48): mIRL partially joined to laIRL at base; laIRL slightly wider distally, uncurved, base with large spiniferous lobe, margin of lobe sinuous; mIRL moderately elongate, three-quarters length of laIRL, subovate, apex pointed, margins serrate.

ETYMOLOGY: Named after the town of Ballina on the northern coast of New South Wales, near the type locality. Noun in apposition.

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

HOLOTYPE: AUSTRALIA: New South Wales: Bundjalung National Park, 10 km from Pacific Hwy on road to Black Rocks , 29.17617 ° S 153.39075 ° E, 7 m, 18 Jan 2005, C. Symonds, N. Tatarnic, Callitris columellaris , det. Field ID, 1♂ ( AMNH _ PBI 00005676 ) ( AM).

PARATYPES: AUSTRALIA: New South Wales: Bundjalung National Park, 10 km from Pacific Hwy on road to Black Rocks, 29.17617 ° S 153.39075 ° E, 7 m, 18 Jan 2005, C. Symonds, N. Tatarnic, Callitris columellaris , det. Field ID, 2♀ ( AMNH _PBI 00005677, 00005678) ( AM). Wardell, 16 km S of Ballina on Pacific Hwy, 28.95005 ° S 153.4658 ° E, 7 m, 18 Jan 2005, C. Symonds, N. Tatarnic, Callitris columellaris , det. Field ID, 1♂ ( AMNH _PBI 00005679) ( AM).

DISTRIBUTION: Known from two localities in New South Wales (map 2), where it was collected with E. bundjalung (table 2).

REMARKS: Although definitively within Callitricola , C. ballina is distinct, and in the phylo- genetic analysis is sister to clade 15, comprising five species (fig. 2). The endosomal spicule structure and the retracted left dorsal margin on the phallotheca are unique within the genus (fig. 28D). It possesses some characters in common with C. cordylina and C. graciliphila , including the shape of the apex and lobe on the right dorsal margin of the phallotheca (fig. 28D), the shape of the apophysis and apex of the left paramere, and PES not sheathlike around the secondary gonopore (fig. 28E, F).

Figures

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

FIG. 28. Male genitalia of Callitricola ballina. A. Pygophore, dorsal. B. Left paramere, ventral. C. Right paramere, left lateral. D. Phallotheca, right lateral. E. Aedeagus, right lateral. F. Aedeagus, ventral. 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.