Lasiacantha darwini, Cassis & Symonds, 2011

Cassis, Gerasimos & Symonds, Celia, 2011, Systematics, biogeography and host plant associations of the lace bug genus Lasiacantha Stål in Australia (Insecta: Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Tingidae) 2818, Zootaxa 2818 (1), pp. 1-63 : 24-25

publication ID	https://doi.org/ 10.11646/zootaxa.2818.1.1
DOI	https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.5294280
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/039187D9-673D-FFBC-A8DB-E683E4CF43FE
treatment provided by	Felipe
scientific name	Lasiacantha darwini
status	sp. nov.

Treatment

Lasiacantha darwini , sp. nov.

( Figs 1 View FIGURE 1 , 3a View FIGURE 3 , 4c View FIGURE 4 , 5 View FIGURE 5 )

Holotype. ♂, AUSTRALIA: Western Australia: Charles Darwin Reserve, large claypans N of Wanarra East Rd, 29.50716 ° S 116.93525 ° E, 253 m, 06 May 2009, C Symonds, A Molan, A Wheeler, B Yardley, ex Eremophila sp. (Myoporaceae) , det. Field ID (30320) ( WAM).

Paratypes. AUSTRALIA: Western Australia: Charles Darwin Reserve, N of Wanarra East Rd, 29.5 ° S 116.95966 ° E, 251 m, 06 May 2009, C Symonds, A Molan, A Wheeler, B Yardley, ex Acacia tetragonophylla F. Muell. (Mimosaceae) , det. WA Herbarium, 1 f (30328) ( WAM); Charles Darwin Reserve, large claypans N of Wanarra East Rd, 29.50716 ° S 116.93525 ° E, 253 m, 06 May 2009, C Symonds, A Molan, A Wheeler, B Yardley, ex Eremophila sp. (Myoporaceae) , det. Field ID, 2 m (30321, 30322), 1 f (30323) ( UNSWIC; WAM); Charles Darwin Reserve, small claypan N of Wanarra East Rd, 29.50483 ° S 116.95291 ° E, 254 m, 06 May 2009, C Symonds, A Molan, A Wheeler, B Yardley, ex Eremophila sp. (Myoporaceae) , det. Field ID, 3 m (30324–30326), 1 f (30327) ( UNSWIC).

Diagnosis. Lasiacantha darwini is recognised by the following combination of characters: weakly mottled mostly pale yellow brown dorsal colouration, with red brown patches ( Fig. 5 View FIGURE 5 ); antennae with AIV orange brown, only slightly darker than remainder, being yellow brown; dorsum greatly spinose; collum, pronotal carinae with major setiferous tubercles; major setiferous tubercles on pronotum and hemelytra moderately elongate, terminal seta half length of tuberculate base; costal area with setiferous tubercles extending to posterior hemelytral margin; carinate margins of discoidal area with major setiferous tubercles, posterior angle with clump of setiferous tubercles; pronotum and hemelytra with only woolly setae; woolly setae elongate, curly, creamy gold; abdominal venter with creamy, short, clavate scalelike setae; cephalic spines elongate, medial spine forked; occipital spines with dorsal branch; collum columnar, higher than medial carina; paranota three areolae wide; costal area two areolae wide; areolae large over entire hemelytra; and, sternal carinae parallel, all equal width.

Description. Medium size, macropterous ( Fig. 5 View FIGURE 5 ); males 2.67–2.90, females 2.72–2.81. COLOURATION. Dorsum mottled, mostly pale yellow brown with red brown patches ( Fig. 5 View FIGURE 5 ). Head: red brown; cephalic spines pale brown, apex darker red brown; bucculae pale brown; labium orange brown, apex dark brown; antennae mostly pale yellow brown, AIV orange brown. Pronotum: disc mostly red brown, pale yellow brown posteriorly; paranota slightly mottled, mostly pale brown with few small red brown flecks; collum pale brown; carinae pale brown, medial carina darker red brown medially. Thoracic pleura and sterna: red brown, supracoxal lobes slightly paler; sternal carinae pale yellow brown. Legs: mostly yellow brown, tarsi dark brown. Hemelytra: mottled orange brown and red brown to dark brown; darker patches banded on costal area, at posterior angle of discoidal area, medially in discoidal and sutural areas. Abdominal venter: red brown.

VESTITURE. Head: dense distribution of elongate, curly, creamy gold, woolly setae; antennae with minor setiferous tubercles, pale colour, AI–AII with single row of setiferous tubercles with moderately elongate curved terminal seta, AIII setiferous tubercles with greatly elongate with straight terminal seta. Pronotum: paranota margins with moderately elongate major setiferous tubercles, terminal seta half length of tuberculate base; keel and surface of collum and pronotal carinae also with major setiferous tubercles; collum, paranota, pronotal and disc with dense distribution of elongate, curly, creamy gold, woolly setae, same setae as head. Thoracic pleura and sterna: pleura with dense distribution of elongate woolly setae as on dorsum, less dense and shorted on supracoxal lobes; mesosternum with sparse distribution of short, clavate scalelike setae. Legs: minor setiferous tubercles, terminal seta pale colour, elongate, erect, bristlelike on tibiae; setae short and thickened, scalelike on femora. Hemelytra: costal margins with major setiferous tubercles as on paranota, extending to posterior margin of hemelytra; major setiferous tubercles on carinate margins of discoidal area and cubitus + R+M vein, slightly more clumped at anterior angle of discoidal area; moderately dense distribution of woolly, same as pronotum, on costal, subcostal and discoidal areas; white microtrichae sparsely present across subcostal and costal areas at hemelytra base and just anterior to posterior angle of discoidal area. Abdomen: moderately dense distribution of short, clavate, creamy, scalelike setae. STRUCTURE. Head: spines elongate; frontal spines parallel, longer than AI; medial spine forked; occipital spines strongly curved outwards, extending past outer margin of eye; occipital spines with dorsal branch. Antennae: AI short and subequal length to AII, AIV with compact base before clavate apex. Labium: moderate length, extending to metasternum. Pronotum: disc weakly convex; collum columnar, uniformly broad, vertically projected, just higher than medial carina; carinae moderately elevated, one areole wide, medial carina with extra row to three areolae medially; lateral carinae not thickened; paranota rounded semi-circular, three areolae wide. Thoracic sterna: sternal carinae straight, metasternal carinae equal width to mesosternal carinae. Hemelytra: areolae large, subequal in size over entire hemelytra; costal area uniformly two areolae wide; subcostal area two areolae wide; discoidal area three areolae wide; sutural area four areolae wide. Male genitalia: pygophore subquadrate; narrowing posteriorly; rounded and slightly flattened posterior margin; dorsal opening strongly concave, rounded; parameres with sensory lobe rounded, weakly expanded; distal u-shaped endosomal sclerite with shallow cleft, basal branches very short. MEASUREMENTS. Ranges for 5 ♂ and 3 ♀ are given in Table 6.

Host plant. Lasiacantha darwini was found on an Eremophila species with a tree habit growing in open shrubland on the edge of claypans ( Fig. 4c View FIGURE 4 ), with one sitting record from Acacia tetragonophylla , which co-occurs with Eremophila species.

Distribution. Collected from three closely located sites in the northern part of Charles Darwin Reserve, Western Australia ( Fig. 3a View FIGURE 3 ). This reserve sits at the northern edge of the southwest botanical region of Western Australia.

Etymology. Named after the type locality and in honour of Charles Darwin. This new species was collected in 2009, the year of the 150th anniversary of the publication of Darwin’s On the Origin of Species and the 200th anniversary of Darwin's birth. The Charles Darwin Reserve was established by Bush Heritage Trust with the support of Chris Darwin, the great great-grandson of Charles Darwin, who also took part in the survey when this new species was discovered.

Remarks. Lasiacantha darwini is the most distinct species of the Clade 3 species-group and differs from them by the following characters: shorter woolly setae; absence of hairlike setae on the pronotum; AIV only slightly darker than AI–AIII; and, heavily tuberculate dorsum with major setiferous tubercles all over the collum and always on pronotal carinae.