Wallabicoris paradicrastyli, Schuh & P. Pedraza, 2010

Schuh, R. T. & P. Pedraza, 2010, Wallabicoris, New Genus (Hemiptera: Miridae: Phylinae: Phylini) From Australia, With The Description Of 37 New Species And An Analysis Of Host Associations, Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 2010 (338), pp. 1-118 : 51-53

Wallabicoris paradicrastyli , new species Figure 22; map 1; plate 3

DIAGNOSIS: Recognized by the chalkwhite coloration of the body and appendages (pl. 3), the small size, with a mean total length of 3.83, and the structure of the male genitalia, the apical portion of the endosoma short and weakly curving, the secondary strap of the endosoma complete and with a short submedial twist, and the left paramere very short, deep bodied, with a low shoulder on the posterior process, closed over most of the dorsal surface (fig. 22), and only slightly exceeding the margin of the pygophore in repose. Head only weakly projecting beyond anterior margin of eyes, mean ratio width head/length head 3.81. Breeds on Dicrastylis spp. (Lamiaceae) . One of the smallest of the similarly colored Lamiaceae and Thymelaeaceae-feeding species, only W. lachnostachyos being smaller. Smaller than all of the chalkwhite Asteraceae-feeding species. Potentially confused with W. rutidosi , but that species much larger, mean total length 4.87, and with a broken secondary endosomal strap.

DESCRIPTION: Male: Body relatively short, distinctly ovoid, total length 3.65–4.15, ratio l/w 5 2.75. COLORATION (pl. 3): Pronotum unicolorous pale, nearly white; hemelytron mostly pale, nearly white; markings on cuneus absent; membrane with elongate, contrasting, fumose marking at extreme base, remainder partially fumose, especially cells, veins white; venter unicolorous pale or mostly so; antennal segment 1 unicolorous pale, with one or two black medial setae; antennal segment 2 unicolorous pale; labium pale with segment 4 heavily infuscate; hind femora with a few brown or black spots; hind tibial spines dark with very small dark bases. SURFACE AND VESTITURE: Dorsum with reclining simple setae matching background coloration, and with some sericeous or woolly setae. STRUCTURE: Head: Somewhat projecting, ratio wh/lh 5 3.74; antennal fossa with ventral margin of fossa at ventral margin of eye; interocular space small, ratio iod/wh 5 0.56; eyes leaving gena broadly exposed in lateral view (hg5–14/he20); labium reaching to midpoint of abdomen. GENITALIA (fig. 22): Endosoma: Base very long, with a tight U-shaped bend; distal half of shaft smoothly curving; primary endosomal strap weakly elongate apically, ratio lae/lsg 1.88; apex of primary endosomal strap distinctly curving; secondary endosomal strap very slender, of uniform width from endosomal bend to gonopore, reaching to level of secondary gonopore, with a short submedial undulation; secondary gonopore seen frontally in lateral view of endosoma. Phallotheca: More or less right angulate, dorsal surface without a hump; dorsal surface without a conspicuous keel. Left Paramere: Body relatively short, just exceeding margin of pygophore; in dorsal perspective closed over about one-half length; body not distinctly tapering toward apex; anterior process arising slightly forward of posterior margin of shaft; anterior process angled posterodorsally; posterior process appearing tubular, fingerlike; posterior process with strongly projecting shoulder at base; base of posterior process at about level of paramere body or very weakly elevated. Right Paramere: Body elongate and slender, ratio lrp/wrp 4.12; body more or less parallel sided; posterior margin without distinct protuberance subapically; body elevated at juncture with base; apex with a weakly elongate fingerlike process.

ETYMOLOGY: Named for the host genus Dicrastylis in combination with the Greek prefix para, ‘‘near.’’

HOSTS: Recorded from Dicrastylis beveridgei F. Muell. , Dicrastylis gilesii var. gilesii f. densa Munir, and Dicrastylis morrisonii Munir (Lamiaceae) .

DISTRIBUTION (map 1): Known from the McDonnell Ranges of central Australia and the Goldfields region of Western Australia.

DISCUSSION: The known distribution of the hosts of W. paradicrastyli is restricted to Central Australia, but extends substantially farther south than our records for W. dicrastyli . We might then expect a broader distribution for this species, including more of western South Australia.

HOLOTYPE: AUSTRALIA: Northern Territory: 193 km E of Stuart Hiway on Lasseter Hiway, 25.21667 ° S 131.4776 ° E, 519 m, 31 Oct 2001, Cassis, Schuh, Schwartz, Silveira, Wall, Dicrastylis beveridgei F. Muell. (Lamiaceae) , det. NSW staff NSW666267, 13 (AMNH_PBI 00098008) ( NTM).

PARATYPES: AUSTRALIA: Northern Territory: 17.5 km E of Stuart Hiway on Horseshoe Bend Rd, 25.16667 ° S 133.3223 ° E, 412 m, 29 Oct 2001, Cassis, Schuh, Schwartz, Silveira, Wall, Dicrastylis beveridgei var. beveridgei F. Muell. (Lamiaceae) , det. NSW staff NSW658404, 33 (00090861–00090863), 8♀ (00090866–00090873) ( AM), 23 (00090864– 00090865), 4♀ (00090874–00090877) ( UNSW). 35.4 km W of Uluru at Kata Tjuta jct on Lasseter Hiway, 25.34361 ° S 130.68916 ° E, 592 m, 01 Nov 2001, Cassis, Schuh, Schwartz, Silveira, Wall, Dicrastylis gilesii var. gilesii f. densa Munir ( Lamiaceae ), det. NSW staff NSW666280, 43 (00097940–00097942, 00097944), 3♀ (00097945, 00097946–00097948) ( AMNH), 13 (00097943), 1♀ (00097949) ( NTM). 193 km E of Stuart Hiway on Lasseter Hiway, 25.21667 ° S 131.4776 ° E, 519 m, 31 Oct 2001, Cassis, Schuh, Schwartz, Silveira, Wall, Dicrastylis beveridgei F. Muell. (Lamiaceae) , det. NSW staff NSW666267, 53 (00098007, 00098009– 00098012), 6♀ (00098013–00098018) ( AMNH), 13 (00098006), 1♀ (00098019) ( NTM). Kings Canyon, Watarrka National Park, 24.25001 ° S 131.5689 ° E, 633 m, 02 Nov 2001, Cassis, Schuh, Schwartz, Silveira, Wall, Dicrastylis gilesii var. gilesii f. densa Munir ( Lamiaceae ), det. NSW staff NSW666298, 23 (00181889–00181890), 1♀ (00181891) ( AMNH).

OTHER SPECIMENS EXAMINED: AUSTRA- LIA: Western Australia: 31.7 km W of Agnew toward Sandstone, 27.96227 ° S 120.4277 ° E, 800 m, 26 Oct 1996, Schuh and Cassis, Dicrastylis morrisonii Munir (Chloanthaceae) , det. PERTH staff PERTH 05095204, 2♀ (00087189, 00089755) (AM), 43 (00128685– 00128688), 4♀ (00128690–00128693), 1 nymph (00128689) (AMNH).