Embidopsocus lenah, Schmidt & New, 2008

Schmidt, Evan R. & New, Timothy R., 2008, The Psocoptera (Insecta) of Tasmania, Australia, Memoirs of Museum Victoria 65, pp. 71-152 : 82-84

Embidopsocus lenah sp. nov.

Figures 6–16

Material examined. Holotype: Tasmania, Lenah Valley , under bark, 26 May 1937. Two paratypes: same data as holotype. Additional record (1): Lenah Valley , under bark of dead tree, 21 Feb 1934 (V. V. Hickman).

Description of macropterous female. Coloration (after ca 56 years on permanent slide). Light (straw) brown. Eyes black. Ocelli pale, centripetal margins black (from other specimen). Fore wing (fig. 6) very pale brown, veins brown. Hind wing (fig. 7) pale.

Morphology. Ocelli well developed, compound eyes consisting of many ommatidia. Apex of lacinia (fig. 8) with long bifid lateral projection, a long median projection and in between a short projection with apex directed medially. Apical segment of maxillary palp with a field of 8 thin-walled setae, the lengths and distribution of which are similar to those described for the laticeps complex ( Mockford , 1987: 852). Flagellar sensilla as in Table 2, following the categories suggested by Mockford (1987). Anterior margin of postclypeus with 2 long median setae, in addition to several shorter setae laterally. Short setae sparsely scattered on vertex and frons. Fore wing with single row of short sparse setae on radial vein in basal third of wing, setae restricted to base of medial vein, posterior margin bearing 3 setae at base of wing. Chaetotaxy: thoracic terga (fig. 9) with one (humeral) seta on each side of pronotum; thoracic sterna (fig. 10) with pair of large setae (one missing in preparation) and row of smaller setae on anterior margin of prosternum, meso-metasternum with setae concentrated along its anterior margin and a few scattered along its sides. Hind femur with 2 long setae, hind tibia with 5 long setae of various lengths. Tarsal claw with a series of denticles basal to large subapical tooth. Chaetotaxy of posterior abdominal terga as in fig. 11. Sculpture of integument of head and terga of thorax and abdomen absent. Portion of gonapophyses seen (after clearing) through subgenital plate (dotted in fig. 12). Spermathecal plate (fig. 12) rounded anteriorly. Spermatheca very large, spherical (0.11–0.14 mm diameter, other specimen).

Dimensions. B 1.74, FW 1.54, HW 1.06, F (l) 0.356, F (w

)

0.126, T 0.276, t 1 0.063, t 2 0.032, t 3 0.047, rt 2:1:1.5. f 1 0.075, f

2

0.067, S

I

0.036, S

a

0.158, S

e

0.055.

Description of apterous male. Coloration (after ca 56 years on permanent slide). As female.

Morphology. Ocelli absent. Eyes reduced to 2 ommatidia on each side of head. Chaetotaxy of thoracic terga as in fig. 13, thoracic sterna (fig. 14) with row of setae along anterior margin of prosternum reduced, a single large seta near each anterolateral margin. Sculpture of integument as female, except for a few vague lines along posterior margin of head. Remaining morphology as that of female. Phallosome (fig. 15) with parameres coming together anteriorly, endophallus finely serrate. Hypandrium (fig. 16) with pair of large preapical setae.

Dimensions. B 1.15, F (l) 0.308, F (w) 0.118, T 0.229, t 1 0.047, t 2 0.032, t 3 0.043, rt 1.5:1:1.37, f 1 0.063, f 2, 0.063, S 1 0.024, S a 0.103, S

e

0.063.

Remarks. Badonnel (1955) divided this genus into three species groups, utilising several important characters found in apterous females. Additional species from Argentina ( Badonnel, 1962), Brazil ( Badonnel, 1972), and Central and North America ( Mockford : 1963, 1987) have been placed within these groups. A single damaged apterous female is known from the holotype locality; the sclerotised bands of the mesosternum are present laterally but they do not fuse to form a closed arc, nor are they joined to the pro-mesothoracic spina. At present E. lenah cannot be placed into any of the above groups with certainty.

A single individual of this genus has been collected in Victoria ( New, 1975).

Etymology. The species name is an indigenous word for kangaroo.

Figures

Figures 6-16. Embidopsocus lenah. Female: 6, fore wing; 7, hind wing; 8, lacinia; 9, thoracic terga; 10, thoracic sterna; 11, posterior abdominal terga (setae from sterna dotted); 12, subgenital plate. Figures 6, 7 and 9-12 to common scales. Male: 13, thoracic terga; 14, thoracic sterna; 15, phallosome; 16, hypandrium. Figures 13-16 to common scale.