Bassocaecilius rawlinsoni, Schmidt & New, 2008

Schmidt, Evan R. & New, Timothy R., 2008, The Psocoptera (Insecta) of Tasmania, Australia, Memoirs of Museum Victoria 65, pp. 71-152 : 86-88

Bassocaecilius rawlinsoni sp. nov.

Figures 17–25

Material examined. Holotype micropterous: Tasmania, Mt William National Park, sedge, 8 Nov 1986. One nymph, 11 and 6 paratypes: same data as holotype. Description of macropterous: Victoria, Cape Otway National Park, sedge, 11 Apr 1991. Additional records: site 42B, 3, 2 nymphs, 12 June 86; 1, 1 nymph, 18 July 86; 1, 7 nymphs, 2 Oct 86; 1, 1 nymph, 3 Nov 86; 1, 8 July 87; site 158 (holotype locality), 1, 6, 2 nymphs, 5 June 86; 3, 1, 1 nymph, 11 July 86; 5

, 1, 2 nymphs, 9 Aug 86; 4, 7, 4 nymphs, 12 Sep 86; 2, 4, 1 nymph, 12 Oct 86; 5, 4, 1 nymph, 7 Dec 86; 2, 18 Jan 87; 2, 5 Feb 87; 1, 1 nymph, 23 Mar 87; 2, 4, 14 June 87; 3, 1, 25 July 87; 1

, 23 Feb 88.

Description of micropterous female. Coloration (after ca 6 years in alcohol). Head brown, with darker brown band laterally across vertex half way between ocelli and crest, extending to region between eye and antennal socket. Frons with small dark brown markings. Maxillary palp, antenna and labrum dark brown. Ocelli pale, with small dark centripetal margins. Rudimentary wings brown. Thorax brown. Legs: coxae and tarsi brown, trochanter pale, femora dark brown, tibiae brown merging dark brown apically, claws black. Abdomen pale brown dorsally, cream ventrally. Terminal segments brown.

Morphology. IO:D = 5.0. Eyes and ocelli small. Labrum: stylets large, spiculate; distal anterior margin with 5 sensilla; internal sclerotisation present. Lacinia broad, flat, expanded preapically on one side, with apical denticles. Vertex flattened, elongated.Epicranialsutureonposteriorhalfofvertexdistinct. Fore wing reduced to a rudimentary flap, setose. Hind wing absent. Thoracic lobes not developed. Abdomen elongate, covered by dense small dark setae which are more profuse dorsally, ventral vesicles lacking. Epiproct and paraproct (fig. 17) setose, latter lacking trichobothrial field and possessing a small apically bifid projection between two macrosetae on posterior margin. Subgenital plate (fig. 18) very setose, margin round, well pigmented with short anteriorly diverging sclerotised areas. Gonapophyses (fig. 19) with external valve sometimes represented by one seta, otherwise absent. Spermatheca (fig. 20) with relatively long glandular area.

Dimensions. B 2.4, F 0.37, T 0.58, t 1 0.134, t 2 0.103, rt 1.3:1, ct 0,0, f

1

0.190, f

2

0.134.

Description of macropterous female. Coloration (after ca 1 year in alcohol). As micropterous female. Wings hyaline with brown tinge, veins brown.

Morphology. IO:D = 4.3. Basal flagellar segment not enlarged, bent. Vertex flattened, elongated. Ocelli more prominent than in micropterous female. Wings elongate, narrow. One specimen with fore wing venation asymmetrical – one fore wing with veins rs and m fused for a short length – on the other these veins are separate with no cross vein joining them. Pterostigma and areola postica low, elongate. Vein cu 1 only partially developed and the radial vein not forked in both wings examined. Vein cu 2 setose. Legs and antenna longer than in micropterous female. Mesothoracic precoxal suture absent. Abdomen as in micropterous female. Genitalia as in micropterous female except paraproct with small field of 13 trichobothria, the apically bifid projection on the posterior margin larger than in micropterous female, adjacent to a single large macroseta .

Dimensions. B 2.5, FW 2.27, HW 1.90, F 0.41, T 0.63, t

1

0.158, t

2

0.111, rt 1.4:1, ct 0,0, f

1

0.229, f

2

0.158.

Description of male. Coloration (after ca 6 years in alcohol). As micropterous female. Fore wing (fig. 21) and hind wing (fig. 22) hyaline, veins brown.

Morphology. IO:D = 3.5. Head rounded. Clypeus and labrum as in female. Ocelli on raised tubercle. Epicranial suture distinct. Wings elongate, narrow. In fore wing (fig. 21) veins rs and m fused for short length, venation as in Caecilius , vein cu 2 setose; pterostigma and areola postica long, narrow; radial fork approximately same length as stem. Hind wing (fig. 22) with vein cu 1 curved toward wing margin. Tibiae of uniform width, swellings absent. Mesothoracic precoxal suture absent. Epiproct (fig. 23) trianguloid. Paraproct (fig. 23) with round field 19 trichobothria, bifid projection on posterior margin small, lying between 2 large setae. Small fields of papillae on epiproct and paraproct absent. Hypandrium (fig. 24) a simple shallow lobe, well sclerotised, posterolateral margins with field of large setae. Phallosome (fig. 25) with feebly developed endophallus.

Dimensions. B 1.8, FW 3.01, HW 2.36, F 0.47, T 0.79, t 1 0.190, t

2

0.126, rt 1.5:1, ct 10,0, f

1

0.395, f

2

0.284.

Etymology. Named for our friend and colleague, the late Peter Rawlinson, a specialist on the ecology and biogeography of reptiles of the Bass Strait region.

Figures

Figures 17-25. Bassocaecilius rawlinsoni. Female: 17, epiproct and paraproct; 18, subgenital plate; 19, gonapophyses; 20, spermathecal sac. Male: 21, fore wing; 22, hind wing; 23, epiproct and paraproct; 24, hypandrium; 25, phallosome. Figures 17, 19, 20, 23, 25; 18, 24 and 21 and 22 to common scales.