Myotrioza markmitchelli Taylor

Taylor, Gary S., Fagan-Jeffries, Erinn P. & Austin, Andy D., 2016, A new genus and twenty new species of Australian jumping plant-lice (Psylloidea: Triozidae) from Eremophila and Myoporum (Scrophulariaceae: Myoporeae), Zootaxa 4073 (1), pp. 1-84 : 55-59

Myotrioza markmitchelli Taylor , sp. nov.

( Figs 115–124 , 131–132 , 136 , 139 ; Tables 1–8 )

Types. AUSTRALIA, South Australia: Holotype: 1 ♂ (dried) Wool Bay, scrub, 34°59.8'S, 137°45.2'E, G.S. Taylor, 20.x.2001, on Myoporum insulare (SAM). Paratypes: 1 ♂ (dried), 3 ♂, 1 ♀, 14 immatures (slide), same data (SAM, WINC); 1 ♂, 1 ♀ (slide) Port Lincoln, Point Boston Rd, 34°37.802'S, 135°55.663'E, G.S. Taylor, 6.x.2011, Swept Myoporum insulare, 2011 213 (PL3) (SAM).

Description. Adult ( Figs 115–118 ). Colouration. Male: [specimens in ethanol] Dark brown: vertex darker brown anteriorly and with darker brown marking in vicinity of fovea; eyes greyish brown; antennal segments 8–10 progressively dark brown; pronotum, mesopraescutum and mesoscutum uniformly dark brown; fore and hind wings clear; fore wing veins R and R1 pigmented very slightly darker brown than other wing veins; vein R slightly darker; legs very pale yellow-brown; abdominal tergites 1–5 dark brown to black; sternites light brown; abdominal membrane colouration bright orange; proctiger, subgenital plate and parameres brown; proctiger paler laterally; subgenital plate light brown anteriolaterally; parameres dark brown basally, lighter subapically, apices black. Female: [specimen in ethanol] considerably paler than male, light yellow brown; vertex with a brown anterior infuscation and small brown marking in vicinity of fovea; pronotum pale medially; mesopraescutum with a pair of greyish brown anterior submedial markings; mesoscutum with a narrow medial and two pairs of greyish brown submedial markings, darker posteriorly; abdominal tergites 1–2 light greyish brown, tergites 3–4 pale, medially, light greyish brown laterally, tergite 5 uniformly pale yellow-brown; sternites with pale greyish brown infuscation; abdominal membrane colouration pale orange; proctiger and subgenital plate pale yellow-brown, with apices orange brown.

Structure. Measurements as in Tables 4–8 . Body large, compact ( Figs 115–118 ). Head ( Figs 119–120 ); vertex with weak medial suture, little sunk in vicinity of fovea; genal processes moderate in length, 0.30–0.54 times as long as vertex; antenna short, 0.83–1.08 times width of head, with 2–4 subapical rhinarium on segment 3, 1–2 on segment 4, and a single subapical rhinarium on each of segments 6, 8 and 9; segment 10 with a long pointed and a short broadly rounded seta. Fore wing ( Figs 121–122 ) 4.35–5.38 times as long as head width, 2.52–2.80 times as long as wide, short, broad with distinctly pointed apex; vein Rs evenly curved to costa, terminating well short of wing apex, considerably shorter than vein M, RsM: 0.68–0.76; medial cell smaller than cubital cell; veins M1+2 and M3+4 short, broadly diverging with corresponding very low m1 cell value: 1.00–1.14; veins Cu1a long, weakly arched and Cu1b short, widely divergent with corresponding moderate cu1 cell value: 1.46–2.13; metatibia 0.86–1.08 times as long as width of head, longer than metafemur, with 2 inner and 1 outer sclerotised apical spurs. Male terminalia ( Figs 131–132 ); proctiger conoid, short, broad with expanded lateral lobes; subgenital plate broadly rounded; parameres ( Fig. 132 ) short, broad, blade-like, evenly tapering to incurved sclerotised apices; distal portion of aedeagus moderate in length, with asymmetrical apical expansion ( Fig. 131 ). Female terminalia ( Figs 136 , 139 ): proctiger short, triangular, posterior margin flat from lateral aspect and with weakly sclerotised sharply pointed apex; subgenital plate, triangular with tapering, weakly sclerotised sharply pointed apex; distal portion of proctiger with dense short pale setae and subgenital plate with very sparse short setae.

Final instar immature ( Figs 123–124 ). Triozine in type: dorsal surface outline broadly ovate ( Fig. 123 ); cephalothorax entire; fore wing pad produced anteriorly to anterior margin of eye; abdominal tergites fused to form a caudal plate; caudal plate short, broad; circumanal pore field ventral and distant from posterior margin of abdomen; sectasetae ( Fig. 124 ) short, truncate, closely and evenly spaced on anterior margin of head, fore and hind wing margins and margin of caudal plate; dorsum without setae. Colouration (specimens in ethanol): dorsum yellow-brown with mottled brown markings ( Fig. 123 ). Measurements and ratios (n=4): AL 0.22–0.32; HW 0.69– 0.79; BL 2.29–2.56; BW 1.57–1.85; WL 1.22–1.35; CPL 1.02–1.24; CPW 1.19–1.45 CPRW 0.21–0.30; AL:HW 0.31–0.42; AL:WL 0.17–0.24; HW:BL 0.30–0.31; BL:BW 1.38–1.45; CPL:CPW 0.78–0.98; CPRW:CPW 0.17– 0.21.

Comments. Myotrioza markmitchelli sp. nov. can be distinguished by the following unique combination of characters: habitus as in Figs 115–118 , pale medial marking on female abdomen, male dark, antenna with supernumerary rhinaria (2–4 on antennal segment 3 and 1–2 on segment 4), fore wing short, broad with acutely pointed apex, fore wing veins R+M+Cu, R and R1 pigmented little darker than other wing veins, Rs considerably shorter than vein M ( Figs 121–122 ), female proctiger short, high with subapical dense field of hooked setae, valvula ventralis little curved, ventral profile of female subgenital plate flat ( Fig. 136 ), male proctiger conoid, with lateral lobes expanded medially, aedeagus long, paramere broad, blade-like with broad apex ( Figs 131–132 ), host Myoporum , with coastal distribution. For diagnosis from closely related species, see Comments for M. desertorum sp. nov.

Etymology. Named in honour of Sir Mark Mitchell and in recognition of the Sir Mark Mitchell Research Foundation, a program that promotes research into the natural history of South Australia and which provided the funding to support the field surveys that led to the discovery of this new species.

Host-plant association and distribution. ( Tables 2–3). Myotrioza markmitchelli sp. nov. and M. insularis sp. nov. are both recorded from Myoporum insulare R.Br. (Boobialla) on coastal Eyre and Yorke Peninsulas in South Australia.

Myotrioza markmitchelli is one of 10 species of Myotrioza gen. nov. and 24 species of Triozidae recorded for South Australia. It is considered endemic to that state, although it is likely to occupy a broad distribution given that its host is widely distributed in coastal southern Australia. It is one of 2 species of Myotrioza gen. nov., namely M. insularis sp. nov. and M. markmitchelli sp. nov. from M. insulare . For distribution of M. insulare , refer to M. insularis sp. nov.

Figures

FIGURES 115 – 122. Myotrioza markmitchelli, sp. nov. (115), habitus, male, (dorsal aspect); (116), habitus, female (dorsal aspect); (117), habitus, male (lateral aspect); (118), habitus, female (lateral aspect); (119), head, male (dorsal aspect, from slide); (120), head, female (dorsal aspect); (121), fore wing, male (from slide); (122), fore wing, female. Scale = 1.0 mm.

FIGURES 123 – 124. Myotrioza markmitchelli, sp. nov. (123), immature (dorsal aspect); (124), anterior margin of head and lateral margin of fore wing pad showing sectasetae. Scale = 1.0 mm in Fig 123, 0.05 mm in Fig. 124.

FIGURES 125 – 132. F igs 125 – 126: Myotrioza interioris, sp. nov. (125), male terminalia (lateral aspect); (126), paramere (inner face, lateral aspect); Figs 127 – 128: M. interstantis, sp. nov. (127), male terminalia (lateral aspect); (128), paramere (inner face, lateral aspect); Figs 129 – 130: M. longifoliae, sp. nov. (129), male terminalia (lateral aspect); (130), paramere (inner face, lateral aspect); Figs 131 – 132: M. markmitchelli, sp. nov. (131), male terminalia (lateral aspect); (132), paramere (inner face, lateral aspect). Scale = 0.2 mm for male terminalia, 0.1 mm for parameres.

FIGURES 133 – 136. Female terminalia (133), Myotrioza interioris, sp. nov.; (134), M. interstantis, sp. nov.; (135), M. longifoliae, sp. nov.; (136), M. markmitchelli, sp. nov. Scale = 0.5 mm (all at same scale).

FIGURES 137 – 141. Fig. 137: antenna, male: Myotrioza serrulatae, sp. nov.; Figs 138 – 141: female terminalia: (138), M. longifoliae, sp. nov.; (139), M. markmitchelli, sp. nov.; (140), M. oppositifoliae, sp. nov.; (141), M. platycarpi, sp. nov. Scale = 0.2 mm.