Brachysandalus pallidus Malipatil & Liu, 2024

Liu, Yingqi & Cai, Wanzhi, 2024, Revision of Australian Brachysandalus with the description of nine new species including one cavernicolous species (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Reduviidae), and observations on male extragenital structure and leg teratology, Zootaxa 5490 (1), pp. 1-112 : 78-81

Brachysandalus pallidus Malipatil & Liu , sp. nov.

( Figs. 40 , 41 )

Type specimens. Holotype macropterous male (dissected), Australia, Northern Territory, Brunette Downs via Freewina , 2.ix.1982, light, H376, R. Patterson ( ANIC).

Diagnosis.

Only macropterous male known, body small sized. Body generally orange brown, head and anterior pronotal lobe slightly darker ( Fig. 40 ), hemelytron with apical 2/3 of clavus and adjoining area of corium between veins PCu+1A and Cu yellowish white, other area of clavus and corium yellowish brown ( Fig. 40A ). Head globose with subequal preocular and postocular parts ( Fig. 40A ); integument of posterior pronotal lobe finely densely pitted or punctured ( Fig. 40A ); fore femur armed below with two rows of minute blunt tubercles, about six in each row, in addition densely pilose laterally and above, mid femur armed with a few variably sized minute tubercles in two rows, those in outer row larger ( Fig. 40B&C ); fore tibia with fossula spongiosa occupying about 1/3 to 1/4 of tibial length, mid tibia with fossula spongiosa only about 1/4 its length ( Fig. 40B&C ); in male, abdominal sternite VII with a minute extragenital process ( Fig. 40D&E ); male genitalia with median pygophore process short, straight, tapered to pointed apex, venter strongly ridged in caudal view ( Fig. 41B ), and spatulate, bent and slightly constricted at base, apical half slightly reflexed in lateral view ( Fig. 41C ); inner margin of lateral phallothecal sclerite smooth and somewhat acute angular ( Fig. 41I ).

Description.

Macropterous male ( Fig. 40 )

Colouration ( Fig. 40 ): Body generally orange brown, head slightly darker, legs slightly uniformly paler with minute blunt tubercles on fore and mid femora contrastingly dark; hemelytron with apical 2/3 of clavus and adjoining area of corium between veins PCu+1A and Cu yellowish white, other area of clavus and corium yellowish brown, most of membrane uniformly dark brown, with curved stripe near base of costal margin and apical 1/3 of membrane pale brown.

Structure ( Figs. 40 , 41 ): Body small sized, generally covered with fine, short, pale pubescence, with sparse longer brownish bristles obvious on appendages. Scutellum and pronotum sub-shiny smooth.

Head: short, oval, wholly covered with short pale (golden) pilosity and sparse longer bristly darker setae, prominent on mandibular plates, dorsal aspect of head between eyes, and on dorsal aspect of first labial segment. Anteocular region elongate triangular, clearly narrower than postocular part of head, clypeus near its base slightly elevated and knobbed above mandibular plates. Interocular region with arcuate convex sulcus at posterior border of eyes, a small pit near base. Postocular region globose, rounded to neck. Neck with lateral tubercles indistinct. Ventral surface of head tumid before eyes. Antennae with all segments cylindrical, with short pale pilosity and sparse longer setae. Scape thickest, pedicel thinner, then basi-and distiflagellum thinnest. Eyes large, reniform, reaching ventral margin of head in lateral view. Ocelli very large, conspicuously raised, separated from each other by slightly more than diameter of single ocellus, separated from eye by slightly less than diameter of single ocellus. Labium with second and third visible segments sparsely covered with longish setae.

Thorax: Anterior lobe of pronotum with integument smooth, sulci indistinct, except shallow median longitudinal sulcus in basal half. Posterior pronotal lobe large, arcuately broadly quadrate, integument finely densely pitted or punctured, and with short pale pilosity as on anterior lobe, humeri rounded, posterior margin almost smoothly rounded, posterior angles not developed. Scutellum triangular, narrow depressed area basally, disc depressed with sides prominently broadly carinate, integument pilose, apex of scutellar process pointed and slightly directed obliquely in lateral view. Propleuron with integument indistinctly finely faintly granulate, smoothly pilose, set off from dorsal surface by a faint carina. Mesopleuron integument minutely sparsely granulate, densely pilose. Metapleuron with integument more densely and distinctly granulate but granules not striate, metapleural sulcus bicarinate and curved but upper carina less prominently developed than lower carina.All sternites smooth, moderately pilose. Metasternum with disc tumid. Hemelytron well developed, well exceeding tip of abdomen, narrowly exposing connexiva.

Legs: Fore leg with coxa with whitish pilosity; trochanter unarmed, with pilosity; femur strongly fusiform, greatly incrassate near base narrowing distally, much thicker than other femora, armed below with two rows of minute blunt tubercles, about six in each row, in addition densely pilose laterally and above; tibia cylindrical, more or less straight but apex slightly reflexed, fossula spongiosa occupying about 1/3 to 1/4 of tibial length; tarsi thin, denser pilosity ventrally. Mid leg with coxa globular; femur only slightly thickened, armed with a few variably sized minute tubercles in two rows, those in outer row larger, tibia with short whitish pilosity for whole length, with fossula spongiosa only about 1/4 its length. Hind leg with femur long, thin, cylindrical; tibia with brush of setae, denser at apex.

Abdomen: Narrow, elongate, sternum faintly carinate in midline, smooth with sparse longer hairs in addition to pilosity ( Fig. 40C ), sternite VII with a minute extragenital process ( Fig. 40D&E ). Connexivum with golden pilosity as elsewhere on sternum. Spiracles and adjoining cuticular impressed areas not obviously visible.

Male genitalia ( Fig. 41 ): Median pygophore process short, straight, tapered to pointed apex, oblique to right side, venter strongly ridged in caudal view ( Fig. 41B ); spatulate, bent and slightly constricted at base, apical half slightly reflexed in lateral view ( Fig. 41C ). Parameres ( Fig. 41D&E ) falculate, apex with a small triangular process, outer surfaces covered with obvious sparse longer bristles, left paramere ( Fig. 41D ) slightly broader than right paramere ( Fig. 41E ). Phallus ( Fig. 41F–I ) in resting condition with length of basal plate subequal to length of basal plate bridge ( Fig. 41F ), pedicel curved and longer than basal plate ( Fig. 41H&I ); length of struts distinctly longer than half length of phallosoma ( Fig. 41I ); apex of dorsal phallothecal sclerite rounded ( Fig. 41F ); inner margin of lateral phallothecal sclerite smooth and somewhat acute angular ( Fig. 41I ); pair of slender sclerites near base of venter of phallosoma moderately sclerotized ( Fig. 41G ).

Measurements: [of holotype male]. Body length 9.36; maximum width of abdomen 2.40; length of head 1.21; length of anteocular region 0.38; length of postocular region 0.30; width of head across eyes 1.10; width of interocular space 0.49; width of interocellar space 0.19; length of eye in dorsal view 0.44; width of eye in dorsal view 0.34; lengths of antennal segments I–IV 0.83 / 1.90 / 1.97 / 1.90; length of visible labial segments I–III 0.48 / 0.72 / 0.34; length of pronotum 2.09; length of anterior pronotal lobe 1.21; length of posterior pronotal lobe 0.91; width of anterior pronotal lobe 1.52; width of posterior pronotal lobe 2.35; length of scutellum 0.98; maximum width of scutellum 1.14; length of hemelytron 6.40; length of fore tibia 1.63; length of fossula spongiosa on fore tibia 0.41.

Distribution. Australia (Northern Territory).

Etymology. The species epithet is the Latin adjective ‘ pallidus’, alluding to the generally pale or light-coloured body.

Comparative notes. The species may be distinguished by its small size, the globose head with the subequal preocular and postocular parts, the finely pitted or punctate posterior lobe of pronotum, and both the fore and mid femora with minute teeth-like tubercles.

Figures

FIGURE 40. Brachysandalus pallidus Malipatil & Liu, sp. nov., holotype, macropterous male. A, habitus, dorsal view; B, habitus, lateral view; C, habitus, ventral view; D, posterior part of abdomen, ventral view; E, close-up of extragenital process. Red arrow indicates median carina on abdomen, blue arrow indicates extragenital process.

FIGURE 41. Brachysandalus pallidus Malipatil & Liu, sp. nov., male genitalia. A–C, pygophore; D, left paramere; E, right paramere; F–I, phallus. A, G, ventral view; B, caudal view; C, H, I, lateral view; D, E, outer ventrolateral view; F, dorsal view. Abbreviations: bp, basal plate; bpb, basal plate bridge; dps, dorsal phallothecal sclerite; lps, lateral phallothecal sclerite; mpp, median pygophore process; ped, pedicel. Scale bar = 0.10 mm.