Brachysandalus flavidus 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 : 30-33

publication ID	https://doi.org/ 10.11646/zootaxa.5490.1.1
publication LSID	lsid:zoobank.org:pub:E939D165-05C8-4557-BF13-751B26188C39
DOI	https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.13212337
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/0A0987BA-FFEB-FFD4-D69C-FF50B418DAC8
treatment provided by	Plazi
scientific name	Brachysandalus flavidus Malipatil & Liu
status	sp. nov.

Treatment

Brachysandalus flavidus Malipatil & Liu , sp. nov.

( Figs. 12 View FIGURE 12 , 13 View FIGURE 13 )

Type specimens. [ all macropterous]. Holotype male, Australia, Queensland, Lockerbie Area, Cape York , 13– 24.iv.1973, G.B. Monteith ( QM) . Paratypes: 3 males (1 dissected), same as holotype ( QM) ; 2 males, Gordon’s Mine area, Iron Range , rainforest, 12–18.ii.1976, G.B. Monteith ( QM) ; 1 male, Gordon’s Creek area, Claudie R. district, MV trap, 27.vi.1982, M.A. Schneider & G. Daniels ( QM) ; 1 male, West Claudie R., Iron Range , rainforest, 50 m, 3–10.xii.1985, G. Monteith & D. Cook ( QM) .

Other specimens. [all macropterous]. QUEENSLAND. 1 male, Claudie R., 11/ 12.ii.1913, Colld. J.A. Kershaw ( MV); 1 male, Claudie R., 5.14, from Dr Macgillvray ( MV) ; 1 male, 15.18S 145.00E, Isabella Falls , at light, P. Zborowski & E.D. Edwards ( ANIC) GoogleMaps ; 1 male, Hughenden, H. Batchelor, 174 ( QM) ; 2 males, Between Mt Garnet and Mt Surprise, under lava flow, Yarramulla, at light, 11. i – 25.ii.1989, M. Asche & H. Hoch ( VAIC) .

Diagnosis.

Only macropterous male known, body medium sized. Generally blackish brown ( Fig. 12 View FIGURE 12 ), hemelytron with spot involving apical area of clavus and corresponding adjoining area of corium between veins Pcu+1A and Cu pale yellow, apical 1/3 of membrane pale brownish yellow ( Fig. 12A View FIGURE 12 ). Fore femur armed below with two rows of black minute tubercles, rows separated by a faint median furrow, mid femur armed below with irregular rows of minute tubercles ( Fig. 12B&C View FIGURE 12 ); fore tibia with fossula spongiosa occupying slightly more than 1/3 tibial length, mid tibia with fossula spongiosa about 1/3 its length ( Fig. 12B&C View FIGURE 12 ); in male, left side of abdominal sternite VII with a narrowly elongate triangular extragenital process, apically slightly curved outwards on cuticle ( Figs. 12B View FIGURE 12 , 56G View FIGURE 56 ); male genitalia with median pygophore process spine-like, straight, tapered, oblique to right side, venter strongly ridged in caudal view ( Fig. 13B View FIGURE 13 ), and straight, base slightly constricted in lateral view ( Fig. 13C View FIGURE 13 ); inner margin of lateral phallothecal sclerite slightly corrugated ( Fig. 13I View FIGURE 13 ).

Description.

Macropterous male ( Fig. 12 View FIGURE 12 )

Colouration ( Fig. 12 View FIGURE 12 ): Generally blackish brown. Legs with tarsi dark brown; hemelytron with spot involving apical area of clavus and corresponding adjoining area of corium between veins Pcu+1A and Cu pale yellow, also apical margin of corium and adjoining narrow area of membrane brownish yellow; apical 1/3 of membrane pale brownish yellow.

Structure ( Figs. 12 View FIGURE 12 , 13 View FIGURE 13 ): Body medium sized, generally covered with fine short furry shiny yellow pubescence, with sparse long dark bristly setae obvious on appendages.

Head: Sub-fusiform, wholly covered with short whitish yellow pilosity and sparse longer bristly setae, prominent on mandibular plates, dorsal aspect of head and between eyes, and on dorsal aspect of first visible labial segment. Anteocular region triangular, clypeus slightly elevated above mandibular plates. Interocular region with arcuate convex sulcus at posterior border of eyes, a small pit near base. Postocular region almost rounded to neck, without obvious lateral tubercles. Antennae with all segments cylindrical, with short whitish pilosity and sparse longer setae. Scape thickest, pedicel about as thick as scape, then basi-and distiflagellum distinctly thinnest. Eyes conspicuously large, reniform, reaching dorsal margin and almost reaching ventral margin in lateral view. Ocelli conspicuously large and raised, separated from each other by about diameter of single ocellus, separated from eye by slightly less than diameter of single ocellus. Labium with ventral surface sparsely covered with longer setae.

Thorax: Anterior lobe of pronotum with integument slightly rough except between longitudinal stripes rather smooth, shallow median longitudinal sulcus in basal half, with short pilosity. Posterior pronotal lobe short, arcuately quadrate, integument finely rugulose and minutely granulate, with short pilosity as anterior lobe, humeri rounded, posterior margin arcuate. Scutellum with disc slightly depressed and finely granulate, lateral margins slightly carinate, integument with dark pilosity, scutellar process knob-shaped, slightly directed obliquely in lateral view. Meso-and metanotum generally also rugulose. Propleuron with integument faintly granulate, smoothly pilose, set off from dorsal surface by a carina. Mesopleuron integument minutely granulate, sparsely pilose. Metapleuron with integument more sparsely and distinctly granulate but granules not striate, metapleural sulcus distinctly bicarinate and curved, pilose with silvery dense hairs posteriorly. All sternites smooth, moderately pilose. Mesosternum carinate in middle, metasternum with disc tumid. Hemelytron fully covering to slightly exceeding abdomen.

Legs: Fore leg with coxa with whitish pilosity; trochanter unarmed, sparsely hairy; femur strongly fusiform, greatly incrassate near base and narrowing distally, much thicker than other femora, armed below with two rows of black minute tubercles, rows separated by a faint median furrow, in addition sparsely pilose laterally and above; tibia cylindrical, more or less straight but apex slightly reflexed and covered with tuft of hairs, fossula spongiosa occupying slightly more than 1/3 tibial length; tarsi cylindrical, denser short pilosity ventrally. Mid leg with coxa globular; femur only slightly thickened and armed below with irregular rows of minute tubercles, tibia with short whitish pilosity for whole length, with fossula spongiosa about 1/3 its length. Hind leg with femur cylindrical; tibia with brush of seta as on mid tibia, denser at apex. [Note: teratological cases of tarsi and tarsal claws were observed in two specimens of this species, see details below].

Abdomen: Shiny, smooth with sparse longer setae in addition to pilosity. Venter of abdomen with a median ridge running from posterior portion of second abdominal sternite to posterior portion of seventh abdominal sternite, slightly curved to right side of body ( Fig. 12B View FIGURE 12 ), left side of sternite VII with a narrowly elongate triangular extragenital process, located near posterior margin of sternite and apically slightly curved outwards on cuticle ( Figs. 12B View FIGURE 12 , 56G View FIGURE 56 , 57G View FIGURE 57 ). Connexivum with golden pilosity as elsewhere on sternum. Spiracles situated below connexival suture, about halfway between anterior and posterior margin of each segment. Each spiracle with spot-like smooth impressed not obviously visible areas, one anteriorly and one postero-ventrally on each sternite.

Male genitalia ( Fig. 13 View FIGURE 13 ): Median pygophore process spine-like, straight, tapered, oblique to right side, venter strongly ridged in caudal view ( Fig. 13B View FIGURE 13 ); straight, base slightly constricted in lateral view ( Fig. 13C View FIGURE 13 ). Parameres ( Fig. 13D&E View FIGURE 13 ) subtriangular and curved in middle, similar in shape and size, outer surfaces covered with obvious sparse longer bristles as on pygophore, apex of left paramere ( Fig. 13D View FIGURE 13 ) blunt. Phallus ( Fig. 13F–I View FIGURE 13 ) in resting condition with basal plate longer than basal plate bridge ( Fig. 13F View FIGURE 13 ), pedicel curved and subequal to length of basal plate ( Fig. 13H&I View FIGURE 13 ); length of struts distinctly longer than half length of phallosoma ( Fig. 13F View FIGURE 13 ); apex of dorsal phallothecal sclerite blunt ( Fig. 13F View FIGURE 13 ); lateral phallothecal sclerite less sclerotized, subquadrangular, inner margin slightly corrugated ( Fig. 13I View FIGURE 13 ); pair of slender sclerites near base of venter of phallosoma weakly sclerotized ( Fig. 13G View FIGURE 13 ).

Measurements: [of holotype male, followed by one non-type male]. Body length 12.40, 12.45; maximum width of abdomen 3.70, 3.42; length of head 1.82, 1.90; length of anteocular region 0.67, 0.64; length of postocular region 0.38, 0.35; width of head across eyes 1.67, 1.71; width of interocular space 0.57, 0.45; width of interocellar space 0.19, 0.15; length of eye in dorsal view 0.72, 0.72; width of eye in dorsal view 0.57, 0.60; lengths of antennal segments I–IV 1.06, 1.02 / 2.31, 2.16 / 1.97, 2.16 / 2.28, 2.31; length of visible labial segments I–III 0.80, 0.76 / 1.14, 1.14 / 0.49, 0.45; length of pronotum 3.15, 2.70; length of anterior pronotal lobe 1.90, 1.50; length of posterior pronotal lobe 1.25, 0.98; width of anterior pronotal lobe 2.09, 2.09; width of posterior pronotal lobe 3.40, 3.11; length of scutellum 1.25, 1.40; maximum width of scutellum 1.52, 1.54; length of hemelytron 8.58, 8.50; length of fore tibia 2.54, 2.28; length of fossula spongiosa on fore tibia 0.91, 0.87.

Distribution. Australia (Queensland).

Etymology. The species epithet is the Latin adjective flavidus (meaning ‘yellowish’), in allusion to the conspicuous yellowish patch on apical area of the hemelytral membrane.

Comparative notes. This species is related to B. maculatus sp. nov. but differs from the latter in the following. Membrane of hemelytron with apical 1/3 pale brownish yellow (vs. membrane of hemelytron with an irregular small vague yellow to yellowish-brown patch near confluence of veins Cu and M in B. maculatus sp. nov.) and left side of abdominal sternite VII with a narrowly elongate triangular extragenital process, apically slightly curved outwards on cuticle in male (vs. left side of abdominal sternite VII with an elongate narrow apically pointed flattish process, with lateral adjoining cuticular area slightly swollen in male in B. maculatus sp. nov.).

Remarks. This species exhibits morphological abnormalities (teratology cases) of tarsi and tarsal claws ( Fig. 57G–I View FIGURE 57 ) in two macropterous male specimens examined, one from Isabella Falls and one from Hughenden. See further details under cases of leg teratology section below.