Emesopsis fenestrella, Tatarnic, Nikolai J., Wall, Michael A. & Cassis, Gerasimos, 2011

Tatarnic, Nikolai J., Wall, Michael A. & Cassis, Gerasimos, 2011, A systematic revision of the Australian ploiarioline thread-legged assassin bugs (Hemiptera: Reduviidae: Emesinae), Zootaxa 2762, pp. 1-30 : 8-12

Emesopsis fenestrella n. sp.

Figs. 6 , 7

Material examined. HOLOTYPE. AUSTRALIA: Queensland: 1 ɗ, Mt Hayward, 20.3°S 148.7°E, 350m, 20 Nov 1992, Monteith, Thompson & Janetzki, Pyrethrum. PARATYPES. AUSTRALIA: New South Wales: 1 Ψ, 1 ɗ, Gibraltar Range Nat. Park, 29.5o S 152.3o E, 30 Mar 1980 G.B. Monteith, Pyrethrum ex. Xanthorrhoea ; Northern Territory: 1 ɗ, West Alligator Mouth, 12.2o S 132.3o E, 21 July 1979 (WA2), G. B. Monteith; Queensland: ɗ, Bulburin S.F., 9km E. Many Peaks, 24.5o S 151.4o E, 159 m, 600m, 17 Sept 1989, G.B. Monteith, Pyrethrum, Rainforest; 1 ɗ, Wallaman Falls, via Ingham, 18.6o S 145.8o E, 500m, 1 Oct 1980 G. Monteith, Pyrethrum, Rainforest; Ψ, Bulburn barracks, 24.5°S 151.5°E, 580m, 8 Oct 1999, G.B. Monteith, rainforest, Pyrethrum, trees. 7816; 1 Ψ, Lake Barrine, Atherton Tableland, 17.2o S 145.7o E, 736 m, 15 December 1961, D. McAlpine & R. Lossin.

Diagnosis. Recognized by the following combination of characters: M and Cu not fused basal of discal cell, small subquadrate subbasal cell present in at least one wing, R+M apical of discal cell weakly arched and faintly branched; eyes large; postocular region of head with tumid genal area.

Description. Body length 4.3 mm

Colour. As shown in Figure 7. Body mostly testaceous with brown markings. Lobes of head testaceous; AI pale stramineous with two narrow subapical brown annuli, A2-A4 testaceous with pale stramineous apical annulus; labium pale stramineous with testaceous markings, basal 2/3 of LI testaceous, LII basally testaceous becoming pale stramineous to apex, LIII pale stramineous basally becoming testaceous. Pronotum excluding appendages entirely testaceous. Forecoxae mostly pale stramineous with narrow testaceous basal annulus. Meso- and metacoxae testaceous. Forefemora with three brown annulations, one large basal, one small medial, and one large subapical, with medial and basal annulations converging on exterior surface. Meso- and metafemora mostly stramineous with three narrow annuli, one subapical, one medial, and one equidistant in between. Foretibia pale stramineous with testacous apical and vague smoky elongate subbasal annulation. Meso- and metatibia with brown subbasal narrow annulus, area preceding annulus pale stramineous, remainder of leg stramineous. Foretarsus mostly pale stramineous, pretarsus testaceous. Meso- and metatarsi stramineous. Forewings as in Figure 7. Abdomen mostly stramineous to testaceous.

Texture and Vestiture. Head dorsally covered in dense white wool-like pile interspersed with long upright setae; AI with short setae; labium with scattered short setae. Thorax covered dorsally and laterally with white woollike pile interspersed with long setae, lateral tumid areas of anterior lobe of pronotum with trident-shaped area bereft of setae. Coxae and forefemora with long setae. Foretibia covered in shorter spine-like setae. Meso and metafemora with long setae basally, remainder with short spine-like setae. Meso- and metatibia with spine-like setae, basally becoming more sparse. Abdomen blanketed with short, velutinous silken setae.

Structure. As in Figure 7. Postocular region slightly larger than anteocular region, latter elevated with depressed V-shaped area dorsally. Postocular region subglobose. Interocular groove deep, arching only slightly posteriorly. Labium strongly bent between LI and LII, LII strongly swollen, relative lengths 1:0.45:0.75. Pronotum constricted before midpoint; anterior lobe divided bilaterally by a deep pit in the disc, subglobose in dorsal view; posterior lobe almost two times longer than anterior lobe, disc with vague median longitudinal depression; posterior margin sinuate. Scutellum semicircular with posteriorly produced tubercle. Metanotum U-shaped with large spine. Forecoxae elongate, cylindrical. Forefemora elongate, subclylindrical, posteroventral and anteroventral series similar in structure. Foretarsus 2-segmented, second segment 4 times larger than first. Meso- and metacoxae globose. Meso- and metafemora thin, elongate, cylindrical. Meso- and metatibia thin, elongate, cylindrical. Meso- and metatarsi 3-segmented, segments approximately equal in length.

Distribution. E. fenestrella is known from the eastern coast of Australia, from the New South Wales – Queensland border to Cape York ( Fig. 6 ).

Etymology. The specific epithet fenestrella (Latin for “small window”) refers to the exceptionally small size of the basal cell of the forewing.

Figures

FIGURE 6. Distribution of species of Emesopsis in Australia.