Aacanthocnema burckhardti Taylor

Taylor, Gary S., Jennings, John T., Purcell, Matthew F. & Austin, Andy D., 2011, A new genus and ten new species of jumping plant lice (Hemiptera: Triozidae) from Allocasuarina (Casuarinaceae) in Australia, Zootaxa 3009, pp. 1-45 : 6-12

Aacanthocnema burckhardti Taylor , sp. nov.

Figs 1–5 , 14–15 , 136 ; Tables 1–5, 8

Types. AUSTRALIA, Queensland: Holotype: 13 McPherson Range, Lamington NP, 700–800 m, Dave’s Creek Circuit, 28°13’S 153° 12’E, 11.i.1992, D. Burckhardt #16b, Allocasuarina torulosa , PSYLL MHNG 0 0 0 0 0 857 (QMBA). Paratype: 13 (slide) same data as holotype, except PSYLL MHNG 0 0 0 0 0 962 (MHNG).

Description. Adult ( Figs 1–5 ). Colour [from dried specimens]: Male: general colour ochraceous to dark brown. Vertex with thin black anterior transverse band and a pair of dark brown markings in vicinity of fovea; genal processes white to pale cream; antennal segments 1–2 dark brown to black; segment 3 dark brown; segments 4–10 progressively dark brown to black; pronotum with a pair of dark brown to black longitudinal submedial stripes; mesopraescutum with a pair of dark brown submedial infused stripes; mesoscutum with 2 pairs of brown to dark brown longitudinal submedial stripes, lateral-most thinner; mesoscutellum with brown posterior infuscation; wings clear except for brown infuscation along fore wing veins R+M+Cu, M, M1+2, M3+4, Cu, Cu1a, Cu1b and distal portion of Rs; legs with dorsal dark brown infuscation; distal segments of mid and hind tarsi dark brown to black; abdominal tergites dark brown to black; anterior face of proctiger dark brown; subgenital plate dark brown, paler dorsally; parameres with dark brown to black apices. Female: unknown.

Structure: measurements and ratios as in Tables 1–5. Antennae moderate in length, 1.66–1.74 times width of head; genal processes long, 0.76–0.81 times length of vertex, confluent to little-divergent towards apices; anterior margin of vertex relatively flat from dorsal aspect, delineated from genal processes by prominent ridge; vertex with distinct medial suture; pronotum with prominent anterior, medial node; thorax weakly arched, head wider than pronotum and mesoscutum; fore wings elongate with slightly pointed apex; Rs short, terminating well short of wing apex; vein M1+2 terminating little short of wing apex; cell m1 triangular, m1 cell value 1.19–1.24; cell cu1 short triangular, cu1 cell value 1.56–1.70; vein Cu1a weakly arched (veins Cu1a and M distant at closest point); radular areas elongate in cells m1, m2 and cu1; male terminalia as in Figs 14–15 ; proctiger without lateral expansions; parameres short, broad basally from lateral aspect, weakly curved inward towards apices.

Nymph. Unknown.

Etymology. Named after Dr Daniel Burckhardt, Naturhistorisches Museum, Basel, Switzerland, in recognition of his research on the systematics of the Psylloidea, and who collected the type material.

Distribution. Recorded from a single locality in the McPherson Range on the subcoastal montane border of southern Queensland and northern New South Wales ( Fig. 136 ).

Host plant. Recorded from Allocasuarina torulosa (Aiton) L. Johnson (forest sheoak). Allocasuarina torulosa occurs as a 5–20 m tree in an understory in open forest to tall open forest, in coastal and subcoastal mountain regions in eastern Australia, from the McIllwraith Ranges, Qld to Macquarie Pass and Jenolan Caves, NSW ( Wilson & Johnson 1989).

Comments. Aacanthocnema burckhardti and Aa. casuarinae are the only two species of Aacanthocnema with pigmentation along most fore wing veins (R+M+Cu, M, M1+2, M3+4, Cu, Cu1a, Cu1b and distal portion of Rs). Aacanthocnema dobsoni , Aa. huegelianae and A. torulusae lack pigmentation along wing veins, and in Aa. luehmannii , the pigmentation is restricted to the anterior half of vein Cu1a. Aacanthocnema burckhardti differs from Aa. casuarinae by: its larger size for most characters measured, see Tables 1–3; the shape of the vertex (proportionally shorter and broader with higher VL:VW and VL:HW ratios in Aa. burckhardti , compared to proportionally longer and narrower with lower VL:VW and VL:HW ratios in Aa. casuarinae ; the shape of the anterior margin of the vertex (rather flat from dorsal aspect in Aa. burckhardti , somewhat rounded in Aa. casuarinae ); the length of antennae (proportionally longer with high AL:HW ratio in Aa. burckhardti and proportionally shorter with low AL:HW ratio in Aa. casuarinae ); in the shape of the fore wings (more elongate with pointed apex in Aa. burckhardti compared to shorter with rounded apex in Aa. casuarinae ).

Species Sex n WL:HW WL:WW M1M m1 cell value cu1 cell value

Aa. burckhardti 3 2 3.26–3.40 3.09–3.10 0.41–0.44 1.19–1.24 1.56–1.70

Ƥ - - - - - -

Aa. casuarinae 3 2 3.08–3.22 2.68–2.79 0.29–0.41 0.93–1.42 1.15–1.52 Ƥ 3 3.45–3.71 2.72–2.93 0.34–0.39 1.10–1.19 1.18–1.48

Aa. dobsoni 3 5 3.64–3.70 2.82–2.96 0.29–0.36 1.00–1.11 1.08–1.26 Ƥ 5 3.94–4.13 2.87–2.97 0.28–0.37 0.95–1.18 1.10–1.40

Aa. huegelianae 3 5 2.59–2.73 2.58–2.70 0.34–0.40 1.00–1.12 0.75–1.00 Ƥ 5 2.80–2.98 2.57–2.70 0.28–0.40 1.00–1.13 0.72–1.00

Aa. luehmannii 3 1–2 3.22 2.64–2.67 0.19–0.25 0.70–0.86 1.03–1.14

Ƥ 1 3.33 2.60 0.24 0.80 1.18

Aa. torulosae 3 5 3.90–4.07 2.82–3.00 0.27–0.34 0.86–1.00 0.95–1.32 Ƥ 5 4.36–4.81 2.64–2.78 0.30–0.42 0.94–1.16 1.00–1.07

Ac. acutivalvis 3 5 2.78–3.21 3.10–3.38 0.23–0.40 0.82–1.07 1.52–2.31 Ƥ 5 3.18–3.56 3.04–3.25 0.35–0.44 1.09–1.21 1.48–2.13

Ac. campestris 3 5 3.21–3.48 2.93–3.11 0.38–0.45 0.87–1.14 1.39–2.19 Ƥ 5 3.70–3.83 2.88–3.04 0.36–0.43 0.95–1.05 1.56–2.09

Ac. diminutae 3 5 3.51–3.76 2.70–2.90 0.33–0.46 0.97–1.20 1.17–1.48 Ƥ 5 3.81–4.03 2.80–2.91 0.34–0.50 1.11–1.38 1.14–1.52

Ac. muellerianae 3 5 3.45–3.63 2.88–3.14 0.30–0.43 0.88–1.12 1.27–1.43 Ƥ 5 3.71–4.02 2.95–3.08 0.37–0.43 1.08–1.24 1.31–1.84

Ac. tasmanica 3 5 4.17–4.56 2.97–3.15 0.36–0.44 1.22–1.44 0.76–0.94 Ƥ 5 4.46–4.71 2.80–3.01 0.39–0.47 1.21–1.40 0.76–0.90

Ac. verticillatae 3 5 3.59–3.80 2.98–3.15 0.27–0.33 0.88–1.00 0.74–1.00 Ƥ 5 3.91–4.17 3.10–3.23 0.28–0.36 0.91–1.25 0.79–0.91

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 5. Aacanthocnema burckhardti sp. nov.: (1), habitus, male (dorsal aspect); (2), habitus, male (lateral aspect); (3), fore wing, male; (4), head, male (dorsal aspect, dried); (5), head, male (dorsal aspect, slide). Scale = 0.5 mm.

FIGURES 14 – 18. Aacanthocnema burckhardti sp. nov. and Aa. casuarinae (Froggatt): Aa. burckhardti: (14), male terminalia (lateral aspect); (15), paramere (inner face, lateral aspect); Aa. casuarinae: (16), male terminalia (lateral aspect); (17), paramere (inner face, lateral aspect); (18), female terminalia (lateral aspect). Scale = 0.2 mm.

FIGURES 136 – 137. Distribution for species of Aacanthocnema in Australia: (136),, Aa. burckhardti sp. nov.;, Aa. casuarinae (Froggatt);, Aa. dobsoni (Froggatt); (137),, Aa. huegelianae sp. nov.;, Aa. luehmannii sp. nov.;, Aa. torulosae sp. nov.