Leucophoroptera quadrimaculata Poppius, 1921

Menard, Katrina L. & Schuh, Randall T., 2011, Revision Of Leucophoropterini: Diagnoses, Key To Genera, Redescription Of The Australian Fauna, And Descriptions Of New Indo-Pacific Genera And Species (Insecta: Hemiptera: Miridae), Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 2011 (361), pp. 1-159 : 110-111

Leucophoroptera quadrimaculata Poppius Figures 25 , 26 E–H , 44T–U ; plates 6, 8

Leucophoroptera quadrimaculata Poppius, 1921: 57 , pl. 2, fig. 2 (n. sp.); Carvalho, 1958: 138 (cat.); Schuh, 1974: 306; Schuh, 1984: 143.

Leucophoroptera nitidior Carvalho and Gross, 1982: 38 (n. sp., descr., disc.). NEW SYNONYMY.

Blesingia elegans Carvalho and Gross, 1982: 49 , figs. 76–78, 124 (n. sp., descr., disc., DV, MG). NEW SYNONYMY.

Blesingia latezonata Carvalho and Gross, 1982: 49 , fig. 123 (n. sp., descr., disc., DV). NEW SYNONYMY.

DIAGNOSIS: Recognized by relatively elongate and parallel-sided hemelytron in male, overall dark brown and white, anterior half of cuneus white (pl. 6), presence of reflective patches on medial portion of hemelytron, relatively elongate face but shorter in height than most members of Blesingia , and structure of parameres. Female recognized by boxlike shape of pronotum with anterior margin just subequal in width to posterior margin, and hemelytra relatively narrow with lateral margins parallel sided and extending past apex of abdomen.

REDESCRIPTION: Male: Macropterous, medium sized, elongate, and parallel sided. Total length 3.07–3.59, width pronotum 0.76–0.83, maximum width across hemelytra 0.94–0.99. COLORATION: Eyes deep red to purple. Antennal segment 1 gold, remaining antennal segments completely dark brown. Dorsolateral margin of metepisternum and scent gland with relatively thick white band, width equal to about third of total width of scent gland. Pro- and mesocoxae dark brown, metacoxa dark brown proximally, white distally. All femora and pro- and mesotibiae dark brown, metatibia white proximally with parallel rows of dark spicules. Tarsomeres dark brown. Hemelytra primarily dark brown with translucent to whitish transverse fascia on anterior margin of hemelytron occupying most of anterior margin of corium and J width of clavus at approximately posterior L of length of claval suture, with dark brown posterior margin that traverses entirety of hemelytron (pl. 6). Lateral margins of corium posterior to transverse fascia weakly transparent, with area posterior to claval commissure and margins of cuneal fracture chocolate brown. Anterior half of cuneus white, posterior half dark brown to reddish brown. Membrane brown to pale brown with dark-brown colored veins. STRUCTURE: Eyes distinctly removed from vertex in anterior view. Antennal segment 2 1.5 times head width to nearly two times width. Cuneus at least half total length of membrane. Remaining characters as in generic description. GENITALIA (fig. 26E–H): Pygophore almost boxlike, with very small protrusion on ventroposterior surface. Secondary gonopore small, horse-collar shaped (fig. 26F). Right paramere convex laterally, widest medially (fig. 26E). Left paramere with posterior process relatively wide, directed dorsally (fig. 26G).

Female: Macropterous, medium sized, with nearly parallel lateral corial margins. Total length 2.62–2.72, width pronotum 0.75–0.76, maximum width across hemelytra 0.77–0.79. COLORATION: Same pattern as in male with following exception: female with antennal segment 2 paler basally than male in some specimens (pl. 6). STRUCTURE: Antennal segment 2 1.66 times total head width. Width vertex nearly two times width of one eye. Abdomen tapering anteriorly along proximal third of ventral surface. Remaining characters as in generic description.

HOSTS: Mostly Myrtaceae , although also found on Fabaceae , Thymelaeaceae , Goodeniaceae , and Lauraceae .

DISTRIBUTION: Throughout Australia.

DISCUSSION: The location of the holotype of this species is currently unknown, though it was originally listed as being in Hungary. Therefore, we based our concept of L. quadrimaculata on the original description and illustration and the collecting locality of the type relative to the other specimens we have examined. There is no other species of Leucophoroptera (or Leucophoropterini ) that has the nearly parallelsided hemelytra found in L. quadrimaculata females, the nearly triangular head, and the distinctive hemelytron patterning with the anterior portion of the clavus completely white. Associated males are diagnosed for the first time. Two species of Blesingia are herein synonymized with L. quadrimaculata : Blesingia elegans is based on a teneral specimen of L. quadrimaculata , and the holotype of B. latezonata is identical to L. quadrimaculata females. Leucophoroptera nitidior is nearly identical to L. quadrimaculata females with exception of the paler colored basal area antennal segment 2, which is also found in some females of L. quadrimaculata ; therefore; this species is also here synonymized with L. quadrimaculata .

HOLOTYPE: AUSTRALIA: New South Wales: Sydney. 4.XI. 1900. Biró. 1 ♀ (Mus. Hung. Et. Helsingf.) [not examined].

SPECIMENS EXAMINED: AUSTRALIA: New South Wales: 7 km S of Mt. Kaputar, 30.281 ° S 150.167 ° E, 24 Oct 1995, Schuh and Cassis, Pimelea glauca R. Br. (Thymelaeaceae) , det. D.C. Godden 1996 NSW 395662, 1♀ (00393267) ( AM). Botany Bay, 34.01657 ° S 151.22799 ° E, 35 m, 1900, H. Petersen, 5♀ (00271739, 00301021, 00374124, 00374126– 00374127) ( USNM). Cronulla, 34.05197 ° S 151.15366 ° E, 23 m, Dec 1924, H. Petersen, 4♀ (00301022–00301025) ( USNM). Neilson Park, 28.8239 ° S 153.29447 ° E, 12 m, 1900, K.K. Spence, 18 (00168821) ( ANIC). Rotary L/out Pigeon House Ra NW of Milton, 35.265 ° S 150.351 ° E, 22 Feb 1979, Z. Liepa, 1♀ (00393679) ( AM). Queensland: Maleny, 26.767 ° S 152.85 ° E, May 1936, Unknown, 18 (00393650) ( AM). Tasmania: 0.5 km SE of Couta Rocks: ‘‘Murphy’s Spring,’’ terminus of C214, Mick Murphy’s House, 41.18012 ° S 144.68716 ° E, 8 m, 24 Jan 2004, M.D. Schwartz and P.P. Tinerella, Melaleuca ericifolia Sm. (Myrtaceae) , det. Field ID, 48 (00108535, 00108540, 00272035–00272036), 7♀ (00272092, 00272094–00272099) ( AMNH). Victoria: 5 km E of Cann River, Reedy Creek, 37.5681 ° S 149.2036 ° E, 70 m, 19 Nov 2002, Cassis, Schuh, Schwartz, Silveira, Dillwynia glaberrima Sm. (Fabaceae) , det. NSW staff NSW658195, 1♀ (00272031) ( AMNH). Wannon R. near Jimmy’s Creek, Grampians, 37.37206 ° S 142.51336 ° E, 333 m, 10 Dec 1977, D.K. McAlpine and M.A. Schneider, 18 (00393652) ( AM). Western Australia: 0.5 km N of Fisheries Road on Balladonia Road, 33.73981 ° S 123.0921 ° E, 120 m, 25 Nov 1999, R.T. Schuh and G. Cassis, Verticordia brownii (Desf.)DC. (Myrtaceae) , det. PERTH staff PERTH 05670292, 28 (00393268, 00393269) ( AM). 1.1 km E of Cape Arid National Park boundary, 33.75268 ° S 123.2588 ° E, 150 m, 25 Nov 1999, R.T. Schuh and G. Cassis, Verticordia brownii (Desf.)DC. (Myrtaceae) , det. PERTH staff PERTH 05670292, 1♀ (00393266) ( AM). 2.1 km S of Coorow-Greenhead Rd, on Cockleshell Gully Rd, 30.08751 ° S 115.12 ° E, 156 m, 06 Nov 2004, Cassis, Weirauch, Tatarnic, Symonds, Lechenaultia floribunda Benth. (Goodeniaceae) , det. PERTH staff PERTH6987486, 1♀ (00108536) ( AMNH). 3.5 km N of Mt. Chudalup, D’Entrecasteaux National Park, 34.73335 ° S 116.0889 ° E, 50 m, 15 Dec 1997, Schuh, Cassis, Brailovsky, Asquith, 1♀ (00393262) ( AM). 17 km N of Albany, Simpson Road at Chester Pass Hiway, 34.89933 ° S 117.9148 ° E, 170 m, 30 Nov 1999, R.T. Schuh and G. Cassis, Pericalymma ellipticum ellipticum (Endl.)Schauer (Myrtaceae) , det. PERTH staff PERTH 05671868, 1♀ (00393265) ( AM). Cosy Corner Beach East, Torbay Sound, W of Albany, 35.06033 ° S 117.6446 ° E, 2 m, 01 Dec 1999, R.T. Schuh, G. Cassis, & R. Silveira, 1♀ (00274749) Pimelea rosea R.Br. (Thymelaeaceae) , det. PERTH staff PERTH 05671353, 1♀ (00393264) ( AM). Hellfire Bay, Cape Le Grande National Park, 34.00398 ° S 122.1696 ° E, 30 m, 24 Nov 1999, R.T. Schuh and G. Cassis, 18 (00274758) ( AM). Leeuwin Naturaliste National Park, Canal Rocks, 33.66513 ° S 115.0165 ° E, 50 m, 15 Dec 1997, Schuh, Cassis, Brailovsky, Asquith, Cassytha racemosa forma racemosa Nees (Lauraceae) , det. PERTH staff PERTH 05056322, 1♀ (00393263) ( AM). Rossiter Bay, Cape Le Grande National Park, 33.96726 ° S 122.2674 ° E, 3 m, 23 Nov 1999, R.T. Schuh, G. Cassis, & R. Silveira, 18 (00274756) Pimelea ferruginea Labill. (Thymelaeaceae) , det. PERTH staff PERTH 05672341, 18 (00393260) Darwinia vestita (Endl.)Benth. (Myrtaceae) , det. PERTH staff PERTH 05671698, 1♀ (00274754) ( AM). Shannon River, 1 km N of Chesapeak Road, 34.83782 ° S 116.3755 ° E, 20 m, 03 Dec 1999, R.T. Schuh and G. Cassis, Mirbelia dilatata R.Br. (Papilionaceae) , det. PERTH staff PERTH 05670810, 18 (00274133), 1♀ (00274134) ( AM). Yalgorup National Park, 32.845 ° S 115.66138 ° E, 27 Nov 1998, G. Cassis, Olearia axillaris (DC.) Benth. (Asteraceae) , det. PERTH staff PERTH 05227461, 2♀ (00393270, 00393271) ( AM). ca 13 km E of Denmark on South Coast Hiway, 34.99397 ° S 117.5086 ° E, 80 m, 01 Dec 1999, R.T. Schuh and G. Cassis, Beaufortia sparsa R.Br. (Myrtaceae) , det. PERTH staff PERTH 05671949, 18 (00393272), 5♀ (00393273– 00393277) ( AM), Melaleuca ericifolia Sm. (Myrtaceae) , det. Field ID, 18 (00273337) ( AMNH). nr. Pemberton, 24.44463 ° S 116.0349 ° E, 128 m, 26 Jan 1966, J.A. Grant, 1♀ (00321199) ( BMNH).

Figures

Figure 25. Distribution of Leucophoroptera spp.

Figure 26. Male genitalia of Leucophoroptera spp (A–H).

Figure 44. Female genitalia of Aitkenia exocarpos (A–D), Arafuramiris queenslandensis (E–G), Ausejanus albisignatus (H–K), Austrodapus nitens (L–O), Blesingia gularis (P–Q), Collessicoris bellissimus (R–S), and Leucophoroptera quadrimaculata (T–U). Ls5 lateral reduced interramal sclerites; PM–PW5 posterior margin sclerite on the posterior wall; Osp5 ovipositor spine; SR5 sclerotized rings; As 5 anterior sclerite of first gonapophysis; Vg 5 vestibular sclerite of first gonapophysis.