Melaleucaphylus beaufortiae, Schwartz & Weirauch & Schuh, 2018

Schwartz, Michael D., Weirauch, Christiane & Schuh, Randall T., 2018, New Genera And Species Of Myrtaceae-Feeding Phylinae From Australia, And The Description Of A New Species Of Restiophylus (Insecta: Heteroptera: Miridae) Michael D. Schwartz Christiane Weirauch, Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 2018 (424), pp. 1-161 : 29-31

Melaleucaphylus beaufortiae , new species

Figure 4A, B , map 2, plates 1, 8, table 1

DIAGNOSIS: Distinguished among those congeners having an endosoma with a small subapical spine on posterior surface of ventral strap, and by dark brown to black dorsal coloration confined to frons and vertex medially and posterior margins of head and pronotum. Melaleucaphylus halmaturorum with most of frons and calli dark; M. micranthae with only frons medially dark—vertex and pronotum pale; M. nodosae is entirely dark; M. pauperiflorae with coloration as in M. halmaturorum ; M. phymato- carpi generally dusky with dark frons and calli and endosoma with distal portion of dorsal strap bent; M. rhaphiophyllae with contrasting pale and dark coloration on hemelytron, sometimes hemelytron in M. rhaphiophyllae predominately pale but larger body (length 3.73–4.01 in males and 4.02–4.46 in females) and fine differences in endosomal structure unequivocally separate these two species. In M. beaufortiae apical spines of dorsal strap are shorter and with slightly thicker diameter than in M. rhaphiophyllae and distal region of dorsal strap is bent ventrad with apices separated by a variable distance, sometimes rather wide, and apices never contiguous over entire length of spine as in M. rhaphiophyllae . General coloration of M. viridiflorae similar to M. beaufortiae , but endosoma of former species unique among Melaleucaphylus spp.

DESCRIPTION: MALE: Mean total length 3.16, mean pronotum width 1.12. COLORATION (pl. 1): Dusky yellow, black medial stripe extending dorsad from labrum, clypeus, to frons as some- what narrow band with convex lateral margins, reaching vertex, then expanding laterally to cover posterior margin of head; antenna with segment 2 yellowish red with distal one-third dark, segments 3 and 4 dark; pronotum including calli pale; posterior margin and humeral angles variably darkened, sometimes almost one-half of posterior lobe brownish black or dark coloration narrow, restricted to humeral angles and edge of posterior margin, anterior margin of variable dark pronotal marking always diffuse; tibia without dark spots at bases of spines. SURFACE AND VESTITURE (pl. 1): Subshining; dorsum with moderately dense, curved, reclining black simple setae; tibia with black spines. STRUC- TURE: Labium reaching to base of metacoxa. Pretarsus: Claws relatively small, gently curved; parempodia relatively long, somewhat lamelliform, parallel for most part, terminating in converging, expanded and truncate apices; pulvilli with medium size and height, proximad of angle of claw (fig. 4A). GENITALIA (pl. 8A–K): Pygo- phore: As in generic description. Endosoma: Distal one-third with torsion, twisted to left side; ventral strap entire reaching to proximal end of secondary gonopore, apex formed by anterior surface broadly curved; posterior surface with small, narrow, smooth margined, distally hooked, pointed subapical spine, protruding beyond curvature of ventral strap with length as long as width of secondary gonopore; dorsal strap bifurcate at base of secondary gonopore, divided into pair of equal-length, sharply pointed spines, length of spines equal to 2.5 × length of secondary gonopore, spines slightly diverging near apex of secondary gonopore, then parallel for remaining length, terminating with gradually tapering pointed apices, distance between apices variable, sometimes wide or apices practically contiguous. Secondary gonopore: Well-sclerotized, deep, located just distad of middle of endosoma, surface of aperture convoluted, proximal edge with large, well-sclerotized, irregularly shaped process ringing and projecting proximal to aperture, distal edge with small microspiculate membranous patch on lateral surface. Phallotheca: As in generic description. Parameres: Left paramere: Posterior margin and shoulder region between posterior and anterior processes with small protuberance not elongate; posterior process slightly bent ventrad, otherwise like generic description. Right paramere: As in generic description.

FEMALE (pl. 1): Coloration as in male; differing from male as in generic description; mean total length 3.51, mean pronotum width 1.21. GENITALIA (pl. 8L–O): Posterior margin of sternite 7: With broadly triangular projection. Vestibular sclerites: Moderately large, J-shaped, convoluted, lateral margin curved, extending to right side, anterior edge reaching anterior bor- der of ring and reaching within medial margin of right ring in dorsal view; tube weakly sclerotized near ventral labiate plate and enlarged, triangular basal sclerites of first gonapophyses; strongly sclerotized on medioventral extension of ventral labiate plate. Dorsal labiate plate: Moderately large, ovoid; posteroventral edge strongly tumid, asymmetrical. Sclerotized rings: Large, subovoid, medial rounded, borders narrow, separated by one-half width of ring, lateral margin of ring angled, reaching lateral margin of dorsal labiate plate. Intersegmental process: Large, broad, bracket shaped, weakly sclerotized, and microspiculate, apical margin entire, slightly pointed. Posterior wall: Medium sized, anterior one-half sclerotized. Interramal sclerites: With broad, vertical, somewhat shallow, posteriorly directed, medial prominence abutting ovipositor bulb; ventrolateral region with strongly sclerotized subrectangular extension. Interramal lobes: Dorsolateral region hyaline, lateral regions without microspicules; region on either side of medial prominence not tumid or produced into genital chamber.

ETYMOLOGY: Named for its occurrence on the plant genus Beaufortia .

HOSTS: Recorded from Beaufortia elegans (pl. 37A) and B. sprengelioides (pl. 37C) ( Myrtaceae : Melaleuceae ).

DISTRIBUTION (map 2): Known from three collecting events in Kalbarri National Park and Shark Bay region of Mid-West Gascoyne, Western Australia; the extreme northwest part of the southwestern phytogeographic subregion.

DISCUSSION: Some specimens are almost uniformly pale; these can be distinguished from M. rhaphiophyllae by smaller body size and endosomal structure (see Diagnosis).

HOLOTYPE: AUSTRALIA: Western Australia: Kalbarri National Park, Z-Bend Road, 26.61238 ° S 114.4386 ° E, 500 m, 28 Oct 1996, Schuh and Cassis, Beaufortia elegans Schauer (Myrtaceae) , det. PERTH staff PERTH 05120535, 13 ( AMNH _PBI 00087287) ( WAMP).

PARATYPES: AUSTRALIA: Western Australia: Kalbarri National Park, Z-Bend Road, 27.61971 ° S 114.3864 ° E, 500 m, 28 Oct 1996, Schuh and Cassis, Beaufortia elegans Schauer (Myrtaceae) , det. PERTH staff PERTH 05120535, 13 (00372146), 2♀ (00372149, 00372151) ( AM), 1♀ (00372150) ( AMNH), 2♀ (00372147, 00372148) ( WAMP). Kalbarri National Park, Z-Bend Road, 26.61238 ° S 114.4386 ° E, 500 m, 28 Oct 1996, Schuh and Cassis, Beaufortia elegans Schauer (Myrtaceae) , det. PERTH staff PERTH 05120535, 1♀ (00087288), 13 (00087491) ( AM). Useless Loop Rd ca. 20 km W of jct with Shark Bay Rd, 26.56331 ° S 113.9338 ° E, 30 m, 25 Oct 2004, Cassis, Wall, Weirauch, Symonds, Beaufortia sprengelioides (DC.) Craven (Myrtaceae) , det. PERTH staff PERTH 6987729, 13 (00412912), 1♀ (00412913) ( AMNH).

Figures

FIG. 4. Melaleucaphylus spp. Scanning electron micrographs of pretarsus. A, B. M. beaufortiae, AMNH_PBI 00087288. A. Frontoventral view. B. Detail of parempodia, ventral view. C. M. eremaeae, AMNH_PBI 00136216, frontoventral view. D. M. glomeratae, AMNH_PBI 00418691, frontoventral view. E. M. halmaturorum, AMNH_PBI 00371542, frontoventral view. F. M. kunzeae, AMNH_PBI 00128299, frontal view. Abbreviations: pe, parempodium; pul, pulvillus.