Unicageocoris griseus Malipatil

Malipatil, M. B. & Blacket, M. J., 2013, Review and revision of Australian Germalus Stål, with new genera and further new species of Australian Geocorinae (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Geocoridae), Zootaxa 3746 (2), pp. 257-300 : 294-295

Unicageocoris griseus Malipatil , sp. nov.

( Figs. 124–141 )

Type specimens: Holotype male, White Wells, Nullarbor Plain, 16–17.ii.1972, GF Gross, in SAM. Paratypes: 24 Males, 10 females, same data as holotype, in SAM and VAIC.

Other specimens: Because of the large number of specimens examined, the number of male and female specimens for each sample has been omitted from the collecting data. There might be additional specimens housed in various collections in Australia and overseas that have not been examined or included here.

SOUTH AUSTRALIA: North Beach Wallaroo, sweeping flowering ti-tree, 31.i.1964, GF Gross; Along railway line, Melton Siding to South Hummocks, by beating, 10.xi.1966, HM Cooper; Along railway line Goyder Siding to Bowmans junction, 22.viii.1967, HM Cooper; River flat opposite Porteo Stn, R Murray, 21.iii.1973, GF Gross; Murray River, EL Savage; 13 km E Marion Bay, Yorke Pen, 4–7.xi.1981, E Matthews, H & A Howden; Murbko, by beating Enchylaena , 19.ii.1973, GF Gross; 3 ml [4.8 km] NE Pinery, on Callitris , 10.xii.1968, NB Tindale & AN McFarland; Mitcham, sweeping shrubs, 5.i.1979, on herbage, 18.i.1986, RV Southcott; Normanville, 3 ml [4.8 km] S of foot of coastal cliff, 23.v.1967, HM Cooper; Dublin beach scrub S of Pt Wakefield, 27.iv.1974, PB McQuillan; Olympic Dam site, 2–5.xi.1987, EG Matthews & C. Watts; Hallett Cove, 20 km SW of Adelaide, on Melaleuca lanceolata , 13.viii.1973, PB McQuillan; Pt Arthur, about 400 m inland from shore, on Atriplex paludosa , ii.1967, HM Cooper; Pt Arthur, low bushes near coast, 22.iv.1968, HM Cooper; Moolooloo, 2000 ft [609 m], Flinders Range, 1921, HM Hale; Ooldea, AM Lea; Owieandana, N Flinders Ra, Hale & Tindale; Adelaide, 22.xi.1973, M. Anderson; Teatree Gully, 7.xii.1958, RV Southcott; SA Rev. A P Burgess; all in SAM. WESTERN AUSTRALIA: Balledonia, 3.x.1977, FM Uther Baker, in SAM; Norseman, sweeping ti-tree scrub, 1.xii.1960, P Aitken, in SAM; Boorabbin rock, 31 12S 120 17E, 20–21.i.1982, B. Hanich & TF Houston, in WAM. NEW SOUTH WALES: 10 ml [16 km] N Broken Hill, sweeping, 8.iii.1963, K Dansic, in SAM; Gol Gol, vineyard weeds, 10–11.xii.1997, M Ward, in VAIC. VICTORIA: Mildura district, vi.1998, D Glenn, in VAIC; Red Cliffs, on pistachio, 7.xii.1995, C. Taylor, in VAIC.

Description. Colouration: Generally grey to stramineous, with punctures on pronotum ( Fig. 125 ), scutellum, thoracic pleura, and hemelytra, fuscous ( Fig. 124 ); head ( Fig. 126 ) with narrow area surrounding ocelli, and a small patch near base of eyes, fuscous; labium brown, darker towards apex, 4th segment uniformly fuscous; outer angle of corium, and middle of posterior margin near base of veins, with fuscous spots; head above with indistinct brown punctures; antennae with fuscous markings on 1st segment, 4th segment uniformly brown; femora with conspicuous fuscous spots or patches; abdomen (beneath hemelytra) with fuscous markings in a pattern ( Fig. 124 ); posterior areas of each abdominal connexivum fuscous; apices of tarsi, and claws, brown; abdominal venter yellow.

Measurements: are of holotype male, paratype female, followed by ranges of 5 male and 5 female paratype specimens measured within round brackets.

Body: Length 4.69, 4.96 (4.50–5.06); maximum width 1.70, 1.72 (1.70–1.93).

Head: above with fine and sparse punctures, clypeus rounded and exceeding jugae. Length of head 0.73, 0.75 (0.73–0.85); width across eyes 1.79, 1.84 (1.70–1.95); interocular space 1.05, 1.15 (1.01–1.19); interocellar space 0.50, 0.51 (0.48–0.55); eye-ocellar space 0.23, 0.23 (0.20–0.25); eye length 0.57, 0.54 (0.46–0.57); eye width 0.29, 0.32 (0.30–0.39). Labium extending to middle coxae, 1st segment exceeding base of head; length of segments: I 0.50, 0.54 (0.46–0.57); II 0.50, 0.53 (0.50–0.53); III 0.46, 0.48 (0.45–0.57); IV 0.41, 0.43 (0.42–0.48). Antennae short, 1st and 4th segments thicker than other segments, covered with short setae; in addition with a few short bristles on 1st segment and apices of 2nd and 3rd segments.; Length of segments: I 0.36, 0.37 (0.34–0.39); II 0.57, 0.59 (0.59– 0.66); III 0.46, 0.46 (0.48–0.50); IV 0.55, 0.51 (0.48–0.55).

Thorax: Pronotum with anterior and posterior margins almost straight, lateral margins narrowly carinate with slight sinuation near middle indistinctly separating anterior and posterior lobes. Median length 1.05, 1.10 (1.03– 1.19); width at posterior margin 1.63, 1.65 (1.61–1.77). Scutellum length 0.71, 0.73 (0.62–0.72); width 0.92, 0.85 (0.84–0.96). Length of hemelytra 3.35, 3.72 (3.30–3.68); length of corium 2.30, 2.39 (2.07–2.35); claval commissure 0.37, 0.43 (0.39–0.46. All legs covered with minute black spicules irregularly distributed on tibiae and femora, particularly on postero-dorsal surfaces, and on apical half of mid and hind femora (thus surfaces rubbing against body devoid of spicules).

Abdomen: Venter obsoletely punctuate and covered with fine pubescence. Female with tergum sclerotised in pattern as in Fig. 127 ; abdominal sternum of female not sclerotised except slightly medio-anteriorly near base of abdomen ( Fig. 128 ). Male with all terga impunctate, except for finely transversely corrugated ( Fig. 132 ) median area of apical 2/3 of tergum VII.

Female genitalia: Spermatheca as in Fig. 129 . Ovipositor with second gonapophysis narrow, spatulate, with sparse minute setae along margins; second gonocoxae crescentic ( Figs. 130, 131 ).

Male genitalia: Pygophore ( Fig. 134 ) posteriorly gradually rounded, lacking processes; foramen in dorsal view with a minute notch near middle. Paramere ( Figs. 139–141 ) with dorsal flange more prominent than ventral lobe; covered with long setae; blade broadly pointed, sickle-shaped. Aedeagus ( Figs. 135–137 ) with phallotheca moderately and uniformly sclerotised in a band, more prominently on dorsal aspect; conjunctiva tubular, membranous, gradually narrowed towards upper end. Body, wings and neck of ejaculatory reservoir ( Fig. 138 ) well developed; body produced behind neck into sclerotised wing-like transverse processes, on either side. Vesica with lightly sclerotised lobes, indistinct in shape and number; ejaculatory duct inside vesica with 2–3 turns. Helicoid process with sclerotized areas, about 1½ coils, gradually narrowed towards apex.

Distribution. Only Western Australia, South Australia, New South Wales and Victoria.

Notes. The species name alludes to its rather grey “ griseus ” body colour.

Although. U. griseus and G. littoralis both have minute spicules on parts of the femora (present in many species of Germalus ) more conspicuous as they are black and dense, U. griseus is easily distinguished from it and all other known species of Australian Geocorinae by the transverse groove on the posterior border of the pronotal calli.

There is considerable variation in intensity and pattern of colouration in the specimens of U. griseus examined. Punctation may be light to fuscous on a contrastingly pale background. In some specimens the humeral angles of the pronotum have fuscous spots or patches; in others the posterior lobe has fuscous spots. Punctures on the corium may vary considerably in size and intensity of colour. Another variation observed is the occasional presence of broad sublateral fuscous stripes on the abdominal venter.

Figures

FIGURES 124 – 126. Unicageocoris griseus, male, dorsal view: 124 a (Boorabin Rock WA), 124 b (Teatree Gully SA, Figs 124 b – 126), habitus; 125, head, pronotum and scutellum enlarged; 126, head enlarged.

FIGURES 127 − 131. Unicageocoris griseus, female: 127, abdominal dorsum; 128, abdominal venter; 129, spermatheca; 130, 131, ovipositor.

FIGURES 132 - 141. Unicageocoris griseus, male: 132, abdominal dorsum; 133, abdominal venter; 134, pygophore, dorsal view; 135 – 137, aedeagus, ventral, lateral and dorsal views; 138, ejaculatory reservoir, enlarged; 139 – 141, paramere, different views.