Australocorinae Malipatil, 2012

Malipatil, M. B., 2012, Australocorinae, a new subfamily of Geocoridae (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Lygaeoidea) from Australia, with descriptions of a new genus and two new species, Zootaxa 3554, pp. 75-88 : 76

Australocorinae Malipatil , subfam. nov.

Body: Pubescence simple and not silky or woolly.

Head: Head trichobothria absent. Eyes stalked and reniform. Ocelli present. Sutures between ocelli and compound eyes distinct only near base of head. Bucculae produced near base as flaps to level of base of antennae, then tapering, gradually diminishing in height posteriorly almost to surface of head, running parallel before joining in a narrow V well before base of head. Gular groove indistinct. Antennal base arising below level of eye; first antennal segment short, slender; 2 nd segment uniformly slender; 4 th slender, not modified or clubbed, similar to 2 nd and 3 rd segments.

Thorax: Pronotal calli smooth, without transverse impressed line; lateral margin of pronotum narrowly carinate. Mesosternum smooth and not grooved. Scutellum with cross-shaped pattern on dorsal surface; apical shape simple, unmodified and without armature. Hemelytra not areolate; hemelytral membrane with only 3–4 simple veins; basal cell absent; clavus distinctly punctuate. Hamus on hindwing present. Fore femora incrassate only slightly more than middle and hind femora, unarmed; tarsi with three segments.

Abdomen: Spiracles on segments II–VII dorsal (II variable, located clearly dorsal, or on the connexival fold/ membrane or on the extreme edge of abdominal venter, but still discernible as dorsal). All abdominal segmental sutures complete; connexival processes absent; inner laterotergites present; all abdominal sterna separate, II–IV without, and V–VII with, conjunctival membranes. Trichobothrial ground plan numbers per segment, three; trichobothria on abdominal segment IV medioventral; number of trichobothria on abdominal segments IV and V, three; trichobothria long, easily distinguishable from simple setae.

Male genitalia: Aedeagus with conjunctiva inflatable; phallotheca without processes; vesical helicoid process present; phallobase elliptical with an elongate, tubular vesica.

Female genitalia: Ovipositor lanceolate. Sternite VII split by ovipositor. Spermatheca present.

Type genus: Australocoris Malipatil , gen. nov.

Notes. The new subfamily is unique and can be readily distinguished from all the existing subfamilies in Geocoridae (viz. Geocorinae , Bledionotinae including Pamphantinae , and Henestarinae sensu Henry 1997 ), by the dorsally situated spiracles on abdominal segments II–VII.