Heissiphara minuta, Gerry Cassis & Loren Vanags, 2006

Gerry Cassis & Loren Vanags, 2006, Jewel Bugs of Australia (Insecta, Heteroptera, Scutelleridae), Denisia 19, pp. 275-398 : 368-369

Heissiphara minuta nov.sp. ( Figs 24b , 27 , 37 , 38 )

Holotype: ♀, Western Australia: Coastal Highway, 57 km N of Kalbarri Road , -27.26.853S, 114.41.204E, altitude 500m, G. Cassis and R.T. Schuh ex StenantHemum complicatum ( AM) ; Paratype: ♀, same data as holotype ( AM) .

Diagnosis: This species is recognised by the following combination of characters: small size, <3.5 mm; body strongly convex ( Fig. 24d ); body uniformly distributed with setigerous punctures ( Fig. 24d ); AII(b) shortest antennal segment; pronotum and scutellum with medial red markings ( Fig. 24d ); and, female terminalia and spermatheca as in generic description.

Description: Colouration. Head: mostly yellow; posterior margin of vertex with triangular fuscous markings; clypeus mostly yellow with brown apex and fuscous midline; eyes reddish brown; ocelli yellow. Antennae: AI-AII(a&b) yellow, AIII and AIV dark brown. Labium: LI and II yellow, LIII and LIV brown. Pronotum mostly light yellow-brown to medium brown, with darker punctations; callosite region anteriorly with yellow fascia and calli yellow; disc with medial rectangular red mark and two adjacent submedial fuscous spots. Scutellum: ground colour mostly concolorous with pronotum, anterior margin with central red marking and two yellow submedial calli; anterolateral areas with dark brown foveae; posterolaterally with dense patches of dark punctations forming obscure semi-circular marking. Thoracic pleura and abdominal venter uniformly yellow with brown punctations. Legs uniformly yellow-brown with darker brown punctations.

Vestiture. Body glabrous. Antennae: AI-AII(a&b) with sparse distribution of short setae; AIII-AIV with denser distribution of setae.

Texture. Body densely punctate, with setiferous punctures.

Structure. Head: interocellar space twice distance between ocelli and eye. Antennae: AII(a) and AII(b) short, subequal in length; AIV longest segment. Labium: reaching metasternum; LI and LII cylindrical; LIII and IV flattened. Abdominal segment III with a medial groove to accommodate rostrum; apical margins of segments III to VI tumescent. Female genitalia: see generic description.

Male unknown.

Measurements. Holotype: BL: 3.35, PW: 2.39, IOD: 1.12, AI: 0.26, AII(a): 0.16, AII(b): 0.18, AIII: 0.30, AIV: 0.40, LI: 0.49, LII:0.63, LIII: 0.39, (LIV not observable).

Etymology: This species is named for its small size.

Distribution: HeissipHara minuta nov.sp. is known from the type locality only, north of Kalbarri National Park, on the centralwest coast of Western Australia ( Fig. 27 ).

Host plants and biology: This species was collected from StenantHemum complica-tum ( Rhamnaceae ).

Remarks: HeissipHara minuta nov.sp. is one of the smallest species of scutellerid known to us, rivalling odontotarsine species like Odontoscelis signatus FIEBER , O. tomentosa (GERMAR) and Psacasta letHierryi PUTON. Unlike most other scutellerines, H minuta nov.sp. is relatively dull in colouration; mostly pale brown, with yellow markings. It is known only from females.

Figures

Fig. 24: Habitus of Australian Scutellerinae species (a) Calliscyta stalii, ♀ (b) Heissiphara minuta nov.sp., ♀ (c) Choerocoris lattini nov.sp., ♀ (d) Choerocoris paganus, ♂ (e) Choerocoris grossi nov.sp., ♂ (f) Choerocoris variegatus, ♂. Scale bar = 1 mm.

Fig. 27: Distribution of Scutellerinae species (a) Calliscyta stalii (b) Cantao parentum (c) Heissiphara minuta nov.sp.

Fig. 37: Habitus of holotype of Heissiphara minuta nov.sp., ♀.

Fig. 38: Scanning electron micrographs of key characters of Heissiphara minuta nov.sp. (a) Head, dorsal view (b) Head, lateral view (c) Head and thorax, ventral view (d) Spermatheca. Abbreviations: Df = dorsal flange; Ea = evaporative area; Pe = peritreme; Pf = proximal flange; P(r) = right paramere; S(b) = spermathecal bulb. Scale bars = 1 mm.