Neocarventus angulatus Usinger and Matsuda, 1959

Larivière, Marie-Claude & Larochelle, André, 2022, Synopsis of the subfamily Carventinae in New Zealand (Heteroptera: Aradidae), Insecta Mundi 2022 (961), pp. 1-54 : 27-28

Neocarventus angulatus Usinger and Matsuda, 1959

Fig. 39 , 64 , 68 , 83

Neocarventus angulatus Usinger and Matsuda, 1959: 166 . Holotype: male (CMNZ) labeled “Wallingford S. Hawkes Bay [HB] ex. Leaf mould “12/2/48” G. Ramsay (hand-written) / HOLOTYPE (typed) Neocarventus angulatus (hand-written) Usinger-Matsuda (red label; typed).” Photo of holotype and associated labels ( Larivière and Larochelle 2004: 231). Paratype: see under Remarks.

Description (incrustation removed). Body strongly narrowed anteriorly; length about 3.1 mm (male), 3.5 mm (female). Dorsal color (male) pale to moderately dark reddish brown; nearly black medially on pronotum and mesonotum, laterally on metanotum, on dmtg I–II, on base and sides of tergal plate; pale yellowish to yellowish brown medially on tergal plate, on and around apodemal spots, on part of connexivum. Female similarly colored except for bright whitish yellow to yellowish brown tergal plate, strongly contrasting against darker thorax, less distinct apodemal spots on abdomen and mostly pale connexivum. Eyes reddish. Antennae and legs (especially tibiae) somewhat paler than main body. Ventral color mostly matching main dorsal color; underside of abdomen darker than dorsal tergal plate in female. Head. About as long as wide across eyes. Genae distinctly longer than clypeus, forming a gap in front. Antenniferous tubercles narrowly subtriangular (inner margin often sinuate), their apices acutely rounded and divergent. Antennae about 1.6× longer than width of head across eyes, mostly granulate. Ratio of length of antennal segments II–IV/I about 0.7: 0.8: 0.9. Segment I narrowed, smooth in basal third, then thickened; II slightly curved basally, gradually thickened toward apex; III pedunculate in basal fifth to fourth, gradually thickened toward apex; IV fusiform, pilose in apical third to half. Thorax. Pronotum about 2.4× wider than long medially, including collar. Anterior margin shallowly incised on each side of collar. Anterolateral angles rounded-subquadrate to rounded-subtriangular, slightly to moderately produced, not reaching in front of collar. Lateral portions with a vermiculate or semi-circular plate (sometimes reduced to two or three nearly coalesced callosities) next to small callosities and coarse granules coalesced into a moderately elevated, broad, slightly oblique, curved submarginal ridge nearly reaching lateral margin for most of its length. Lateral margins subrectilinear, subparallel or slightly oblique. Posterolateral angles rounded-subquadrate, unproduced or faintly produced. Mesonotum about 2.8× wider than long medially,including backward projection (male), 3.4× (female). Lateral portions with small callosities and granules submarginally. Lateral margins slightly to moderately convex (male), subrectilinear-sinuate to very slightly convex (female), moderately to strongly oblique. Posterolateral angles broadly subtriangular,barely produced, rather flat (male); rounded-subtriangular to rounded-subquadrate, barely produced, rather flat (female). Metanotum. Disc moderately to strongly elevated near apex of mesonotal projection. Lateral portions with a moderately large, longitudinal, subrectangular plate next to an irregular area of coarse submarginal granules. Lateral margins moderately sinuate,rather shallowly concave basally (male). Posterolateral angles slightly elevated, moderately produced, forming curved to slightly sinuate or slightly angular, acutely tipped spines (male);thickened, forming short, broadly rounded-subtriangular lobes (female). Abdomen widest across tergite III. Dmtg I–II strongly declivent from front to back (male), slightly to moderately declivent (female). Tergal plate (dmtg III–VI). Disc slightly to moderately elevated (male), slightly elevated (female). Lateral margins slightly convex (male), slightly to moderately convex (female). Inner rows of apodemal markings usually made of distinct, suboval, smooth spots (often less distinct in female); outer rows made of faint, more rounded spots (often rather small in male). Dmtg VII broadly smooth anteromedially, narrowly marked with small callosities and granules laterally, moderately elevated posteromedially (male); broadly smooth medially, narrowly marked with callosities and granules laterally, slightly but flatly elevated anteromedially, with a distinct transverse sulcus posteriorly (female). Connexivum moderately reflexed (sometimes slightly reflexed in female). Posterolateral angles of dltg III–V rounded-subtriangular, slightly produced (V usually more so), VI rounded, barely produced, VII narrowly rounded-subtriangular, slightly to moderately produced, flat or somewhat reflexed (male); posterolateral angles more rounded, III–IV unproduced (IV sometimes faintly so), V–VI slightly produced, VII usually somewhat more produced than V–VI, rather flat (female). Male genitalia. Right paramere ( Fig. 39 , inner lateral view) elongate, shaft slightly concave posteriorly, head narrowly rounded, with margin of subrectangular projection thickened, unnotched. Ventral surface. Head. Rostrum nearly reaching posterior margin of carinate, subovate rostral groove. Thorax. Pro-, meso-, and metasternum fused; meso- and metasternum usually somewhat depressed medially; suture line between metasternum and vmtg I of abdomen absent (sometimes faintly visible next to coxal cavities). Abdomen. Ventral mediotergites (vmtg) I–III fused; other mediotergites well demarcated from each other; IV–VI barely depressed or flat medially; VII about 3.3× longer than VI medially, with a few moderately developed wrinkles in apical fifth to fourth (male); medially split into two triangular plates with inner margin of each plate about 3.0× longer than VI medially, surface obliquely wrinkled (female). Apodemal spots (vmtg IV–VI) flat or slightly elevated, paler than or nearly concolorous with remainder of venter; outer rows made of larger, more elevated spots. Connexivum distinctly demarcated from remainder of venter.

Material examined. 84 specimens ( AMNZ, CMNZ, LUNZ, NZAC).

Geographic distribution ( Fig. 83 ). North Island: BP (eastern), CL, GB, HB, WN.

Biology. Altitudinal range. Lowland to lower montane (up to 800 m). Habitat. Occurs in broadleaf forests, broadleaf-podocarp forests, and shrublands. Collected on the moist, often moldy bark from the underside of fallen rotting branches and in leaf litter. Seasonality. Adults: September–April (abundant in January), July. Tenerals: September–November (abundant in October), March. Mating probably occurs in December–January.

Remarks. Neocarventus angulatus and N. potterae are morphologically close. In addition to diagnostic characters of the male parameres, N. angulatus has the following main distinguishing features: mesonotum (male) with lateral margins slightly to moderately convex and posterolateral angles unproduced, rather flat; metanotum (male) with lateral margins moderately sinuate, rather shallowly concave basally, and posterolateral angles moderately produced, forming curved to slightly sinuate or slightly angular spines. The holotype of N. angulatus appears to be a slightly teneral individual with irregularly shaped antenniferous tubercles and left metanotal spine. The male paratype from Awakino [River] Valley (WO) was not seen; it probably belongs to the new species N. potterae . Neocarventus angulatus is primarily an eastern North Island species. Its known distribution follows the eastern coastal forests stretching from the Wellington (WN) area in the south to the Coromandel (CL) region in the north. Specimens from islands off the Coromandel Peninsula (CL) display a variable and somewhat unbalanced phenotype probably due to geographic isolation and restricted gene pool. Larivière and Larochelle (2004) ’s records of N. angulatus for the Auckland (AK), Northland (ND), Taranaki (TK) and Waikato (WO) regions are referred to other species described below. Their South Island record of N. angulatus (Puhipuhi Reserve, KA) appears to be based on mislabeled teneral specimens.

Figures

Figures 36–43. Male right paramere, inner lateral. 36) Carventaptera spinifera. 37) C. hallae new species. 38) Modicarventus kirmani new species. 39) Neocarventus angulatus. 40) N. potterae new species. 41) N. montanus new species. 42) N. northlandicus new species. 43) Tuataraptera unca.

Figures 64–67. Dorsal habitus. 64) Neocarventus angulatus, male. 65) N. potterae new species, male. 66) N. montanus new species, male. 67) N. northlandicus new species, male. Scale line = 1 mm.

Figures 68–71. Dorsal habitus. 68) Neocarventus angulatus, female. 69) N. northlandicus new species, female. 70) Tuataraptera unca, male. 71) T. unca, female. Scale line = 1 mm.

Figures 79–84. Species distribution maps. 79) Lissaptera completa. 80) L. heissi new species. 81) Modicarventus kirmani new species. 82) M. wisei. 83) Neocarventus angulatus. 84) N. montanus new species.