Three new Species of Lasiacantha from Southern India with a Key To Their Identification (Heteroptera : Tingidae)

2005·2.1 MB·

by  David Livingstone

)
Journat of the Bombay Natural History Society, 102 (3), Sep-Dec 2005 326-329
THREE NEW SPECIES OE LASIACANTHA EROM SOUTHERN INDIA
WITH A KEY TO THEIR IDENTIFICATION (HETEROPTERA; TINGIDAE)'
DavidLivingstone-andJeyanthiBai^
Accepted October 2004
-Madras Christian College, Tambaram, Chennai 600 059. Tamil Nadu, India.
^Department of Zoology, Government Arts College, Cheyyar 604 407, Tamil Nadu, India.
Three newmacropterousspeciesofLasiacanthaonthreedifferentspeciesofAcanthaceaehavebeendescribedasthe
third, fourth and fifth species ofthis genus ofTingidae from the Indian region. A key for identification ofthe four
exclusively south Indian species has been given. Relative expansion ofthe cephalic end ofthe median carinaofthe
pronotumasahood,thearchitectureoftheparanotalexpansionsofthepronotumandthe patternofareolationsofthe
hemelytraarethemajordiagnosticfeaturesofeachspecies.DensesharpspinocitycharacterizeallspeciesofLasiacantha.
Key words: Insecta,Heteroptera,Tingidae,Lasiacanthajusticiaiisp. nov„ L.peristrophiisp. nov.,L. ruelliisp. nov.
INTRODUCTION
Out of the twenty one species of Lasiacantha
catalogued by Drake and Ruhoff(1965) in their monograph
ontheLaceBugsoftheworld,onlytwospecies-L. cuneata
andL. altimitratawerereportedtohavebeendescribedfrom
India. Of these, only Lasiacantha cuneata (Distant)
(Jannaeiis ciineatus Distant 1909) was known to have been
described from south India its host plant was not recorded.
Lasiacantha altimitrata (Takeya) was reported from China
and India; on Labiatae. In the present survey, three more
species have been discovered from southern India and
described. Akey to the identification ofall the four known
south Indian species has been given.
The genus Lasiacantha is characterized by the
largeness of its size (3.89 to 3.9 mm); presence of five
prominent porrect cephalic tuberculate spines (two loral, a
medianfrontalandtwopostgenal);elytrabesetwithsharply
pointedpedicellate spines; pronotumtricarinate, themedian
carinaexpandingcephaladashood;paranotalexpansionand
bucculaebroadlyexpanded;hemelytraterminallyconstricted
anddifferentiallypigmented.
I. Lasiacanthajusticiaii sp. nov.
(Fig. 1
Large, testaceous, narrow transverse band traversing
middle of subcostal area and another median oblique band
on apical sector of elytra; length 3.6 mm, width across almost passing scape; rostrum stramineous, apically
pronotum 1.32mm. testaceous, reachingmiddle ofmesostemum; sternallamina
Head, testaceous, armed with five elongately porrect, non-areolate; bucculae broadly elongate, biseriate, closely
stramineous, tuberculate spines; antennae moderately occludingbasirostrum.
elongate, testaceous, densely packed with long, pedicellate, Pronotum, moderately convex, anteriorly punctate,
sharply pointed spines, proportionate length of the proscutellumbroadlyareolate,proscutumtricarinate,median
antennomeres 1:1.2:5.2;1;apicalflagellarsegmentfuscus;eyes carinabiseriate, interruptedmidwayby abruptdevelopment
ochraceous; antenniferous tubercles moderately robust. ofmedian anterior, verticallyelevated hump like prominent
NEW DESCRIPTIONS
hood, anteriorly terminating subapically and posteriorly
terminating at posterior tip ofproscutellum; lateral earinae
elongate,uniseriate,deviatingposteriorlytoterminateatbase
of proscutellum; paranotum, broad, four serially areolated,
confluent with the lateral margin of the proscutum and
strongly reflexed to liejuxtaposed to almost halfthe lateral
areaofproscutumoneitherside;denselyspinousmarginally,
anterolateralareasofpronotumandsubapicalareasofearinae
darklypigmented.
Hemelytra,extendingfarbehindabdomen,subapically
constricted; sub-costal area biseriate, having broad areolae,
confluent with post-cubital area; a darkly pigmented band
runningacrossmiddle;radialareamoderatelybroad,triseriate,
apically confluent with sutural area; discoidal area broad,
multiseriate across middle; sutural area broad, multiseriate,
areolaebroad, apicallyinfuscated; marginsofelytra, media,
cubitus and all veins beset with long pedicellate, less sharp
spines, rest ofthe areas ofelytra with long non-pedicellate
recurved wavy spines; clavus proximally triseriate, distally
biseriate,media,darklypigmentedmidway;hypocostallamina
uniseriate.
Femur fuscus, fringed with long, pedicellate, porrect
spines;tibia,stramineous,besetwithlong,pedicellate,sharp
spines.
Holotype: Male (macropterous); locality: Head,fuscus,annedwithusualfivetuberculatespines,
Malumichampatty in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu; host plant; median frontal tubercle longest, porrect and post-genal pair
Justiciasimplex(Acanthaceae), 12.xi.1979;Allotype:Female; forked apically; antennae moderately elongate, stout,
Paratype:sixteenspecimens;datasameasholotype.Collector testaceous, denselybesetwithlongpedicellate spines, scape
M.H.S.Yacoob.DepositedinLivingstone’sCollection,Reg. andpedicel short, subequal, firstflagellarsegment IV2times
No. 18T, Division of Entomology, Bharathiar University, longer than terminal segment; proportionate length of
Coimbatore. antennomeres 1 : 1.2:3.4:2.3;eyesferruginous;antenniferous
Etymology: Namedafterthehostplant. tubercles not passing middle of scape; rostrum not passing
Lasiacanthajusticiaiisp. nov. resemblesL.peristrophii middle of mesostemum, stramineous, apically testaceous,
sp. nov. in the architecture oftheir hemelytra and spinocity; fringedwithhairs,rostrallaminaliningrostralfurrowbroad,
but differs fromit by its shorter III & IV antennal segments non-areolate; bucculae tetra-seriate, broadly elongate,
and the extent of development of antenniferous tubercles, occludingbasirostrum.
almostpassingscape.Presenceofbiseriatebacculae,biseriate Pronotum convex, proscutum punctate, tricarinate,
subcostal area and triseriate radial area are yet other median carina disrupted midway by the anterior, vertically
delineating features. It can be readily differentiated from L. elevatedprominenthump-likehoodandposteriorlymerging
ruelliisp. nov.bythepresenceofsimple(nonbifid)natureof withthebroadlyareolatescutellum;paranotalexpansionthree
the post-genal pair of cephalic tubercles. It differs from areolaedeep,verticallydeflected.
L. cuneatus (Distant) by the presence of more compressed Hemelytra,passingabdomen, subapicallyconstricted;
pronotalmediananteriorhood,longerIII&IVantennomeres subcostalareabiseriate,cellsrectangular,confluentwithpost-
andmoreprominentlyincrassatefemora. cubital area; a dark pigmented band traversing middle of
subcostalarea;radialareabroad, tetraseriate,confluentwith
2. Lasiacanthaperistrophii sp. nov. sutural area; discoidal area equally broad, six areolae deep
(Fig.2) across middle; sutural area broad, a few cells at its apical
Moderately large, stramineous, clothed with non- region infuscated; hypocostal lamina uniseriate; clavus
mm
pedicellatespines,length3.00 andwidthacrosspronotum proximallytriseriateanddistallybiseriate;medianveindarkly
1.14mm. pigmented at middle; femur feebly testaceous, fringed with
J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc, 102 (3), Sep-Dec 2005 327
NEW DESCRIPTIONS
long pedicellate blunt spines; leg, segments beyond femur
stramineous;tibiaproximallybrownish.
Holotype:Female(macropterous);locality;Andipatti,
Madurai District, Tamil Nadu; host plant: Peristropha
bicalyculata (Acanthaceae) on 4.v.1981; Allotype: male;
Paratype: nine specimens. Collector; M.H.S. Yacoob, data
sameastheholotype;depositedinLivingstone’sCollection,
Reg.No. 19T,DivisionofEntomology,BharathiarUniversity,
Coimbatore.
Etymology:Namedafterthehostplant.
Lasiacanthaperistrophiisp.nov.differsiromL.justiciaii
sp. nov. in the presence of tetraseriate broadly elongate
bucculae; paranotum three areolae deep; biseriate subcostal
areaandtetraseriateradialareaandbythepresenceofapically
forkedpost-genalpairofcephalictuberculatespines.Itfurther
differs from L. ruelii sp. nov. by the relative length of
antennomeres andby the tetraseriate radial area.
3. Lasiacantha ruelliisp. nov.
(Fig.3)
Moderatelylarge;stramineous;adarklypigmentedband
mm
across subcostal area and subapical area of elytra; 3.9
mm
longand 1.2 broadacrosspronotum.
Head, stramineous; pubescent, armed with five
moderately long, stramineous, porrect cephalic tubercles,
medianfrontaltubercles longest, postgenalpairoftubercles
bifid apically; antennae moderately elongate, stramineous, anddistallybiseriate,confluentwithpost-cubitalarea;radial
1andIIantennomeresshort,stoutandsubequal,firstflagellar areatriseriate,confluentwith suturalarea;discoidalareasix
segment slender, elongate, beset with long pedicellate blunt areolae deep across middle; hypocostal lamina uniseriate;
spines, terminal segment fringed with much elongated clavus proximally triseriate, distally uniseriate; sutural area
pedicellate hairs; proportionate length of antennomeres broadlyareolate,5-6areolaedeep;outermarginofhemelytra,
1: 0.9: 4.1: 1.8;eyesreddishbrown; antenniferoustubercles media and cubitus with dense vestiture oflong pedicellate,
testaceous, short, not passing middle of scape, beset with sharply pointed spines; subcostal, radial anddiscoidal areas
long pedicellate spines; rostrum stramineous, apically pubescent; sutural area sparsely beset with non-pedicellate
testaceous,reachinganteriormarginofmesostemum;sternal spines.
furrowshallow,sternallaminanon-areolate,broad;bucculae Legs,testaceous,femurincrassate,bothfemurandtibia
broadlyelongate,triseriate,pubescent,occludingbasirostrum. fringedwithlongpedicellate, sharplypointedspines.
Pronotum, pubescent, coarsely punctate, proscutum Holotype:Female(Macropterous);locahty:Semponvilai,
convexwithdensevestitureoflongslenderhairs;tricarinate, in Kanyakumari District, Tamil Nadu; host plant: Ruellia
median carina abruptly disrupted at middle by anterior prostata(Acanthaceae).9.v.1981;Allotype: male;Paratype:
segment developing as broadly areolated hood, occluding Fourteen specimens; data same as the holotype. Collector:
middle ofhead upto anteriormarginofeyes, pronotal hood M.H.S. Yacoob. DepositedinLivingstone’scollection,Reg.
5-6rowsofareolaedeeponeitherside;lateralcarinaenarrow, No.20T,attheDivisionofEntomology,BharathiarUniversity,
uniseriate, sinuous, posteriorly terminating at origin of Coimbatore.
scutellum; paranotum broadly expanded, almost vertically Etymology:Namedafterthehostplant.
reflexed, 5-6 areolae deep at middle, sharply spinous LasiacantharuelliidiffersfromL.justiciaiisp.nov.in
marginally, paranotal margin and median carina testaceous, the presence of bifid post-genal pair of cephalic tubercles
scutellumbroadly andcoarselyareolate. and antenniferous tubercles not passing middle ofscape. It
Hemelytra, reaching far beyond the abdomen, canbereadilydistinguishedfromL.peristrophii sp. nov. by
subapicallyconstricted; subcostalareatriseriate,proximally itstriseriatebucculaeandtriseriateradialarea.
328 J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc., 102 (3), Sep-Dec 2005
NEW DESCRI3P.TIONS
KeytoGenusLasiacantha Bucculaebroadlyareolateandbiseriate;pronotalmediancarina
biseriate;lateralcarinaeuniseriate;paranotum5-6areolaedeep;
1. Post-genaltuberculatespinesapicallybiramus;antenniferrous subcostalareabiseriate;radialareatriseriateanddiscoidalarea
tubercles not passing middle ofscape; paranotal expansions
fiveseriate Lasiacanthajusticiaiisp.nov.
fusingwithpronotum,afterreflectingverticallyupward 2 —
— Paranotum more than six areolae deep; subcostal and radial
Post-genal cephalic tubercles simple; antenniferous tubercles
areasequalandbiseriatetotriseriate;mediancarina4-5areolae
passing middle of scape; paranotal expansions fusing with
deep Lasiacanthacimeata (Distant)
pronotum, without vertically reflecting upward 3
2. Bucculaetriseriate;pronotallateralcarinaeuniseriate;paranotal
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
expansionsixareolaedeep;subcostalandradialareastriseriate;
discoidalareasixareolaedeep Lxisiacantha ruelliisp. nov.
—
Bucculaetetraseriate;paranotalexpansionthreeareolaedeep; We are grateful to the Indian Council ofAgricultural
radial area four seriate and discoidal area six seriate; tibiae Research,NewDelhiforfinancialsupportandtheauthorities
proximallybearing two brown spots oftheBharathiarUniversity,Coimbatoreforprovidingfacihties
Lasiacanthaperistrophiisp. nov. and encouragement.
REFERENCE
Drake, C.J. & F.A. Ruhoff(1965): Lacebugsoftheworld: acatalogue (Hemiptera: Tingidae). US. NationalMus. Bull. 243: 1-634.
J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc., 102 (3), Sep-Dec 2005 329