A new species and first record of Dilatops Weirauch (Insecta: Heteroptera: Miridae: Phylinae) from New Caledonia

2008·1.3 MB·English

by  Gerasimos Cassis

ANEW SPECIES AND FIRST RECORD OF D/L/irOP^ WEIRAUCH (INSECTA:
HETEROPTERA: MIRIDAE: PHYLINAE) FROM NEW CALEDONIA
GERASIMOS CASSIS AND CHRISTIANE WEIRAUCH
Cassis, B. & Weirauch, C. 2008 04 30. A new species and first record of Dilatops Weirach
(Insecta: Heteroptera: Miridae: Phylinae) from New Cd[cni!ion\i\. Memoirs of the Queensland
Museum 52(2): 119-122. Brisbane. ISSN 0079-8835.
A new species of the leucophoropterine genus Dilatops Weirauch (Insecta: Heteroptera:
Miridae: Phylinae), D. monteitlii sp. nov., is described from New Caledonia. The species
is illustrated, including features of the male genitalia. Comparisons are made with the type
species Dilatopsfid Weirauch and species of the genus Lasiolahops Schuh. (cid:9633) Heteroptera,
Miridae, Phylinae, Leucophoropterini, Dilatops, new species, New Caledonia
Gerasimos Cassis, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of
New Soiah Wales, Sydney NSW 2052 Australia: Christiane Weirauch, Department
of Entomology, University of California, Riverside, California. 92521 USA (christiane,
[email protected]): 30 September 2007.
Weirauch (2006) described a new genus of is part of an ongoing effort to document the
leucophoropterine, Dilatops Weirauch (Miridae: species rich but largely undescribed mirid fauna
Phylinae), from Australia. Tlie type species, D. fici of the island.
Weirauch, is noteworthy because of its host plant
association with species of Ficus (Moraceae), TAXONOMY
and its broad distribution in eastern Australia.
The genus is significant because of its atypical Dilatops monteithi sp. nov.
features fora Phylinae; Leucophoropterini (e.g. its (Fig. I)
S-shaped vesica), which brings into question the
monophyly of the tribe, and results in a putative MATERIAL. HOLOTYPE: NEW CALEDONIA, c?',
relationship with another annectant taxon, the Col d’Amieu, west slope, 21°37'S 165°49'E, 7 January
2005, G Monteith, MV light, rainforest (MNHN).
Afrolropical and Oriental genus Lasiolahops
PARATYPES: same data as holotype, 1 d^, 1 (AM;
Poppius (Weirauch, 2006). Species of this latter
QM).
genus are also associated with figs.
DIAGNOSIS. Head strongly transverse (Fig. lA),
This work is based on the discovery of an
eyes semi-stalked, extending beyond anterolateral
additional species oWilatops from New Caledonia
angles of pronotum (Fig. 1 A); posterior margin of
collected by Dr GeolTMonteith oflhe Queensland
head strongly excavate; body orange-brown with
Museum during his ongoing inventory oflhe true
stramineous markings; left paramere with anterior
bug fauna of the island archipelago (Monteith
and posterior processes of equal length, and
et al., 2006). The Heteroptera of New Caledonia
moderately large body (Fig. 1C); right paramere
have not been well documented, allhougli for some
lanceolate (Fig. 1D); apex of phallolheca acute
groups, such as the Tingidae (Guilberl, 2002),
(Fig. IE); vesica S-shaped, tapered apically,
the situation is improving. For the Miridae, New
apex long and slender, with secondaiy gonopore
Caledonia is very poorly known, with few existing
medial and base of vesical body short (Fig. 1F).
collections and even fewer taxonomic treatments.
The New Caledonian Phylinae arc represented DESCRIPTION. Moderately large, ovoid,
by only seven species (Schuh, 1984, 1995);
macropterous.
two species of Leucophoropterini (Sejanus
ansevata Schuh and S. novocaledonicus Colouration. Body mostly orange-brown, with
Schuh) and five species of Phylini (Campylowma stramineous markings. Head: dark orange-brown;
novocaledonica Schuh, C. noumeae Schuh and C. genae, gula, mandibular and maxillary plates
sclephracantha Schuh; Malysiamiris couleeensis and bucculae stramineous. Antennae: AI and All
Schuh and M novocaledonicus Schuh). The new stramineous; AlII and AIV dark brown. Labium:
species oiDilatops described here represents the mostly stramineous with LIV fuscous. Pronotum:
first record of the genus and an additional species mostly dark orange-brown, with broad, submedial
of Leucophoropterini from New Caledonia, and transverse stramineous band. Proepisternum:
120 MEMOIRS OF THE QUEENSLAND MUSEUM
0.
FIG. X.Dilatops monteithi sp. nov. A, dorsal view of head and pronotum; B, dorsal view of pygophore; C, left
paramere; D, right paramere; E, phallotheca; F, vesica.
stramineous with orange-brown highlighting, paler along midline and apex. Hemelytra: clavus
Pterotlioracic pleura: dark brown, including efter- and corium orange-brown, sometimes with
ent system of metathoracic glands. Mesoscutum: weakly striped appearance; cuneus stramineous-
orange-brown. Scutellum: stramineous-brown, brown, inner margins infused with red; membrane
NEW CALEDONIAN DILATORS 121
smoky-brown. Legs: coxae bicoloured, proximally overlap the anterior aspect of the pronotum. The
dark brown, rest stramineous; remainder of heads of both species are more alike, with the
legs uniformly stramineous, sometimes with frons and clypeus strongly narrowed, giving the
subdistal region of metafemora with red high¬ head a pronounced triangular appearance when
lighting. Abdominal venter: uniformly dark brown. viewed from the front. The clypeus in both
species is small, barely convex and coplanar
Vestiture. Dorsum with uniform and dense with the adjacent areas of the frons. Other
distribution of elongate, pale, decumbent, simple
species-level differences are listed in (Table
setae. Abdominal venter: moderate distribution 1) and include the following character states
of same setae. in D. monteithi: i. darker colouration, being
more orange-brown; iii. more medial position
Texture. Impunctate, matt body; scutellum weakly
of the secondary gonopore of the male vesica;
rugulose.
and, iv. anterior lobe of the left paramere less
Structure. Head: transverse (Fig. I A), strongly pronounced.
declivent (clypeus not visible from above);
frons + clypeus strongly tapered in anterior DISCUSSION. The Australian species, Dilatops
view; clypeus short, flat, coplanar with anterior fid, is found on three species of figs in eastern
aspect of frons; mandibular and maxillary plates Australia (Weirauch 2006). In the Sydney region
small. Eyes: greatly enlarged, subpedunculate, it is found in association with the psyllid
occupying most of head in lateral view. Labium: Mycopsylla fid which can cause significant
elongate, just surpassing apices of metacoxae. damage to Moreton Bay figs, Ficus macrophylla,
Pronotum: subtrapezoidal, short, posterior in suburban parks (Froggatt, 1907; Hollis, 2004;
margin rectilinear. Scutellum: elongate, weakly Taylor and Carver, 1991). Dilatops fid has not
convex. Hemelytra: cuneus large. Pterolhoracic been observ ed feeding, but it is possible that it
pleura: metathoracic spiracle exposed, narrow, with preys upon the psyllid.
evaporative bodies; eflerent system of metathoracic
Dilatops monteithi has no host record, but it may
glands well-developed, almost reaching mese-
also be associated with figs. Ficus is represented in
pimeron, with semi-circular peritrcme. Legs:
New Caledonia by 31 species, most of which are
femora fusiform; tibiae spinose. Male Genitalia, endemic and found in rainforest (Jaflre et al., 2001).
pygophore (Fig. IB); left paramere with anterior Figs are known from the Col d’Amieu site where
and posterior processes of equal length, with prom¬ D. monteithi was collected (Monteith personal
inent body (Fig. 1C); right paramere hinceolate communication) but were not intentionally
with apex tapered and sliglitly bent (Fig. 1D), with sampled.
prominent setae: phallolhcca weakly sclerotised,
strongly tapered apically (Fig. 1E); vesica strongly The systematic position of D. monteithi is a
S-shaped, forming a single coil, with short base, little contentious, as the species does not have
apex very long and slender and strongly tapered, strongly pedunculate eyes as found in D. fid.
with secondary gonopore submedial (Fig. IF). A comparison of the characters of both species
Female genitalia not examined. of Dilatops and of Lasiolabops spp. is given in
Table I, and reveals that the two genera share
DISTRIBUTION. Known only from the type features that are likely to be of phylogenetic
locality; the western slope of the Col d’Amieu significance. D. monteithi, although lacking
is a rainforest site. The species was collected at the strongly pedunculate eyes of D. fid, is
light and no information is known regarding its much more similar to that species than to any
host associations, described species of Lasiolabops. The placement
of D. monteithi requires a broadening of the
REMARKS. This species is closely related to definition of Dilatops to allow for the eyes to be
Dilatops fid, and despite the less pronounced sub-pcdunculate, and the head width across the
eyes, agrees with the other diagnostic features eyes to be less than the w'idth of the pronotum
of Dilatops given by Weirauch (2006). The eyes across the humeral angle. This places greater
in D. monteithi are not as clearly pedunculate as importance in the characters of the vesica and left
in the type species, but they are none-lhe-less paramere in defining the genus. Beyond Weirauch’s
semista'iked, with the head strongly transverse. (2006) definition, the short and sub-rectangular
Unlike D.fici, the eyes are not broader than the pronotum, offers an additional diagnostic feature
pronotal width across the humeral angles. In for Dilatops; the pronotum is much shorter than
addition, the eyes in D. monteithi more distinctly that found in species of Lasiolabops.
122 MEMOIRS OF THE QUEENSLAND MUSEUM
TABLE 1. Comparison of morphological character states of Dilalops fid and D. monieithi with Lasiolabops
spp.
Dilalops fici Dilalops monieithi Lasiolabops spp.
ll Orange colouration Orange-brown colouration Dark colouration
|| Two types of setae Simple setae only Simple and adpressed setae
1 Eyes laterally produced, without
Eyes strongly pedunculate Eyes sub-pedunculate
pedunculate appearance
ll Eyes large in lateral view Eyes large in lateral view Eyes moderately-sized
1 Vertex concave Vertex concave Vertex flattened
: Head broader than pronotum Head subequal to pronotum Head subequal to shorter than pronotum
Clypeus + (mandibular (cid:9632)*- maxillary plates) Clypeus (mandibular + maxillary plates) Clypeus + (mandibular + maxillary plates)
narrow narrow broad
Labium short Labium elongate Labium elongate
1 Pronotum short, subreciangulatc Pronotum short, subrectangulate Pronotum more elongate, subtrapezoidal
j Parempodia seliform. tapered Parempodia seliform. tapered Parempodia spatulate
Left paramcre with dorsal lobe Left paramere with dorsal lobe Left paramcre dorsal margin truncate
Vesica tapered, apex acute Vesica tapered, apex acute Vesica not tapered, apex broad
Secondary gonopore subapical Secondary gonopore in median position Secondary gonopore apical
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS JAFFRE, T, MORAT P-. VEILLON, J-M., RIGAULT,
F. & DAGOSTINI, G. 2001. Composition
We thank Hannah Finlay for the illustrations and characteristics of the native Bora of New
of the male genitalia. Celia Symonds assisted Caledonia. (Institut de recherche pour le
Dcveloppement: Noumea)
with the preparation of the plates. This work was
funded by the US NSF Planetary Biodiversity MONTEITH, G.B., BURWELL, C.J. & WRIGHT,
S. 2006. Inveniaire de I'Entomofaune de Quarte
Inventory grant (PBI) DEB-0316495 to Randall
Reserves du Sud de la Novelle CaI6donie.
T. Schuh and Gerry Cassis. We thank Randall
Unpubl. report to Direction dcs Ressources
Schuh and Michael Schwartz for reviewing
Naturelles, Noumea: Queensland Museum, 136
the manuscript. Geoff Monteith is once again pp, plus appendix.
thanked for provision of insect material from
SCHUH, R.T. 1984. Revision of the Phylinae
New Caledonia. His advice was also sought (Hemiptera, Miridae) of the Indo-Pacific. Bulletin
regarding habitat information for this species. of the American Museum of Natural History
177(1): 1-476.
LITERATURE CITED
1995. Plant Bugs of the World (Insecta: Heteroptera:
Miridae). Systematic Catalog, Distributions,
FROGGATT, W.W. 1907. Australian Insects. (William
Host List and Bibliography. (The New York
Brook and Co.: Sydney)
Entomological Society: New York).
GUILBERT, E. 2002. New data on New Caledonian
TAYLOR, K.L. & CARVER. M. 1991. Psylloidea.
Tingidae (Hemiptera) with descriptions of new
Pp. 448-450. In Naumann, I.D. (cd.) Insects
specks. In Najii, T. and Grandcolas, P. (eds)
of Australia. (Melbourne University Press:
Zoologica neocaledonica 5. Systematique et Melbourne).
endemisme en Nouvelle-Caledonie. Memoires
WEIRAUCH, C. 2006. New genus and species of
du Museum National d'HistoireNaturelle Paris
fig inhabiting Leucophoropierini (Heteroptera:
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Miridae: Phylinae) from Australia. Russian
HOLLIS, D. 2004. Australian Psylloidea: Jumping Entomological Journal, [in press]
Planllice and Lerp Insects. (Australian Biological
Resources Study; Canberra)