Tuataraptera unca Larivière & Larochelle 2022, new combination
Creators: name: Larivière, Marie-Claude
name: Larochelle, André
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2022
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Hemiptera
Aradidae
Tuataraptera
Tuataraptera unca

description: Tuataraptera unca (Kirman, 1989), new combination
Fig. 43, 70–71, 87
Neocarventus uncus Kirman, 1989b: 35. Holotype: male (NZAC) labeled “ NEW ZEALAND (typed) ND, Warawara SF [= State Forest] 10 Oct 1974 J. C. Watt ex rotten log (hand-written) / Duplicate specimens in alcohol (typed) / Entomology Division D.S.I.R. New Zealand (gold label; typed) / Neocarventus Det. G.B. Monteith, 1979 (typed) / (blank red label) / HOLOTYPE NEOCARVENTUS UNCUS (white label; hand-written).” Photo of holotype and associated labels (Larivière and Larochelle 2004: 231). Paratypes: 2 females, 5 males (NZAC) with same data as holotype; another 3 males should be in NZAC (Kirman 1989b) but could not be located. Other paratypes (Kirman 1989b): 3 males, 2 females (AMNZ, NZAC) from Puketi Forest (ND), Waipoua State Forest (ND), Mount Camel Peninsula (ND).
Description (incrustation removed). Body length about 3.2 mm (male), 3.9 mm (female). Dorsal color (male) dark reddish brown tinged with yellow; often darker brown to black posterolaterally on metanotum, on dmtg II, medially on tergal plate, on dmtg VII; usually paler yellowish brown on mesonotal projection, dmtg I, and connexivum. Female often with paler abdomen. Eyes reddish brown. Antennae and legs somewhat paler than main body. Ventral color mostly matching or slightly darker than main dorsal color. Head. About as long as wide across eyes. Genae distinctly longer than clypeus, nearly touching or forming a gap in front. Antenniferous tubercles broadly subtriangular, their apices bluntly rounded and divergent. Antennae about 1.5× longer than width of head across eyes, mostly granulate. Ratio of length of antennal segments II–IV/I about 0.6: 0.9: 0.9. Segment I narrowed, smooth in basal third, then thickened; II slightly curved basally, gradually thickened toward apex; III pedunculate in basal fifth, gradually thickened toward apex; IV fusiform, pilose in apical half. Thorax. Pronotum about 2.5× wider than long medially, including collar. Anterior margin shallowly incised on each side of collar. Anterolateral angles rounded-subquadrate, not usually produced in front of collar. Lateral portions with small callosities and coarse granules coalesced into a strongly elevated, narrow, slightly oblique, curved submarginal ridge distant from lateral margin (ridge sometimes nearly smooth). Lateral margins subrectilinear to slightly concave, slightly oblique. Posterolateral angles rounded-subtriangular, slightly to moderately produced. Mesonotum about 3.0× wider than long medially, including backward projection (male), 3.5× (female). Lateral portions with small callosities and coarse granules submarginally. Lateral margins subrectilinear to sinuate, moderately to strongly oblique. Posterolateral angles narrowly subtriangular, moderately to strongly produced. Metanotum. Disc slightly elevated near apex of mesonotal projection. Lateral portions with a moderately large hook-shaped plate. Lateral margins moderately to strongly sinuate (male), slightly convex (female). Abdomen widest across tergite IV. 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 subrectilinear (male), faintly convex (female). Dmtg III with a subtriangular plate medially and a pair of apodemal spots near anterior margin. Inner rows of apodemal markings (dmtg IV–VI) made of transverse, subovate to subtriangular plates bearing a usually distinct,oval, smooth median spot; outer rows (dmtg III–VI) made of longitudinal, rounded-subquadrate to subtriangular plates with a more rounded spot. Dmtg VII narrowly smooth and unevenly surfaced anteromedially, broadly marked with small callosities and granules laterally, strongly elevated posteromedially (male); broadly smooth medially, broadly marked with small callosities and granules laterally, slightly but flatly elevated medially, with a faint transverse sulcus posteriorly (female). Connexivum moderately to strongly reflexed (sometimes slightly reflexed in female). Posterolateral angles of dltg III–V acutely triangular, rather strongly produced, VI rounded, slightly produced, VII broadly rounded-subtriangular, strongly produced and reflexed (male); III–IV unproduced, V–VI rounded, slightly produced, VII rounded-subtriangular, more strongly produced than V–VI, rather flat (female). Male genitalia. Right paramere (Fig. 43, inner lateral view) elongate, shaft narrow, barely concave posteriorly, head rounded-subquadrate apically, with anterior margin obliquely subrectilinear, slightly thickened. Ventral surface. Head. Rostrum only about 0.75× as long as subrectangular, carinate rostral groove. Thorax. Pro-, meso-, and metasternum fused, barely depressed or flat medially; suture line between metasternum and vmtg I of abdomen faint, superficial. Abdomen. Ventral mediotergites (vmtg) I–III fused; other mediotergites well demarcated from each other; IV–VI barely depressed or flat medially; VII 3.5× longer than VI medially, with faint transverse wrinkles in apical fifth (male), medially split into two triangular plates with inner margin of each plate about 2.5× longer than VI medially, surface obliquely wrinkled (female). Apodemal spots (vmtg IV–VI) flat or slightly elevated, nearly concolorous with remainder of venter; outer rows made of larger, more elevated spots. Connexivum faintly demarcated from remainder of venter.
Material examined. 149 specimens (AMNZ, NZAC).
Geographic distribution (Fig. 87). North Island: ND–Herekino Forest: Herekino Forest Track, 0.5–2 km E Gorge summit (NZAC); Kaitaia Walkway, first 3–4 km (NZAC). Mangamuka Gorge Summit Walkway, first 1.5 km (NZAC). Mount Camel Peninsula, valley [on] West side (AMNZ). Omahuta Forest, Kauri Sanctuary Road, Pukekohe Stream (NZAC). Pukekaroro Scenic Reserve (NZAC). Puketi Forest (NZAC), Upper Waipapa River Track, first 1.5 km (NZAC). Waipoua Forest: 1 km E [of] Headquarters (NZAC); Kauri Rickers Track (NZAC); SH [= State Highway] 12 (NZAC). Warawara Forest (NZAC).
Biology. Altitudinal range. Lowland to lower montane (up to 700 m). Habitat. Occurs in broadleaf–podocarp forests; can be locally abundant in forests where Beilschmiedia - Dacrydium, Beilschmiedia-Knightia-Leptospermum, Beilschmiedia-Rhopalostylis or Beilschmiedia-Agathis-Knightia are predominant; also found once in a mesic Weinmannia forest. Collected in groups on the moist, often moldy bark from the underside of fallen rotting branches about 3–5 cm in diameter or slightly larger; found in small numbers in leaf litter. Seasonality. Adults: September–January (abundant in December), April. Tenerals: October–December (abundant in December). Nymphs: December, probably also May–June. Mating observed in December.
References. Larivière and Larochelle 2004: 53 (catalogue; Neocarventus uncus), 231 (photos of type and labels; N. uncus), 2014: 350 (checklist; N. uncus).
Remarks. Tuataraptera unca mostly occurs in the rainforests of western Northland (ND). Larivière and Larochelle (2004) ’s record of this species from Mount Moehau (CL) is referred to Neocarventus angulatus.
description: Published as part of Larivière, Marie-Claude & Larochelle, André, 2022, Synopsis of the subfamily Carventinae in New Zealand (Heteroptera: Aradidae), pp. 1-54 in Insecta Mundi 2022 (961) on pages 33-34, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.7399305