Parvodeceptor Hill, 2015, gen. n.
Creators: name: Hill, Lionel
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2015
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Hemiptera
Schizopteridae
Parvodeceptor

description: Parvodeceptor gen. n.
(Fig. 1, dimensions in Table 1)
Material. The holotype female of Parvodeceptor infrequens sp. n.
Diagnosis. General appearance resembling Hypselosomatine in that the female is elytrous with large eyes. However there is no sclerotized ovipositor, the labium is 3-segmented, A3 is 140% as long as A4 and the frons is more protuberant. Dorsum weakly convex. Setae generally fine and recumbent including on elytra.
Description. Head deflexed but frons weakly protuberant, height twice length in lateral view, not narrow in anterior view, without prominent setae except on anteclypeus; anteclypeus, bucculae, maxillary and mandibular plates glabrous; eyes large, overlapping pronotal collar laterally, half as high as head, height equal to length in lateral view, facets small; ocelli present, faint, located about 3 facet-diameters from eye margin, less than one eye facet in diameter; vertex without macrosetae including no pair of ocular macrosetae overhanging eyes; vertex abruptly deflexed into inserted postocular part (Fig. 1B) which is well developed, concavely decurrent beneath pronotal collar, weakly emarginate medially, broadest sublaterally as pair of very blunt apodemes and tapering laterally towards eyes; frons weakly and roundly protuberant near base of anteclypeus; maxillary plates larger than mandibular plates; anteclypeus twice as long as wide, weakly swollen basally but not salient, base squarely truncate, apex broadly rounded, sides weakly convex in anterior view, with three macrosetae (long subbasal pair and very long subapical singleton); labrum slender, reaching L2; labium 3-segmented, reaching mesosternum, without macrosetae but with several long, procurved setae, ratio of L1:L2:L3 is roughly 6:4:7; bucculae strongly inflated, closed and salient posteroventrally (Fig. 1B); gula short (much shorter than anteclypeus), without sutures or carinae; genae large, with narrow constriction projecting internally to the prothorax and which is broadest posterior to gula and tapers dorsally to posterior margins of eyes (Fig. 1B). Antennae half as long as body, A1–2 subequal; A3 weakly curved and 140% as long as the straight A4, A3 weakly incrassate subbasally; A3–4 with fine, semierect seta (25–50% as long as antennomeres). Thorax. Pronotum weakly declivent; disc weakly convex in lateral view, weakly decurrent anteriorly so that collar is slightly depressed below plane of disc and vertex, disc with pair of faint transverse impressions about one-third from posterior margin, attenuating medially, posterolateral angles rounded, not tumid, pronotal margins rounded in cross section, convexly convergent in dorsal view; apex of mesoscutellum minutely pinched, not dorsally salient, disc not depressed proximally; metascutellum short, broad and U-shaped, barely exceeding mesoscutellar apex; postnotal flange minute and arcuate; metanota not extensive, forming simple rectangular discs lateral to metascutellum; prosternum with flat, roundly triangular disc; mesosternum with flat depressed trapezoidal disc tapering posteriorly; metasternum with inconspicuous, low rounded process between hind coxae (Fig. 1C); metendosternite broad, truncate; posteroventral angles of metepimera and metepisterna rounded in lateral view (Fig. 1D). Fore wings. Elytrous, convex, without long setae, with fine recumbent seta, costal margin abruptly and broadly explanate (inflexion forming shallow gutter dorsally) and broadly reflexed ventrally, line of reflexion rounded, reflexed epipleura inclined (not near vertical), weakly concave in cross-section, reaching to about S7, as wide as hind tibial diameter; anterior and claval sutures absent; venation well-defined, narrow and gently raised, posterior marginal vein runs adjacent to posterior margin of elytron (Fig. 1E); cells with fine polygonal mosaic which also extends over veins; hind wings absent. Legs with female tarsal formula 2,2,3, tarsi slender, basal tarsomeres very short; claws long, slender, basally expanded; parempodia straight, as long as claws; arolial sacs absent; tibiae not swollen apically; fore coxae without macroseta; fore femora without ventral groove for reception of fore tibiae; hind coxae with rugose pads located subapically; hind tibiae with several oblique macrosetae distally as well as apically. Abdomen. Posterior margin of female S7 simple, weakly concave (Fig. 1F); S2 not evident; S3 weakly and roundly contoured to accommodate hind coxae; sterna without pairs of deep sublateral incisions from anterior margins; spiracles on S6, S7 and T8; T2- 7 with weakly sclerotized rectangular plates; T8 more sclerotized, with spiracles near anterolateral angles; T9 large sclerite, weakly convex, without marginal deflection or carina, with anus separated from posterior margin by about one diameter (Fig. 1F). Genitalia. No ovipositor sclerites evident in unstained, uncleared, undissected, ethanoldistended specimen.
Notes. The general appearance of Parvodeceptor resembles Humpatanannus brincki Wygodzinsky, 1958 as figured by Wygodzinsky (1958, Fig. 1) in the large eyes, faint ocelli, anteclypeus with three macrosetae, simple non salient scutellum, explanate and reflexed costal margins of elytra with discernable venation. Unfortunately the male of Parvodeceptor is unknown so that a better comparison with Humpatanannus Wygodzinsky 1950 cannot be made. However, Parvodeceptor does not closely resemble Humpatanannus in that the maxillary/mandibular plate proportions are normal (maxillary plates larger), the base of the anteclypeus is not strongly salient, A3 and A4 are not subequal, the claval suture is not discernable on the elytra, the venation is narrow, lacks marginal punctation and its scheme is unlike Humpatanannus, the fore femora and tibiae lack ventral rows of macrosetae; the fore femora lack a ventral groove for reception of the fore tibiae; the mesosternum is simpler, the metasternal process is rudimentary, there is no indication of abdominal parasternites and the posterior margin of the female terminal sternum is simple and weakly convex.
The absence of a pair of ocular macrosetae on the vertex overhanging the eyes may be real or perhaps an artefact of damage. A single pair of such macrosetae is universal in Hypselosomatinae but also occurs in adult Humpatanannus, Hoplonannus McAtee and Malloch, 1925 and Corixidea Reuter, 1891 and nymphs of several genera (Emsley 1969). Two pairs of orbital macrosetae occur in Ogeria Distant, 1913, Kaimon Hill, 2004 and Pinochius Carayon, 1949. None occur in Pachyplagioides Gross, 1951 and Pachyplagia Gross, 1951 although the former has a pair of macroseta more medially on the vertex, not overhanging the eyes.
fem fem male male male fem fem male fem male fem Type species. Parvodeceptor infrequens sp. n. by present designation.
Distribution. One locality on the Atherton Tableland in north-east Queensland.
Habitats. The specimen was collected by pyrethrum knock-down (fogging) from logs and trees. It is the only specimen known from 4700 specimens of Schizopteridae sorted from 1050 schizopterid samples collected by QM and ANIC using a variety of methods dominated by Berlese funnel extractions from leaf litter and moss but also including pyrethrum knockdown, stick brushing and flight intercept traps mostly from wet forest habitats of eastern Australia.
Etymology. From the Latin adjective parvus (small) and noun deceptor (deceiver) alluding to the deceptive hypselosomatine appearance of this small bug. Gender masculine.
description: Published as part of Hill, Lionel, 2015, Three new genera of Schizopteridae from Australia with description of six new species (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Schizopteridae), pp. 73-96 in Zootaxa 3990 (1) on pages 74-78, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.3990.1.4, http://zenodo.org/record/289123