Kiwisaldula yangae Larivière & Larochelle 2018, new species
Creators: name: Larivière, Marie-Claude
name: Larochelle, André
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2018
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Hemiptera
Saldidae
Kiwisaldula
Kiwisaldula yangae

description: Kiwisaldula yangae new species
Kiwisaldula yangae Larivière and Larochelle, new species. Holotype: Male (LUNZ) labelled “ NEW ZEALAND CO Obelisk Ra. [=Range] 1680m 7.ii.1986 J.W. Early / alpine bog / HOLOTYPE [male symbol] Kiwisaldula yangae Larivière & Larochelle, 2018 (red label).” Paratypes 2 males (1 LUNZ, 1 NZAC), 5 females (3 LUNZ, 2 NZAC) with same data as holotype, except for 2 female paratypes (collected by S.P. Worner / sweeping), bearing blue paratype labels.
Description (Brachypterous adult). Body length 2.58–3.13 (2.94 mm); short-ovate or subelliptical, somewhat pearshaped (Fig. 1). Dorsal colour largely dark, usually with contrastingly pale although restricted markings on exocorium of hemelytra and very narrowly pale lateral margins of pronotum. Facial colour (Fig. 5) slightly to strongly contrasted. Head, pronotum, and scutellum moderately shiny against mostly dull hemelytra. Dorsal pubescence short to moderately long, mostly reclined, usually more densely distributed, thicker and more golden brown on pronotum, clavus, and endocorium. Hemelytra with reduced cells in membrane; hindwings highly reduced (not fully formed), reaching about half of corium length or shorter. Head (Fig. 5, facial view). Preocellar spots whitish yellow to yellowish brown (indistinct in very dark individuals). Preocular spots whitish yellow to yellowish brown (indistinct in very dark individuals). Transverse swelling slightly to strongly developed; lateral portions contiguous (mostly) or separated by a narrow gap; whitish yellow to dark yellowish brown, darker near facial midline. Mandibular plates moderately to strongly developed (sometimes slightly developed), concolorous with transverse swelling. Maxillary plates strongly developed (sometimes less developed), concolorous with or paler than transverse swelling. Rostrum yellowish brown to brown, reaching hind coxae. Antennae about 3.9x longer than pronotum + collar medially; segment I whitish yellow to yellowish brown, with ventral and dorsal sides at least partially dark (striped or not), sometimes infumate or completely brown; segment II yellowish brown to pale brown (mostly) or darker brown (in very dark individuals), about 2.1 x longer than segment I; segments III–IV dark brown to nearly black. Thorax. Lateral margins of pronotum subrectilinear (mostly) to barely convex, narrowly explanate, narrowly pale whitish yellow to yellowish brown over most of length or over basal quarter to half (pale area at midlength narrower than or about as wide as antennal segment II), more rarely completely or partially very thinly lined with pale or completely dark (in very dark individuals). Scutellum about 1.5x longer than pronotum + collar medially. Thoracic underside black, with slightly to moderately contrasting acetabula (acetabulum I broadly pale, acetabulum II narrowly pale (mostly) or completely dark, acetabulum III narrowly pale or completely dark), and broadly (mostly) or more narrowly pale (about half of length) lateral margins. Legs marginally pale; fore, mid, and hind femora almost completely dark brown to black (darkly coloured sides coalesced or nearly so into a long annulus), usually paler near base and apex, sometimes largely pale with more discontinuous dark markings on fore and mid femora; fore tibiae pale or slightly infumate dorsally (sometimes darkly striped over most of length); hind tibiae about 2.4x longer than tarsal segments II+III combined. Hemelytra: corium (Figs 1, 9) largely dark brown to nearly black, with reduced pale markings on endocorium and more extensive pale markings (whitish) on exocorium (larger and more coalesced from basal quarter to basal half) – markings less extensive than in K. waiho and K. hurunui; endocorium with distinct, sometimes reduced, brown eyespot subbasally near R vein; eyespot often surrounded by prominent, pale, oblong to sublinear marking; costal margin lined with narrow pale band in basal half or mostly dark (pale band rarely covering most of costal length); colour pattern in female consistent with that in male; pruinose areas well developed, distributed on most of clavus and corium, and on membrane near apex of clavus (usually patchy on middle of corium or less prominent on exocorium); basal pruinose area of clavus usually broad and short, covering less than one-third of clavus length; basal pale spot of clavus present (sometimes very small) or absent; subapical pale spot of clavus present (often very small, nearly indistinct); membrane with four, sometime three, reduced cells; cell 1 the shortest, distinctly shorter than cells 2 and 3, oval to subtriangular; cells 2 and 3 subrectangular, subequal in length and width; cell 4, when present, the narrowest, slender, subequal to distinctly shorter than cell 3, ending apically well before tip of cell 3. Abdomen. Venter: male, dark brown to blackish, with or without hind margin of segments very narrowly pale; female, colouration as in male, not margined with pale as in most Kiwisaldula species. Male parandria (Fig. 17) elongate, narrowly subtriangular, acutely rounded and strongly narrowed at tip; inner margins slightly convex in basal two-thirds, concave in apical third; medial membrane with blunt inward projection on each side; basal margin rather straight to slightly sinuate. Male paramere (Fig. 13) with distinct, slightly developed processus sensualis bearing less than ten setae (processus sensualis sometimes evanescent); processus hamatus moderately long and sinuate, not constricted basally, its tip somewhat broad, acutely rounded. Other characters as in generic description (Larivière & Larochelle, 2016: 459).
Geographic distribution (Fig. 21). South Island, subalpine and alpine zones of mountains in Central Otago (CO) and Otago Lakes (OL).
Material examined. A total of 36 specimens including types, from the following localities: South Island CO – Carrick Range, Watts Rock (LUNZ); Obelisk Range (LUNZ, NZAC); Old Man Range (NZAC); The Remarkables, Rastus Burn (LUNZ, NZAC). OL – Headlong Peak, South Basin (NZAC); Mount Aspiring National Park (Liverpool Bivouac (LUNZ); Matukituki River, slightly East of Raspberry Creek (NZAC)). WD – Mount Aspiring National Park, Arawata River (LUNZ).
Biology. Altitudinal range. Subalpine to alpine; collected mostly around 1050 to1700 m (lower elevation at Matukituki River, OL). Habitat. Collected on alpine vegetation and mossy waterlogged ground around bogs, in tussock grasslands and herbfields; also in subalpine meadow near a river, on Juncus -carpet over sandy-silty soil, 2 m from water (Matukituki River, OL). Seasonality. Adults and tenerals (newly emerged adults) collected in February and March, but tenerals mostly found in March. Food. Predator or scavenger. Behaviour. Undocumented.
Remarks. This species is named after Yun-Tai (Rita) Yang (New Zealand-Taiwan), a special acquaintance and highly skilled health specialist, and someone who handles challenges with grace.
At first glance K. yangae may superficially resemble K. waiho and K. hurunui. It is however darker in overall colour than both species, has less developed coalesced pale markings on hemelytra, a completely darker venter in the female, and differently shaped male genitalia.
Kiwisaldula yangae is known to co-occur with K. laelaps on Carrick Range where more strongly pear-shaped individuals can be reminiscent of that species. Kiwisaldula yangae is, however, much smaller than K. laelaps – the largest males being smaller than the smallest males of K. laelaps – has more extensive pale hemelytral markings, paler lateral margins of pronotum (dorsally and ventrally), and differently shaped male parameres and parandria.
Specimens examined from Mount Aspiring National Park (OL, WD) are mostly tenerals and although paramere configuration and body shape appear somewhat distorted compared to fully mature adults from other populations, these specimens appear to be conspecific with K. yangae.
description: Published as part of Larivière, Marie-Claude & Larochelle, André, 2018, Kiwisaldula (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Saldidae) from the South Island of New Zealand: new species and identification key, pp. 151-166 in Zootaxa 4514 (2) on pages 155-157, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4514.2.1, http://zenodo.org/record/2607823