Stenotus witchelina Namyatova & Schwartz & Cassis 2013, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Namyatova, Anna A.
name: Schwartz, Michael D.
name: Cassis, Gerasimos
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2013
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Heteroptera
Miridae
Stenotus
Stenotus witchelina

description: Stenotus witchelina sp. nov.
(Figures 1, 2C, D, F–H, 3B, E, I, 4F–J, 6B, E)
Etymology
Named for Witchelina Nature Reserve, currently the easternmost limit of the distribution of the new species.
Material examined
Holotype. AUSTRALIA: South Australia: Witchelina Nature Reserve, Tea Tree Swamp, 30.0726 ◦ S, 135.07688 ◦ E, 98 m, 21 October 2010, M. Elias, ♂ (AMNH _ PBI 00029094). Deposited in the South Australian Museum, Adelaide.
Paratypes. AUSTRALIA: South Australia: Witchelina Nature Reserve, c. 40 km northwest of Lyndhurst, 30.16 ◦ S, 137.98 ◦ E, 153 ◦ m, 21 October 2010, M Elias, ♀ (00400419) (SAMA). Witchelina Nature Reserve, Tea Tree Swamp, 30.0726 ◦ S, 135.07688 ◦ E, 98 m, 21 October 2010, M. Elias, 4♂ (00400414, 00400435, 00041247, 00029097), 6♀ (00400420, 00400423, 00041246, 00400421, 00041248, 00400271) (UNSW, SAMA). Witchelina Nature Reserve, Witchelina Homestead, 30.0207 ◦ S, 138.0446 ◦ E, 166 m, 19 October 2010, M. Elias, Light Trap, ♂ (00400415), 2♂ (00400413, 00400418) (UNSW, SAMA). Western Australia: 28 km south of Menzies (3.5 km east of Hiway), 29.91917 ◦ S, 121.1514 ◦ E, 500 m, 25 October 1996, Schuh and Cassis, Triodia rigidissima (Pilg.) Lazarides (Poaceae), det. PERTH staff PERTH 05099757, 7♂ (00110222–00110228), 62♀ (00110229–00110290) (AM, AMNH, CNC).
Differential diagnosis
Stenotus witchelina can be distinguished from the other Australian Stenotus species by the following set of characters: yellow coloration without reddish tinge or any brown or black markings (Figure 1); vertex distinctly shorter than eye diameter (Figure 2C); frons almost flat from lateral view (Figure 2F, H); clypeus one-half height of eye anteriorly (Figure 2D); labium reaching middle of metasternum (Figure 2F); ventral surface of genital capsule 1.7× as long as dorsal surface (Figure 4J); right paramere not hooked (Figure 4G); right medial endosomal lobe longer than left medial lobe, with field of small spicules, left medial lobe without those small spicules (Figure 4F); posterior wall of bursa copulatrix with dorsal lobe (Figure 6E). Stenotus gressitti differs from this species in body mostly yellow with reddish tinge (Figure 1), vertex as long as eye diameter (Figure 2B), frons distinctly bulging (Figure 2E), ventral surface of genital capsule 1.3× as long as dorsal surface (Figure 4E), right paramere hooked (Figure 4B), left medial endosomal lobe longer than right medial lobe and bearing field of small spicules, those spicules absent on right medial endosomal lobe (Figure 4A), posterior wall of bursa copulatrix without dorsal lobe (Figure 6D). Stenotus binotatus can be separated from S. witchelina by yellow coloration with brown or black markings or stripes (Figure 1), vertex as long as eye diameter (as in Figure 2B), clypeus 0.8× height of eye anteriorly, labium reaching abdominal segment VI, right paramere hooked distally (Figure 5B), endosoma with fields of small spicules on both medial lobes (Figure 5A).
Description – male
Total length 4.9–5.5.
Coloration. Mainly yellow, often with reddish markings (Figure 1). Head: yellow with reddish or dark reddish stripe on frons and clypeus, also with reddish markings dorsal to antennal fossae and on mandibular and maxillar plates; sometimes with reddish stripe along inner margin of eye and posterior margin of head. Labium. Mostly yellow, segment IV with apical half brown to dark brown. Antenna. Uniformly yellow. Eye. Brown or yellow with brown markings.
Pronotum: mostly yellow, often with reddish markings mostly on anterior part.
Scutellum: yellow, sometimes with reddish markings on anterior part.
Mesoscutum: yellow, often with reddish tinge and reddish markings.
Thoracic pleurites: yellow, often with reddish markings, sometimes mostly reddish.
Evaporatorium: mostly uniformly yellow, sometimes reddish dorsally.
Legs: mostly yellow, coxae sometimes reddish or with reddish markings basally; femora sometimes with reddish tinge apically.
Hemelytron: mostly yellow, sometimes with pale brown stripe along claval suture, rarely also with pale brown stripe on posterior part on endocorium.
Abdomen: pregenital segments yellow, sometimes with greenish tinge, with reddish brown longitudinal stripe laterally, often dorsal side at least partly reddish brown; genital segment yellow with greenish tinge, sometimes with reddish marking basally.
Surface and vestiture. Body smooth, moderately shiny, with short pale adpressed setae, distinctly shorter than diameter of antennal segment I. Head, pronotum, scutellum, and hemelytron (except membrane) with sericeous silver setae (as in Figure 3I); antennal segments with mostly adpressed short dark setae, setae on segment I darker than those on other segments, segments III–IV also with some suberect dark setae; thoracic pleura and coxae with rare pale setae; femora with dark adpressed setae; tibiae with three types of setae as in S. gressitti; tarsi with pale adpressed setae and very short dark setae; abdomen with pale adpressed setae.
Structure and measurements. Body 3.3–3.6× as long as pronotum. Head: transverse, no space between eye and pronotum (Figure 2C); vertex without transverse basal carina; frons almost flat in lateral view (Figure 2F, H); clypeus one-half height of eye anteriorly (Figure 2D, G); eye large, subspherical dorsally, slightly transversely elongated (Figure 2C), height distinctly greater than width in lateral and anterior views (Figure 2D, F–H); eye diameter longer than vertex in dorsal view (Figure 2C); vertex 0.7–0.9× as wide as eye. Labium reaching middle of metasternum; segment I surpassing anterior margin of pronotum, reaching middle of prosternum, almost as wide as antennal segment I; segments II–IV almost as long as segment I (Figure 2F). Antenna: length subequal to clypeus to cuneus length; length of segment I one-half of head width; segment II 4× as long as segment I, 2.1–2.2× as long as head width and 1.5–1.6× as long as pronotal width; segment III one-half length of segment II; segment IV slightly shorter than segment III.
Pronotum: posterior margin almost twice as long as anterior margin, 1.9–2.2× as wide as long and 1.3–1.4× as long as head width; collar distinct; calli shallow, but distinctly delimited posteriorly, not fused with each other (Figure 2C).
Evaporatorium: triangular, posterior margin slightly longer than anterior margin, only slightly bulging medially (Figure 3I).
Legs: hind femur almost twice as wide as middle femur; segment I of hind tarsus approximately 1.5× as long as segment II and as long as segment III (Figure 3B), parempodia shorter than claw, pulvilli present (as in Figures 3C, F, G).
Hemelytron: with outer margins slightly curved; claval vein prominent; lateral margin of cuneus twice as long as base.
Genitalia: genital capsule triangular, ventral surface approximately 1.7× as long as dorsal surface (Figure 3E, 4J). Right paramere simple, sublinear, wide medially and apically (Figure 4G). Left paramere C-shaped, wide basally, apex hooked (Figure 4H, I). Endosoma: lateral lobes with dense distinct dorsal and ventral spicules; left medial lobe without ventral spicules, right medial lobe with ventral spicules, longer than left medial lobe (Figure 4F).
Description – female
Total length 5.4–5.9. Coloration. As in male, except reddish pattern less distinct, thoracic pleurites often uniformly yellow, sometimes with reddish markings and stripes, evaporatorium and coxae uniformly yellow; abdomen uniformly yellow, rarely with pale brown tinge.
Structure and mesurements. As in male, except eye diameter shorter than vertex; body 3.2–3.4× as long as pronotum; vertex 1.3–1.8× as wide as eye; antennal segment II 2.2–2.4× as long as width of head, 1.3–1.4× as long as width of pronotum; pronotum 2.1–2.4× as wide as long and 1.6–1.8× as wide as head.
Genitalia: sclerotized rings of bursa copulatrix oval, not very distinct, slightly twisted (Figure 6B); posterior wall slightly sclerotized with well-sclerotized medial projection, inter-ramal lobes and dorsal lobe present (Figure 6E).
Distribution
South and Western Australia.
Discussion
For characters separating S. witchelina from S. brevicollis, S. bivittatus and S. clypealis, described from New Guinea, see Discussion for S. gressitti above.
description: Published as part of Namyatova, Anna A., Schwartz, Michael D. & Cassis, Gerasimos, 2013, First record of the genus Stenotus Jakovlev from Australia, with two new species, and a list of mirine species from Witchelina Nature Reserve (Insecta: Heteroptera: Miridae: Mirinae: Mirini), pp. 987-1008 in Journal of Natural History (J. Nat. Hist.) (J. Nat. Hist.) 47 (13 - 14) on pages 999-1002, DOI: 10.1080/00222933.2012.752049, http://zenodo.org/record/5196466