Leuraptera zealandica Usinger and Matsuda 1959
Creators: name: Larivière, Marie-Claude
name: Larochelle, André
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2022
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Hemiptera
Aradidae
Leuraptera
Leuraptera zealandica

description: Leuraptera zealandica Usinger and Matsuda, 1959
Fig. 35, 52–53, 78
Leuraptera zealandica Usinger and Matsuda, 1959: 160. Holotype: male (CMNZ) labeled “x Fungus Titirangi [AK] 30 March 1946 J.M. Dingley. (hand-written) / HOLOTYPE (typed) Leuraptera zealandica Using. & Mats. (pink-red label; hand-written).” Photo of holotype and associated labels (Larivière and Larochelle 2004: 228). Paratypes: 3 females with same data as holotype (Usinger and Matsuda 1959).
Leuraptera yakasi Heiss, 1990: 399. Holotype: male (NZAC) labeled “ NEW ZEALAND, ND: Waipoua State Forest, Yakas Tree Track, 350 m., April 11, 1980 A. Newton & M. Thayer (typed) / mixed broadleaf, podo- carp forest, leaf & log litter --------------- See NZJZ 1976 v.3, p. 69 for Code Letters (typed) / If designated as a holotype specimen must be returned to New Zealand (green label;typed) / HOLOTYPUS (typed) Leuraptera yakasi n. sp. (hand-written) E. HEISS 1989 (typed, except for ‘89’) (red label).” Photo of holotype and associated labels (Larivière and Larochelle 2004: 228). Paratypes: 2 males, 3 females (AMNH, E. Heiss Collection) from ND–Waipoua Forest, Yakas Tree Track; Intamoe [= Tutamoe] Range, North Dargaville. New synonym.
Description (incrustation removed). Body length about 3.6 mm (male), 4.8 mm (female). Dorsal color (male, female) reddish brown with varying degrees of darker brown to nearly black on head and thorax, tergal disc of abdomen, connexivum, and dmtg VII. Eyes reddish. Antennae and legs concolorous or slightly paler than main body. Ventral color generally darker than main dorsal color. Head. About 0.8× as long as wide across eyes. Genae distinctly longer than clypeus, nearly touching or touching in front. Antenniferous tubercles subconical, their apices subacutely to bluntly rounded, divergent. Antennae about 1.4× longer than width of head across eyes, mostly granulate. Ratio of length of antennal segments II–IV/I about 0.7: 1.1: 1.1. Segment I narrowed, smooth in basal fourth to 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 third. Thorax. Pronotum about 3.5× wider than long medially, including collar. Anterolateral angles broadly rounded-subtriangular, slightly to moderately produced in front of collar; inner portion strongly projecting toward collar. Lateral portions with two irregularly shaped plates (anterior plate larger, often semi-circular or hook-shaped) and, submarginally, a slightly elevated area with several irregular rows of fine to moderately coarse granules (finer and more closely set together near lateral margin). Lateral margins subrectilinear to slightly sinuate or concave, strongly oblique. Posterolateral angles subquadrate or rounded-subtriangular, slightly to moderately produced. Mesonotum about 6.0× wider than long medially (next to dmtg I–II forward projection). Lateral portions bearing a large, subquadrate plate with a lateral hook-shaped extension in front of a small, subovate plate (sometimes evanescent) and, submarginally on a slightly elevated area, fine to moderately coarse granules (finer, darker, thickened together closer to margin). Lateral margins reflexed or not, slightly to strongly convex. Posterolateral angles subquadrate or subtriangular, slightly to moderately produced (more produced in male). Metanotum. Lateral portions with a large subovate plate, a smaller, posterolateral rounded plate and, submarginally, fine to moderately coarse granules (finer, darker, thickened together near margin). Lateral margins slightly convex, unproduced, rather flat. Posterolateral angles subquadrate. Abdomen widest across tergite IV (male), tergites III–IV (female). Dmtg I–II rather flat (not declivent from front to back). Tergal plate (dmtg III–VI). Disc barely elevated. Lateral margins slightly to moderately convex. Inner rows of apodemal markings made of rather obscure, rounded to suboval, smooth spots; outer rows made of slightly smaller, rounded spots. Dmtg VII broadly smooth medially, narrowly marked with small callosities and granules laterally, moderately elevated posteromedially (male); broadly smooth medially, broadly marked with small callosities and granules laterally, with more or less distinct transverse sulcus posteriorly (female). Connexivum moderately to strongly reflexed. Posterolateral angles of dltg III–IV subquadrate, unproduced, V rounded, barely produced, VI rounded, slightly more produced, VII broadly rounded-subtriangular, unproduced, slightly reflexed (male); III–IV subquadrate, unproduced, V–VI rounded, barely produced, VII rounded, slightly thickened, unproduced, rather flat (female). Male genitalia. Right paramere (Fig. 35, outer lateral view) broad and flat, shaft straight for most of its length posteriorly, head strongly sinuate apically, with anterior margin rounded, curved inward into a rounded-subtriangular ‘lip’. Ventral surface. Head. Rostrum nearly reaching posterior margin of subovate, carinate rostral groove. Thorax. Pro-, meso-, and metasternum separated from each other; meso- and metasternum slightly depressed medially; suture line between metasternum and vmtg I of abdomen distinct medially, segments separated by deep depressions laterally. Abdomen. Ventral mediotergites (vmtg) I–II fused, distinctly separated from III at least laterally; other mediotergites well demarcated from each other; III–VI barely depressed medially; VII about 3.0× longer than VI, smooth medially along posterior margin (male); VII medially split into two triangular plates with inner margin of each plate about 2.7× longer than VI medially; surface obliquely rugose (female). Apodemal spots (vmtg IV–VI) flat or slightly elevated, slightly paler than or concolorous with remainder of venter; inner rows sometimes evanescent; outer rows sometimes made of larger, more elevated spots. Connexivum distinctly demarcated from remainder of venter.
Material examined. 540 specimens (AMNZ, CMNZ, NZAC).
Geographic distribution (Fig. 78). North Island: AK, BP,CL, ND.
Biology. Altitudinal range. Lowland to lower montane (up to 650 m). Habitat. Occurs in broadleaf–podocarp forests; can be locally abundant in forests where Beilschmiedia is predominant; also found in southern beech (Nothofagus sensu lato)- Agathis - Phyllocladus forests. Collected in groups on the moist, often moldy bark from the underside of fallen rotting branches about 3–10 cm in diameter (e.g., Beilschmiedia, Dysoxylum, Pittosporum, Weinmannia, Phyllocladus, Podocarpus totara branches); found in smaller numbers in leaf litter. Seasonality. Adults: throughout most of the year (abundant in November–December). Tenerals: October to December (abundant in November), April. Nymphs: October–December (abundant in November–December), April–June. Mating observed in December.
References. Larivière and Larochelle 2004: 52 (catalogue; L. zealandica, L. yakasi), 228 (photos of type and labels; L. zealandica, L. yakasi), 2014: 350 (checklist; L. zealandica, L. yakasi).
Remarks. Leuraptera zealandica was previously known from about 20 specimens collected in a handful of localities from the Auckland (AK), Coromandel (CL), and Northland (ND) regions. It is now known from long series of specimens sampled in over 30 localities across these regions and the Bay of Plenty (BP). The male holotypes of L. yakasi and L. zealandica represent teneral individuals. Their body color is paler than in fully mature adults, thoracic elevations or markings and overall granulation are less developed, and other morphological features appear slightly distorted due to incomplete hardening of the cuticle. The authors have checked the male holotype of both species and found the two taxa to be conspecific. Further support for this new synonymy is based on the examination of hundreds of specimens of L. zealandica and long series of Leuraptera specimens from western Northland in forests geographically proximate and ecologically similar to Waipoua Forest (type locality of L. yakasi) and Tutamoe Range (paratype locality). Morphological variation within and between populations in the putative geographic range of L. yakasi is consistent with that observed for L. zealandica across its distribution range.
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 14-15, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.7399305