Meschia brevirostris Malipatil, Maslowski & Taszakowski 2022, sp. nov

Meschia brevirostris Malipatil, Masłowski & Taszakowski sp. nov. (Figs. 1–9) Material examined. Holotype (♂): ’ NEW CALEDONIA (S) \ 21°37.632'S 165°45.830'E \ Farino env. rainforest, at light \ Les Grandes Fougeres \ 12.03.2008 467 m \ leg. R. Dobosz & T. Blaik’; USMB: 5915/ 11447. Paratypes: (7 ♂, 7 ♀): ’ NEW CALEDONIA (S) \ 21°37.632'S 165°45.830'E \ Farino env. rainforest, at light \ Les Grandes Fougeres \ 12.03.2008 467 m \ leg. R. Dobosz & T. Blaik’. USMB: 5915/ 11042, 5915/ 11128, 5915/ 11389, 5915/ 11458, 5915/ 11111, 5915/ 11118, 5915/ 11132, 5915/ 11447, 5915/ 11378, 5915/ 11470, 5915/ 11139, 5915/ 11095, 5915/ 11124, 5915/ 11093; (4 ♂, 6 ♀): ’ NEW CALEDONIA (S) \ 21°37.632'S 165°45.830'E \ Farino env. rainforest, at light \ Les Grandes Fougeres \ 11.03.2008 467 m \ leg. R. Dobosz & T. Blaik’. USMB: 5915/ 12536, 5915/ 12608, 5915/ 13345, 5915/ 12528, 5915/ 12400, 5915/ 12527, 5915/ 12544, 5915/ 12514, 5915/ 12531, 5915/ 12543; (3 ♂, 1 ♀): ’ NEW CALEDONIA (S) \ 21°35.407'S 165°47.728'E \ Col d'Amieu 422 m \ at light \ 16.03.2008 \ leg. R. Dobosz’. USMB: 5915/ 22580, 5915/ 22939, 5915/ 22977; 5915/ 23032; (1 ♂, 2 ♀): ’ NEW CALEDONIA (S) \ 21°35.2'S 165°46.4'E \ Col d'Amieu 450-470 m \ (6.5-7.0 km from gate) \ 6.01.2007 (loc 6) at light \ leg. R. Dobosz & M. Wanat’. USMB: 5958/ 2148, 5958/ 2624, 5958/ 2242; (1 ♀): ’ NEW CALEDONIA (N) \ 21°08.941'S 165°19.407'E \ Aoupinié (refuge) \ 26.03.2008 400m at light \ leg. R. Dobosz’. USMB: 5915/ 22746. Holotype and one female paratype deposited in MNHN; one pair of paratypes deposited in MVMA; and the remainder of the specimens are kept in the collection of USMB. Diagnosis. Labium short, extending to abdominal sternum II in male (Fig. 1B) and III in female (Fig. 3A), labial total length 0.53–0.56 X total body length; pronotum with fuscous patches of variable intensity, shape and size, particularly distinct near anterior and posterior margins, also variable between male and female, in latter generally less contrasting with the ground colour (Figs. 1A, 2); lateral angle of pronotum not distinctly projecting lateral (Fig. 1A); middle part of lateral margin of dorsal pygophore opening not narrowed but continuous with posterior part (Fig. 7B); basal part of paramere blade broad, dorsal lobe well developed and conspicuously projecting compared to ventral lobe that is smoothly curved (Fig. 7E); vesica with a heavily sclerotized lateral membranous lobe (Fig. 7C, D). Description. Colouration: Male – Head, pronotum and scutellum ochraceous with dense brownish ochraceous punctures. Head with faint irregular, longitudinal, fuscous bands in basal half, one linear band near midline and one rather broad band near inside of each eye (Fig. 3B). Pronotum with incomplete, irregular and broad fuscous longitudinal bands, more obvious near posterior and anterior margins than in middle on disc. Antennae brown, slightly darker from segment 1 to 4, bases of segments as well as subapical area of segment 4 slightly paler. Corium pale ochraceous with ochraceous punctures, and with fuscous patches near apical and inner angles, as well as a fuscous streak posterior of middle of Sc vein. Membrane hyaline, slightly exceeding apex of abdomen (Fig. 1A). Ground colour of body beneath and legs pale ochraceous, except meso- and metasternum, base of abdomen broadly and apical part of pygophore darker (Fig. 1B). Labium orange, with tip blackish brown (Fig. 1B). Thoracic pleura with scattered coarse dark ochraceous punctures. Metathoracic scent gland opening pale ochraceous, with tip blackish brown (Fig. 3D). Distal upper side of femora with scattered dark spots. Claws dark brown. Outer laterotergites bicolored, with posterolateral areas darker (Fig. 1A). Female – variable in colour markings (Fig. 2A, B). Generally as in male, except body slightly broader, uniformly ochraceous and with fuscous areas or patches less obvious in some specimens, or almost anterior 2/3 of pronotum and most of head rather uniformly fuscous compared to posterior part of pronotum (Fig. 2B) with anterolateral margins of head uniformly ochraceous, fuscous marking on corium not obvious, outer laterotergites appear uniformly ochraceous, body beneath and legs pale ochraceous, except band along ovipositor darker (Fig. 3A). Structure and measurements (male/female): Body length including wings 3.81/4.10; maximum width 1.65/1.95. Head: Length 0.70/0.84; width across eyes 1.31/1.50; interocular space 0.84/1.00; interocellar space 0.32/0.41; eye-ocellar space 0.16/0.18; eye length 0.34/0.37; eye width 0.25/0.25. Length of antennal segments: I, 0.35/0.29; II, 0.79/0.83; III, 0.71/0.71; IV, 0.83/0.86. Labrum length 0.17/0.16. Labium extending to abdominal sternum II in male (Fig. 1B) or to abdominal sternum III in female (Fig. 3A), length of segments: I, 0.40/0.53; II, 0.67/0.75; III, 0.35/0.43; IV, 0.56/0.67. Sensilla of labium tip as in Fig. 6A. Thorax: Pronotum, median length 0.85/0.98; width at posterior margin 1.64/1.96; width at anterior margin 1.26/1.49. Scutellum length 0.76/0.93; width 0.95/1.15. Length of hemelytra 2.50/2.83; length of corium 1.76/2.08; claval commissure 0.21/0.27. Clavus either only punctate in three longitudinal rows in male or with several scattered punctures between inner two rows of punctures in female. Metathoracic scent gland as in Fig. 3D, E. Tarsus and tarsal claws and associated structures as in Fig. 6B, C. Abdomen: Connexivum exposed beyond middle of corium in both sexes (Figs. 1A, 2A, B & 4B). Outer laterotergites with fine punctures. Venter covered with sparse faint punctures, somewhat denser on lateral areas (Fig. 7A). Sterna increasingly narrowed medially from segments III–VII and abruptly moved forward for reception of ovipositor (Fig. 7A). Spiracles as in Figs. 4A, 6D & 7A, and trichobothria as in Figs. 4A, 6D–I & 7A. Structure of trichobothria and associated abdominal structures on sternites III to VII as in Fig. 4A. Submedian trichobothria on sternites III and IV reduced, and with sensilla arranged in triangular to almost linear series (Fig. 6E, F), enlarged structure of trichobothria as in Fig. 6H, I. Sublateral trichobothria on each of sterna V and VI represented by small raised elongate oval-shaped trichomes with spine-like microtrichia (Fig. 6G), anterior one with single sensillum and placed slightly anterior to spiracle, posterior trichome with two sensilla (Fig. 6G) almost one behind the other placed posterior to spiracle. On sternum VII anterior trichome absent, but posterior trichome with sensilla similar to those on V and VI. Bothria on sterna V–VII don’t appear to be sunken below surface of cuticle (see Gao et al. 2017 for terminology). Genitalia. Male: Pygophore as in Fig. 7B, dorsal opening of about similar width throughout. Paramere (Fig. 7E), with basal part of blade broad, dorsal lobe well developed and conspicuously projecting, ventral lobe smoothly curved; aedeagus (Fig. 7C, D) with phallotheca heavily and almost uniformly sclerotized, conjunctiva membranous, without any processes, vesica with a lateral heavily sclerotized membranous lobe before helicoid process; both helicoid (hp) and gonoporal processes (gp) each twisted about three times (Fig. 7C, D), secondary gonopore slightly thickened and flared. Female: ovipositor as in Fig. 7A, spermathecal bulb (sm) moderately sclerotized, almost spherical in shape (Fig. 7A). Other details as in genus description (see Malipatil 2014, Gao & Malipatil 2019). Distribution. New Caledonia (Fig. 9). Biology. Unknown. All the specimens were collected at night attracted to a light trap (bulb “MIX”- type 250 W, E40) in the ecotone zone of the rainforest (Fig. 8). Etymology. From Latin, brevis (short) and rostris (rostrum), referring to the short labium. Remarks. This new species can be readily distinguished from all other species of the genus Meschia by its short labium, extending to sternum II in male and III in female, labial total length 0.53–0.56 X body total length (in other species labium long, extending to sternum V or up to VII in both male and female, labial total length 0.66–0.74 X body total length). Like Meschia pugnax Distant, 1910, this new species also exhibits considerable variation in the colour markings, particularly the fuscous patches on the pronotum, both between the individuals from the same locality, as well as between the sexes, the males with more distinct fuscous patches on the pronotum than the females (Figs. 1, 2). An interesting phenomenon is the relatively frequent occurrence of teratological, oligomeric antennae in specimens of the newly described species. For general information on teratological antennae in Heteroptera see Taszakowski & Kaszyca-Taszakowska 2020. Among Lygaeoidea, oligomeric antennae are not uncommon. They have been shown in Berytidae and Geocoridae (Müller 1926), Blissidae (Douglas 1867), Rhyparochromidae (e.g., Douglas 1867, Costas et al. 1992), Cymidae (Butler 1882), Lygaeidae (e.g., Costas et al. 1992, Faúndez & Rocca 2016), Malcidae (Štys 1967) and Heterogastridae and Oxycarenidae (Costas et al. 1992). The teratology of the antennae of Meschiidae has not been described so far. However, in the paper by Gao & Malipatil (2019), the specimen of M. pugnax (as M. quadrimaculata) has an oligomeric, three-segmented left antenna and specimen of Meschia zoui has an oligomeric, three-segmented right antenna. Also, another M. pugnax (Malipatil et al. 2021) has an oligomeric, three-segmented antenna. In Meschia brevirostris sp. nov., as many as 24% of specimens were characterized by antennal teratology. In six cases, one of the antennae was oligomeric, three-segmented (Fig. 5C, D, E); both antennae were three-segmented in two cases. In some cases, compensatory regeneration occurred – the regenerated segments (II and III) were larger than normal. Observations using a scanning electron microscope showed that functional regeneration (sensory organs) occurred in most cases.
Published as part of Malipatil, Mallik B., Masłowski, Adrian, Dobosz, Roland & Taszakowski, Artur, 2022, Meschia brevirostris sp. nov., from New Caledonia (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Lygaeoidea: Meschiidae), pp. 333-344 in Zootaxa 5154 (3) on pages 334-339, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5154.3.6, http://zenodo.org/record/6644783
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