Celia Symonds

Systematics and host plant associations of a new genus of Acacia-inhabiting plant bugs from arid Australia (Insecta : Hemiptera : Heteroptera : Miridae : Orthotylinae)

Abstract. Acaciacapsus, gen. nov. is described as a new plant bug genus, with eight new included species: A. amadeus, sp. nov.; A. appha, sp. nov.; A. aureolus, sp. nov.; A. bournda, sp. nov.; A. emeraldensis, sp. nov.; A. lolworthensis, sp. nov.; A. millstreamensis, sp. nov.; and A. woodwardi, sp. nov. Differential diagnoses and descriptions are given for all species, including salient characters, and the male and female genitalia. An identification key is provided to species. Male genitalia are illustrated, and a habitus photograph is provided for each species. Female genitalia are illustrated for two species. The genus is putatively an Acacia specialist, and has cryptozoic yellowish colouration. The species are primarily found in arid and semi-arid regions of non-monsoonal regions of Australia. The collection events are digitised and their distributions mapped. A phylogeny of species is given. Modifications are given to male genitalic homologies and are discussed in reference to other Australian orthotylines.

Plant bugs, plant interactions and the radiation of a species rich clade in south-western Australia: Naranjakotta, gen. nov. and eighteen new species (Insecta : Heteroptera : Miridae : Orthotylinae)

Abstract. New surveys from the Bush Blitz and Planetary Biodiversity Inventory programs has revealed a largely unknown biota of plant bugs in Australia. The mirid subfamily Orthotylinae has exploded in Australia, in association with perennial shrubs in arid and semi-arid Australia. This work documents the discovery of a new clade of 18 new species of the plant bug subfamily Orthotylinae. These new species belong to Naranjakotta, gen. nov., which was analysed phylogenetically and found to be monophyletic. The distribution of Naranjakotta and included species are documented, and analysed in reference to the distribution of all other orthotylines across continental Australia. A paralogy-free subtree analysis was conducted based on a recent phytogeographic classification, which resulted in the recognition of eastern and western subclades, with Tasmania and the Eyre Peninsula unresolved. The host plant associations were optimised at generic and ordinal levels to the Naranjakotta phylogeny and an ancestral Lamiales association for Naranjakotta and an ancestral Acacia association for a subclade of Naranjakotta were found. The eighteen new species described in this work are: N. bicolorata, sp. nov., N. chinnocki, sp. nov., N. cryptandraphila, sp. nov., N. dimorpha, sp. nov., N. graphica, sp. nov., N. hakeaphila, sp. nov., N. hibbertiaphila, sp. nov., N. hyalina, sp. nov., N. keraudrenia, sp. nov., N. lochada, sp. nov., N. macfarlanei, sp. nov., N. minor, sp. nov., N. myrtlephila, sp. nov., N. rosa, sp. nov., N. splendida, sp. nov., N. unicolorata, sp. nov., N. wanarra, sp. nov. and N. watheroo, sp. nov. Orthotylus sidnicus (Stål) is transferred to Naranjakotta.

Granitohyoidea calycopeplus gen. nov. and sp. nov: a new plant bug taxon (Heteroptera: Miridae) affiliated with granite outcrops in south-west Western Australia, and its Palearctic affinity and host plant associations.

Granitohyoidea calycopeplus sp. nov. is described from the south‐west of Western Australia. It is associated with the euphorb species, Calycopeplus paucifolius, which is found in association with granite outcrops. It is proposed that G. calycopeplus has affinity with the Palearctic genus Hyoidea Reuter, with the later associated with species of the gymnosperm genus Ephedra. The hosts of Granitohyoidea gen. nov. and Hyoidea are distantly related, but their vegetative and reproductive characters are putatively convergent and are postulated to offer similar ecological niches.

A new genus Ittolemma (Heteroptera: Tingidae) gen. nov. and three included species of hirsute lace bugs from temperate woodlands of southern Australia

A new Australian lace bug genus Ittolemma gen. nov. is described for the inclusion of three species. Tingis teretis Drake is transferred to the new genus Ittolemma, made the type species of the new genus and redescribed. Two new species – collected on recent Bush Blitz surveys in Western Australia – are described: I. credo sp. nov. and I. micula sp. nov. All species occur in temperate southern Australia from host plant genera in the families Lamiaceae and Scrophulariaceae (order Lamiales), including Eremophila. This work documents the first host plant records and a large range extension for I. teretis. A key to species, diagnostic images and notes on the generic placement within the Australian Tingidae fauna, is provided.

Systematics and host plant associations of the Australian lace bug genus Nethersia (Insecta: Heteroptera: Tingidae), including the description of eighteen new species

A systematic revision of the lace bug genus Nethersia Horvath 1925 is given including a redescription of the genus. Previously described species N . absimilis Drake 1944, N . haplotes Drake and Ruhoff 1962, N . maculosa Horvath 1925 and N . setosa (Hacker 1927) are redescribed. The New Caledonian species Tingis chazeaui Guilbert (1997) is transferred to Nethersia . Eighteen new species are described: N . acaciaphila sp.n., N . appha sp.n., N . bipannanota sp.n., N . boorabbinensis sp.n., N . costata sp.n., N . finlayae sp.n., N . kimberleyensis sp.n., N . magna sp.n., N . mareeba sp.n., N . mcquillani sp.n., N . nigra sp.n., N . pilbara sp.n., N . silveirae sp.n., N . stipula sp.n., N . tatarnici sp.n., N . tanami sp.n., N . tomentosa sp.n. and N . westralensis sp.n. Nethersia pugna Drake 1944 is removed from synonymy with N . maculosa Horvath and treated as a valid species. An identification key species is given which relies on colour patterning, vestiture and texture of the dorsum. Nethersia nigritarsis (Horvath, 1925) is transferred from Nethersia to Tingis and designated as incertae sedis . Phylogenetic analysis of Nethersia was undertaken resulting in fully resolved topologies for a range of concavity constant settings ( K = 2–6) under implied weights. The plant associations of Nethersia are documented, with most species recorded from phyllodinous Acacia species, with twenty designated as host plants.

Systematics and biology of the Australian seed bug genus Megadrymus Gross (Insecta:Heteroptera: Rhyparochromidae:Drymini)

Abstract. Megadrymus Gross is an endemic seed bug genus that occurs in subtropical and tropical wet and dry rainforest on the eastern and northern coasts of Australia. The genus is revised with the redescription of the type species M. terraereginae Gross, the transfer of Brentiscerus tenuicornis (Gross) to Megadrymus, and the description of five new species: M. aurorae, sp. nov., M. brunneus, sp. nov., M. capeyorkensis, sp. nov., M. kakadu, sp. nov. and M. refugiensis, sp. nov. A key to species is included. A phylogeny, and biological and distributional information, are presented and discussed.

Systematic revision and phylogeny of the Australian myrmecomorphic seed bug genus Daerlac Signoret (Insecta : Heteroptera : Rhyparochromidae : Udeocorini)

Abstract. The Australian endemic ant-mimetic seed bug genus Daerlac is revised. This paper provides a redescription of the genus Daerlac and four species: D. apicalis, D. cephalotes, D. nigricans and D. picturatus. Daerlac tricolor is synonomised with D. cephalotes. A taxonomic key to species is provided. Known distributions of D. apicalis, D. nigricans and D. picturatus are each extended beyond previously known ranges. Daerlac species are found predominantly in temperate open forest and woodlands in association with ants and eucalypts. All species are broadly distributed and there is a high degree of overlap in distributions. They are seed predators found on the ground, in leaf litter, under bark or on trunks of eucalypts, and putatively forage on post-dispersed seeds. Cladistic analysis of morphological characters finds that the four species of Daerlac form two well-supported sister-groups (D. apicalis + D. picturatus, and D. cephalotes + D. nigricans). A discussion of the distribution, biology and myrmecomorphy of the genus is provided, and the tribal placement of Daerlac and its relationship to Laryngodus are discussed.

Systematics and Analysis of the Radiation of Orthotylini Plant Bugs Associated with Callitroid Conifers in Australia: Description of Five New Genera and 32 New Species (Heteroptera: Miridae: Orthotylinae)

ABSTRACT Orthotyline plant bugs inhabiting the southern conifer genus Callitris in Australia are investigated and classified systemically for the first time, with the description of 5 new genera and 32 new species from Australia. The five new callitroid-inhabiting Orthotylini genera proposed are Avititerra, Blattakeraia, Callitricola, Erysivena, and Ngullamiris. The 32 new species accommodated by these genera are: Avititerra lepidothrix, A. xerophila, Blattakeraia actinostrobi, B. hochuli, Callitricola ballina, C. boorabbin, C. cordylina, C. finke, C.finlayae, C. gammonensis, C. graciliphila, C. parawirra, C. pullabooka, C. silveirae, C. tatarnici, C. wiradjuri, C. wollemi, Erysivena apta, E. bundjalung, E. drepanomorpha, E. emeraldensis, E. endlicheriphila, E. kalbarri, E. majori, E. mareeba, E. molloy, E. notodytika, E. paluma, E. schuhi, E. schwartzi, E. sydneyensis, and Ngullamiris whadjuk. A key to the newly described Australian taxa, habitus photographs of all species, illustrations of male and female genitalia, and scanning electron micrographs of representative species are given. A phylogenetic analysis of these callitroid-inhabiting Orthotylini was undertaken, incorporating described Orthotylus Fieber species extralimital to Australia and other recently described Australian Orthotylini. Callitris host plants are mapped to the implied-weights phylogenetic analysis, and their associations are discussed. Associations between related species of Orthotylini and related species of Callitris were detected, as were three independent colonisations by a paraphyletic assemblage of callitroid-inhabiting Orthotylini. Generic concepts within Orthotylini are discussed, with reference to Orthotylus species extralimital to Australia and includes a comparison of key character systems. It is demonstrated that the endosomal spicule characters are primary determinants of generic limits in the Orthotylini, which are supported by other characters of the male and female genitalia and external characters.

Megadrymus brigalow n.sp. (Insecta: Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Rhyparochromidae: Drymini), a diminutive new species of seed bug from semi-evergreen vine thicket of the Queensland Brigalow Belt

Megadrymus brigalow n. sp., a new species of seed bug, is described from semi-evergreen vine thicket in the Brigalow Belt region of Queensland, Australia. This species has the smallest body in the genus Megadrymus Gross and has a number of vestigial characters.

A New Species of Mistletoe Inhabiting Plant Bug from Western Australia: Hypseloecus schuhi (Heteroptera: Miridae: Phylinae)

Abstract A new species, Hypseloecus schuhi is described from seven specimens collected on Amyema nestor (Loranthaceae) in Charles Darwin Reserve, in the Avon Wheatbelt region of Western Australia. This is the first species recorded solely from Western Australia on an endemic host plant.