Blaena serrata, LIS & HEYNA, 2001

Blaena serrata sp. n.

( Figs 68-78 View Fig View Figs 69–78 )

Description

Body. Length 4.15—4.65 (female), 4.75—4.80 (male - Fig. 68 View Fig ).

Head ( Fig. 69 View Figs 69–78 ). Black or blackish brown, shiny, paraclypei coarsely punctured and bearing numerous golden brown, long hair-like setae, among which is a row of 4-6 submarginal setae; lateral margins almost straight anterior to eyes; paraclypei longer than clypeus and joined anteriorly; the latter slightly convex, bare; bucculae with fine hairs; ocular index 3.59—3.71 (male), 3.59—4.88 (female); ocelli small, distance between ocelli about 2.4—2.8 times greater than distance between an ocellus and an eye, ocellar index 10.2—15.3; rostrum extending beyond anterior coxae, but not reaching the middle coxae; length of antennal segments: I 0.22—0.27, II 0.17—0.27, III 0.31—0.43, IV 0.49—0.59, V 0.63—0.67.

Prothorax. Pronotum about 1.4—1.5 times broader than long ( Fig. 71 View Figs 69–78 ), black, moderately shiny, disc coarsely punctured and bearing golden brown hairs of different length; anterior margin deeply concave, posterior margin shallowly concave centrally; lateral margins conspicuously serrated, submargins with 18—22 long hair-like setae. Prosternum blackish brown; prosternal carinae well-developed, bearing golden hairs. Propleuron black, coarsely punctured, its anterior margin with golden woolly hairs, lateral parts sparsely, shallowly punctured and finely pilose.

Mesothorax. Scutellum black or blackish brown, slightly wider than long, punctation of disc as dense as that of pronotum, median discal carina well visible in apical part; pilosity of scutellar disc more sparse than that of pronotum. Anterior part of mesopleuron punctured, evaporative area broad, laterally reaching margin of mesopleuron ( Fig. 76 View Figs 69–78 ). Corium blackish brown or dark castaneous, costal margin with 10—13 setigerous punctures bearing long hair-like setae; membrane brown, normally developed, almost reaching the tip of abdomen ( Fig. 68 View Fig ), veins dark, usually straight, sometimes branched to a degree; base of membrane usually with large pale patches.

Metathorax. Metapleural evaporatorium large, reaching about two thirds of metapleuron length, peritreme elongated ( Fig. 76 View Figs 69–78 ).

Legs. Anterior femur castaneous, ventrally bearing light hairs and tubercles; anterior tibiae moderately apically broadened, bearing short dark spines. Femora of middle pair with a row of small spines ( Fig. 72 View Figs 69–78 ); tibiae straight with short black spines ( Fig. 72 View Figs 69–78 ). Male hind femora ventrally with a row of large sharp spines, among these 2—3 clearly larger than remainder ( Fig. 70 View Figs 69–78 ); female hind femora ventrally with a row of small spines; male hind tibiae slightly recurved basally and apically ( Fig. 70 View Figs 69–78 ), with a row of small stout black spines on inner margin; female hind tibiae straight, and lacking the row of spines.

Abdomen. Sterna black, convex, lateral submarginal furrow shallow, ventral surface entirely punctured in female, but with lateral impunctate band on segments III and IV in male; posterior margin of V and VI sterna with spines; lateral margins of each segment with a row of 5—6 setigerous punctures, and with well-developed posteriorly projecting spine. Sterna densely covered with erect light hairs. Male genital capsule as in Fig. 77 View Figs 69–78 , paramere as in Figs 73—75 View Figs 69–78 . Female genital plates rather narrow ( Fig. 78 View Figs 69–78 ), densely punctate.

Material examined. Holotype and 5 paratypes: QUEENSLAND: 1 male (holotype), Homestead, Silver Plains , Via Coen, N. Qld., 11.xii.1964, G. Monteith ( UQIC) ; 1 female, Iron Range, Cape York Pen. , N. Qld., 1— 9 June, 1971. G.B. Monteith ( UQIC) ; NORTHERN TERRITORY: 2 females, Horn Islet, Pellew Group , N.T., 25—31 Jan. 1968 (1 female), 16—23 May 1968 (1 female), B.Cantrell ( UQIC, DBUO) ; 1 male, South West Is., Pellew Group , 7.ii.1968, B. Cantrell ( DBUO) ; WESTERN AUSTRALIA: 1 male, Geraldton & Mullewa, W.A., Lea , Pres. by Com. Inst. Ent. B.M. 1948—548 ( BMNH) .

Etymology. The species name refers to the serrated lateral margins of pronotum.

Comparative notes

This new species is characterized by numerous long hair-like setae on surface of head (each paraclypeus with about a dozen long hair-like setae, including 4—6 submarginal ones), body margins (lateral submargin of pronotum has a row of 18—22 setigerous punctures bearing long hair-like setae, costal margin with a row of 10-13 setigerous punctures bearing long hair-like setae), and by densely pilose prosternal carinae, and serrated lateral margins of pronotum.

In terms of its body pilosity this new species is allied to B. cirra, but differs from the latter in the conspicuously serrated lateral margins of pronotum (margins of pronotum are not serrated in B. cirra). On the other hand, this new species, at first glance, also resembles the macropterous forms of B. hirta and B. tamasi , but can easily be recognized by the numerous setigerous punctures on body margins (see above), whereas both B. hirta and B. tamasi have fewer (head - 3 and 1, respectively; pronotum 8—10 and 5—6, respectively; costa - setigerous punctures absent in both these species).

Distribution. Northern Territory, Queensland, Western Australia.