Blaena blothroposa Froeschner, 1966

Blaena blothroposa Froeschner, 1966

( Figs 1—9 View Figs 1–9 )

Blaena blothroposa Froeschner, 1966: 690 ; Lis, 1995: 138, 1996: 183.

Redescription

Body. Length 4.15—4.88 (female), 5.25—5.40 (male).

Head ( Fig. 1 View Figs 1–9 ). Black, shining, punctured and bearing gold, erect hairs of different lengths; lateral margins narrowed anteriorly; paraclypei longer than clypeus and joined anteriorly; the latter somewhat convex, bare; each paraclypeus with a submarginal row of 4—5 long hair-like setae; bucculae bearing fine hairs; ocular index 3.50—3.70; ocelli small, the distance between ocelli about 2.6—2.9 times longer than the distance between an ocellus and the eye, ocellar index 8.0—11.0; rostrum extending beyond anterior coxae; length of antennal segments: I 0.24—0.25, II 0.24—0.32, III 0.42—0.50, IV 0.60—0.66, V 0.64—0.68.

Prothorax. Pronotum black, shining, densely coarsely punctured, about 1.5—1.6 times broader than long ( Fig. 2 View Figs 1–9 ); its dorsal surface bearing numerous golden hairs; anterior and posterior margins broadly concave; lateral margins not serrated, almost parallel, sometimes narrowed in the middle; each submargin with a row of 14—15 long hair-like setae; transverse postmedial impression shallow, hardly visible. Prosternum black or blackish brown, punctured; prosternal carinae low, bare or with single hairs. Propleuron black, shining, coarsely punctured, its anterior margin bare, lateral parts shallowly punctured and sparsely pilose.

Mesothorax. Scutellum black with apex more brown than its base, width slightly larger than the length, punctation of disc crowded and coarse, median discal carina hardly visible; pilosity of scutellar disc sparser than that of pronotum. Anterior part of mesopleuron punctured, evaporative area narrow ( Fig. 7 View Figs 1–9 ). Corium brown or dark brown, costal margin with 7—9 setigerous punctures bearing hair-like setae; membrane normally developed, not reaching the tip of abdomen, veins reticulate, darker than the remaining surface of membrane.

Metathorax. Metapleural evaporatorium small, not reaching half length of metapleuron ( Fig. 7 View Figs 1–9 ), peritreme elongated.

Legs. Anterior pair castaneous, shining, bearing numerous erect golden-brown hairs; anterior tibiae somewhat lighter than femora, broadened apically. Femora of middle pair with about seven small acute tubercles on the ventral margin in males, or with small blunt tubercles in females; tibiae straight with black spines. Male hind femora ventrally with a row of strong spines ( Fig. 3 View Figs 1–9 ); female hind femora ventrally with a row of short blunt spines; male hind tibiae slightly curved apically ( Fig. 3 View Figs 1–9 ), female hind tibiae straight.

Abdomen. Sterna not impressed sublaterally, entirely coarsely punctured in female, broad lateral impunctate band on visible segments III and IV present in male; lateral margins of each segment with a row of 4—5 setigerous punctures bearing long hair-like setae, and well-developed posteriorly projecting spine. Sterna bearing erect golden-brown hairs, especially numerous close to lateral margins. Male genital capsule as in Fig. 8 View Figs 1–9 , paramere as in Figs 4—6 View Figs 1–9 . Female genital plates narrow ( Fig. 9 View Figs 1–9 ), densely punctate.

Material examined. VICTORIA: Paratype male: Australia, Victoria, Inglewood , T-8038, Blaena blothroposa det. R.C. Froeschner ( MVNH) ; SOUTH AUSTRALIA: 1 female, Muston, Pelican Lagoon , Kangaroo Island, from soil in thick scrub, 15 July 1964, T.J. Cooper ( SAMA) ; 1 female, Wallaroo N., Beach Sandhills , 30 Jan. 1964, G.F. Gross ( SAMA) ; 1 female, 25 km SSW Mabel Ck. H.S., Watercourse , 29.10'0" 134.14'30", 29 Oct. 1984, CRA Survey ( DBUO) .

Distribution. South Australia (first record), Victoria.