Blaena parathroposa, LIS & HEYNA, 2001

Blaena parathroposa sp. n.

( Figs 49—57 View Fig View Figs 50–57 )

Description

Body. Length 5.20 (holotype male only - Fig. 49 View Fig ).

Head ( Fig. 50 View Figs 50–57 - left paraclypeus somewhat damaged). Black, shiny, punctured and bearing numerous long hair-like setae; lateral margins almost parallel-sided anterior to the eyes; paraclypei longer than clypeus, the latter convex; each paraclypeus with a submarginal row of 6 long hair-like setae; bucculae sparsely and finely pilose; ocular index 2.86; ocelli small, distance between ocelli about 2.30 times greater than the distance between an ocellus and the eye, ocellar index about 12.0; rostrum extending beyond anterior coxae; length of antennal segments: I 0.27, II 0.32, III 0.52, IV 0.76, V 0.78.

Prothorax. Pronotum black, shiny, coarsely punctured, about 1.5 times broader than long ( Fig. 51 View Figs 50–57 ); its dorsal surface with erect golden hairs; anterior margin broadly concave, posterior margin concave centrally; lateral margins not serrated, almost parallel, each submargin with a row of 20—21 long hair-like setae; transverse postmedial impression broad and shallow. Prosternum black, punctured; prosternal carinae well-developed, high, bearing short, woolly hairs. Propleuron black, shiny, coarsely punctured, its anterior margin with woolly hairs, lateral parts shallowly punctured.

Mesothorax. Scutellum black, slightly wider than long, punctation of disc coarse, median discal carina well visible along its entire length ( Fig. 49 View Fig ); pilosity of scutellar disc scattered. Anterior part of mesopleuron punctured, evaporative area narrowed laterally and almost reaching lateral margin of mesopleuron ( Fig. 57 View Figs 50–57 ). Corium dark brown, costal margin with 10—11 setigerous punctures bearing long hair-like setae; membrane normally developed, brown with pale basal spot, veins branched, darker than the remaining surface of membrane.

Metathorax. Metapleural evaporatorium moderately large, almost reaching lateral margin of metapleuron ( Fig. 57 View Figs 50–57 ), peritreme elongated.

Legs. Anterior femora dark brown, slightly shiny, bearing numerous erect light hairs and a few short spines; anterior tibiae broadened apically. Femora of middle pair with a few thin spines on the anterior margin of ventral side and a row of small spines on its posterior margin; tibiae straight with black spines. Hind femora ventrally with a row of short spines ( Fig. 52 View Figs 50–57 ); hind tibiae characteristically curved ( Fig. 52 View Figs 50–57 ), bearing numerous short black spines on inner margin.

Abdomen. Sterna black, shiny, not impressed sublaterally, entirely coarsely punctured, except for lateral impunctate band on visible segment IV, and partly on III and V; posterior margin of sterna V and VI with large long spines; lateral margins of each segment with a row of 6 setigerous punctures, and with well-developed posteriorly projecting spine. Male genital capsule as in Fig. 56 View Figs 50–57 , paramere as in Figs 53—55.

Material examined. Holotype male: QUEENSLAND: CQ, 23o55'S x 151o20'E, Boyne Island, via Gladstone , 5022, 1995 C.Q. University, QMT 93013 ( QMBA) GoogleMaps .

View Figs 50–57

Etymology. The species name refers to its close affinity to B. blothroposa.

Comparative notes

The new species is characterized by the following characters: clypeus convex; each paraclypeus with 6 submarginal long hair-like setae; second antennal segment longer than the 1st; prosternal carinae well-developed, bearing woolly hairs; lateral margins of pronotum not serrated, submarginally with a row of 20—21 long hair-like setae; costal margin with a row of 10—11 setigerous punctures bearing long hair-like setae; hind male tibiae strongly recurved.

Male of the new species is similar in general habitus to B. blothroposa, but it is easily distinguished from the latter by its better developed and densely pilose prosternal carinae, the number of setigerous punctures bearing long hair-like setae on lateral body margins ( B. parathroposa : pronotum 20—21, costal margin 10—11; B. blothroposa: pronotum 15, costal margin 7—9). Moreover, both species differ in the edentation on the male hind femora (ventral margin with a row of small tubercle-like spines in B. parathroposa , with a row of strong large spines in B. blothroposa), as well as in the ocular and ocellar indices ( B. parathroposa - 2.86 and 12.0, respectively; B. blothroposa - 3.50—3.70 and 8.0—11.0, respectively).

Distribution. Queensland.