Ectomocoris truculentus (Stål, 1863)

(Figs. 32–34)

Pirates truculentus Stål, 1863: 56.

Callisphodrus truculentus: Stål (1867: 258).

Pirates truculentus: Stål (1874: 63).

Ectomocoris (Eumerus) fasciola Reuter, 1881: 315. Synonymized by Distant (1902: 283).

Ectomocoris truculentus: Lethierry & Severin (1896: 123); Maldonado (1990: 357).

Type specimen examined. Lectotype (present designation), brachypterous female, (lectotype circular label added in present study), Type, 58: 124 Australia., truculentus Stål., 102. Pirates truculentus, NHMUK 013586020 (NHM).

Other specimens examined. [all macropterous]. AUSTRALIA. 1 female, Distant Coll. 1911-383. (NHM); 1 female, Australia. 95-64. (NHM); QUEENSLAND. 1 male, truculentus Stål, Peak-Downs, Distant Coll. 1911 - 383 (NHM); 2 males, “ Morney ” 120 km W of Windorah, 24.ix.1986, G.B. Monteith (QM); 1 male, Mt Moffatt N.P., Dargonelly Rockhole, 20-27.ix.1986, Monteith, Yeates & Thompson (QM); 1 male, same except Top Shelter Shed, 100 m, 10-12.xii.1987 (QM); 1 male, Birdsville, 10.i.1956, I.G. Filmer (QM); 1 female, Mitchell, ix.1991 (QM); 1 female, 5 ml NE of Noccundra, 3.iii.1965, L.J. Chinnick (ANIC); 1 male, Yeppoon, 17.xii.1964, I.F.B. Common (ANIC); 1 female, Amby, 22-27.xi.1979, H.E. & M.A. Evans & A. Hook (QM); 1 female, Black River nr Townsville, 6.iii.1991, T. Woodger (VAIC); 2 males, 2 females, Selwyn Mine, 150 km SE of Mt Isa, 7-14.iii.1991, T. Woodger (VAIC); 3 males, Queensland (MV). NEW SOUTH WALES. 1 female, at light, Cabramatta, New South Wales. 16: 11: 1927 M. I. Nikitin, Brit. Mus. 1959-57 (NHM); 1 female, Cabramatta 15/ 20-1-1959 B.M. 1959-57. M.I. Nikitin, Ectomocoris truculentus Stål M. Cook det. 1973 (NHM); 1 male, N. S. Wales. Hay WWP 5-2 1914, Ectomocoris truculentus Stål M. Cook det. 1973 (NHM); 2 males, Trangie Exp. Sta., 4 mls NNW of Trangie, at light, 13.xi.1968, R. C. Lewis (ANIC); 1 female, Deniliquin, 28.iii.1963, G. K. Browne (ANIC); 2 females, Macquarie Marshes, Longstowe Station nr Carinda, UV light trap, 10-12.iii.2002, leg. K.&G. Hangay (ANIC); 1 male, Matakana-Euabalong area, UV light trap, 19-22.xii.2002, leg. K.&G. Hangay (ANIC); 1 female, Sydney Box Hill, UV light, 26.xi.1994, A. Sundholm (ANIC); 1 male, Bogan R., J. Armstrong (ANIC); 1 female, New South Wales (MV). AUSTRALIAN CAPITAL TERRITORY. 1 male, 1 female, CSIRO, Black Mtn, 28.xii.1967, I.F.B. Common (ANIC). VICTORIA: 1 female, Australia: Victoria., Pres. By Imp. Bur. Ent. Brit. Mus. 1925-274., Pirates truculentus St. Det. B. Uvarov. (NHM); 1 male, Hattah, Mallee, 3.14, “ J.E. Dixon Collection. Don. Jan 1940 ” (MV); 1 female, Lake Hattah, J.E. Dixon, “ J.E. Dixon Collection Don. Jan 1940 ” (MV); 1 male, Ovens Vale, 23.xi.27, J. R. Brown (MV); 1 female, Ouyen, Mallee Dist. (MV); 1 male, Invergordon, S.S. 2076, 2.iv.14, Educ. Dept, stabs very badly when handled (MV); 1 male, Tawonga to Mt Fainter, 4000 ft, i. 1928, F.E.Wilson (MV); 1 female, Dooen, at light, 27.xii.1990, I.G. Faithfull (VAIC); 1 male, 1 female, Horsham, MV light in field pea, 22.xi.1991 (VAIC). SOUTH AUSTRALIA. 1 male, Australia. H. J. Hillier 1906-232. Killalpanima, 100 miles E. of L. Eyre (NHM); 1 male, 1 female, Killalpanima, 100 miles E of L. Eyre, “ Australia, H.J. Hillier, 1905-232” (ANIC); 1 female, S. Australia, “ From C. French, 15.11.11” (MV). NORTHERN TERRITORY. 1 female, Hermannsburg, Central Australia. H. J. Nillier. 1911-311., Ectomocoris truculentus Stål M. Cook det. 1973 (NHM); 1 female, Wildman River cashew plantation, black light, 19.ii.1990, W. Houston (VAIC); 1 female, 23.44S 133.44E, Temple Bar Gap, 15 km W by S of Alice Springs, 7.xi.1979, T. Weir (ANIC). WESTERN AUSTRALIA. 1 female, South Perth, 22.iv.1965, M.L. Davey (WAM); 1 female, Rottnest Is., 24.iii.1965, L.E. Koch leg. (WAM); 1 male, 107 mls SSE of Carnarvon, 21.iv.1968, I.F.B. Common & M.S. Upton (ANIC); 1 male, 1 female, 1 km NNE of Millstream, 24.x.1970, M.S. Upton & J. Freehan (ANIC); 1 female, 7 km E of Wuraga, xi.1981, K.&E. Carnaby (ANIC); 1 male, 31 23S 115 56, Ealong Lennard Brook, Gingin, 27.iii.1990, M. Horak (ANIC); 1 male, Coolgardie, From C. French Jun. 15.11.11 (MV); 1 male, Derby, 24.ix.1962, G. Beamish (WAM); 1 female, Glen Forrest, 27.iv.1973, S.M. Wade (WAM); 1 female, Dumbleyung, 27.iii.1967, H. Udell. Leg (WAM); 1 female, Geraldton, 24.iv.1976, L. Smith (WAM); 1 female, Mt Tom Price, viii.1973, R. P. McMillan (WAM); 1 female, Ord River Pondage Weir, Kununurra, 21.ix.1979, J. Blyth (MV).

Redescription.

Macropterous male and female (Fig. 33)

Colouration (Fig. 33): Black. Antennae, labium and legs (except coxae black) orange; hemelytra with clavus blackish brown, corium orange except a patch near inner angle area adjoining posterior half length of clavus blackish brown, membrane blackish brown with apical portion slightly paler, AIC with a transverse white oval spot in middle; connexivum orange red.

Structure (Figs. 33, 34): Head: Elongate fusiform, wholly covered with short whitish pilosity and sparse brown longer bristly setae prominent on mandibular plates and dorsum of head. Anteocular region elongate triangular, about 2.6 times as long as postocular region, postocular region almost rounded to neck and slightly protruding laterally, clypeus near its base slightly elevated above surface. Ventral surface of head tumid before eyes. Neck with lateral tubercles indistinct. Antennae with all segments cylindrical, with short pilosity and sparse longer setae, scape also with brown bristly scattered setae. Scape thickest, pedicel thinner and markedly longer than scape, both basi-and distiflagellum thinnest. Eyes moderately developed, reniform, not reaching ventral margin in lateral view. Ocelli small, slightly raised, separated from each other by about diameter of single ocellus, separated from eye by less than diameter of single ocellus. Labium curved at base, second visible segment tumid narrowing distally, second and third sparsely covered with longish setae.

Thorax: Anterior lobe of pronotum about 2.9 times as long as posterior lobe, collar armed with rounded tubercles at lateral ends, integument of stripes on anterior lobe pilose and rough, sulci indistinct, except shallow middle long sulcus in basal half. Posterior pronotal lobe arcuately quadrate, integument finely rugulose, with short pilosity, humeri rounded, posterior margin almost smoothly rounded. Scutellum triangular, slightly wider than long, disc deeply depressed, sides carinate, integument pilose, apical process projected and short, pointed horizontal, apex covered with several bristles. Propleuron with integument very finely granulate, smoothly pilose, set off from dorsal surface by a carina. Mesopleuron integument also granulate, smoothly pilose. Metapleuron with integument with slightly more distinctly and uniformly granulate, pilose with silvery dense hairs posteriorly. All sternites moderately pilose. Pronotum densely pilose laterad of labial groove. Metasternum with disc more or less tumid. Macropterous, hemelytra reaching almost tip of abdomen in males but ending slightly before tip of abdomen in females, fully exposing connexiva.

Legs: Fore leg with coxa with whitish pilosity, trochanter unarmed, sparsely hairy, femur armed below with rows of fine bristly setae, in addition sparsely pilose laterally and above, tibia cylindrical, more or less straight but apex slightly reflexed, fossula spongiosa occupying almost entire tibial length, tarsi three segmented, cylindrical, denser short pilosity ventrally. Mid leg with coxa globular, femur only slightly thickened, tibia with short whitish pilosity for whole length, with fossula spongiosa occupying almost entire tibial length, other details as for fore legs. Hind leg with femur cylindrical, scarcely thickened, tibia with brush of setae, denser at apex.

Abdomen: Male with abdominal sternum medially not carinate, extragenital structure on sternite VII absent, venter with bristly posteriorly directed setae in addition to golden pilosity. Connexivum with golden pilosity as elsewhere on sternum. Abdominal sterna and terga entire. Spiracles situated near connexival suture, about halfway between anterior and posterior margin of each segment. Each spiracle postero-ventrally with a small circular shiny impressed spot, also a smaller irregularly shaped impressed spot close to anterior margin of each sternite. Such impressed spots present also on dorsal aspects of corresponding segments but are covered by hemelytra.

Female with abdominal sternum pilose as in male, intersegmental sutures strongly curved anteromedially, all visible sterna appearing narrower medially except VII very enlarged (Fig. 33C).

Male genitalia (Fig. 34): Median pygophore process short, straight and oblique to right side in caudal view (Fig. 34B), apex sharp, ventral surface with a longitudinal ridge, basal part with paired pointed knobs (Fig. 34B&C). Parameres curved, paddle shaped (Fig. 34D&E), left paramere (Fig. 34D) slightly narrower than right paramere (Fig. 34E). Phallus (Fig. 34F–I) in resting position with basal plate bridge slightly longer than basal plate (Fig. 34F); dorsal phallothecal sclerite curved (Fig. 34H&I), lateral phallothecal sclerite with two distinct processes at basal half of inner margin, upper one sharp and lower one right-angled (Fig. 34I).

Brachypterous female (Fig. 32)

Colour pattern similar to macropterous, except hemelytra without whitish spot; abdominal tergites orangish brown, sternites blackish brown; connexivum orange red.

Differs from macropterous male in anteocular part of head about 3.2 times as long as postocular part. Anterior lobe of pronotum about 3.7 times as long as posterior lobe. Hemelytra only reaching base of second abdominal tergite.

Measurements: [of lectotype brachypterous female of Pirates truculentus when available, followed by those of one macropterous male and ranges of six macropterous females]. Body length 18.53, 15.90 (♁), 17.85–18.67 (♀); maximum width of abdomen 5.78, 4.08 (♁), 5.40–5.49 (♀); length of head 3.42, 2.30 (♁), 2.32–2.53 (♀); width of head across eyes 1.80, 1.51 (♁), 1.63–1.71 (♀); length of anteocular part 1.17 (♁), 1.23–1.34 (♀); length of postocular part 0.48 (♁), 0.39–0.48 (♀); width of eye in dorsal view 0.43 (♁), 0.40–0.45 (♀); width of interocular space 0.90, 0.66 (♁), 0.76–0.79 (♀); width of interocellar space 0.45, 0.22 (♁), 0.31–0.32 (♀); lengths of antennal segments I–IV 1.80, 1.59 (♁), 1.68–1.94 (♀) / 3.60, 3.46 (♁), 3.18–3.65 (♀) / 3.04 (♁),?–? (♀) / 2.78 (♁),?–? (♀); lengths of visible labial segments I–III 0.90 (♁), 0.90–0.99 (♀) / 1.61 (♁), 1.89–1.92 (♀) / 1.61 (♁), 1.89–1.92 (♀); length of pronotum 4.77, 4.19 (♁), 3.99–4.60 (♀); length of anterior pronotal lobe 3.10 (♁), 3.15–3.45 (♀); length of posterior pronotal lobe 1.08 (♁), 0.85–1.16 (♀); width of anterior pronotal lobe 2.98 (♁), 3.24–3.35 (♀); width of posterior pronotal lobe 4.23, 3.88 (♁), 3.77–4.30 (♀); length of scutellum 1.80, 1.69 (♁), 1.71–2.01 (♀); maximum width of scutellum 1.71, 2.04 (♁), 1.72–2.21 (♀); length of hemelytra 4.32, 10.20 (♁), 10.11 (macropterous) (♀).

Distribution. Australia (Queensland, New South Wales, Australian Capital Territory, Victoria, South Australia, Northern Territory and Western Australia).

Notes. This species can be readily distinguished by the connexivum that is dorsally and ventrally uniformly orange red (without any light / dark bands) in both macropterous and brachypterous forms (Figs. 32, 33), also the base of the abdomen dorsally and ventrally not contrastingly pale compared to the remainder of the abdomen (Figs. 32, 33).