Jewel Bugs of Australia (Insecta, Heteroptera, Scutelleridae) Author Gerry Cassis Author Loren Vanags text Denisia 2006 19 275 398 journal article 10.5281/zenodo.12996779 12996779 Solenotichus circuliferus ( WALKER 1867 ) ( Figs 3b , 6 , 9 , 10 ) Sphaerocoris circuliferus WALKER 1867: 7 (n.sp.) Solenotichus brevipes MARTIN 1897: 264 (n.sp.); MCDONALD & CASSIS 1984: 545 , Figs 24-29 (synonymy; male and female genitalia) Damelia circuliferus : DISTANT 1899: 32 (new combination) Solenotichus circuliferus : SCHOUTEDEN 1904: 7 (new combination); BERGROTH 1908: 139 (de-scription); KIRKALDY 1909: 313 (catalogue); GROSS 1975: 86 (description); CASSIS & GROSS 2002: 586 (catalogue) Diagnosis: Solenotichus circuliferus is recognised by the following combination of characters: body mostly orange-brown, with brown markings mediolaterally on scutellum ( Fig. 3b ); endocorium dark; AI-AIII subequal in length; LI and LIV subequal, LII longest segment; male and female genitalia as in generic description ( Figs 10 a-d). Description: Body ovoid; moderately-sized species, males 9.3-10.7 mm, females 8.7-11.8 mm. Colouration. Body yellow-brown to red-brown, often with lateral pair of arcuate darker markings at half length of scutellum, sometimes with yellow tinge anterior to dark markings; punctures often red; appendages concolorous with body, sometimes with tibiae more red; exocorium sometimes darker at base, endocorium mostly fuscous. Texture. Body with dense distribution of shallow punctures. Vestiture. Body almost glabrous; appendages sparsely setose. Structure. Antennae: segments roughly subequal in length, AIII and AIV a little longer than previous segments. Labium: reaching apices of metacoxae, LII longest segment; and, male ( Figs 10 a-d) and female genitalia as in generic description. Measurements : MCDONALD & CASSIS 1984 : Table 2 . Type material examined: Lectotype , ♂, Australia , ‘58-124’, ‘B.M. Hem. Type No. 372’ ( BMNH ; here designated); Paralectotype, ♂, same data as lectotype (BMNH; here designated). WALKER (1867) described from two male specimens, presumably from the same locality (given as ‘Australia’ in original description and label data). Other material examined: Queensland : 1♂, Bluff Range , via Biggenden , 1000 m , 16 August 1974 , H Frauca ( ANIC ) ; 1♂, Bluff Range , via Biggenden , 16 December 1971 , H Frauca ( ANIC ) ; 1♀ , Coast Range , via Boompa , 18 April 1977 , H Frauca ( ANIC ) ; Southern Australia : 1♀ , 51 km NW of Morgan , 33.835S, 140.800E, 150m , G Cassis , RT Schuh & G Gross , 1 November , 1995, Site L95-44, at light ( AM ) ; Northern Territory : 2♂♂ 2♀♀ , Alice Springs , 5 September 1992 , R Patterson, at light ( ANIC ). Distribution: Solenotichus circuliferus is broadly distributed across Australia, including Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia and the Northern Territory ( Fig. 6 ). It is known as far north as Rockhampton in Queensland and Alice Springs in central Australia. Host plants and biology: This species is relatively rare in collections and its biology remains unknown. Based on specimen locality data, CASSIS & GROSS (2002) recorded it from the Desert Gum, Eucalyptus gongylo-carpa ( Myrtaceae ). There is no evidence whether this record is a food-preference, overwintering site or sitting record. Remarks: GROSS (1975) and MCDONALD & CASSIS (1984) redescribed Soleno-tichus circuliferus , with the latter authors documenting the male and female genitalia. A female from Western Australia has not been included in this work. This specimen is significantly larger than all other specimens of S. circuliferus , but the other morphological attributes are consistent with the definition of the species.