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
Morbora
DISTANT
1899
(
Figs 2d, e
,
11
,
12
, 13, 14,
Table 5
)
Morbora
DISTANT
1899: 47
(gen. nov.);
DISTANT
1899: 47
(description);
BERGROTH
1904: 355
(note);
SCHOUTEDEN
1904: 86
(description);
KIRKALDY
1909: 265
(catalogue);
GROSS
1975: 88
(description);
MCDONALD
&
CASSIS
1984: 538
, 547 (key; revision);
CASSIS
&
GROSS
2002: 586
(catalogue)
Type species:
Morbora australis
DISTANT
1899
monotypy
Diagnosis:
Morbora
is recognised by the following characters: body oval; head semicircular, with dentate margins (
Figs 11
a-c, 12a); body with fanlike (Figs 13c, h, i) or clove-like (Figs 13a, b, f) setae intermixed with curly sericeous setae; pronotal, corial and connexival margins dentate (
Fig. 11
); male androconial glands present on abdominal sterna IV-VI (
Figs 2d, e
); ejaculatory reservoir small, oval (
Figs 14c, d
); ventral conducting canal straight; CAI membraneous, medially fused (
Figs 14c, d
); CAII strongly sclerotized, U-shaped (
Figs 14c, d
); CAIII present or absent (
Figs 14c, d
); vesica, elongate, arcuate or S-shaped (
Figs 14c, d
); female gonocoxae I tripartite; interlocking rami absent; spermathecal fecundation canal short; spermathecal reservoir elliptoid; and spermathecal bulb bilobed.
Description: Body oval; small species, males 4.51-5.37 mm, females 4.41-5.88 mm; dorsum moderately convex; cryptozoic colouring, yellow-brown to dark brown, with patterned darker markings; dorsum with elongate clove-shaped (Figs 13a, b, f) to fanlike setae (Figs 13c, h, i), intermixed with curly sericeous setae (Figs 13a, e, h); densely punctate. Head: semicircular, strongly deflexed (
Figs 12a, b
); lateral mar-gins of jugae explanate, strongly denticulate, surpassing apex of clypeus (
Figs 12a, b
); bucculae moderately tumescent, medial margins subparallel (
Fig. 12c
); eyes small (
Figs 12
a-c); antennae: AI elongate, either longest subequal or subequal to AIV; labium: reaching metasternum; either LI or LII longest segment, LIII & LIV small, either subequal or LIII longest. Pronotum: subtrapezoidal, moderately convex in profile (
Figs 11
a-c); anterior margin excavate; with broad, explanate paranotal lobes, lateral margins convex, explanate, denticulate, anterolateral angles anteriorly produced, extending beyond posterior margins of eyes (
Figs 11
a-c, 12a-c); posterior margins rounded to truncate (
Figs 11
a-c). Scutellum: broad, U-shaped to subhemispherical (
Figs 11
a-c), strongly convex in profile; dentate corial and abdominal connexival margins visible (
Figs 11
a-c). Thoracic sterna: prosternal margins and anterior margin of proepisternum jointly raised, moderately explanate (
Fig. 12c
). Thoracic pleura: external efferent system of metathoracic glands moderately developed (
Fig. 12c, d
); ostiole small; evaporative area of metathoracic gland extending onto posterior portion of mesopleuron and beyond peritreme; peritreme short, tongue-like, raised, and wrinkled (
Figs 12c, d
). Pregenital abdomen: broad, strongly convex; lateral margins spinose; male abdominal SIV-VI with paired, suboval regions of androconial glands (
Figs 2
d-f). Male Genitalia: ventral surface of pygophore terminal in orientation (
Fig. 12e
), ventral margin entire (
Fig. 14a
); genital opening small to moderately sized (
Figs 12f
,
14a
); parameres short, crown small, hook-like, tip blunt (
Fig. 14b
); aedeagus broad; phallotheca conical, without processes, weakly sclerotized (
Figs 14c, d
); ductus seminis proximalis thin, membraneous (
Figs 14c, d
); ejaculatory apparatus simple (
Figs 14c, d
), with single, straight, ventral conducting canal, without convolutions; ejaculatory reservoir short, suboval; dorsal conducting canal simple, not expanded; vesica broad, elongate, weakly S-shaped (
Figs 14c, d
); CAI large, membraneous, medially fused, distally divided, without sclerotization (
Figs 14c, d
); CAII large, strongly sclerotized, U-shaped, with subdistal spur (
Figs 14c, d
); CAIII membraneous, medially fused, distally free, without sclerotization (
Figs 14c, d
). Female Terminalia: female paratergites IX Sshaped; female gonocoxae I divided, tripartite; interlocking rami absent. Spermatheca: fecundation canal short; spermathecal reservoir weakly dilated, simple; and spermathecal bulb bilobed, with proximal and distal flanges.
Table 5
:
Morbora australis
,
M. hirtula
, and
M. schoutedeni
: diagnostic measurements in millimetres. N = sample size.
|
Male
|
Female
|
|
N
|
Mean±SD
|
Range
|
N
|
Mean±SD
|
Range
|
|
M. australis
|
| Length |
1 |
5.37 |
- |
4 |
5.40±0.22 |
5.27-5.73 |
| Pronotal width |
1 |
4.41 |
- |
4 |
4.17±0.21 |
3.85-4.29 |
| Width between eyes |
1 |
1.59 |
- |
4 |
1.66±0.13 |
1.54-1.84 |
| Antennal segment length |
| I |
2 |
0.64 |
0.61-0.67 |
7 |
0.60±0.03 |
0.54-0.63 |
| II |
2 |
0.30 |
0.29-0.30 |
8 |
0.33±0.02 |
0.30-0.36 |
| III |
2 |
0.22 |
- |
8 |
0.23±0.02 |
0.22-0.26 |
| IV |
2 |
0.35 |
- |
7 |
0.32±0.02 |
0.28-0.35 |
| V |
2 |
0.62 |
0.62-0.63 |
7 |
0.56±0.03 |
0.50-0.59 |
| Rostral segment length |
| I |
1 |
0.62 |
- |
2 |
0.59 |
0.57-0.61 |
| II |
1 |
0.51 |
- |
3 |
0.45 |
0.39-0.54 |
| III |
1 |
0.45 |
- |
2 |
0.45 |
0.42-0.48 |
| IV |
1 |
0.34 |
- |
2 |
0.33 |
- |
|
Morbora hirtula
|
| Length |
3 |
5.06 |
4.97-5.12 |
2 |
4.90 |
4.41-5.39 |
| Pronotal width |
3 |
3.64 |
3.58-3.72 |
2 |
3.55 |
3.31-3.80 |
| Width between eyes |
3 |
1.53 |
1.47-1.57 |
2 |
1.58 |
1.54-1.62 |
| Antennal segment length |
| I |
5 |
0.58±0.04 |
0.53-0.63 |
3 |
0.61 |
0.61-0.62 |
| II(a) |
5 |
0.33±0.03 |
0.30-0.36 |
2 |
0.36 |
0.35-0.36 |
| II(b) |
4 |
0.23±0.02 |
0.21-0.25 |
2 |
0.22 |
0.22-0.23 |
| III |
3 |
0.40 |
0.35-0.42 |
2 |
0.42 |
0.41-0.42 |
| IV |
5 |
0.65±0.03 |
0.62-0.70 |
2 |
0.64 |
0.63-0.65 |
| Labial segment length |
| I |
1 |
0.82 |
- |
1 |
0.85 |
- |
| II |
1 |
0.97 |
- |
1 |
0.91 |
- |
| III |
1 |
0.36 |
- |
1 |
0.42 |
- |
| IV |
2 |
0.37 |
0.36-0.38 |
1 |
0.45 |
- |
|
Morbora schoutedeni
|
| Length |
2 |
4.74 |
4.51-4.97 |
5 |
5.47±0.34 |
5.00-5.88 |
| Pronotal width |
2 |
3.79 |
3.65-3.92 |
5 |
4.41±0.28 |
4.17-4.85 |
| Width between eyes |
2 |
1.40 |
1.35-1.45 |
5 |
1.70±0.09 |
1.59-1.84 |
| Antennal segment length |
| I |
4 |
0.54±0.02 |
0.51-0.57 |
9 |
0.68±0.06 |
0.61-0.76 |
| II(a) |
4 |
0.25±0.03 |
0.22-0.28 |
9 |
0.28±0.03 |
0.23-0.33 |
| II(b) |
4 |
0.23±0.01 |
0.23-0.24 |
10 |
0.22±0.01 |
0.21-0.24 |
| III |
4 |
0.29±0.02 |
0.27-0.31 |
10 |
0.32±0.04 |
0.24-0.39 |
| IV |
4 |
0.49±0.03 |
0.46-0.52 |
9 |
0.55±0.04 |
0.46-0.61 |
| Labial segment length |
| I |
2 |
0.77 |
0.75-0.79 |
3 |
0.75 |
0.73-0.79 |
| II |
2 |
0.77 |
0.76-0.79 |
2 |
0.79 |
0.73-0.85 |
| III |
2 |
0.36 |
- |
2 |
0.41 |
0.36-0.46 |
| IV |
2 |
0.38 |
0.36-0.39 |
1 |
0.43 |
- |
Diversity and distribution:
Morbora
is endemic to continental Australia, comprised presently of three species.
Included species:
M. australis
DISTANT
1899
Australia
M. hirtula
BERGROTH
1904
Australia
M. schoutedeni
BERGROTH
1904
Australia
Remarks:
DISTANT
(1899)
first described
Morbora
, with
SCHOUTEDEN
(1904)
and
GROSS
(1975)
providing subsequent redescriptions.
MCDONALD
&
CASSIS
(1984)
redescribed the species, without providing any additional observations for the genus or comments on its relationships.
GROSS (1975)
placed
Morbora
in the
Odontotarsinae
, on the basis of observations by Fred McDonald of the male genitalia, the latter worker suggesting that they resembled members of the
Odontotarsinae
. Our observations confirm these findings, and have found further evidence that
Morbora
is nest-ed within the odontotarsines. As stated above,
Morbora
has male abdominal androconial glands, in common with some Palearctic odontotarsinae taxa (
Table 3
). Moreover, we have found that some species of
Psacasta
(e.g.,
P. exanthematica
SCOPOLI
) have the first gonocoxae divided (bipartite), which is a putative homology to the tripartite GXI condition found in all the species of
Morbora
.