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RESEARCH ARTICLE
Contents Vol 23(2)

Revision of Laryngodus Herrich-Schaeffer, an Allocasuarina feeder, with comments on its biology and the classification of the family (Heteroptera : Lygaeoidea : Rhyparochromidae)

James A. Slater A , Randall T. Schuh B E , Gerasimos Cassis C , Christine A. Johnson B and Paola Pedraza-Peñalosa B D
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations

A Professor Emeritus, University of Connecticut, Storrs, 1633 Meadow Circle, Rockford, IL 61108 USA. [deceased].

B Division of Invertebrate Zoology, American Museum of Natural History, Central Park West at 79th Street, New York, NY 10024, USA.

C Evolution & Ecology Research Centre, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia.

D Current address: Institute of Systematic Botany, New York Botanical Garden, Bronx, NY 10458, USA.

E Corresponding author. Email: schuh@amnh.org

Invertebrate Systematics 23(2) 111-133 https://doi.org/10.1071/IS08028
Submitted: 30 July 2008  Accepted: 10 March 2009   Published: 4 June 2009

Abstract

Laryngodus Herrich-Schaeffer, 1850, is redescribed, including, for the first time, nymphal morphology. Three species are recognised based on qualitative morphology, a principle components analysis of morphometric data, and the study of sequence data from the mitochondrial genes COI and 16S. They are: L. australiae Herrich-Schaeffer from the south-western coastal area of Western Australia, L. cervantes, sp. nov., from southern Western Australia, and L. luteomaculatus, sp. nov., from western Victoria and adjacent South Australia. Sexual dimorphism in all species and variation in males of L. luteomaculatus, sp. nov. is documented and discussed. All species and their hosts are illustrated with colour digital images; scanning electron micrographs are used to illustrate male prosternal spines, antennnae, abdominal trichobothria, and other structures. Male genitalic morphology is illustrated with line drawings. Authoritative host identifications indicate that Laryngodus is restricted to feeding on several species of Allocasuarina (Casuarinaceae); nymphs and adults are known to live on the plants and to be strongly associated with the cone-like fruits. The tribal placement of Laryngodus is discussed.

Additional keywords: host plants, new species, seed feeding, sexual dimorphism, Udeocorini.


Acknowledgements

Funding for fieldwork was provide by the Australian Museum (Western Australia, 1996, 1997, 1999; Victoria, 1995, 2002), the American Museum of Natural History (Western Australia, 1996, 1999), the Niarchos Foundation (Victoria, 2002), the National Geographic Society (Western Australia, 1997), and the US National Science Foundation Planetary Biodiversity Inventories award, DEB-0316495, to Randall Schuh and Gerasimos Cassis (Western Australia, 2004). All material collected by the authors was acquired under permits issued by Parks Victoria (1995, Research Permit Number 956/049; 2002, Research Permit Number 10002117) and the Department of Conservation and Land Management in Western Australia (1996, Licence No. SF001992; 1997, Licence No. SF002354; 1999, Licence No. NE002337). We thank both of these agencies for their cooperation. We thank Steve Thurston, Division of Invertebrate Zoology, American Museum of Natural History, for preparing the digital habitus images and for assembly of all of the artwork for this project. For assistance with scanning electron microscopy we thank Emily T. Griffiths, Microscopy and Imaging Facility, AMNH, and Sue Lindsay of the Australian Museum. For authoritative host identifications, we thank the collections staff at the Western Australian Herbarium, Department of Conservation and Land Management, Perth, and the Royal Botanic Gardens, Sydney. We thank Ward Wheeler, Chair, Division of Invertebrate Zoology, American Museum of Natural History, for making funds available to support the DNA sequencing that was performed by PPP while she was employed at the American Museum of Natural History as a post-doctoral research scientist. For the loan of specimens we thank the following institutions and their respective collections management personnel: Dr Dave Britton (Australian Museum, Sydney), Ms Jan Forrest (South Australian Museum, Adelaide), Mr Andraz Szito (Western Australia Department of Agriculture, Perth), and Dr Terry Houston (Western Australian Museum, Perth). Coauthor James A. Slater passed away while the manuscript of this paper was in review. Corrections incorporated in the published version were therefore undertaken without the benefit of his input. Jim Slater, a world expert on the Lygaeoidea, mentor of RTS, and a longtime friend and colleague, will be sorely missed. We regret that he did not live to see this paper published.


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