Protestrica

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Protestrica Schouteden 1905

Photo © Emma Betts, Australian Museum

Type species:

Podops rudis Germar, 1839 by subsequent designation.

Number of Australian species:

Four.

Extralimital Distribution:

Australian Region - Papua New Guinea.

Australian Distribution:

Temperate, tropical and subtropical regions; New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria, Tasmania and South Australia.

Biology:

Unknown.

Host(s):

Protestrica rudis associated with Eucalyptus camaldulensis Dehnh. [MYRTACEAE] River Red Gum.

Diagnosis:

Colour

Dorsally and ventrally medium to dark brown and mottled with a longitudinal pale brown, almost white, stripe on the pronotum and lateral calli on the scutellum. Legs and antennae medium to dark brown and mottled.

Texture

Densely and uniformly punctate dorsally and ventrally, prontoum and anterior scutellum may sometimes appear rugopunctate.

Vestiture

Glabrous.

Structure

Body - Elongate-ovoid, dorsally convex. Length 2.5 mm -5.0 mm; width 2.0 mm -4.0 mm.

Head - Quadrate, strongly dorsoventrally orientated (clypeus vertical), just shorter than pronotum; jugae equal in length to clypeus or longer than clypeus, not meeting apically, laterally carinate, apically truncate and broad; antennifer processes absent; five antennal segments, first segment shorter than distance between eyes, inserted into head below mid-height of eyes; bucculae elongate (posteriorly beyond antennifers); vertex convex; labium extending on to abdomen, first labial segment equal to bucculae; eyes not stylate, directed laterally.

Pronotum - Calli present and well developed, raised into two distinct bumps; anterior lobe surface excavate; humeral angles subangulate; lateral margins carinate; anterolateral margins simple or slightly crenulate and sinuate; posterolateral margins straight to sinuate; posterior margin straight to convex.

Scutellum - U-shaped, as long as abdomen, apex broadly rounded; Y-shaped raised area present; lateral calli present; medial callus absent.

Thoracic sterna - Prosternum deeply sulcate, without margin processes; mesosternum and metasternum sulcate.

External efferent system - Evaporative scent gland greatly reduced; peritreme short, apically rounded and raised.

Hemelytra - Macropterous, as long as abdomen; membrane veins linear.

Legs - Tibia sulcate.

Abdomen - Connexiva visible dorsally, laterotergites unarmed.