Photo © Emma Betts, Australian Museum

Type species:

Aplerotus maculatus Dallas, 1851 by monotypy.

Number of Australian species:

Two.

Extralimital Distribution:

No.

Australian Distribution:

Temperate, arid and semi-arid regions; Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia, Western Australia, Northern Territory

Biology:

Unknown.

Host(s):

Aplerotus maculatus associated with two species of Exocarpos [SANTALACEAE].

Diagnosis:

Colour

Body mostly dark brown, with distinctive pattern of yellowish markings on the dorsum. Venter of body is mostly yellow-orange to orange, with purple to green metallic markings. In life specimens with greenish sheen. Antennae dark brown, all segments concolorous.

Texture

Dorsum densely and uniformly punctate; pronotum and scutellum moderately rugopunctate.

Vestiture

Glabrous.

Structure

Body - elongate-ovoid; dorsally flattened.

Head - subtriangular in shape; head elongate, longer than the pronotum, moderately dorsoventrally orientated; jugae equal in length to clypeus, apically free (not meeting), anterior margin rounded, laterally carinate, without processes; antennifer processes present; four antennal segments; bucculae elongate (posteriorly beyond antennifers); vertex convex; labium reaching between middle and hind coxae; eyes not stylate.

Pronotum - hexagonal; calli moderately developed; humeral angles narrowly rounded; lateral margins carinate; anterolateral and posterolateral margins straight and simple; posterior margin straight.

Scutellum - triangular, elongate, apex narrowly rounded, lateral angles with polished calli, remainder of scutellum unmodified.

Thoracic sterna - not sulcate and without raised keel-like structures.

External efferent system - well-developed, occupying most of metepisternum; peritreme elongate, arrow-like, tapered apically.

Hemelytra - macropterous; elongate, extending beyond apex of abdomen; membrane veins elongate and linear, mostly subparallel.

Legs - tibiae sulcate.

Abdomen - connexiva visible beyond hemelytra; laterotergites unarmed; with a weak broad depression across sterna II and III.

Remarks:

This genus has a distinctive colouration pattern. The body is mostly dark brown in colour, with yellowish markings on the dorsum, and in particular has a prominent transverse yellowish band across the hemelytra in line with the apex of the scutellum. This genus has been included in the pentatomine tribe Diemeniini because of the presence of the stridulatory vittae of the abdominal sterna (Gross 1976; Cassis and Gross 2002). The genus is unlike other representatives of the Diemeniini in appearance.

    
Copyright © Australian Museum 2002
Authors: Gerry Cassis, Emma Betts and Michael Elliott