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Taxon name
Coranus ignicolor
Figure citations
Registration Number
Zoobank Species: LSID urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:48A162E8-1C6C-4203-98E2-E9399EC4F886
Type statement
Synonymy
Diagnosis
Coranus ignicolor may be separated from all other Australian Coranus by its relatively large body size and bright orange and black colouration.
Description
Structure (Figure 1): Holotype male (Figures 1A, 1B) 13.8 mm, macropterous; female (Figures 1C, 1D) 14.7-16.3 mm, with macropterous and micropterous individuals.
Head (Figures 2, 3): Smooth with sparse distribution of erect, bristle like setae; elongate, approximately 1.5x as long as width across they eyes; antocular and postocular regions divided by transverse sulcus anteriad to ocelli, antocular slightly shorter than postocular; eyes large and hemispherical, almost as tall as head when viewed laterally; ocelli present and small, in line with posterior margin of eyes (Figures 2A, 2B, 3A, 3B). Antennae four-segmented, inserted anterior to upper margin of eye (Figures 3A, 3B); A4 longest, about the same length as head, weakly curved, A1 slightly shorter then A4, A3 approximately 1/2 A1, A2 shorter than A3, A4 weakly curved (Figures 3E, 3F). Labium 3-segmented, thick and curved, reaching anterior of procoxae; L2 longest with L1 subequal to length of postocular region; L3 extremely short (Figures 2B, 2C, 2D).
Thorax (Figures 2, 3): Clothed with sparse distribution of long and short bristle-like setae, particularly on anterior lobe of pronotum (Figures 2A, 2B). Pronotum with distinct collar, anterior and posterior lobes; collar narrow with anterolateral margins as rounded points; anterior and posterior lobes divided by transverse sulcus; anterior lobe globulose with shallow medial sulcus, more prominent at caual margin; posterior lobe subequal to anterior, rugulose, weakly expanding in marcopters, more quadrate in micropters; humeral angles rounded, posterior margin weakly concave (Figures 2A, 2B, 3B). Scutellum with upward curving, blunt, hornlike median carina (Figure 2B). Prosternal stridulatory groove distinctly bordered by sparse setae (Figures 2C, 2D). Anterior coxae touching, mid- and hind coxae separated, thoracic sternites medially tumescent between mid and hind legs (Figure 2C).
Abdomen (Figure 1): Elongate-oval, connexiva sometimes upturned, giving a mor eparallel-sided appearance; spiracles lateral (Figures 1A, 1C, 1D).
Legs (Figure 3): Elongate, with mix of shorter and longer erect, bristlelike setae (Figures 3C, 3D). All femora weakly swollen, smooth and unarmed, margins uneven in profile, anterior femur thickest, fore femora basally smooth (Figures 3C, 3D). Tibiae straight, narrow and cylindrical, weakly expanded at apex; apex of fore and mid tibia behind tarsal insertion with dense patch of setae; tibial comb on swelling (Figures 3C, 3D). Tarsi 3-segmented, third segment as long as first and second together; tarsal claws notched (Figure 3C).
Wings (Figure 1): In macropterous individuals wings not covering lateral margins of abdomen (Figures 1A, 1D), in male surpassing tip of abdomen (Figure 1A), in females tip of abdomen exposed (Figure 1D). In micropters, hemelytra minute, apically rounded, not extending onto abdomen (Figure 1C).
Male genitalia (Figures 4, 5): Pygophore with pair of erect, curved, barbed spinelike processes on posterior margin, middle of posterior margin weakly tumescent (Figure 4B, 5B, 5C Py, Pyp); parameres curved, apically expanded and concave on inner surface; upper margin sulcate (Figure 5A Pa, 5D, 5E); aedeagus (Figure 5A Aed) with upturned medially cleft margin to medial basal sclerite (Figures 4B, 5H, Mbs); laterally with weakly sclerotised medial longitudinal carina (Figures 4C, 5H, Mlc); ventrally with paired ventrolateral sclerites (Figures 4A, 5H, Vls); endosoma (Figure 5F, End) predominantly membranous, apically with upturned, biconcave, tongue-like dorsal apical sclerite (Figure 4C, 5G Das) and paired ventroapical sclerites (Figure 4D, 5A, Vas).
Colouration (Figures 1, 2, 3): Predominantly orange with contrasting black markings. Head: orange, with black eyes and ocelli, antennae uniformly orange, labium with L1 orange, darkening apically, L2 and L3 black. Thorax: Uniformly orange. Hemelytra: in macropters corium orange, membrane black; in micropters orange. Abdomen: Mostly orange, dorsally with large, longitudinal black patch medially (conforming to black patch on hemelytra in macropters), ventrally with U-shaped bark patch anteriorly (Figure 1B). Legs: Uniformly orange; tarsal claws black.
Specimens Examined
Holotype: ♂ AUSTRALIA, Western Australia: Lorna Glen Station, 26°04'09.18"S, 121°26'54.00"E, 13-19/03/2003, at dry pit traps, M. A. Cowan, WAM E109878.
Allotype: ♀ AUSTRALIA, Western Australia: Lorna Glen Station, 26°13'28.89"S, 121°24'08.92"E, 05-14/04/2002, at dry pit traps, M. A. Cowan, WAM E109880.
Paratypes: ♀ AUSTRALIA, Western Australia: Port Hedland Salt, SE of Port Hedland, 20°22'00"S, 118°40'20"E, 19-25/09/2005, at pit trap, R. Teale, WAM E109884; ♀, Barlee Range Nature Reserve, 23°03'41"S, 115°47'14"E, 14-17/06/1994, P. G. Kendrick and G. W. Kendrick, WAM E109883; ♀, Lorna Glen Station, 26°11'58.76"S, 121°15'58.88"E, 5-14/04/2002, at dry pit traps, M. A. Cowan, WAM E109882; ♀, Lorna Glen Station, 26°13'28.89"S, 121°24'08.92"E, 5-14/04/2002, at dry pit traps, M. A. Cowan, WAM E109881; ♀, Lorna Glen Station, 26°11'58.76"S, 121°15'58.88"E, 5-14/04/2002, at dry pit traps, M. A. Cowan, WAM E109879; ♀, Durack River Station, W of Salmon Gorge, Paradise Creek, 16°12'16.9"S, 127°29'48.1"E, 01/06/2014, N.J. Tatarnic and J. Karras, WAM E96165 (sequenced specimen).
Notes
Distribution & habitat. Found in Western Australia, from the Goldfields, Pilbara and Kimberley regions (Figure . . .).
Conservation status. Text here
Etymology. “Flame coloured”, from the Latin ignis, meaning fire, and color.
Remarks. C. ignicolor is readily distinguished from all other Australian Coranus species. Using the key of Malipatil (1984), C. ignicolor is separated from the majority of species by its large body size, exceeding 15 mm in length (couplet 1), while its bright red colouration separates it from all remaining species of similar size. Structurally, Coranus ignicolor appears most similar to C. distinctus. They share an upwardly curving apical process on the scutellum, a distinct collar with the anterolateral margins produced as rounded points, a rugulose posterior pronotal lobe, and a similarly large body size relative to other Australian species. They also share a medially tumescent mesothoracic sternite, though this is more pronounced in C. ignicolor.
As with many other Coranus species, C. ignicolor displays wing polymorphism. At present only females are known to be polymorphic, whereas males are currently only represented by a single macropterous individual, and whether micropters also exist is unknown. It is worth noting that there is very little difference in morphology between the winged and wingless morphs, with only the posterior lobe of the pronotum being noticeably different, while other characters, such as the scutellum, head and ocelli appear mostly identical, in contrast to what has been documented in other species (Malipatil 1986).
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