A review of the moss bug genus Xenophyes (Hemiptera: Coleorrhyncha: Peloridiidae) from New Zealand: systematics and biogeography

Abstract

The moss bug genus Xenophyes from New Zealand is revised. Six species are recognised, four of which are described as new: X. adelphus, X. goniomus, X. metoponcus, and X. rhachilophus. The synonymy of Xenophyes forsteri with X. cascus is confirmed. Illustrated descriptions and identification keys are provided for the adult and the last instar. The male aedeagus is recognised as the most important structure to diagnose species. Other useful morphological characters include body shape, head, pronotum, and tegmina expressed as length and width measurements. The Principal Component Analysis (PCA) shows that five species are well separated from each other, but X. goniomus greatly overlaps with X. cascus, X. kinlochensis, and X. rhachilophus. There is also broad morphometric overlap between North Island and South Island specimens of X. cascus, confirming their conspecificity. Results from a Canonical Variate Analysis (CVA) determined which morphometric characters are most suitable for use in keys and descriptions. X. cascus is the only species occurring on both the North and South Islands. Other species are restricted to the South Island.

Diversity of bacterial endosymbionts and bacteria–host co‐evolution in Gondwanan relict moss bugs (Hemiptera: Coleorrhyncha: Peloridiidae)

“…Coleorrhyncha are represented by a single extant family, the Peloridiidae, comprising 17 genera with 36 species (Burckhardt, 2009;Burckhardt et al, 2011). The small insects (body length 2-5 mm) occur in temperate and subantartic rainforests (often with Nothofagus) or sphagnum bogs in South America (Chile, Argentina), New Zealand, New Caledonia and eastern Australia (from North Queensland to Tasmania) where they live in wet moss.…”

Phylogenomics of Hemiptera (Insecta: Paraneoptera) based on mitochondrial genomes

“…They possess a mixture of cicadomorphan and bug‐like characters (Bechly & Szwedo, 2007), and represent a separate suborder within Hemiptera. This suborder includes a single extant family, Peloridiidae, which is distributed now only in Patagonia and the Australian continent (Burckhardt et al , 2011). Its phylogenetic position within Hemiptera has long fascinated hemipterists.…”

Wing base structure supports Coleorrhyncha + Auchenorrhyncha (Insecta: Hemiptera)

“…The suborder Coleorrhyncha (moss bugs) is an enigmatic taxon of the order Hemiptera (Insecta). It consists of a single family, Peloridiidae, with fewer than 40 extant species restricted to circumantarctic regions (Burckhardt, ; Burckhardt et al., ). With a combination of plesiomorphic and apomorphic features, the placement of this suborder within Hemiptera had been highly unstable.…”

“…The suborder Coleorrhyncha (moss bugs) is an enigmatic taxon of the order Hemiptera (Insecta). It consists of a single family, Peloridiidae, with fewer than 40 extant species restricted to circumantarctic regions (Burckhardt, 2009;Burckhardt et al, 2011).…”