Carventaptera spinifera Usinger and Matsuda, 1959 Fig. 36, 56–57, 76 Carventaptera spinifera Usinger and Matsuda, 1959: 162. Holotype: female (BMNH) labeled “ New Zealand. Oct. 1901 - Nov. 1902. J.J. Walker. 1910–384. (typed) / Port Chalmers [DN], N.Z. J.J. Walker. (typed) / Carventaptera spinifera n.g. + sp. (hand-written) det. RL Usinger’ 48 (typed) / HOLOTYPE (typed) Carventaptera spinifera (hand-written) Usinger-Matsuda (red label; typed).” Paratypes: 1 male and 2 other specimens (probably females) with same data as holotype (Usinger and Matsuda 1959). Description (incrustation removed). Body length about 4.1 mm (male), 4.9 mm (female). Dorsal color (male) pale to moderately dark reddish brown with paler pronotum and mesonotum, and distinct yellowish plates, callosities, and other markings on thorax and abdomen; darker brown to black on collar and to varying degrees on metanotum and abdomen. Female similarly colored. Eyes reddish. Antennae and legs concolorous with or slightly paler than main body (apices of femora and entire tibiae, often paler). Ventral color mostly matching main dorsal color; thoracic sterna markedly paler medially, vmtg III–VI with dark median foveae. Head. Slightly shorter than wide across eyes. Genae distinctly longer than clypeus, touching or forming a gap in front. Antenniferous tubercles broadly subconical, their apices divergent and strongly reflexed. Postocular tubercles acutely subtriangular, strongly produced laterally, strongly reflexed. Lateral margins of head strongly reflexed. Antennae about 1.3× longer than width of head across eyes, mostly granulate. Ratio of length of antennal segments II–IV/I about 0.6: 0.8: 0.9. Segment I narrowed, smooth in basal third, then thickened; II slightly curved basally, gradually thickened toward apex; III pedunculate in basal fifth to fourth, gradually thickened toward apex; IV fusiform, pilose in apical third to half. Thorax. Pronotum about 2.9× wider than long medially, including collar (male), 3.1× (female);slightly though distinctly wider than mesonotum. Anterior margin deeply and narrowly incised on each side of collar, inner side nearly touching collar. Anterolateral angles broadly rounded-subtriangular (often appearing swollen), rather strongly produced in front of collar, moderately to strongly reflexed. Lateral portions with a narrow, semicircular or vermiculate plate, coarse granules and, submarginally, a moderately to strongly elevated area of fine to coarse granules (finer and more closely set together along lateral margin). Lateral margins moderately to strongly sinuate, moderately oblique, strongly reflexed. Posterolateral angles bluntly rounded-subtriangular, moderately to strongly produced into an upper and a lower tubercle of subequal length, moderately reflexed. Mesonotum about 2.9× wider than long medially, including backward projection. Lateral portions with one or two small, rounded callosities, coarse granules and, submarginally, closely set finer granules forming a thickened border. Lateral margins subrectilinear to slightly convex and oblique. Posterolateral angles roundedsubquadrate, unproduced. Metanotum. Disc moderately elevated posteriorly. Lateral portions with a distinct, moderately large, narrow semicircular or vermiculate plate, coarse granules coalesced into oblique wrinkles, and submarginally, a small,rounded callosity, coarse granules and closely set finer granules forming a thickened border anteriorly. Lateral margins angular, thickened and slightly convex anteriorly. Posterolateral angles subquadrate. Abdomen widest across tergite IV. Dmtg I–II slightly to moderately declivent from front to back (less declivent in female). Tergal plate (dmtg III–VI). Disc slightly to moderately elevated (male), slightly elevated (female). Lateral margins slightly to moderately convex. Inner rows of apodemal markings made of distinct, suboval, smooth spots; outer rows made of distinct, more rounded, smaller spots. Dmtg VII broadly smooth anteromedially, with a longitudinal slit on a moderate to strong elevation, narrowly marked with a rounded depression and small callosities laterally (male); broadly marked with small callosities and coarse granules medially, narrowly marked with a rounded depression and small callosities laterally, slightly but flatly elevated anteromedially, with a transverse sulcus followed by a narrow bead posteromedially (female). Connexivum moderately to strongly reflexed (more reflexed in male). Dorsal laterotergites (dltg) with a pair of distinct apodemal spots. Posterolateral angles of dltg III–VI rounded-subquadrate, unproduced or barely produced (V–VI thickened), VII broadly rounded-subtriangular, barely produced, moderately to strongly reflexed (male); III–VI rounded-subquadrate, unproduced, VII broadly rounded-subtriangular, slightly produced and reflexed (female). Male genitalia. Right paramere (Fig. 36, inner lateral view) broad and flat; head broadly rounded-subtriangular, posterior margin thickened from apex to about midlength of paramere, ending in a broadly subtriangular flange (appearing as a broad, subtriangular projection in dorsolateral view, Fig. 26). Ventral surface. Head. Rostrum reaching posterior margin of subovate, carinate rostral groove. Thorax. Pro-, meso-, and metasternum clearly separated from each other; meso- and metasternum with deep, paired foveae medially; suture line between metasternum and vmtg I of abdomen distinct, deep. Abdomen. Ventral mediotergite (vmtg) I clearly separated from fused vmtg II–III; other mediotergites well demarcated from each other; III–VI depressed (foveate) medially; VII about 2.2× longer than VI medially, with strong wrinkles in apical third (male); medially split into two subtriangular plates with inner margin of each plate about 2.0× longer than VI medially, surface obliquely wrinkled with coarse coalesced punctures in outer posterior corner (female). Apodemal spots (vmtg III–VI) flat or slightly elevated, usually paler than remainder of venter (sometimes nearly concolorous); inner rows usually made of larger spots. Connexivum distinctly demarcated from remainder of venter; posterolateral angles of vltg V–VII rounded, moderately to strongly produced (V slightly, VI strongly, VII moderately; as opposed to other genera). Material examined. 56 specimens (BMNH, LUNZ, NZAC). Geographic distribution (Fig. 76). North Island: WA–Tararua FP [= Forest Park/Range], Kiriwhakapapa Road end, Te Mara Track (NZAC). WN–East Tararua Range, Mount Holdsworth (NZAC). Levin, Kimberley Reserve (NZAC). Manawatu Gorge, Ballance Bridge Reserve (NZAC). Orongorongo Valley (NZAC). South Island: BR – Fletcher Creek, West Inangahua (NZAC). Lewis Pass (NZAC). Shenandoah Saddle (NZAC). DN–Port Chalmers (BMNH). KA–Half Moon Bay, Ohau Stream Walk (NZAC). Blue Duck Valley (NZAC). MB –Avon [River] Valley (LUNZ). MC –Banks Peninsula, Peraki Scenic Reserve (LUNZ). Christchurch, Riccarton Bush (NZAC). NN–Canaan (NZAC). Hardwoods Hole (NZAC). Cobb Valley (LUNZ). Collingwood, Kaituna [River/Track] (NZAC). Dun Mountain/Track (NZAC). SC–Peel Forest (LUNZ). SD–Chetwode Islands, Nukuwaiata [Island] (LUNZ). Picton, Shakespeare Bay (NZAC). Stephens Island (NZAC). Tunakino Valley (NZAC). Biology. Altitudinal range. Lowland to montane. Habitat. Found in broadleaf–podocarp forests, southern beech (Nothofagus sensu lato) forests or mixed forests. Collected in leaf litter, under the bark of fallen rotting branches and trees, or on the moist undersurface of fallen rotting branches. Seasonality. Adults and tenerals: September–April, July–August (mostly January–March). Nymphs: October, April, July. Mating probably occurs around January. Remarks. This species mostly occurs on the South Island although five teneral specimens (NZAC) from WA and WN appear to also belong to this taxon. Consequently, Larivière and Larochelle (2004) ’s North Island records of C. spinifera, except for WN, are referred to the new species C. hallae. Carventaptera spinifera is recorded for the first time from the Buller (BR), Kaikoura (KA), and Marlborough Sounds (MB) regions. Carventaptera spinifera is poorly represented in New Zealand collections. In most instances, only one or two specimens have been found together; over half of available material is composed of tenerals and nymphs. Specimens collected on islands can appear atypical, probably due to their geographic isolation and restricted gene flow.

Published as part of Larivière, Marie-Claude & Larochelle, André, 2022, Synopsis of the subfamily Carventinae in New Zealand (Heteroptera: Aradidae), pp. 1-54 in Insecta Mundi 2022 (961) on pages 19-20, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.7399305