Anotia Kirby 1821

Barrantes, Edwin A., Zumbado Echavarria, Marco A., Bartlett, Charles R., Helmick, Ericka E., Cummins, Paige, Ascunce, Marina S. & Bahder, Brian W., 2020, A new species of planthopper in the genus Anotia Kirby (Hemiptera: Auchenorrhyncha: Derbidae) from coconut palm in Costa Rica, Zootaxa 4763 (1) : -

Genus Anotia Kirby 1821

Type species: Anotia bonnetii Kirby 1821

Amended diagnosis. Members of this genus are pale, fragile taxa, usually ~ 5–7 mm in length, with wings greatly exceeding body (~2x body length). The head is strongly dorsoventrally compressed, such that lateral keels of frons are nearly in contact, and projected beyond eyes for a distance about equal to eye width and angled upwards at ~45 degree angle, subtriangular at apex (lateral view). Vertex usually triangular in dorsal view, disc deeply concave, lateral carinae keeled, pustulate, strongly converging to meet prior to fastigium. First antennal segment very small, second antennal segment greatly elongated (reaching or exceeding apex of head), subantennal process absent. Forewings bearing pustules along basal portion of costal vein, humeral region of costa produced into weak lobe, or not produced; media fused with radius + subcosta near wing base, forked in proximal quarter, RP forked from RA + Sc in proximal half of wing. Combined Pcu+A1 extending to reach CuP (i.e., clavus open). Second tarsomere of hind tarsus with row of 4–5 spinules.

Remarks. Most species in this genus are incompletely described. Species diagnostics for Anotia are based primarily on color and patterns, especially of forewings, and few species have the terminalia characterized, leading to uncertainties in species diagnostics. While certain species appear to have distinct color patterns, others are ambiguous. Differences among specimens could be due to age of the adult when collected (coloration becoming more intense with time, teneral adults poorly marked), age of the pinned specimen (coloration fades with time), or natural variation within the species. Proper analysis of male terminalia is needed for all described species to establish the validity of taxonomic concepts within Anotia , ideally verified by molecular studies. While this is beyond the scope of the current, we have initiated studies on Anotia diversity which we hope to publish in the future.

Additionally, some putative Anotia possess an expanded lobe in the humeral region of the costa of the forewing, a key diagnostic feature between Anotia (not developed) and Sayiana (well-developed) (e.g., Bartlett et al. 2014, fig. 64J). The development of the costal projection appears to be either misleading or inconsistently evaluated among species, and the genus-level placement of Sayiana maracasa Fennah, 1952 , S. puertoricensis Caldwell, 1951 , and S. viequensis Caldwell, 1951 should be re-examined. Banaszkiewicz & Szwedo (2005) note that Sayiana has reduced apical spinulation of the second tarsomere of the hind leg, a feature that might be helpful in genus diagnostics.