Salinesia atacamensis, Campodonico & Coccia, 2019

Campodonico, Juan F. & Coccia, Cristina, 2019, New genus and species of Delphacini (Hemiptera: Delphacidae) from a salt marsh in northern Chile, Zootaxa 4550 (1), pp. 146-150 : 147-149

Salinesia atacamensis sp. nov.

( Figs 1–21 )

Type material. All specimens brachypterous. Holotype ♂, Chile, Copiapó prov., Salinas de Copiapó, 27°17'S 70°55'W, 30.IX.2017, C. Coccia leg. Paratypes: same data as holotype, 1♂ (MNNC), 2♂♂ 1♀ (JFCC); same data as holotype but “ 22.VI.2017 ” 1♂, 2♀♀ (MNNC).

Description. Body length: male holotype 1.44 mm; male paratypes 1.40–1.73 (N=4); female paratypes 1.86– 1.98 (N=2). Body width (at level of tegulae): male holotype 0.53 mm; male paratypes 0.4 8–0.57 (N=4); female paratypes 0.58–0.59 (N=2).

Coloration. General coloration in males ( Figs 1–4 ) brown to light brown; ventral side ( Fig. 7 ) (excluding eumetope, carinae and legs) darker. General coloration in females ( Figs 5, 6 ) light brown.

Head. Macrocoryphe ( Figs 1, 3, 5 ) subquadrate; anterior margin obtuse; length about 1.2 times its basal width; basal width as wide as anterior side, about 1/3 of head total width; lateral margins indistinctly concave; median carina of coryphe weak; arms of “Y”-shaped carina at acrometope conspicuous. Eyes from dorsal view ( Figs 1, 3, 5 ) narrowly oblong, twice as long as wide; from lateral view ( Figs 2, 4, 6 ) broadened cranially; length about 1.5 times maximum height; notch not surpassing mid-height. Ocelli at small space between anteroventral margin of eye and margin of gena; adjacent to margin. Eumetope ( Figs 7, 8 ) with length slightly more than 1.5 times maximum width; median carina conspicuous.

Thorax. Pronotum ( Figs 1, 3, 5 ) with anterior margin nearly straight, 1/3 as wide as posterior width; median length about 1/4 of posterior width; posterior width indistinctly wider than head; posterior margin medially broadly and slightly concave. Mesonotum ( Figs 1, 3, 5 ) length from posterior margin of pronotum to apex slightly more than 1/2 of width.

Wings. Tegmina (brachypterous specimens; Figs 1–6 ) usually not surpassing tergum V; slightly translucent; veins concolorous; veins rarely branched or with crossveins before apex. Hind wings (brachypterous specimens) obsolete.

Legs. Apex of metatibiae with three outer and two inner teeth. Calcar length about two thirds of length of metabasitarsus (including spines); hind margin with about 15 teeth. Metabasitarsi slightly longer than half of length of metatibiae; apex with four outer and two inner teeth. Second metatarsomeres about 2/5 of length of metabasitarsi; apex with four teeth.

Male abdomen. Apodemes of sternum I ( Fig. 9 ) fine and long (about 2/3 as long as distance between each other), slightly directed laterad. Pygofer ( Figs 10, 11 ) from lateral view with ventral length about 5/7 of height; dorsal surface short; from caudal view as wide as high; armature of diaphragm with superior margin distinctly excavated (for reception of phallus in repose); foramen broad and oblong, 2/3 as high as wide. Phallus ( Fig. 12 ) strongly curved down at 90 degrees; apical portion of shaft nearly as long as basal portion and narrowed to apex; gonopore caudoapically positioned. Genital styli ( Figs 13, 14 ) slightly narrowed subapically, with outer apical angles somewhat produced and slightly obtuse, and inner apical angles slightly acute and distad. Segment X ( Figs 12, 15 ) short, in lateral view trapezoidal, with ventral surface longer than dorsal surface; from caudal view ringlike, slightly wider than high. Segment XI ( Fig. 12 ) short, slightly surpassing or not surpassing distal margins of segment X.

Female abdomen. Ovipositor ( Figs 16, 17 ) surpassing tergum IX. Gonoplacs ( Fig. 21 ) about 9 times as long as breadth; apex rounded; dorsal margin entire on distal 2/3. Gonapophyses IX ( Fig. 19 ) with more than 20 acute teeth (not serrated), abruptly reduced and indistinct at apex and absent at basal 1/5 of shaft; space between each other roundly concave. Gonapophyses VIII ( Fig. 20 ) longitudinally with slight marked striae; total length more than 10 times of breadth. Gonocoxae VIII ( Fig. 18 ) about 4 times as long as breadth; basal angle slightly acute; distal angle acuter; outer margin bisinuate, with basal convexity shorter and more produced. Segment X short; length about 1/2 of width; ventral surface longer than dorsal surface, with posterior margin slightly concave. Segment XI nearly as long as segment X.

Etymology. The specific name refers to the administrative region of the locality where the specimens were collected.

Habitat. Salinesia atacamensis was collected by pitfall traps in the dense vegetation zone of a salt marsh habitat. The vegetation was dominated by Sarcocornia neei (Lag.) M.A. Alonso & M.B. Crespo , a semi-woody dicot with procumbent to erect succulent stems; however, this probably may not be the host plant as delphacids are generally associated to monocots ( Urban et al., 2010).

Figures

FIGURES 1–8. Salinesia atacamensis sp. nov. 1–4. Male habitus, dorsal (1, 3) and lateral (2, 4) view. 5–6. Female habitus, dorsal (5) and lateral (6) view. 7–8. Ventral view of head, male (7) and female (8). Scale bars = 1 mm.

FIGURES 9–21. Salinesia atacamensis sp. nov. 9–16. Male abdomen. 9. Sternum I. 10–11. Pygofer, caudal (10) and lateral (11) view. 12. Phallic complex (excluding styli), lateral view. 13–14. Right genital stylus, lateral (13) and caudal (14) view. 15. Segment X, caudal view. 16–21. Female abdomen. 16–17. Female genitalia, ventral (16) and lateral (17) view. 18. Right gonocoxa VIII. 19. Gonapophyses IX. 20. Gonapophysis VIII. 21. Gonoplac. Scale bars = 0.5 mm.