Smergotomia, Dietrich, 2008

Dietrich, C. H., 2008, Some remarkable new Neotropical treehoppers (Hemiptera: Cicadomorpha: Membracidae), Zootaxa 1727, pp. 29-38 : 32-35

Smergotomia n. gen.

( Figs 3, 4, 7, 10, 13, 14, 19–24)

Type species: S. clairae , n. sp.

Diagnosis. This genus resembles Smerdalea in the structure of the head and legs, in having forewing vein 1A contacting the claval suture for a short distance preapically, and in the presence of numerous minute setae around the gonopore margin of the aedeagus, but differs in having the forewing with 2–3 r-m crossveins and R 4-branched, the hind femur without dorsal preapical cucullate setae, and the pronotum lacking a posterior process.

Description. Large (10–10.5 mm), depressed membracids with coloration mottled orange-brown. Head ( Fig. 10) broad, pubescent; eyes stalked, extended laterad of pronotum; dorsal paired submedial processes prominent, conical; dorsomedial concavity well developed; ocelli located below centro-ocular line, somewhat elevated medially, closer to midline than to corresponding eye; vertex with ventrolateral lobes prominent, angulate laterally; frontoclypeus depressed with weak median distal carina, not produced ventrally in profile; rostrum extended to hind coxae. Pronotum ( Figs 3, 4, 10) densely punctate, clothed with pale recumbent setae, and with numerous small setigerous tubercles; with compressed median dorsal crest bearing vertical carina on each side; metopidium weakly elevated; supraocular callosities strongly depressed; humeral angles spinelike, produced dorsolaterad; suprahumeral horns and posterior process absent. Proepimeron with weak carina extended posteroventrad and well developed posteromedial projection. Scutellum ( Figs 3, 4) elongate, acute, humped basally, with prominent posterior preapical keel. Pro- and mesothoracic legs without cucullate setae, tibiae not expanded. Metathoracic femur with only apical ablateral cucullate seta present; tibia with rows I–III each with single row of small cucullate setae, surface between row I and II sulcate; tarsomere I without cucullate setae. Forewing ( Figs 4, 13) opaquely sclerotized, pubescent and sparsely tuberculate in basal half, hyaline distally; veins with tubercles, distinctly sinuate beyond midlength; vein R initially divided into R 1+2+3 and R 4+5, with four branches extended to wing margin; 2–3 r-m crossveins present, all distad of crossvein s; vein M fused with Cu basally, diverging distad of midlength of clavus; 2 m-cu crossveins present, distal crossvein connected to M 3+4; clavus with two veins visible, 1A contacting claval suture for short distance then diverging preapically. Hind wing ( Fig. 14) apex with arcuate chaetoids; veins R 4+5 and M 1+2 free, connected by crossvein; crossvein m-cu oblique, longer than basal segment of M 4+5. Male pygofer ( Fig. 19) simple, dorsomedial lobe produced over base of anal tube; with paired posterolateral lobes but without articulated lateral plate absent; sternite IX fused to subgenital plate ( Fig. 20), articulated to pygofer, suture not visible, lobes divided through most of length, tapered distally. Aedeagus narrowly U-shaped, apex acuminate, with numerous small setae adjacent to gonopore. Style apex hooklike, with several conspicuous setae. Female with second valvulae ( Fig. 7) abruptly broadened near midlength and evenly tapered toward apex, dorsal margin with row of close-set fine teeth.

Notes. Because Smergotomia has the hindwing apex with arcuate chaetoids, and the forewing with the clavus acuminate and two r-m crossveins, it will run to Microcentrini in the tribal key of Dietrich et al. (2001). The depressed form, conspicuously pubescent pronotum and forewing, and slender tibiae of the new genus also resemble those present in that tribe. However, because the pronotum lacks a posterior process, the male genital capsule lacks a posterodorsally hooked lateral plate, forewing vein R is initially divided into R 1+2+3 and R 4+5, and the r-m crossveins are all distad of crossvein s, the resemblance to Microcentrini seems superficial.

Despite its lack of a posterior pronotal process, Smergotomia appears to be related to Smerdalea , which Cryan and Deitz (1999) transferred from Microcentrini to Stegaspidini (see notes under Smerdalea above). Smerdalea and Smergotomia both have the first anal vein of the forewing contacting the claval suture and diverging abruptly before reaching the anal margin of the wing. This feature has not been observed in other membracids and may be a unique synapomorphy uniting these two genera. Other possibly derived features shared by the two genera include the stalked eyes, angulate projection on the ventral lobe of the vertex (not present in all Smerdalea species ), median carina of the frontoclypeus, and the presence of numerous minute setae around the male gonopore margin. The posteriorly humped scutellum of Smergotomia resembles that of Smerdalea horrescens (Fowler) .

Despite these possibly synapomorphic similarities, Smergotomia differs from Smerdalea in several important respects: the forewing has two or three r-m and two m-cu crossveins ( Smerdalea has one of each); the pronotum lacks suprahumeral horns and a posterior process (both well developed in Smerdalea ), the hind femur lacks preapical cucullate setae (numerous setae present in Smerdalea ), and the second valvulae have the toothed distal section longer than the basal stem (the toothed section is much shorter in Smerdalea ).

Smergotomia also resembles the endemic Caribbean membracid genera Antillotolania Ramos (currently unplaced within Stegaspidinae, Cryan et al. 2003 ) and Togotolania Cryan and Deitz (2002 , unplaced to subfamily) in some respects. Both of these genera also lack a posterior pronotal process, have supranumerary crossveins in the forewing, the frontoclypeus flattened, and the vertex with a pair of conical projections dor- sally. Among these two genera, Smergotomia is most similar to Togotolania . Like, Smergotomia , Togotolania has a compressed median dorsal pronotal process, an extra r-m crossvein in the forewing, and the toothed section of the second valvulae longer than the stem; but the latter genus differs in having forewing vein R threebranched, only one m-cu crossvein present, vein 1A free throughout its length, and the male genital capsule with an articulated lateral plate.

The presence of four R branches in the forewing also suggests a possible relationship between Smergotomia and Nicomiinae , but species of the latter subfamily also have vein M with three branches reaching the wing margin. Although, as noted above, Smergotomia , Togotolania , and Smerdalea share certain attributes with Stegaspidinae , Nicomiinae , or both, these genera lack the key synapomorphic features that define both of these families (i.e, forewing crossvein m-cu 2 connected to M basad of its fork in Stegaspidinae , and forewing vein M with 3 or more branches reaching the wing margin in Nicomiinae ). This suggests that the three genera arose very early in the evolution of the stegaspidine-nicomiine lineage and should be considered unplaced within Membracidae until their relationships can be elucidated further.

The genus name, which is feminine, was formed by combining parts of the names of other treehopper genera, Smerdalea , Togotolania , and Nicomia in recognition of the apparently mixed morphological affinities of the taxon.