Smerdalea veracruzensis, Dietrich, 2008

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

Smerdalea veracruzensis n. sp.

( Figs 1, 6, 9, 12, 17–22)

Diagnosis. This species is readily distinguished from other species in the genus by the structure of the pronotum, which has the suprahumeral horns depressed and spinelike, the posterior process lacking a dorsal node basally and the terminal node clublike rather than strongly compressed and lacking a dorsal projection.

Description. Measurements (mm). Length, male 9.8, female 10.8–11.1; head width, male 4.2, female 4.2; pronotum width, male 4.7, female 4.9–5.2; forewing length, male 8.5, female 9.4–9.5; Coloration. Nearly uniform brown dorsally with face, thoracic pleuron and abdominal sternites dull yellow; forewing with broad dark brown macula extended across midlength; tibiae dark brown with broad yellow area near midlength. Vestiture. Head, pronotum, scutellum, and basal two-thirds of forewing conspicuously pubescent. Structure. Head ( Fig. 9) without dorsal projections; ocelli sessile; dorsomedian concavity shallow; frontoclypeus without median carina. Pronotum ( Figs 1, 9) depressed anteriorly; suprahumeral horns short, spinelike, not elevated above midline, projecting laterally slightly beyond humeri; median carina not elevated anterad of horns; posterior process without basal hump, slightly arcuate in lateral view, lateral carina absent; posterior node resting in posterior emargination of scutellum, flattened dorsally with weak median carina, with pair of short posterolateral spines, posterodorsal spines and angulate dorsomedial projection absent. Scutellum humped basally, depressed distally, apex emarginate with lateral lobes rounded. Hind femur with few scattered preapical cucullate setae dorsally; tibia with cucullate setal rows I–III well developed, row I double. Forewing ( Figs 1, 12) with opaque sclerotization in basal two-thirds, darkly pigmented and pubescent except in hyaline area between vein M and costal margin in distal third. Male pygofer ( Fig. 17) with prominent posterolateral lobe; subgenital plate ( Fig. 18) narrower than sternite IX, tapered distally; aedeagus in ventral view ( Fig. 22) with expanded distal section occupying ca. one-third length of shaft; ejaculatory duct internal, not extended beyond base of gonopore; gonopore margin with numerous microtrichia. Female with second valvulae slender throughout length ( Fig. 6).

Material examined. Holotype male, MEXICO, Veracruz, Estacion Biologica Los Tuxtlas , 9 October 1989 (H. Rojas, J. L. Colin) [ UNAM]; 1 female paratype, same data except 20 September 1989 [ UNAM]; 1 female paratype, same data except 3 December 1998 (E. Mejorada) [ INHS].

Notes. Because this species has the least ornate pronotum of all known Smerdalea species , it may be the most plesiomorphic member of the genus. It is also unusual in having the female second valvulae narrow throughout their length; the other species of the genus have the second valvulae abruptly broadened preapically. The species name, an adjective, refers to the Mexican state in which all known specimens were collected.