Empoasca peba, Southern, Phillip Sterling, 2010

Southern, Phillip Sterling, 2010, Eight new species of Empoasca (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae: Typhlocybinae: Empoascini) from Peru and Bolivia, Zootaxa 2524, pp. 1-23 : 6-9

Empoasca peba n. sp.

Body (male): Length: 4.6–5.0 mm; crown length: 0.23–0.28 mm; crown projection: 0.08–0.12 mm; crown – projection ratio: 0.30–0.48; head length (including eyes): 0.54–0.58 mm; interoccular width: 0.48–0.59 mm; head width (including eyes): 0.94–1.02 mm; pronotum width: 0.86–1.01 mm; pronotum length: 0.46–0.51 mm; face length: 1.25–1.34 mm; hind tibia length: 1.98–2.10 mm; hind tarsus length: 0.69–0.76 mm; hind tarsomere I length: 0.46–0.50 mm; hind tarsomere I/hind tarsus ratio: 0.61–0.67. Crown orange-red with yellow-cream areas extending posteromediad from ocelli toward but not reaching midline; as long medially as next to eye; distinctly shorter than width between eyes; coronal suture not extended beyond midlength. Head including eyes usually wider than maximum width of pronotum. Eyes orange-red except cream along margins. Face ( Fig. 3 s) with orange-red ellipse, extending from dorsal margin along each side of frontoclypeus, closed ventrally, yellow-cream medially to produce a “target” pattern, yellow-cream laterally, an orange-red spot beneath each eye; ocelli on margin about equidistant between eye and mid-line; rostrum overlapping hind coxae. Pronotum yellow-cream along anterior margin, reddish subhyaline elsewhere. Forewing with basal two-thirds subhyaline, reddish brown, costal margin lighter orange; apical one-third hyaline; apical cell 2 petiolate; apical cell 4 distinctly tapered near base, MCu distinctly curved, ending near posterior end of apical margin; CuP distal segment 2X or more longer than segment of CuA between Cu stem and MP; punctuations along veins absent or indistinct. Hind wing venation similar to that of E. fabae . Legs yellow with dark brown setae. Front femur row AV with 2–3 basal setae distinctly enlarged; AM1 distinctly enlarged. Middle femur with 1 dorsoapical macroseta. Hind tibia row AV with 6 preapical macrosetae. Abdominal segements brown-black with yellow along posterior margins on ventrum, orange-red along posterior margins on dorsum. Genital capsule including plates brown-black with yellow markings ventrally and orange-red markings dorsally.

Pygofer ( Figs. 3 a, v) with short dorso-apical lobe curved mediad (may appear broadly rounded in lateral view); 10–12 stout setae on dorso-apical lobe barely extending onto lateral face of pygofer; mesal face with well developed sensilla field. Pygofer process in lateral view ( Fig. 3 a) curved strongly dorsad to follow posterior margin of pygofer, free of pygofer for more than ½ its length, basal portion expanded anterodorsally into a strong brace-like structure; in ventral view ( Figs. 3 b, i) bowed strongly mediad, apex directed posterolaterad, depending on flexure of genital capsule processes may cross twice at midline; tapered to sharp apex; in some specimens slightly flattened and bladelike, medial margin near apex may be slightly emarginate or toothed. Plates in lateral view ( Fig. 3 a) with basolateral projection absent, curved only slightly upward apically, tapering to narrowly rounded apex; in ventral view ( Fig. 3 b) not fused basally. A-group setae undifferentiated, continuous with D-group setae; B-group setae (17–18) uniseriate, of uniform length throughout, extend from near mid-length of plate to apex; C-group setae (14–17) roughly biseriate basally, becoming uniseriate apically, ending just before apex of plate; D-group setae numerous (40+), multiseriate, somewhat longer than C-group setae. Style in lateral view ( Fig. 3 f) with body bowed ventrad, dentifer directed caudad; in ventral view ( Fig. 3 g), bowed evenly mediad, dentifer slightly narrowed; with 10–11 teeth along dentifer and overlapping slightly the setal field on body of style; dentifer tapering to narrowly rounded or truncate apex depending on aspect. Anal hook in lateral view ( Figs. 3 a, j) large, at least 2/3 depth of pygofer, curved cephalad, tapering to narrow finger-like projection, variously sinuate on posterior margin; in caudo-ventral view ( Fig. 3 d) narrow, subparalled-margined to narrow rounded apex, bowed slightly outward, apex sometimes curved slightly laterad. Segment X base with well-sclerotized dorsal arch; apex densely microtrichiate ventrally. Aedeagus in lateral view ( Fig. 3 c1) with long slightly sinuate preatrium, dorsal apodeme small, shaft angled slightly from line of atrial complex (<30°), subparallel-margined through most of length, sinuate, apically curved dorsad, apex rounded; in ventral view ( Fig. 3 d) preatrium narrow, only slightly widened at atrium, shaft narrow and subparallel-margined to rounded apex; gonopore on ventral margin, membranous tissue around gonopore. (A single specimen (last in the list of paratypes below) varies in having the shaft in lateral view nearly straight, curved slightly upward only at tip, expanded ventrad as membranous area at mid-length ( Fig. 3 c2); in caudo-ventral view shaft slightly wider than in typical form, narrowest just distad of base). Connective ( Fig. 3 e) slightly wider than long, posterior notch broad, anterior margin only lightly sclerotized, especially medially. Dorsum of genital capsule ( Fig. 3 k) with anterior margin well sclerotized, bridge narrow, transverse bar well sclerotized, horns well scleotized, narrow and broadly separate. The anterior margin and transverse bar are represented internally by distinct wall-like apodemes.

First sternal complex ( Fig. 3 m) with narrow medial notch. Second sternal apodemes ( Fig. 3 n) parallelsided, relatively long (reaching 5.0–5.2); parallel to broadly rounded apicies. Second tergal apodeme a low wall less developed medially. Other tergal apodemes not significantly developed. Sternum of 8th abdominal segment ( Fig. 3 u) with posterior margin broadly concave; with pair of small sublateral setae.

Holotype male: PERU Pasco Yanachaga- / Chemillén NP 10° 32’ 39.7” S / 75° 22’ 0.1” W 2300 m / Takiya, Peña & Rakitov / Malaise acr. R. San Alberto // PSS RESEARCH / 09-266-2 // HOLOTYPE / Empoasca / peba n. sp. / Southern & Dietrich ( USML). Paratypes: 6 males, same collection data as holotype (INHS— 4 specimens, NCSU— 2 specimens); 1 male, PERU: PASCO Department, / P. N. Yanachaga Chemillén / Puesto de Control Huampal / 1050m 06.X,2002 / 10° 11’08” S 075° 34’25” W / R. A. Rakitov // PSS RESEARCH / 09-266-4 ( INHS).

Etymology: This specific name, peba , is an arbitrary combination of letters treated as a feminine noun in apposition.

Diagnosis: Several species have the anal hooks tapered and curved cephalad, the pygofer processes in ventral view strongly bowed mediad so they cross twice at the mid-line (in some cases flexure of the genital capsule is such that they do not actually cross) and the aedeagus with the shaft not diverging strongly from the line of the preatrium. Species in this group include Empoasca ancistra Davidson & DeLong , Empoasca arqua Davidson & DeLong , Empoasca curvata Poos , Empoasca decurvata Davidson & Delong , Empoasca irrita Davidson & DeLong , Emposaca nigra Gillette & Baker , Empoasca nigra typhlocyboides Gillette & Baker , Empoasca ocala Davidson & DeLong , Empoasca petona DeLong & Liles , and Empoasca racina DeLong & Liles , all of which were described from North America. Of these only E. nigra typhlocyboides and E. petona are known to be marked with red or orange. E. nigra typhlocyboides is much smaller than E. peba (body length 2.5–2.75 vs. 4.5–5.0 mm), the red markings are in lines across the crown and pronotum, the plates are strongly curved upward apically and the pygofer processes in lateral view are relatively straight through much of their length. E. petona is somewhat smaller (body length 3.5 mm), the crown is bluntly angled on the anterior margin, the orange-red markings are longitudinal stripes across the crown and pronotum, the forewings have red-orange elongate spots, and the pygofer processes are less curved in lateral and ventral views.

Relationships among the specimens involved in the descriptions of E. peba , and E. affinipeba (following) are problematic. That all specimens are from a single collection (one specimen from a nearby location) and are distinctive and uniform in coloration and most other characters suggests that all are conspecific. However, the degree of variation in the pygofer processes lies outside that known for other accepted species in the genus. Thus, we have chosen to describe these as separate species. It might be argued that the single-specimen variation in the aedeagus in E. peba ) also represents a distinct species. The degree of variation in this character, however, is less distinctive and we have chosen to include this specimen within E. peba .

Figures

FIGURE 3. Empoasca peba n. sp. a. genital capsule, lateral view; b. genital capsule, ventral view; c 1. aedeagus, lateral view; c 2. aedeagus, lateral view showing variation in shaft; d. aedeagus, left anal hook and dorsal aedeagal support, posteroventral view; e. connective, ventral view; f. style, lateral view; g. style, ventral view; i. pygofer process, ventral view; j. anal hook, lateral view; k. pattern of sclerotization of dorsal surface of genital capsule, dorsal view;. m. first sternal complex, anterior view; n. base of abdomen and second sternal apodemes, ventral view; s. face, posteroventral view; u. sternum of eighth abdominal segment, ventral view; v. right pygofer, posterior view.