Melanastera burchellii, Serbina & Malenovský & Queiroz & Burckhardt, 2025

Serbina, Liliya Š., Malenovský, Igor, Queiroz, Dalva L. & Burckhardt, Daniel, 2025, Jumping plant-lice of the tribe Paurocephalini (Hemiptera: Psylloidea: Liviidae) in Brazil, Zootaxa 5585 (1), pp. 1-164 : 98-99

46 Melanastera burchellii sp. nov.

( Figs 1D , 12G , 19A , 32G–L )

Type material. Holotype ♂: Brazil: GOIÁS: Pirenópolis, Parque dos Pirineus, S25.3299, W49.1612, 1300 m, 2.viii.2018, Miconia burchellii (D.L. Queiroz) #867(2) ( UFPR; dry).

Paratypes. Brazil: GOIÁS: 1 ♂, 3 ♀, 14 immatures, 2 skins, same as holotype but ( MMBC, NHMB; slide, 70% ethanol; NMB-PSYLL0007791, NMB-PSYLL0007807 [LSMelbur-101], NMB-PSYLL0007808 [LSMelbur- 101], NMB-PSYLL0007810, NMB-PSYLL0007811) ; 1 ♀, 2 immatures, 1 skin, Pirenópolis, Cachoeira do Abade , S15.8088, W48.9190, 960 m, 1.viii.2018, Miconia burchellii (D.L. Queiroz) #864(6) ( NHMB; slide, 70% ethanol; NMB-PSYLL0007789, NMB-PSYLL0007809) ; 1 ♀, 9 immatures, 1 skin, Pirenópolis, Cachoeira do Lázaro e Santa Maria , S15.8456, W48.9581, 920 m, 2.viii.2018, Miconia burchellii (D.L. Queiroz) #866(2) ( NHMB; 70% ethanol; NMB-PSYLL0007790) .

Description. Adult. Coloration. Yellow. Head and thorax with dark brown dots. Antennal segments 4–8 apically and segments 9–10 entirely brown. Mesopraescutum with two orange patches at the fore margin; mesoscutum with four orange longitudinal stripes. Forewing ( Fig. 19A ) yellow with sparse, irregular, pale brown dots, dots absent from antero-basal part of wing; apices of pterostigma and Rs, M 1+2, M 3+4, Cu 1a and Cu 1b brown. Pro- and mesofemora with brown patches.

Structure. Forewing ( Fig. 19A ) oblong-oval, broadest in apical third, evenly rounded apically; wing apex situated in cell r 2 near apex of M 1+2; C+Sc distinctly convex in apical third; pterostigma slightly narrower in the middle than cell r 1, weakly widening to the middle; Rs weakly irregularly convex; M longer than M 1+2 and M 3+4; Cu 1a irregularly convex, ending slightly proximal to (male) or at (female) M fork; surface spinules present in all cells, leaving narrow spinule-free stripes along the veins, dense, forming hexagons of a single row of spinules, spinules absent from basal half of cell c+sc. Hindwing with 3–4 + 3 grouped costal setae. Metatibia bearing 7 grouped apical spurs, arranged as 3–4 + 3–4, anteriorly separated by 2 bristles.

Terminalia ( Fig. 32G–L ). Male. Proctiger robust, slightly convex posteriorly; densely covered with moderately long setae in apical two thirds. Subgenital plate subglobular; dorsal margin weakly curved; posterior margin convex; with dense, moderately long setae, mostly posteriorly. Paramere, in lateral view, acuminate; apex, in lateral view, blunt, directed upwards, in dorsal view, apex directed inwards and slightly upwards, lacking distinct sclerotised tooth; both outer and inner faces with dense, moderately long setae in apical two thirds; posterior margin with longer setae. Proximal segment of aedeagus with apical part moderately subdivided. Distal segment of aedeagus in basal half with ventral margin convex and dorsal margin sinuate; ventral process large, situated slightly proximal of the middle of segment, in lateral view, tubular, curved, with distinct lateral lobes and apical process directed ventrad; in dorsal view, ventral process much broader than apical dilation, with broad wing-like lateral lobes on each side and a relatively small button-like median lobe directed slightly ventrad; apical dilation, in lateral view, elongate, subparallel-sided, rounded apically, in dorsal view, apical dilation, narrow, slightly widening towards rounded apex; with small membranous lobe at dorsal margin basally; sclerotised end tube short and nearly straight.—Female terminalia cuneate; densely covered with setae. Dorsal margin of proctiger, in lateral view, weakly concave, apex pointed, slightly upturned; in dorsal view, apex blunt; circumanal ring, in dorsal view, vaguely cruciform. Subgenital plate, in lateral view, abruptly narrowing to apex in apical half, pointed apically; in ventral view, apex subacute.

Fifth instar immature. Coloration. Pale yellow; antenna yellow, gradually becoming darker towards apex; legs yellow with brown distal tarsal segment; cephalothoracic sclerite, wing pads, and caudal plate brownish yellow to pale brown.

Structure. Eye with one ocular pointed sectaseta dorsally.Antennal segments with following numbers of pointed sectasetae: 1(0), 2(1), 3(0), 4(2), 5(0), 6(2), 7(1), 8(2), 9(0), 10(0). Forewing pad with 9–10 marginal and 12–15 pointed sectasetae and lanceolate setae scattered dorsally; hindwing pad with 2 marginal and 3–4 dorsal pointed sectasetae. Tarsal arolium broadly fan-shaped apically, 1.5 times as long as claws. Abdominal tergites anterior to caudal plate with three rows of 4, 2 and 6 pointed sectasetae dorsally, respectively. Caudal plate dorsally with one row of 5–6 pointed sectasetae along anterior margin, two rows each of four pointed sectesetae submedially, and with two groups of four pointed sectasetae on either side subapically, anterior to circumanal ring. Extra pore fields forming continuous outer and inner bands, consisting of small oval and round patches; outer band short medially, end pointing backwards. Circumanal ring small.

Host plant and biology. Miconia burchellii Triana ( Melastomataceae ). Immatures develop at the base of infrutescences. Their presence can be often visible only by their waxy secretions ( Fig. 1D , arrow).

Distribution. Brazil (GO).

Derivation of name. Named after its host, M. burchellii .

Comments. Melanastera burchellii sp. nov. differs from the other species of the duckei -group in the absence of dark dots in the forewing cells c+sc and r 1.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Habitats of Paurocephalini in Brazil.A, Atlantic forest in Rio de Janeiro; B, Cerrado in Minas Gerais; C, immatures of Melanastera caramambatai sp. nov. covered with waxy secretions on Miconia aff. neourceolata; D, immatures of M. burchellii sp. nov. on infrutescences of Miconia burchellii, visible only through their waxy secretions (arrow); E, adults and immatures of M. atlantica sp. nov. on Miconia cf. petropolitana; F, immatures of M. melanocephala sp. nov. covered with waxy secretions on infrutescences on Miconia albicans.

FIGURE 12. Melanastera spp., head, dorsal view.A, M. caramambatai sp. nov.; B, M.acuminata sp. nov.; C, M.melanocephala sp. nov.; D, M. brevicauda sp. nov.; E, M. michali sp. nov.; F, M. duckei sp. nov.; G, M. burchellii sp. nov.; H, M. barretoi sp. nov.; I, M. sericeae sp. nov.; J, M. tristis sp. nov.; K, M. discoloris sp. nov.; L, M. truncata sp. nov.

FIGURE 19. Melanastera spp., forewing. A, M. burchellii sp. nov.; B, M. barretoi sp. nov.; C, M. sericeae sp. nov.; D, M. tristis sp. nov.; E, M. discoloris sp. nov.; F, M. truncata sp. nov.; G, M. atlantica sp. nov.; H, M. stanopekari sp. nov.; I, M. sellowianae sp. nov.; J, M. simillima sp. nov. Scale bars: 0.2 mm.

FIGURE 32. Melanastera duckei sp. nov. A, ♂ terminalia, lateral view; B, paramere, inner face, lateral view; C, distal segment of aedeagus, lateral view; D, distal segment of aedeagus, dorsal view; E, paramere, dorsal view; F, ♀ terminalia, lateral view.— M. burchellii sp. nov. G, ♂ terminalia, lateral view; H, paramere, inner face, lateral view; I, distal segment of aedeagus, lateral view; J, distal segment of aedeagus, dorsal view; K, paramere, dorsal view; L, ♀ terminalia, lateral view.—M. barretoi sp. nov. M, ♂ terminalia, lateral view; N, paramere, inner face, lateral view; O, distal segment of aedeagus, lateral view; P, distal segment of aedeagus, dorsal view; Q, paramere, dorsal view; R, ♀ terminalia, lateral view.—M. sericeae sp. nov. S, ♂ terminalia, lateral view; T, paramere, inner face, lateral view; U, distal segment of aedeagus, lateral view; V, distal segment of aedeagus, dorsal view; W, paramere, dorsal view; X, ♀ terminalia, lateral view. Scale bars: 0.1 mm.