Atrapsalta, Owen & Moulds, 2016

Owen, Christopher L. & Moulds, Max S., 2016, Systematics and Phylogeny of the Australian Cicada Genus Pauropsalta Goding and Froggatt, 1904 and Allied Genera (Hemiptera: Cicadidae: Cicadettini), Records of the Australian Museum 68 (4), pp. 117-200 : 167-168

Genus Atrapsalta n.gen.

Atrapsalta Owen et al., 2015: 259–264 , 271, 273, 274, nomen nudum.

Type species. Atrapsalta emmotti n.sp.

Included species. collina ( Ewart, 1989) n.comb.; corticina ( Ewart, 1989) n.comb.; dolens ( Walker, 1850) n.comb.; emmotti n.sp.; encaustica ( Germar, 1834) n.comb.; fuscata ( Ewart, 1989) n.comb.; furcilla n.sp.; siccana ( Ewart, 1989) n.comb.; vinea n.sp.

Etymology. From the Latin atra meaning black, referring to the dominant colour of most species in the genus, and from psalta, derived from psaltria meaning female harpist.

Feminine Diagnosis

Head including eyes about as wide as mesonotum, sometimes a little narrower, sometimes a little wider; supra-antennal plate meeting or nearly meeting eye; postclypeus broadly rounded transversely across ventral midline, in lateral profile angulate between “top” and “sides”; postclypeus in dorsal view angled but tending confluent with anterior margin of head.

Thorax. Pronotal collar width at dorsal midline much less than diameter of eyes; paranota confluent with adjoining pronotal sclerites, no mid lateral tooth; cruciform elevation with its dome wider than long; epimeral lobe not reaching operculum.

Wings. Hyaline. Fore wings with 8 apical cells; subapical cells absent; ulnar cell 3 angled to radial cell; basal cell long and narrow; costal vein (C) clearly higher than R+Sc; costa parallel-sided to node; pterostigma present; vein CuA only weakly bowed so that cubital cell no wider than medial cell; veins M and CuA completely fused as one before reaching basal cell; vein RA 1 aligned closely with Sc for its length and not diverging in subapical region; vein CuA 1 divided by crossvein m-cu so that proximal portion shortest; veins CuP and 1A fused in part; infuscation absent; wing outer margin developed for its total length, never reduced to be contiguous with ambient vein. Hind wings usually with 5 apical cells, 6 in A. vinea ; infuscation at distal end of vein 2A spread on wing margin; width of 1st cubital cell at distal end at least twice that of 2nd cubital cell; anal lobe broad with vein 3A curved, long, separated from wing margin; veins RP and M fused basally.

Legs. Fore leg femoral primary spine erect.

Male opercula more or less reaching margin of tympanal cavity, directed towards distomedial margin of tympanal cavity, apically broadly rounded, clearly not meeting, clearly raised above level of tympanal cavity on its outer half or so.

Male abdomen in cross-section with sides of tergites straight or weakly convex, epipleurites reflexed ventrally from junction with tergites; tergites 2–7 all similar in size (2 and 3 not considerably larger); sternites III–VII in crosssection convex.

Timbals. Timbal covers absent; timbal ribs irregular in size and spaced with prominent intermediate short ribs; basal dome very large; timbals not extended below level of wing bases.

Male genitalia. Pygofer with distal shoulders not developed; upper pygofer lobe in lateral view with basal portion of dorsal margin strongly angled to axis of pygofer, very broad basally and tapering to a broad apex; pygofer basal lobe spike-like; pygofer secondary basal lobe lobe-like and domed, outer face ridged longitudinally, in lateral view not or moderately projecting and broadly rounded, in ventral view well developed with rounded apex that is sometimes two-tiered; dorsal beak present and a part of chitinized pygofer. Uncus in dorsal view broad, short, distal margin straight. Claspers in lateral view extending no more than a little beyond margin of pygofer, claw-like with minimum or no cavity below; extreme basal region concave, not developed forward. Aedeagus with basal plate weakly depressed on dorsal midline; in dorsal view tending to be Y-shaped; in lateral view undulated basal portion directed forwards away from thecal shaft; ventral rib completely fused with basal plate; junction between theca and basal plate with a functional “hinge” that is small and substantially compressed between theca and basal plate in lateral view; thecal shaft straight or curved in a gentle arc; pseudoparameres present, dorsal of theca and originating near thecal base; pseudoparameres arising independently at their bases, except in dolens where they are partly fused beyond the base; endotheca exposed, much of surface weakly sclerotized and in part translucent; endotheca shaft parallel-sided in apical region; endothecal ventral support absent; thecal apex entirely chitinized, thecal subapical cerci absent; flabellum absent; conjunctival claws absent; vesica retractable, vesical opening apical on theca.

Distinguishing features

Atrapsalta can be separated from all other genera by the combination of the following: fore wing length less than 20 mm; fore wing veins M and CuA with their stems completely fused as one on meeting basal cell; hind wing with 5 apical cells; claspers in lateral view extending no more than a little beyond the margin of the pygofer, claw-like with minimum or no cavity below; pygofer basal lobe spike-like, welldeveloped; pygofer secondary basal lobe shape is lobe-like and domed, in lateral view not or moderately projecting and broadly rounded, in ventral view well developed with rounded apex that is sometimes two-tiered and fusion with pygofer margin not reaching apex; endotheca dorsal surface weakly sclerotized and in part translucent.