Parnisa Stål, 1862

Sanborn, Allen F., Gonzaga, Luiz P. & Takiya, Daniela M., 2024, A new cicada (Hemiptera: Cicadidae) species from Brazil with a detailed description of the genus Parnisa Stål, 1862 and key to the known species, Zootaxa 5538 (1), pp. 33-44 : 34-36

Parnisa Stål, 1862

Cicada (Parnisa) Stål 1862: 21 .

Remarks. The taxon was originally introduced as a subgenus of Cicada Linnaeus, 1758 . The original description is restricted to structures of the wings. A translation of Stål (1862) using current morphological terminology is: hindwings with five apical cells; basal cell of fore wing, sending out two distant veins; an intramarginal vein issuing from apex of costal vein gradually diverging distinctly from apex towards fore wing margin, terminating near apex of fore wing on anterior margin; the borders, therefore, seeming to be arranged with new apical cells; first (true) apical cell followed by a shorter one; slightly curved costal vein.

Type species. Cicada proponens Walker, 1858b ( Petropolis , Rio Janeiro)

Species included. Parnisa angulata Uhler, 1903 , P. castanepronotum Sanborn, 2020 , P. demittens ( Walker, 1858b) , P. designata ( Walker, 1858a) (= Cicada casta Stål, 1854 ), P. fraudulenta ( Stål, 1862) , P. haemorrhagica Jacobi, 1904 , P. infuscata sp. nov., P. licina Sanborn, 2020 , P. lineaviridia Sanborn & Heath, 2014 , P. moneta ( Germar, 1834) (= Cicada tricolor Walker, 1850 ), P. proponens ( Walker, 1858b) (= Cicada (Parnisa) biplagiata Stål, 1862 = Cicada proponens var. β Walker, 1858b (unavailable)), P. protracta Uhler, 1903 , P. santacruzensis Sanborn, 2019 , and P. viridis Sanborn & Heath, 2014 . The status of most junior synonyms was addressed by Sanborn (2023a).

Etymology. The generic name is in reference to Parnis or Parnitha, a mountain range of central Greece ( Dmitriev 2022). The genus is feminine.

Description.

Small sized cicada (body length 8.70–18.00 mm, wingspan 24–55 mm). Head about as wide as mesonotum, head and postclypeus smoothly rounded anteriorly in some species, postclypeus extending anteriorly when viewed from dorsal side in most species, eyes round in smaller species, elliptical in larger species, eyes as wide or slightly wider than lateral pronotum, not as wide as pronotal collar lateral angle, anterolateral vertex not as wide as supra-antennal plates, vertex at area of ocelli longer than frons, lateral ocelli closer to each other than to eyes, higher than median ocellus in frontal view, lateral vertex not as wide as eye, distinct posterior epicranial suture along dorsal midline, supra-antennal plate meeting postclypeus forming distinct margin, dorsal postclypeus of variable length, shorter or longer than dorsal vertex, wider than long, postclypeus convex ventrally, centrally sulcate in most species, rostrum reaching middle trochanters. Pronotum shorter than mesonotum, subquadrate, dorsal pronotal collar thin, width less than diameter of eye, lateral part of pronotal collar adpressed to lateral pronotum, lateral angles of pronotal collar acutely angled with smoothly curved apex. Mesonotum not covering dorsal metanotum, metanotum extends laterally beyond wing groove, cruciform elevation with slight, smoothly arched posterior, cruciform elevation wider than long. Fore femora with four spines, tarsi three-segmented, meracanthus elongated, triangular, of variable length. Male operculum completely encapsulating meracanthus, curving mediad, not covering tympanal cavity medially, not covering tympanal cavity completely, reaching to anterior of abdominal sternite II in Argentine species, medial margins well separated. Female operculum and meracanthus reaching to abdominal sternite I or II. Fore wings and hind wing hyaline with eight and five apical cells respectively, fore wings 2.63–2.94X longer than broad, expanded pterostigma present. Fore wing basal cell about twice as long as broad, costal margin wider at node than at base, fore wing cubitus anterior slightly arched, medial cell narrower proximally but wider distally than cubital cell, medial cell angled to ulnar cell 3, median and cubitus anterior veins arising separately from basal cell, fore wing with crossveins straight with species specific angles, mediocubital crossvein intersects cubitus anterior 1 so that distal portion is longest. Hind wing base of median and radius posterior veins fused, width of distal cubital cell 1 much greater than width of distal cubital cell 2, anal cell 2 widest at distal end of anal cell 3 then narrowing distally, anal cell 3 about one quarter to one half length of anal cell 2, anal vein 3 curving to distal terminus. Abdomen length about as long as distance from anterior postclypeus to posterior cruciform elevation, female abdomen longer than male abdomen, male abdominal tergite 2 with timbal oriented at about 45° angle to the longitudinal axis, posterior timbal reaching the lateral cruciform elevation, lateral tergite margins narrowing posteriorly to genitalia beginning at tergite 4. Timbal cover absent, timbal completely exposed, timbal extending slightly below wing base, tympana not concealed completely by opercula. Male sternite VIII V-shaped when viewed from posterior with curved posterior margin. Pygofer distal shoulder undeveloped, dorsal beak acuminate, generally longer than anal styles, pygofer upper lobe well-developed, pygofer basal lobe poorly developed, extending along from lateral pygofer margin, uncus absent, claspers well-developed supporting aedeagus, male aedeagus of variable size, tubular at base, expanding distally with distal spine-like appendages and membranes. Female sternite VII with single, wide medial notch. Female abdominal segment 9 with dorsal beak, posterior margin sinuate, ovipositor sheath of variable length.

Measurements (mm). Length of body: 8.70–18.00; length of fore wing: 12.00–25.20; width of fore wing: 4.40–9.00; length of head: 1.30–3.10; width of head including eyes: 3.10–5.50; width of pronotum including suprahumeral plates: 3.60–6.30; width of mesonotum: 3.05–5.50.

Diagnosis. Parnisa is one of five genera of the Parnisini to exhibit five apical cells in the hindwings. Of these genera, only Calyria Stål, 1862 and Parnisa are found in the New World. The costal vein and the radius+subcostal vein of the fore wing abut in species of Calyria but there is a distinct space between these veins in species of Parnisa . Distant (1906) distinguished the genus from others in the tribe as those species with five hind wing apical cells, ocelli well separated from the posterior of the head, and possession of the postcostal space of the fore wing.

Distribution. Species of the genus have been reported from Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, and Venezuela ( Metcalf 1963; Sanborn 2013; 2019; 2020; Sanborn & Heath 2014). The genus is restricted to the South American Neotropics.