Malloryalna, Sanborn, 2016

Sanborn, Allen F., 2016, Five new species, a new genus and a new record of cicadas from French Guiana with four new combinations and three new synonymies (Insecta, Hemiptera, Cicadoidea, Cicadidae), Zoosystema 38 (2), pp. 177-199 : 194-195

Genus Malloryalna n. gen.

TYPE SPECIES. — Malloryalna susanae n. sp. ( French Guiana).

ETYMOLOGY. — The genus is named in honor of my niece Mallory Sills who often assisted the author with fieldwork on cicadas with the addition of “–alna” that is used to signify a cicada. The genus is feminine.

DIAGNOSIS. — The following structures place the new genus in the Taphurina of the Taphurini based on the diagnostic characters provided in Moulds (2005): metanotum partially visible at dorsal midline, fore wing cubitus posterior and anal vein 1 fused in part, median vein and cubitus anterior separated when meeting the basal cell, costa and radius + subcosta close together, and radius anterior 1 aligned with subcosta, hind wing radius posterior and median veins fused at their bases, cubitus posterior and anal vein 1 unfused, and distal end of anal vein 3 curved, postclypeus rounded in transverse section, width of head greater than width of pronotum, lateral margins of pronotal collar confluent with adjoining pronotal sclerites, lack of timbal cover, timbals extending below wing bases, male operculum not covering tympanal cavity or encapsulating meracanthus curving towards abdominal midline, meracanthus tapering to a point, epipleurites reflexed to ventral surface, pygofer distal shoulder undeveloped, pygofer upper lobe absent, uncus absent, claspers developed, and male aedeagus lacking a strong basal recurve of the theca.

The large expanding, hood-like aedeagus promptly distinguishes male specimens from all other Taphurini . The new genus can be distinguished from Dulderana Distant, 1905 and Nosola Stål, 1866b by the large, arching costal margin of these genera. The head is about as wide and not wider than the mesonotum in the Panamanian Dorachosa Distant, 1892 , the Brazilian Prosotettix Jacobi, 1907 , the Guatemalan Chrysolasia Moulds, 2003 , as well as Chalumalna Boulard, 1998 known only from St. Martin in the Lesser Antilles. Psallodia Uhler, 1903 is recorded only from Hispaniola and is characterized by the strongly curved costal margin at its base, the highly arched cubital cell of the fore wing and seven apical cells in the hind wings. The lack of infuscation in the forewings of the Ecuadorian Imbabura Distant, 1911 and Chrysolasia promptly distinguish them from the new genus. The only known species of the Argentine genus Elachysoma Torres, 1964 has a body length less than 13 mm with male claspers short and recurved both dorsally and ventrally to the aedeagus. The species of the genus Taphura Stål, 1862 are also much smaller (body length less than 15 mm), the costal margin is strongly bent proximal to the node in most species, the cubital cell of the fore wing is highly arched, the postclypeus lacks a sulcus, the timbals are rudimentary, and male pygofers are characterized by elaborate processes. Selymbria Stål, 1861 is the most similar to the new genus. However, males of Selymbria can be distinguished by the expansion of ventrolateral tergite 2 extending towards or covering part of the timbal, the opercula are larger and more lobate reaching to sternite II, the widely sulcate postclypeus of most species, the highly angled tergite-epipleurite margin, and the flattened claspers and the lack of the expansive aedeagus in the male genitalia.

DISTRIBUTION. — The genus is known only from French Guiana.

SPECIES INCLUDED. — The genus is currently only represented by the type species Malloryalna susanae n. gen., n. sp.

DESCRIPTION

Body small (19.3-21.1 mm body length in males). Head wider than mesonotum, postclypeus centrally sulcate, rounded anteriorly, rostrum reaching to between middle and hind coxae. Lateral margins of pronotal collar confluent with adjoining pronotal sclerites, metanotum partially visible at dorsal midline. Fore wing cubitus posterior and anal vein 1 fused in part, median vein and cubitus anterior separated when meeting the basal cell, costa and radius + subcosta close together, radius anterior 1 aligned with subcosta, with eight apical cells. Hind wing radius posterior and median veins fused at their bases, cubitus posterior and anal vein 1 unfused, and distal end of anal vein 3 curved, with six apical cells. Fore femora with primary and secondary spines oblique and parallel, and small, upright tertiary spine with wider base. Male operculum not covering tympanal cavity or encapsulating meracanthus curving towards abdominal midline, meracanthus tapering to a point. Abdominal segments begin tapering posteriorly at tergite 3, epipleurites reflexed to ventral surface, timbal cover absent, timbals extending below wing bases. Pygofer distal shoulder undeveloped, pygofer upper lobe absent, uncus absent, claspers developed, and male aedeagus large, hood-like lacking a strong basal recurve of the theca. Female unknown.