Iragua ferruginea Cavichioli, 1991

Cavichioli, Rodney R. & Mejdalani, Gabriel, 2017, The sharpshooter genus Iragua Melichar: a new Colombian species, the female of I. ferruginea Cavichioli, and a key to males of the genus (Insecta: Hemiptera: Cicadellidae: Cicadellini), Zootaxa 4281 (1), pp. 120-126 : 122-125

Iragua ferruginea Cavichioli, 1991

( Figures 8–22 )

Female. Total length 10.9–11.4 mm (n = 2).

External morphology and color pattern ( Fig. 8 ) as in the specific description of Cavichioli (1991: 81).

Terminalia with abdominal sternite VII ( Figs. 9–10 ), in lateral view, strongly produced ventrally, keeled medially; in ventral view, lateral margins convergent posteriorly, posterior margin with small but distinct median emargination. “Internal” sternite VIII ( Fig. 11 ), in dorsal view, with two large, central sclerotized semicircular areas, one located above the other. Pygofer ( Fig. 12 ), in lateral view, well produced posteriorly, subtriangular, apex subacute; with large macrosetae distributed mostly on posterior two-thirds of disk. Valvifer I ( Fig. 12 ), in lateral view, lozenge-shaped. Valvulae I ( Fig. 13 ), in ventral view, distinctly expanded basally; blade, in lateral view, approximately rectilinear beyond basal curvature but with apical portion slightly curved ventrally; apex acute; dorsal sculptured area extending from basal portion to apex, formed by scale-like processes arranged in oblique lines ( Fig. 15 ), except basally with more linear processes ( Fig. 14 ); ventral sculptured area restricted to apical portion, formed by aligned or nearly aligned scale-like processes; ventral interlocking device located on basiventral half of blade. Valvulae II ( Fig. 16 ), in lateral view, moderately expanded beyond basal curvature; dorsal margin convex; apex ( Fig. 20 ) broadly rounded; ventral preapical prominence ( Fig. 21 ) distinct; dorsal margin with about 35 subtriangular teeth ( Figs. 18–19 ), usually clearly separated from each other; teeth at basal ascending portion ( Fig. 17 ) more rounded and of irregular form; irregular denticles (serration) distributed on teeth; dorsal apical portion of blade without denticles, much shorter than ventral apical portion, the latter with irregular denticles. Gonoplacs ( Fig. 22 ) of the usual form in sharpshooters (in lateral view, with distal half expanded and with obtuse apex).

Material examined. Three females: Brazil, state of Rondônia, Ouro Preto do Oeste , 8/X/1986, J. Becker col. ( MNRJ).

Taxonomic notes. Our female specimens are from the type-locality of I. ferruginea in the Amazonian state of Rondônia (northern Brazil) and their external form and color pattern ( Fig. 8 ) are as in the original specific description of Cavichioli (1991). We found in the female terminalia of I. ferruginea a conspicuous and peculiar “internal” sternite VIII, which is formed by two large, central sclerotized semicircular areas, one located above the other ( Fig. 11 ). In his detailed description of the genus, Young (1977) did not mention this structure (sclerites of the genital chamber in his terminology). In the valvulae II of the ovipositor, we call attention to the dorsal apical portion (i.e., the distal area between the last tooth and the blade apex), which has no denticles and is much shorter than the ventral dentate apical portion; the apex of the blade is broadly rounded ( Figs. 16, 20–21 ). These features of the valvulae II occur also in Ladoffa , a genus considered closely related to Iragua (see Young 1977: 357, fig. 286m of L. sannionis Young, 1977 ).

Figures

FIGURES 8 – 12. Iragua ferruginea Cavichioli, 1991, female. 8, dorsal habitus (length 10.9 mm; MNRJ specimen from the type-locality; modified from Wilson et al. 2009; antennae and legs not depicted). 9 – 10, sternite VII, ventral view (un- and macerated specimen, respectively). 11, “ internal ” sternite VIII, dorsal view. 12, valvifer I and pygofer, lateral view (scale bar: 0.5 mm). DPL: sternite VIII dorsal plate; EMR: sternite VII median emargination; GON: gonangulum; KEE: sternite VII median keel; PYG: pygofer; VLI: valvifer I; VPL: sternite VIII ventral plate.

FIGURES 13 – 22. Iragua ferruginea Cavichioli, 1991, ovipositor. 13, valvula I, lateral view (scale bar: 1 mm; arrow heads indicate location of Figs. 14 – 15, dorsal sculptured area). 16, valvulae II, lateral view (arrow heads indicate location of Figs. 17 – 19, teeth). 20 – 21, two views of the apical portion of the valvula II, lateral view (teeth of the left valvula shown at the lower portion of Fig. 20). 22, valvifer II and gonoplac, lateral view. DEN: denticle of valvula II tooth; DSA: valvula I dorsal sculptured area; DUC: duct; PPR: valvula II ventral preapical prominence; RAM: ramus; TOO: valvula II tooth; VID: ventral interlocking device; VLII: valvifer II.