Taphura crispula, Sanborn, 2017

Sanborn, Allen F., 2017, Generic redescription, seven new species and a key to the Taphura Stål, 1862 (Hemiptera: Cicadidae: Cicadetttinae: Taphurini), Zootaxa 4324 (3), pp. 451-481 : 462-464

Taphura crispula n. sp.

( Fig. 3 )

Type maerial. Holotype. “ ECUADOR: Napo Province / Estación Cientifica Yasuni / 00° 40’28”S, 76° 38’50”W / IX-5-10-1999, UV light / Coll. E.G. Riley, 215 m. ” one male ( TAMU).

Etymology. The species epithet is derived from crispulus (L. curly, diminutive) in reference to the arching and curling genitalia of the male.

Description. Ground color castaneous marked with piceous, ochraceous, and green.

Head. Head wider than mesonotum, castaneous with transverse piceous fascia between eyes surrounding lateral ocelli extending anteriorly along lateral portion of median ocellus and epicranial suture to lateral portion of transverse frontoclypeal suture and posteriorly to medial head. Supra-antennal plate green. Ocelli rosaceous. Eyes golden. Head covered with short, silvery pile, longer and more dense posterior to eye. Ventral head piceous covered with short and long silvery pile. Postclypeus with ten transverse grooves, piceous except greenish castaneous oval on ventral midline extending to apex, castaneous semicircular marks on lateral regions of ventral side and castaneous line on midline of dorsal surface. Anteclypeus piceous. Postclypeus and anteclypeus with short and long silvery pile. Rostrum with ochraceous mentum, labium castaneous becoming darker to piceous tip, reaching to hind trochanters. Scape and pedicel piceous, remaining antennal segments castaneous.

Thorax. Dorsal thorax castaneous. Pronotum with green fascia on dorsal midline constricted to narrowest point posterior to medial paramedian fissure, greenish anterior margin, and pronotal collar. Piceous marks across medial terminus of paramedian fissure, within lateral fissure connecting through ambient fissure, the transverse portion across the midline is thickened and extends onto anterior margin of pronotal collar. Mesonotum castaneous with piceous submedian and lateral portion of lateral sigillae, piceous mark along midline expanding on disc posterior to submedian sigillae encompassing scutal depressions and region between anterior arms of cruciform elevation, anterior portion of anterior arms and anterior portion of the lateral cruciform elevation. Piceous on posterior half of lateral mesonotum. Metanotum ochraceous. Dorsal thorax covered with short silvery pile, longer pile between anterior arms and laterally between arms of cruciform elevation, on posterior mesonotum and along wing grooves. Ventral thoracic segments piceous medially, ochraceous laterally, ochraceous region may be green in fresh specimens as lateral regions are greenish. Ventral segments covered with short and long silvery pile.

Wings. Fore wings and hind wings hyaline, fore wing with eight apical cells, hind wing with six apical cells. Venation ochraceous proximally, becoming piceous distally, except piceous anal vein 2 + 3 and piceous mark along anterior basal cell. Infuscation on marginal area extending from terminus of radius anterior 1 around apex of fore wing to apical cell 3. Basal membrane grayish testaceous. Hind wing venation ochraceous proximally, piceous distally, except greenish cubitus posterior and anal veins 1, 2, and 3. Proximal vanal fold gray. Infuscation on distal apical cell 2 and wing margin posterior to anal cell 1.

Legs. Legs ground color, coxae with piceous mark on base, trochanters greenish medially, femora greenish distally, tibiae greenish proximally, proportion becoming greater in posterior legs, fore and middle tibiae piceous distally, tarsi becoming fuscous distally. Fore femora with piceous lateral stripe enclosing four oblique spines, each spine becoming smaller distally. Tarsi piceous proximally and distally, green in the middle, pretarsal claws piceous. Tibial spurs and comb ground color.

Operculum. Opercula ochraceous with piceous mark on medial margin that extends onto opercular extension, piceous mark near lateral margin of base, greenish mark on lateral base. Remainder of operculum greenish with lateral margin rounded to sinuate posterior margin, rounded medial margin and curving anteromedial margin, reaching to abdominal sternite I and not covering tympanal cavity. Meracathus ground color with piceous base, not reaching posterior margin of operculum. Long silvery pile on operculum surface and radiating from margin.

Abdomen. Abdomen ground color with transverse piceous mark on anterior margin, extending across auditory capsule, and green along posterior margin covered with short silvery pile. Timbal with five ribs, whitish gray with piceous spot on anterior margin. Sternites similarly colored except piceous covers majority of sternites I–IV and entire sternites V–VII, sternite VIII piceous with medial castaneous mark on posterior half. Sternites covered with long and short silvery pile.

Genitalia. Male pygofer ground color with piceous dorsal beak and green spot at small upper lobe of pygofer. Pygofer basal lobe split with triangular median portion and lateral portion with pointed extension bent at an approximate right angle. Silvery pile on pygofer, longer around dorsal beak and at base of bent extension of basal lobe. Anal styles piceous, surrounded by green anal tube. Claspers dark castaneous, elongated and reducing to point at terminus, bent at an approximate right angle when viewed from the side, meeting along midline before curving laterad in posterior view. Aedeagus castaneous, tubular with spine-like terminus.

Female is unknown.

Measurements (mm). N = 1 male. Length of body: 11.7; length of fore wing: 14.3; width of fore wing: 5.7; length of head: 1.7; width of head including eyes: 4.1; width of pronotum including suprahumeral plates: 4.2; width of mesonotum: 3.6.

Diagnosis. The male genitalia, particularly the shape of the claspers, quickly separate male specimens of T. crispula n. sp. from other species of Taphura as each species has highly unique genitalia. All species except the small T. minusculus are generally similar in size. The lack of infuscation on the apex of the fore wings of T. maculata , T. misella , T. debruni , and T. demissa n. sp. differentiates them from this new species. The spots and Wshaped mark on the head quickly differentiate T. boulardi and T. egeri , respectively, from this new species. The abdominal tergites lack a transverse piceous mark on the anterior side in T. cernuunca n. sp., T. dolabella n. sp., T. hastifera , T. lanceola n. sp., T. maccagnani n. sp., and T. sauliensis . The frons is angled to the postclypeus in T. attiguclava n. sp., T. charpentierae and T. nitida rather than forming an approximate right angle as in this new species.

Remarks. Even though the species is currently known only from a single individual, the genitalia of the holotype is significantly different from any other species of Taphura and supports the contention that it represents a new species.

Distribution. The species is currently known only from the holotype collected in Ecuador.

Figures

FIGURE 3. Taphura crispula n. sp.: A, holotype male habitus; B, holotype male dorsum; C, holotype male timbal cover; D, paratype male operculum; E, holotype male lateral view of genitalia; F, holotype male posterior view of genitalia. Scale bar: A, 2 cm; B, 2 mm; C, 0.5 mm; D – F, 1 mm.