Parnisa castanepronotum, SANBORN, 2020

SANBORN, ALLEN F, 2020, Eight new species and three new records of Neotropical cicadas (Hemiptera: Cicadidae) from Venezuela, Journal of Insect Biodiversity 16 (1), pp. 6-37 : 18-20

Parnisa castanepronotum sp. nov. ( Fig. 4 )

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Type material: Holotype. “ VENEZUELA: T.F. Amazon. / San Carlos de Rio / Negro / 1° 56’N 67° 03’W / 13–17 Dec. 1984 / R. L. Brown ” male ( MEMC). Paratypes. Same data as holotype, one male (AFSC).

Remarks. This is a very small species. The distinct postcostal area of the fore wings and the 5 apical cells of the hind wings in combination with the castaneous dorsolateral pronotum quickly distinguish it. The slightly curved dorsal beak, the elongated upper pygofer lobe with a finger-like extension curving dorsomedially toward but not reaching midline is also unique to the species.

Etymology. The name is a combination of castane– (L. castaneus, the color of chestnuts) and –pronotum in reference to the contrasting castaneous color of the dorsolateral pronotal disks.

Description

Ground color of head and thorax castaneous marked with piceous, abdomen tawny.

Head. Head wider than mesonotum, castaneous with piceous mark in posterior cranial depressions, crossing middle of epicranial suture anterior arm, and thin fascia on posterior half of median ocellus, supra-antennal plate tawny, anterior margin ochraceous in paratype. Ocelli red, eyes testaceous. Short silvery pile on dorsum, long silvery pile posterior to eye. Gena and lorum ferruginous, covered with short silvery pile and radiating long silvery pile. Postclypeus apex smoothly rounded anteriorly, centrally sulcate, extending from anterior to posteroventral margin around apex to anterodorsal surface, with eight transverse grooves, short silvery pile laterally and within transverse grooves. Postclypeus ground color, piceous marks on either side of midline on dorsal surface along frontoclypeal suture, dark castaneous marks on medial transverse ridges. Anteclypeus ground color, covered with short silvery pile. Rostrum castaneous with piceous lateral fasciae and castaneous tip, reaching to hind trochanters, radiating golden pile. Scape and distal pedicel ground color, remaining antennal segments castaneous.

Thorax. Thorax castaneous, marked with piceous and tawny. Pronotum medially, anterior margin, and pronotal collar tawny, disks dark castaneous with C-shaped piceous mark on either side of midline, piceous mark in medial side of anterior lateral fissure continuing onto anterolateral disk between paramedian and lateral fissures. Lateral part of pronotal collar absent. Pronotum covered with sparse, short silvery pile. Mesonotum castaneous with sparse silvery pile dorsally, denser anterolaterally, around posterolateral curve, and between anterior arms of cruciform elevation. Metanotum castaneous with lighter posterior margin, radiating dense castaneous pile dorsally and ventrally. Ventral thoracic plates tawny, covered with short and long silvery pile.

Wings. Fore wings and hind wings hyaline, with eight and five apical cells respectively. Venation tawny basally becoming testaceous distally in apical cells, except ochraceous proximal costal margin and proximal cubitus posterior+anal vein 1 and piceous proximal half of anal vein 2 + 3, pterostigma present. Basal cell hyaline. Basal membrane grayish with piceous posterior margin. Hind wing venation tawny basally and castaneous distally except ochraceous costal and median veins and castaneous anal vein 3, anal vein 3 short, about one-third the length of anal vein 2 with curved terminus, spot of infuscation on distal anal vein 2. Basal half of anal cell 3 gray, anal cell 2 along anal vein 3 to curve, anal cell 3 along anal vein 3 to curve margined with gray.

Legs. Tawny, dark castaneous marks on anterior and lateral coxae, femora striped with ochraceous, pretarsal claws tawny at base with dark castaneous tips, covered with short silvery pile, radiating long silvery pile from legs, additional long castaneous pile on tibiae and tarsi. Fore femora with proximal spine longest and most upright, secondary spine only angled slightly more, about as long as tertiary spine, tertiary spine angled more than secondary spine, and apical spine shortest, angled closest to the femoral axis. Spines castaneous with piceous margins and tips. Tibial spurs and tibial combs tawny with castaneous tips. Meracanthus ochraceous with tawny base, triangular, pointed, reaching middle of medial operculum.

Opercula. Male operculum tawny, ferruginous mark along lateral meracanthus in paratype, not covering tympanal cavity or reaching anterior margin of sternite II, lateral rectangular extension at base, lateral margin straight to smoothly curving posterolateral corner continuous with curving posterior margin, medial margin rounded, reaching to medial meracanthus, anteromedial margin smoothly curved to base, well separated from meracanthus. Operculum with short silvery pile, radiating long silvery pile from margin.

Abdomen. Abdominal tergites tawny, covered with silvery pile, longer pile on lateral surfaces, short piceous pile on dorsal midline. Timbal cover absent, timbal semi-transparent with castaneous anterior and lateral margins, with five long ribs. Sternites and epipleurites tawny, male sternite VII with transverse posteriorly margin, male sternite VIII with open V-shaped notch posteriorly, sternites with short silvery and radiating long silvery pile, denser laterally and on epipleurites, sternite VIII with long castaneous pile.

Genitalia. Pygofer tawny with short silvery pile, dorsal beak slightly curved, about twice as long as piceous anal styles. Upper pygofer lobe elongated from triangular base, finger-like extension curving dorsomedially toward but not reaching midline. Pygofer basal lobe very short, knob-like. Uncus lobes absent. Claspers thin laterally, curving mediad but not meeting along midline, with pointed terminus, medially forming a convex tawny plate with curved terminus, not meeting along castaneous midline. Aedeagus ochraceous with elongated pseudoparameres and large terminal membrane.

Measurements (mm). N = two males, mean (range). Length of body: 9.33 (8.70–9.95); length of fore wing: 12.80 (12.15–13.45); width of fore wing: 4.58 (4.45–4.70); length of head: 1.68 (1.65–1.70); width of head including eyes: 3.40 (3.30–3.50); width of pronotum including suprahumeral plates: 3.65 (3.60–3.70); width of mesonotum: 3.08 (3.05–3.10).

Diagnosis. The only known Parnisa species to inhabit Venezuela are P. moneta ( Germar, 1830) , P. licina sp. nov. and P. castanepronotum sp. nov. Parnisa castanepronotum sp. nov. can be distinguished from P. moneta by the ferruginous abdominal tergites with transverse piceous abdominal markings, the ferruginous abdominal sternites, the ferruginous costal margin of the fore wing, the hind wing anal vein 3 is about one third the length of anal vein 2, the male operculum is pointed medially, and the upper pygofer lobe is S-shaped in P. moneta . Parnisa castanepronotum sp. nov. is very similar to P. licina sp. nov. but they differ in the ferruginous head, mesothorax and anterior abdomen, the ferruginous ventrum, the pointed medial male operculum, and the pygofer upper lobes form an almost right angle in P. licina sp. nov.

Parnisa castanepronotum sp. nov. can be separated by its smaller body size from P. demittens ( Walker, 1858b) and P. proponens ( Walker, 1858b) (body lengths greater than 15 mm in these species). Parnisa lineaviridia Sanborn & Heath 2014 has more extensive thoracic markings, slightly longer body (male 11.1–12.5 mm, female 14.4 mm), and shorter fore wings (male 11.6–13.6 mm, female 14.0 mm). The body markings and general body coloration differentiate this new species from the unicolorous green P. viridis Sanborn & Heath 2014 . Parnisa designata ( Walker, 1858a) is castaneous with a red venter. Parnisa haemorrhagica Jacobi, 1904 is green with an reddish-orange abdominal venter. Parnisa angularis Uhler, 1903 has a ridged abdomen and brown-banded tergites, and P. protracta Uhler, 1903 has a red abdomen. The new species can be distinguished from P. fraudulenta ( Stål, 1862) by the longitudinal dorsolateral markings on either side of the abdominal midline extending to the posterior abdomen. Finally, P.santacruzensis Sanborn 2019a males have a unicolorous pronotum and inflated upper pygofer lobes that extend as finger-like projections that curve mediad and meet on the midline and females have longitudinal markings on the mesothorax and abdomen.

Distribution. The species is known only from the type series collected in the southwestern state of Amazonas, Venezuela. The collection locality is less than three km from Colombia and about 20 km from Brazil suggesting the distribution will expand into these countries with further collection efforts.

Figures

Figure 4. Parnisa castanepronotum sp. nov. A, holotype male habitus; B, holotype male dorsum; C, holotype male timbal; D, paratype male operculum; E, holotype male lateral view of genitalia; F, holotype male posterior view of genitalia. Scale bar: A, 2 cm; B, 3 mm; C–F, 1 mm.