Bubalopa obscuricornis Stål, 1869

Flórez-V, Camilo & Evangelista, Olivia, 2021, A revision of the treehopper genus Bubalopa Stål illuminates the systematics of Hyphinoini (Hemiptera: Auchenorrhyncha: Membracidae), Zootaxa 5052 (4), pp. 529-551 : 548-550

Bubalopa obscuricornis Stål, 1869

( Figs. 9E–H )

Bubalopa obscuricornis Stål, 1869: 314 ; Funkhouser, 1927: 118; Metcalf & Wade, 1965: 702; McKamey, 1998: 476.

Diagnosis: Overall color ochraceous yellow with brown spots and bands, legs brown. Suprahumeral horns direction formula of 35º (frontal), 25º (dorsal); dorsal carina of suprahumeral horns distinctly marked; dorsal contour widely arched from metopidium to its maximum elevation above humeral angles, then descending sinuously to apex of posterior process.

Description: ADULT. Color: Overall color ochraceous yellow with brown spots and bands, punctation dark brown. Head ochraceous yellow spotted brown, ocelli yellow, frontoclypeus with two longitudinal brown bands sublaterally. Pronotum yellow ochraceous on metopidium, supra-ocullar callosities brown, suprahumeral horns and area between them brown, yellow on anterior and dorsal carina; impressions behind humeral angles ochraceousyellow, area above with a U-wide brown band extended until half of pronotum, then yellow ochraceous until apex of posterior process with a brown tip; lateral margins yellow anteriorly and brown posteriorly. Ventral area of head, thoracic sternites and coxae brown with ochraceous yellow margins. Forewings entirely brownish hyaline. Legs ochraceous yellow. Surface: Silver pubescence accompanied each punctation. Head: Subtriangular, supraantennal ledges sinuous, frontoclypeus ventral margin sinuous, apex acute. Thorax: Pronotum with suprahumeral horns 1.5X as long as wide in its base, suprahumeral horns direction formula 35º (frontal), 25º (dorsal); dorsal carina of suprahumeral horns distinctly marked; dorsal contour widely arched from metopidium to its maximum elevation above humeral angles, then descending sinuously to apex of posterior process.

Male genitalia, female genitalia and nymph morphology unknown.

Measurements: Female (n=1, mm): Body length: 10.09; forewing length: 8.94; pronotal length: 8.89; pronotum height: 2.08; pronotal width: 3.32; head width: 3.42; vertex width: 2.45; vertex length: 1.75.

Biology: Unknown.

Distribution: COLOMBIA ( McKamey 1998), VENEZUELA ( Fig. 11 ).

Examined Material: VENEZUELA: Trujillo: “Venezuela, Trujillo, Boconó, 8/2/81, colector: Bordón”, “ Bubalopa obscuricornis Stål ” [A.M. Sakakibara det.] 1 female ( DZUP) .

Remarks: This species can be easily distinguished from other Bubalopa by its unique color pattern, dark brown with nearly symmetrical, slightly irregular yellow patches, and robust suprahumeral horns, distinctly enlarged at the base. The posterior process is comparatively lower than other species, yielding a more slender and elongate body shape in lateral view. Although ‘Bogota’ was stated as the type-locality in the original description, the term was used in the 19 th century to refer to multiple sites in Colombia. The specimen examined in this study represents the first record of Bubalopa from Venezuela.

The syntype (s) of B. obscuricornis could not be located, despite an extensive search of European repositories. Stål (1869) stated that the type material was deposited in the Museum of Stockholm [“Mus. Holm.”, NHRS]. The single specimen at NHRS marked as Bubalopa obscuricornis is clearly not part of Stål’s type collection (Gunvi Lindberg, pers. comm.). This specimen is also misidentified to species: it is, in fact, a representative of Eualthe laevigata ( Fairmaire, 1846) . In the absence of type specimens, we based our identification on the original description of B. obscuricornis , which independently matched a previous identification by A.M. Sakakibara. The specimen illustrated here ( Figs. 9E–H ) is a single female from the Bordón collection, currently on loan to DZUP and examined by Dr. Sakakibara.

Figures

FIGURE 9. Holotype of Bubalopa iguaque Flórez-V and Evangelista sp. nov.:A) Frontal view. B) Dorsal view. C) Lateral view. D) Frontolateral view. Bubalopa obscuricornis Stål, 1869: E) Frontal view. F) Dorsal view. G) Lateral view. H) Frontolateral view.

FIGURE 11. Distribution map of Bubalopa furcata, B. iguaque sp. nov., and B. obscuricornis.