Heremusina udeoecetes, Ewart, 2018

Ewart, A., 2018, Two new genera and five new species of Mugadina - like small grass cicadas (Hemiptera: Cicadidae: Cicadettini) from Central and Eastern Australia: comparative morphology, songs, behaviour and distributions, Zootaxa 4413 (1), pp. 1-56 : 16-22

Heremusina udeoecetes n. sp.

Figs. 2A to 7A, 8, 12 to 15, 30, Pl. 1.

Types. NORTHERN TERRITORY. Holotype, male, NTM I0110536, 12 km W. Tanami Des. Rd. -Stuart Hwy jct. (20km N. Alice Springs), N.T., 19–21.xii.2005, A.E., grassland in flood plain, 23°32.99'S 133°45.56'E (NTM).

Paratypes. NORTHERN TERRITORY. 1 ♀ , paratype NTM I 010537, 12 km W. Tanami Des. Rd. - Stuart Hwy jct. (20 km N. Alice Springs), N.T., 19–21.xii.2005, A.E., grassland in flood plain, 23°32.99'S 133°45.56'E ( NTM). 1♂, 6km W. Tanami Des. Rd. - Stuart Hwy jct (20 km N. of Alice Springs), N.T., grassland, 14.xii.2005, A.E., 23°33.16'S 133°48.81'E; 1♀, 12 km W. Tanami Des. Rd. - Stuart Hwy jct. (20 km N. Alice Springs), N.T., 19– 21.xii.2005, A.E., grassland in flood plain, 23°32.99'S 133°45.56'E (QM). 22♂, 12 km W. Tanami Des. Rd. -Stuart Hwy jct. (20 km N. Alice Springs), N.T., 19–21.xii.2005, A.E., grassland in flood plain, 23°32.99'S 133°45.56'E; 1♂, 1♀, 15 km S. Plenty Hwy jct., Stuart Hwy (53 km N. Alice Springs ), N.T., mulga/grass, 22.xii.2005, A.E., 23°14.74'S 133°46.21'E ; 2♂, 1♀, 3 km E. Hermannsburg Rd. jct. (at Hermannsburg ), N.T., mulga, A.E., 23.xii.2005, 23°55.91'S 132°48.54'E ; 1♂, 7 km E. Hermannsburg Rd. jct. (at Hermannsburg), N.T., mulga, A.E., 23.xii.2005, 23°56.52'S 132°50.54'E; 4♂, 37 km E. Hermannsburg Rd. Jct . (at Hermannsburg), N.T., mulga, 23.xii.2005, A.E., 23°57.82'S 133°06.75'E (AE). 1♂, 1♀, 12 km W. Tanami Des. Rd. - Stuart Hwy jct. (20 km N. Alice Springs), N.T., 19–21.xii.2005, A.E., grassland in flood plain, 23°32.99'S 133°45.56'E ( ANIC). 1♂, 12 km W. Tanami Des. Rd. - Stuart Hwy jct. (20 km N. Alice Springs), N.T., 19–21.xii.2005, A.E., grassland in flood plain, 23°32.99'S 133°45.56'E ( BMNH). 1♂, 12 km W. Tanami Des. Rd. -Stuart Hwy jct. (20 km N. Alice Springs), N.T., 19–21.xii.2005, A.E., grassland in flood plain, 23°32.99'S 133°45.56'E (MSM).

Distribution ( Fig. 8 ). Known from various locations around Alice Springs, Northern Territory. These include locations along the Tanami Desert Road for at least 12 km west of the junction with the Stuart Highway; 15 km south of the Plenty Highway junction with Stuart Highway junction; more western locations are near Hermannsburg, and eastwards for at least 37 km along the Larapinta Drive.

Habitat. The dominant habitat is low grassland in very arid environments, with only sporadic rains, invariably with scattered acacia shrubs and low trees. Emergences follow significant rains. Available specimens captured in December.

Description. Male (Pl. 1A). Head: Supra-antennal plate shiny black with pale straw colour along anterior margins; postclypeus black, pale sandy-yellow around margins, extending partially along transverse grooves; narrow central vertical fascia, pale straw yellow, extending ventrally from near anterior margin of dorsal surface to midway along postclypeus; dorsal surface predominantly black with mid area pale straw yellow; gena and mandibular plate pale straw yellow, covered by pale yellow pubescence; vertex and frons shiny black with small brown areas adjacent to posterior margins of eyes and with a pale straw yellow fascia extending along epicranial suture, slightly widening distally, extending from between the two lateral ocelli, not reaching the anterior ocellus, and extending to pronotal margin; ocelli medium red; compound eyes dark brown; anteclypeus pale sandy yellow anteriorly, dark brown to black posteriorly; rostrum dark brown; antennae brown, darker apically.

Thorax: Pronotum predominantly medium brown and black; a central narrow pale yellow-brown central fascia extending from pronotal anterior margin to adjacent to pronotal collar, the central fascia enclosed by a black envelope which strongly spays out anteriorly along a third of anterior pronotal margin, and posteriorly even more strongly halfway along pronotal collar; remainder of pronotum medium brown with broken black patches adjacent to the paramedian and lateral fissures; metanotum pale to medium brown, darker along dorsal midline. Mesonotum with broad black submedial and lateral sigilla, the latter with irregular margins; the submedial sigilla, although initially narrowing distally, expand into the anterior area of the cruciform elevation including the scutal depressions; remainder of mesonotum, including wing grooves, pale yellow to sandy-yellow; cruciform elevation mostly pale straw yellow, brown on crest and partially on anterior arms.

Wings: Fore wing; pterostigma pale to medium brown; costal and R+Sc veins mostly pale yellow-brown, remaining venation brown, tending darker distally; basal membrane pale brown. Hind wing venation mostly pale brown, no infuscations; plaga colorless to off-white.

Legs: Coxae patchy pale to dark brown; trochanter, femora and tibiae similarly coloured; tarsi mostly deep brown, claws medium brown, spines on femora black; meracantha spike poorly developed.

Opercula: domed distal area pale green, remaining areas pale yellow-brown;

Timbals: Long ribs not strongly sclerotised; long rib 4 continuous across height of timbal; relative length of long rib 5 slightly variable between specimens; intercalary ribs very weakly developed.

Abdomen: Tergite 1 black to deep brown dorsally, submedially pale straw-yellow, laterally dark brown; tergite 2 black along dorsal midline extending to posterior margin, narrowing sharply submedially, the black pigmentation extending along anterior tergite margin to, and covering most of auditory capsule, remainder of colouration sandy brown; tergites 3 to 8 with localised black areas along dorsal midline, these progressively decreasing in size towards tergite 8, remaining colouration distinct greenish-brown, tending yellow-brown dorsally; intersegmental membranes pale brown. Sternites pale yellow to straw yellow, with intersegmental membranes on sternites II and III pale brown; sternite VIII pale straw yellow.

Genitalia: Pygofer with patch areas of medium to dark brown dorsally and submedially, remainder strawyellow; essential genital structures as in generic diagnosis.

Female (Pl. 1B). Colouration and markings are similar to the male, with small variations.

Head: Supra-antennal plate black with pale yellow-brown along anterior margins; postclypeus pale sandy brown laterally, extending along transverse grooves, narrow black to dark brown on transverse ridge; the broad vertical central area between the ridges pale yellowish-green; dorsal surface with a pair of conspicuous black oblong markings extending to, and partially around frons; remainder of dorsal surface pale straw colour; gena and mandibular plate pale straw yellow, covered by pale yellow pubescence; vertex and frons shiny black, with broad pale yellow area between median ocellus and frons, and narrow yellow brown margin adjacent to posterior margins of eyes; frons straw yellow; black colouration on vertex extends as narrow black rims around lateral ocelli; posterior margin of vertex and the epicranial suture straw yellow; ocelli medium red; compound eyes deep brown; anteclypeus yellow-green, dark brown along labrum and mentum extending to apical termination of rostrum, this extending to mid coxae; antennae deep brown.

Thorax: dominantly pale green to greenish brown, becoming straw-yellow dorsally; central pale yellow-green fascia, made conspicuous by narrow black to deep brown envelope developed on the lateral margins (tending slightly wider anteriorly), notably broader on and adjacent to posterior termination, but absent on anterior termination of fascia; narrow deep brown to black along both sets of fissures, joining together medially between the paramedian fissures; pronotal collar pale straw colour with narrow black anterior lateral margin, this widening adjacent to lateral angles of pronotal collar; anterior margin of pronotum pale straw-yellow. Mesonotum with fused submedial sigilla extending irregularly in shape towards the lateral arms of cruciform elevation; lateral sigilla broad, black, also with very 'broken' and irregular margins, extending to scutal depression, but not quite reaching lateral cruciform elevation arms; cruciform elevation mostly pale brown; remaining mesonotal area variably pale straw-yellow to very pale brown. Metanotum clearly visible dorsally, pale straw yellow to pale brown.

Wings: As in male.

Legs: Coxae, trochanters, femora and tibiae predominantly straw-yellow to very pale brown, the coxae with short darker fasciae on anterior margins, paler brown narrow fasciae also on femora; tarsi slightly darker brown, claws medium to dark brown.

Abdomen: Tergite 1 predominantly pale to medium green tending brown on submedial anterior margins; tergites 2 to 8 pale to medium green with conspicuous black areas along dorsal midline, these broadest on tergite 2, extending submedially along anterior margin, but narrowing slightly towards, and reaching posterior margin of tergite; these dorsal black areas progressively decrease in size from tergites 2 to 8, being just a narrow spot dorsally on tergite 8; these dark areas extend across the intersegmental membranes on tergites 2 to 4, but not on 5 to 8; tergite 9 pale straw-yellow to pale green, with a pair of submedial narrow, dark fasciae extending from anterior margin to stigma, then each sharply bending inwards towards dorsal midline, but although not joined, each moves closer to the dorsal midline forming a distinct V-shaped fascia, joining at the dorsal beak. Sternites 2 to 3 mainly pale greenish-yellow, becoming more consistently straw-yellow from sternites 4 to 7; ovipositor sheath extends 1.0– 1.3 mm beyond termination of final sternite.

Measurements. N= 9♂ 6♀. Ranges and means (in parentheses), mm; BL: ♂ 9.9–11.3 (10.8); ♀ 9.7–11.2 (10.4). FWL: ♂ 11.1–12.2 (11.7); ♀ 11.2–12.2 (11.5). HW: ♂ 3.0–3.2 (3.1); ♀ 2.8–3.3 (3.1). PW: ♂ 2.7–3.0 (2.8); ♀ 2.6–3.1 (2.9). AW: ♂ 4.3–4.6 (4.4); ♀ 3.4–3.9 (3.6). FWL/WR: ♂ 2.53–2.69 (2.57); ♀ 2.39–2.68 (2.50).

Etymology: A Greek-derived descriptive word for a ground dweller, this insect inhabiting low grassland, in an arid environment, the grassland responding to sporadic summer rains.

Figures

FIGURE 8. Map of Central and Northeastern Australia, showing the currently known occurrences of Heremusina udeoecetes n. sp., H. pipatio n. sp., Xeropsalta thomsoni n. sp., X.aridula n. sp., and X. rattrayi n. sp. The heavy dot-dash line shows the approximate northern and eastern boundaries of the ecoregion which defines the dominance of deserts and xeric shrublands within inland Australia (based on National Reserve System map, published by the Australian Government). The fine dotted lines are major roads, the names of some prominent towns listed. Lake Eyre and associated ephemoral lakes are shown by the darker shading. The approximate outlines of the modern dunefields comprising much of the Simpson and Strzelecki deserts are shown by the lighter shading, these based on 'Google Earth' images.

FIGURE2. Lateralabdomen views of the five new species described in thispaper;(A), (B), Heremusina udeoecetes n. sp.and H. pipatio n. sp.; (C) to (E), Xeropsalta thomsoni n. sp., X. aridula n. sp., X.rattrayi n. sp., respectively.