Arytainilla serpentina, Percy Csiro, 2003

Percy Csiro, Diana M., 2003, Legume-feeding psyllids (Hemiptera, Psylloidea) of the Canary Islands and Madeira, Journal of Natural History 37, pp. 397-461 : 404-405

Arytainilla serpentina sp. n.

(figures 2B, 2E, 3, 18D)

Adult

Colour. Abdomen and head bright geen or yellow-green, thorax, genal cones and legs yellow; forewing membrane yellow-brown, becoming darker brown apically, veins uniformly pale.

Structure. Forewing coriaceous and narrow, margins more or less parallel or slightly wider in the middle third, with an acutely rounded apex; cells cu and m 1 2 relatively broad and low and cell r narrow with vein Rs running close to the costal 1

margin; pterostigma well developed, up to one-quarter the wing length; surface forewing spinules present in all cells but reduced in cell c+sc, dense: 60–100 per 0.1 mm 2; apical spines in wing cells cu, m and m but absent or occasionally few 1 1 2

present in cell r. Antennae short, with 10 segments; genal cones long, terminal setae 2

shorter than the vertex. Male genitalia as in figure 3F–I; in dorsal view, paramere apex contiguous anteriorly and rounded with an acute point; aedeagus distal segment bluntly rounded, not developed into a hook. Female genitalia as in figure 3E; proctiger apex is darkly pigmented and arched with an upturned tip; subgenital plate ventral profile angled medially; ovipositor large and robust. Egg slender with stout pedicel at the base.

Adult measurements and ratios. (3 W, 4 X) total length: W 3.24 –3.56, X 3.64–3.88; WL: W 2.6 –2.7, X 2.96–3.19; HW: W 0.76 –0.8, X 0.8–0.85; AL: 1.3–1.53; GC: 0.18–0.2; PB: 0.09–0.1. WLPT: 3.7–4.79; GCVL: 0.78–0.91; VLW: 0.43–0.49; WLW: 2.71–2.93; CUR: 2.33–2.71; MR: 0.47–0.69; TLFL: 1.02–1.09. Adult genitalia W: MP: 0.56–0.66; PL: 0.72–0.74; AEL: 0.5–0.51; MSLH: 1.24–1.27; AHS: 0.13; PLSH: 1.74–1.76. X: FP: 1.13–1.28; FSP: 0.96–0.99; RL: 0.23–0.25; OV: 0.54; EL: 0.2–0.28.

Nymph

Colour. Fifth instars bright green with thorax and head more yellow, wing pads and ventral abdomen pale orange; terminal antennal segments darker brown.

Fifth instar structure. Forewing pads and abdomen acute apically. Tergites extensively reduced on the thorax, typically not, or only posteriorly extending to the lateral margin on the abdomen. Arolium pad long, broadly expanded apically, with a distinct medial groove and short petiole. Circumanal ring broadly crescentshaped with well-rounded anterior lobes, outer ring not contiguous with the apical abdominal margin and with a single row of pores.

Fifth instar measurements. (Specimens 4) BL: 2.3–2.63; BW: 1.23–1.3; WL: 0.81–0.85; CPL: 0.84–0.87; CPW: 0.75–0.85; RW: 0.18–0.18; HW: 0.72–0.76; AL: 0.65–0.69.

Fifth instar chaetotaxy. Head and antennal setae simple; ocular seta small simple; primary post-ocular seta simple or slightly spathulate; secondary post-ocular seta indistinct. Dorsal thoracic setae very short simple. Wing pads without macrosetae, forewing and hindwing pads with minute simple setae only. Dorsal abdominal pre-caudal and caudal plate without macrosetae (only simple microsetae); sectasetae three pairs; marginal abdominal setae (other than sectasetae) two pairs, simple, or slightly spathulate; pleurite setae paired simple. Legs with simple setae only.

Host plant. Spartocytisus filipes .

Distribution. Canary Islands: La Palma.

Notes. This is the only representative of Arytainilla sensu stricto in the Canary Islands. It is sympatric with Arytaina vittata sp. n., but unlike the latter species it is restricted to the laurisilva habitat of the host, and in these locations on La Palma it was found to be more common than A. vittata sp. n.

Etymology. Named for the long and sinuous male paramere.

Comment. This species is unique within Arytainilla in the narrow, coriaceous forewing and the shape of the genitalia, particularly in the female.

Type material. Holotype W (slide mounted), Canary Islands, La Palma: rd El Granel to Barlovento and Roque Faro, 200–500 m, 19 May 1998 ( BMNH) . Paratypes 11 W, 8 X, 4 nymphs, as for holotype ( BMNH) . 1 W, 1 X, nr Los Galguitos, Barranco de la Fuente, 28°46∞N, 17°46∞W, 350 m, 17 May 1998 ( DZUL) . 9 W, 3 X, as for previous (NHMB).