Paurocephala bifasciata Kuwayama, 2002

Mifsud, D. & Burckhardt, D., 2002, Taxonomy and phylogeny of the Old World jumping plant-louse genus Paurocephala (Insecta, Hemiptera, Psylloidea), Journal of Natural History 36 (16), pp. 1887-1986 : 1947-1948

Paurocephala bifasciata Kuwayama , stat. rev.

(gures 12A, C, E, G, I, 37)

Paurocephala bifasciata Kuwayama, 1931: 119 . Syntypes, Taiwan: Taihoku , 28 May 1920 and 16 October 1923, Ficus erecta var. beecheyana (R. Takahashi) (EIHU) , not examined.

Synonymized with P. chonchaiensis Boselli , by Sasaki, 1954: 31.

Description. Species of the chonchaiensis type.

Adult: head yellow, coronal suture and areas around median and lateral ocelli brown; vertex covered by long setae. Clypeus brown. Antenna yellow, distal half of segment 4, distal two-thirds of segment 6, distal half of segment 8 and entire segments 9 and 10 brown; segment 9 with a long seta in basal quarter. Thorax brown and covered by long setae dorsally, yellow to brown laterally and ventrally. Metascutellar horn large, pointed apically. Forewing including pterostigma transparent with two brown bands, from costal break to anal break and towards apex, from apical third of Rs vein towards apical half of Cu1a vein, often a small light brown spot present in cell cu2; veins light brown, apically brown to forewing margin. Forewing with short setae on veins (vein Rs with 17–20 setae); Rs vein strongly curved at apical third. Surface spinules present in all cells of forewing; radular spinules present in m2, reduced in cu1. Legs yellow, last tarsal segment dark brown. Meracanthus long, almost straight laterally, rounded apically. Abdominal tergites brown, sternites and genitalia, yellow to white. Male paramere short and straight, truncate to rounded apically, few short setae posteriorly visible from lateral view; inner surface with two hooks apically, one to three stout setae basally. Measurements and ratios as in table 2A–C.

Fifth instar larva: colour white to light yellow throughout. Antenna 3-segmented, agellum indistinctly subdivided; segments 1 without a sectaseta, segment 2 with one sectaseta, agellum with ve sectasetae grouped in 2, 2 and 1. Dorsal sclerites covered by sectasetae as large as marginal ones and few inconspicuous simple setae. Forewing pad with seven to nine sectasetae and one or two inconspicuous simple setae marginally; humeral lobe lacking. Caudal plate rounded marginally, apically with a shallow excavated grove; sectasetae present dorsally and marginally. Arolium triangular and petiolate, extended basally. Anus ventral, outer circumanal ring with a single row of pores, laterally multiporous. Measurements and ratios as in table 3.

Host plants. Paurocephala bifasciata was described from material collected on Ficus erecta var. beecheyana (Hook. and Arn.) King. Uye (1937) recorded the species from Ficus foveolata Pittier and material was recently collected on Covellia hispida (L. f.) Miq. ( Moraceae ).

Distribution. China ( Hong Kong), Taiwan ( Kuwayama, 1931; Yang, 1984 pro parte (p.p.), Japan (Kyushu) ( Uye, 1937) (Shikoku and Honshu) ( Miyatake, 1964) (Ishigaki and Iriomote Islands) ( Miyatake, 1965) and Vietnam ( Klimaszewski, 1970). Other records in the literature are erroneous (see under comments).

Material examined. China: 4, 4, 2 larvae, Hong Kong, New Territories, 13 May 1974, Covellia hispida (D. S. Hill) ; 1, same data but Shing Mun Country Park , 250–320 m, 4 December 1988 (C. Lienhard); 8, 11, 13 larvae, Hong Kong Island , Botanic Gardens , 2 March 1990 (J. H. Martin); 17, 25, 49 larvae, same data but the Peak tram station, 25 November 1999 . Taiwan: 2, 2, Nantou, Kuantaochi , 26 June 1979, Ficus erecta var. beecheyana (C. T. Yang) . Japan: 1, 4, Kyushu, Mt. Wakasugi , near Fukuoka, 16 February and 5 April 1958, Ficus foveolata (Y. Miyatake) . Vietnam: 1, Lan Dong Province , 14 km S of Bao Loc, 7 May 1997 (K. Matsumoto) ( BMNH, MHNG, NHMB, NMNS, OMNH, TULE). Dry and slide mounted and preserved in alcohol .

Comments. A number of records citing P. chonchaiensis Boselli may in fact concern partly or entirely P. bifasciata (e.g. Miyatake, 1964, 1965; Klimaszewski, 1970; Yang, 1984 p.p.; Takahashi, 1936 p.p.).