Fidicinoides coffea, Sanborn, Moore and Young, 2008

Sanborn, Allen F., Moore, Thomas E. & Young, Allen M., 2008, Two new cicada species from Costa Rica (Hemiptera: Cicadomorpha: Cicadidae) with a key to the species of Fidicinoides in Costa Rica, Zootaxa 1846, pp. 1-20 : 3-10

Fidicinoides coffea sp.n.

(figs. 1–13)

Fidicina “coffea” nom. nud. Young 1977: 270–272 (ecology).

Fidicina “coffea” nom. nud. Duffels and van der Laan 1985: 91 (catalogue, as nom. nud.).

Fidicina “ coffea ” Young 1981: 131 (illustrated), 133–141 (ecology).

Fidicina sp. 2, the “coffee cicada”, F. coffea Young 1984: 170 –171 , 176–177 (host associations), 179 (population census).

Type material. COSTA RICA. HOLOTYPE: male ( MCPM), “ Alajuela Prov., San Ramon I-16-1973, A.M. Young coll./ Fidicina sp. Det. A.M. Young”. PARATYPES: 9 males and 1 female ( MCPM except 1 male and female AFSC) same data as holotype; 1 male ( MCPM) same data as holotype except “San Ramono” [misspelling of San Ramón]; 3 males and 1 female ( MCPM) same data as holotype but I-16-1973; 1 female same data as holotype but I-16-1973 and “Copulating 2:30 PM”; 1 male ( MCPM) same data as holotype but I-12- 1973; 1 male ( MCPM) but I-16-1973 and A.M. Young & T. Moore coll.; 1 male ( UMMZ) “San Ramon, C.R., I-16-1973 A.M.Y. [tape recorded: UMMZ Tape #’s TEM73(14, 17, & 20)]”; 1 male ( MCPM) “San Ramon, Costa Rica, C.A., I-6-1973 A.M.Y.”; 1 male ( MCPM) “San Ramon, Costa Rica, C.A., I-6-1973 A.M.Y.”; 1 female ( LACM) “San Vito, Punta. Prov., 12–16-V-1967, coll. J. Robertson/ LA Co. Mus. Pogue’75”; 1 female ( UMMZ) “Puntarenas Prov., 6 km. S. San Vito, 0 8o 42’N 83o 00’W, III-19-21-1967 ”; 1 female ( FSCA) “Puntarenas Prov., 4 mi. S. of San Vito, 4000 ft, IV-26-28-1967, D.R. & M.L. Paulson coll.”; 1 male ( FSCA) “Prov. Puntarenas, Finca Cafrosa, Tajo, 1 km. O. del Tajo. 1500 m. 4 MAR 1997. E. Navarro. L_S_319350_596470 #45583/ INBIO CR 1002 557259”; 1 male ( CASC) “Prov. Puntarenas, Finca Cafrosa, Embalca, 800 m NO de Tigra. 1280 m. 9-10 Feb 1997. E. Navarro. L_S_317800_596200 #45444/ INBIO CR 1002 490399”; 1 female ( INBC) “Prov. Puntarenas, Fca Cafrosa, Est. Las Mellizas, P.N. Amistad. 1300 m. April 1989. M. Ramirez & G. Mora. 316100.599200 / INBIO CR 1000 009837”; 1 male ( INBC) “Prov. San J, Est Santa Elena, Viejo, Santa Elena, Las Nubes. 1210 m, 20–24 NOV 1995. B. Gamboa, de Lus_L_S_371750_507800 #6432/ INBIO CR 1002 357542”; 1 male ( AFSC) “Puntarenas, San Vito, Las Cruces, 14 FEB. 1988, Col. A. Solis/ INBIO CR 1001 021398 ”; 1 male and 2 females (male and 1 female UMSP, 1 female AFS) “Puntarenas, Rio Jaba at rock quarry, 1.4 km (air) W Las Cruces, 8.79o N, 82.97o W, 15.iii.1991, el. 1150 m, Holzenthal, Muñoz, Huisman”; 1 male ( AFSC) “Limón, Parque Nacional Braulio Carrillo, Quebrada Gonzalez, 10.160o N, 83.939o W, 12–14.v.1990, el. 480 m, Holzenthal & Blahink”; and 1 male ( MCPM), “no data/ Fidicina sp., Det. A. Young”.

Etymology. The species is named for the association with shade trees in coffee ( Coffea arabica L.) plantations.

Description.

Coloration. Ground color of head, thorax and abdomen olive green tinged with tawny (fig. 1).

Head (fig. 2). Slightly wider than mesonotum. Thin transverse fuscous band across head encompassing ocelli, incomplete between lateral ocelli to one-third distance to eye on vertex. Medial terminus of lateral portion of transverse line separated into a spot in some paratypes. Line continues anteriorly along eye border terminating posterior to medial eye almost encircling eye. Mark surrounding medial ocellus extending anteriorly to frontoclypeal suture, incomplete in some paratypes resulting in a spot along frontoclypeal suture. Small fuscous spot on supra-antennal plate, reduced in some paratypes. Large fuscous spot between lateral postclypeus and eye, connected to eye in some paratypes. Fine golden pile on head, longer and denser between median ocellus and frontoclypeal suture, posterior to eye, and on ventral head. Postclypeus transverse grooves fuscous except most posterior dorsal groove and most posterior two ventral grooves which lack markings and medially marked third ventral groove. Marks from four central grooves fuse medially in central sulcus. Marks in apical grooves connect in some paratypes enclosing a circular green spot on medial postclypeus. Lateral marks on postclypeus between epicranial suture and spot on supra-antennal plate and along middle portion of lorum. Lateral surfaces of postclypeus tawny. White pile laterally, in transverse grooves and central sulcus. Anteclypeus with fuscous spot on anterior lateral corner, tawny posteriorly covered with white pile laterally. Rostrum tawny tinged with green, becoming testaceous then fuscous at tip reaching to posterior borders of hind leg coxae. Lorum fuscous except for tawny anterior third and lateral margin, covered with long, white pile. Genae tawny. Scape tawny, pedicel fuscous with tawny lateral stripe, antennal flagellum fuscous.

Thorax (fig. 2). Pronotum marked with fuscous posterior to anterior margin except at midline, mark extending into anterior portion of paramedian and lateral fissures. Mark extends across midline and may form lateral spot on pronotum of some paratypes. Small transverse testaceous mark on each side of midline in ambient fissure, fused to a single spot in some paratypes. Mesonotum with fuscous fascia along parapsidal suture. Fuscous marks on anterior lateral submedian sigilla and medial lateral sigilla extending from under pronotal collar, reduced in some paratypes. Fuscous mark in anterior depression of cruciform elevation. Metanotum with fuscous anterior line between wing groove and cruciform elevation. Thorax covered with fine, silvery pile, longer along posterior and lateral mesonotum, on submedian sigilla and between anterior arms of cruciform elevation. Short black pile on lateral and posterior mesonotum. Ventral thoracic plates tawny except green anepisternum 1. Basisternum 2 fuscous with tawny posterior edge. Fuscous marks on lateral trochantin 2, anepisternum 2, posterior border of episternum 3, and Y-shaped mark along the sutures between basisternum 3, episternum 2 and katepisternum 2.

Legs. Green marked with tawny. Coxae edged proximally and distally with tawny, entirely tawny in hind legs. Fore and middle leg trochanters with lateral fuscous edge proximally, hind trochanter tawny. Fore femora with two small spines distally along the under ridge, proximal spine upright, distal spine smaller and obliquely angled. Tibiae green becoming tawny distally. Tarsi testaceous except proximal tawny pretarsus, tawny in hind leg. Claw tips fuscous.

Tegmina and wings (fig. 1). Hyaline. Basal venation of tegmina green except tawny anal vein 2 + 3, arculus and node. Some proximal venation marked with tawny in paratypes. Costal margin green with small testaceous bumps. Wing venation fuscous except green proximal portion of cubitus anterior, cubitus posterior and anal vein 1 and tawny proximal portion of radius posterior, median vein, anal vein 2 and anal vein 3. Plaga and margins along anal veins 2 and 3 grayish.

Operculum (figs. 4, 5). Male operculum tawny with green lateral border, not reaching the posterior margin of abdominal segment II. Anterior operculum border fuscous, mark expanding posteriorly into spot lateral to the meracanthus. Operculum rounded posteriorly and medially. Hind border sinuate. Opercula separated along midline, medial portion bent ventrally over protruding sternite I. Meracanthus tawny with fuscous base. Anterior operculum and meracanthus base covered with white pile. Female operculum triangular, similarly marked, reaching medially to lateral meracanthus.

Abdomen (fig. 1, 3). Dorsal abdominal tergites tawny anteriorly, green posteriorly, green faded to tawny in some paratypes. Tawny proportion increasing on posterior tergites until completely tawny by tergite 8. Fuscous spots on anterior border of tergite 3 lateral to midline. Tergites covered with long silvery pile. Black pile forming a spot on lateral tergite 2 which extends onto posterior timbal cover. Black pile forming incomplete arch across abdomen beginning medially on anterior border of tergite 3, expanding laterally and posteriorly on tergite 4, on lateral half of tergites 5 and 6 and anterior lateral quarter of tergite 7. Long silvery pile on posterior lateral portion of tergite 6 interrupts black marking. Medial third of tergite 7 covered with black pile which appears to extend onto tergite 8 forming a small arch. Sternites tawny, spiracles white. Sternites III–VI semitransparent. Small transverse marks lateral to midline on posterior sternite II and anterior sternite III. Sparse silvery pile on sternites. Black pile along midline from sternite III to anterior sternite VII, widest lateral extension on sternite III. Timbal cover incomplete, exposing timbal medially.

Male genitalia (figs. 6, 7, 8). Pygofer tawny with fuscous mark on anterior lateral surface. Long black pile forming spot on distal lateral surface. Uncus rectangular with medial lobe arched dorsally and lateral lobes curved ventrally forming approximate right angle. Terminal median and lateral uncus lobes forming squared U-shape into which aedeagus fits that is notched laterally. Aedeagus milky white. Endotheca ferruginous with three terminal spines.

Female genitalia (figs. 9, 10). Sternite VII with rounded notch. Abdominal segment 9 tawny with fuscous lateral stripe that expands distally between the dorsal beak and ventral midline. Posterior terminus tawny. Long, silvery pile along dorsal and proximal lateral surface. Black pile on lateral surface distally. Long, tawny pile ventrally. Ovipositor sheath fuscous, extending same distance as tip of dorsal beak.

Measurements (mm). N = 26 males or 9 females, mean (range). Length of body: male 23.6 (20.8–26.6), female 22.5 (21.5–23.4); length of tegmina: male 35.5 (32.5–37.6), female 35.6 (33.9–37.2); width of tegmina: male 10.8 (10.0–11.8), female 10.8 (10.2–11.4); length of head: male 3.3 (3.0–3.8), female 3.4 (3.1– 3.5); width of head including eyes: male 9.5 (8.9–10.0), female 9.5 (9.1–9.9); width of pronotum including suprahumeral plates: male 9.4 (8.8–10.0), female 9.6 (9.3–10.0); width of mesonotum: male 8.3 (7.8–9.2), female 8.3 (8.2–8.6).

Notes. Fidicinoides coffea is most similar in general coloration to F. c a c h l a ( Distant 1899). However, F. coffea is a smaller species with a body length less than 25 mm while F. c a c h l a has a body length between 31 and 34 mm.

Fidicinoides coffea is distributed along the Cordillera Central of Costa Rica with collection sites between 480–1220 m elevation in the Meseta Central and NW Pacific escarpment regions characterized by moist forest habitats (Young 1977, 1981). The known distribution comes from the type material which includes the specimens used in the studies of Young (1977, 1981, 1984).

The species has been collected in montane wet (rain) forests during the dry season (March–August) and has been associated with shade trees in coffee plantations ( Young 1981). Nymphal exuviae have been associated with legumes, particularly with trees Zygia longifolia (Willd.) , Inga goldmanii Pittier and Inga sp. ( Young 1981, 1984). The populations are variable between sites with estimates ranging from a mean of 100– 420 cicadas per year in specific localities ( Young 1984).

The calling song of F. coffea (figs. 11–13), based on an analysis of 13 recorded songs, is a series of 8–20 short buzzy but slightly musical phrases with a duration of from 0.5 to 1 s with a peak frequency among the broad band of frequencies produced of 5,756–5,812 Hz. The phrases are repeated at a rate of 1–1.5 phrases/s. A useful mnemonic for the sound of the repeated phrases is zooweet…zooweet…etc. The phrases near the end of a song are sometimes interspersed with a rougher sounding buzz of up to 9 much shorter pulses produced much more rapidly, seeming to run together the zooweet phrases. The disturbance squawk is a series of buzzes of irregular duration with a broad band of frequencies similar to the calling song.