Lamaxa occidentalis ( Muir, 1926 ) Bartlett & Kennedy, 2018

Bartlett, Charles R. & Kennedy, Ashley C., 2018, A review of New World Malaxa (Hemiptera: Fulgoroidea: Delphacidae), Zootaxa 4441 (3), pp. 511-528 : 517-518

Lamaxa occidentalis ( Muir, 1926) , New combination

= Malaxa occidentalis Muir, 1926: 7 .

( Figures 7–14 , 25–26 , 36 , 38 )

Type locality. Napo River near Tena , Ecuador.

Amended diagnosis. Color. Brownish-orange with characteristic paler and deep brown markings ( Figs. 7–12 ); paler on disc of pronotum, above the frontoclypeal suture, and on middle portion of antennal segment II; dark brown on dorsal portion of clypeus, distal portion of antennal segment I, proximal and apical portion of antennal segment II, pronotal paratergites [often also marked with white], dorsum or mesonontum and the ventral portion of mesopleuron (details varying intraspecifically). Wings clear, usually with white marking along PCu in clavus (often faded in older specimens) and a broad dark, transverse, crescent-shaped marking, opened proximad [sometimes inclosing whitish patch], and a narrow dark crescent opening caudally along nodal line and trailing margin of wing to near wing apex; sometimes also a dark bar from nodal line diagonally to the near wing midline; sometimes also darkened near apex of clavus; details and extent of markings varied by species and locality. Structure. Body slender and elongate; length (from apex of vertex to tip of tegmina) males x ‾ = 4.97 mm (4.71–5.33 mm, n=4); females x ‾ = 5.31 mm (5.10–5.62 mm, n=6). Head much narrower than pronotum ( Figs. 7, 10 ), carinae concolorous. Lateral carinae of clypeus, frons and vertex distinct, other carinae obscure, especially near fastigium. Frons elongate and parallel-sided, widest at frontoclypeal suture, narrowed to fastigium ( Figs. 9, 12 ; l:w x ‾ = 2.6:1, range 2.3–3.2:1, n=10). Vertex longer than broad at base (l:w x ‾ = 1.4:1, range 1.2–1.5:1, n=10), distally narrowing and projected slightly in front of eyes; submedian carinae uniting before fastigium, basal compartments longer than wide. Rostrum reaching metathoracic coxae. Antennae cylindrical, both segments very long ( Figs. 10, 12 ), surpassing apex of clypeus (and apex of mesonotum; Figs. 10, 12 ), segment I close to half length of II (ratio I:II 0.4–0.5:1), length antennal segment I x ‾ = 0.47 mm (range 0.41–0.52, n=10), II x ‾ = 1.05 (range 0.95–1.11, n=10) (segment I about 0.67 × length of frons, II 1.49 × length of frons). Pronotum shorter than vertex in middle line (0.44–0.71: 1), lateral carinae usually not attaining hind margin. Mesonotum longer in middle line than vertex and pronotum together (1.21–1.72:1). Wings elongate (x ‾ = 4.3 mm, range 3.9–4.6, n=9), much longer than abdomen, nodus at about 2/3 length, wing apex acutely rounded ( Fig. 36 ); apparently, Sc, RA, RP and MP unbranched, CuA 3-branched; fork of SC+RA from RP distad of fork of CuA (inner subapical cell longer than outer subapical cell); fusion of PCu with AA in basal third of clavus. Spinulation of hind legs 5-7-5 (or 5-6-5). Pygofer irregularly quadrilateral in lateral view ( Fig. 26 ), in caudal view opening carinate, midventrally with forked process ( Figs. 13 , 25 , 41 ), dorsocaudal margins expanded and inflected to partially enclose anal tube ( Fig. 42 ). Diaphragm of pygofer evident, armature absent. Gonostyli broad basally, basal angles prominent, diverging and narrowed distally to apically to blunt or acute apex (similar to Fig. 40 ). Aedeagus elongate and tubular ( Figs. 14 , 26 , 38 ) with large, flattened, rather membranous subapical ventral process, with (as oriented in Figure 14 ) anterior teeth on margin of flattened process and elongate spine near midlength of anterior margin. Anal tube (anal segment) small, without processes.

Plant associations. Label reads “ex: Cana / silvestre”, and Muir (1926) reports this as Gynerium sp. ( Poaceae ); however, the common name is also used for the exotic grasses Arundo donax L. or Saccharum spontaneum L., although we assume that Muir correctly reported the plant association.

Distribution. Bolivia, Ecuador, Colombia, Costa Rica; tentatively also Peru.

Remarks. A male paratype (barcode UDCC_TCN 00042688) examined here was evidently the reference subject for Muir’s (1926) figure 6 (compare with Figure 14 ). The specimen has had the abdomen removed and cleared, the parts of the male terminalia disarticulated and mounted in balsam between to microscope cover slips, which in turn are inserted into a cardboard holder and pinned beneath the specimen. This technique was frequently used for specimens studied by Muir (possibly by W. Giffard).

Specimens varied noticeably in coloration, especially in the extent and intensity of the dark patterning; but no substantive genitalic differences were found among specimens. Some specimens were noticeably faded, particularly the oldest specimens and these that had been collected into alcohol.

Material examined. Paratypes “ Napo, River / Ecuador / Apr. 5–10, 1923 // F. X. Williams / Collector / Paratype // [handwritten, partly illegible] Napo R. / ex Cana silvestre” (1 male, 3 females BPBM; 1 female USNM) . Other Material Examined. COSTA RICA: Heredia, near Puerto Viejo, La Selva Biological Station , 18– 19 Aug. 2003, C. R. Bartlett (1 female, UDCC) ; same 20 Aug 2003 (1 male, UDCC); same 28 Feb. 2004 (1 female, UDCC); Limon, 24 km SE of Limon , 4 Aug 1990, W. F. Chamberlain (1 male, TAMU) . BOLIVIA: Santa Cruz, 3.7 km SSE Buena Vista, Hotel Flora & Fauna , 14–28 Oct 2000, M. C. Thomas (2 female, UDCC) ; Santa Cruz, nr. Buena Vista , 13-Nov-09, G. J. Svenson (1 male, UDCC) . COLOMBIA: Choco [Department], PNN Utría Centro de Visitantes , 15–30 Oct, 2000, J. Perez, Malaise Trap sample m.816 (2 male, UKIC) ; same, 30 June 2000 – 5 July 2000, M. Sharkey, Malaise trap (1 female, UKIC), same, J. Perez , 15 Sept 2000 – 7 Sept 2000, Malaise trap m.820 (1 female, UKIC) ; Meta, Villavicencio, vic. Gunaviche Estadero, nr Rio Guatiquía ; 4.1751, -73.63722, 1465 ft [447 m], 3-5.vii.2013, J E Eger & A A Calixto, MV Light (3 male, UDCC) . Tentatively included: PERU: Huanuco, 5 km s. Tingo Maria, P[uen]te Perez , 600m, 9 20’51”S, -75 58’51”W, 25 Oct 2002, C. H. Dietrich, [sample] 02-41-1, merc. vapor light (1 female, INHS) .

Figures

FIGURES 7–14. Lamaxa occidentalis (7–9, 13–14 paratype male, Napo River, Ecuador; 10–12 La Selva Biological Station Costa Rica); 7, habitus dorsal view; 8, habitus lateral view; 9, frontal view; 10 habitus dorsal view; 11, habitus lateral view; 12, frontal view; 13, pygofer, caudal view (embedded in balsam); 14, aedeagus, connectives, gonostyli and anal tube, left lateral view (embedded in balsam).

FIGURES 25–29. Male genitalia of Lamaxa occidentalis (25–26) and Xalama microstyla (27–29); 25, pygofer, semiventral view (note shape of process on ventral margin of pygofer opening); 26, pygofer, left lateral view; 27, pygofer, left lateral view; 28 pygofer, near caudal view; 29, pygofer, ventral view (note shape of process on ventral margin of pygofer opening).

FIGURES 35–37. Forewing, line art, leading margin ventrad; 35, Malaxa acutipennis; 36, Lamaxa occidentalis; 37, Xalama microstyla.

FIGURES 38–42. Redrawn line art; 38, Lamaxa occidentalis, aedeagal complex (aedeagus, connective, gonostyli) and anal tube from Muir 1926 (figure 6); 39 Malaxa microstyla, lateral view of terminalia, from Muir 1930 (figure 7); 40, Lamaxa gracilis, caudal view of pygofer (Fennah 1945, figure 94); 41, Lamaxa gracilis, median process of pygofer, ventral view (Fennah 1945, figure 91); 42, Lamaxa gracilis, anal segment and expanded dorsocaudal portion of male pygofer, posterodorsal view (Fennah 1945, figure 93).