Chremistica flavialata Lee and Marshall, 2023

Lee, Young June, Marshall, David C., Mohagan, Alma B., Hill, Kathy B. R. & Mohagan, Dave P., 2023, Revised checklist of Cicadidae (Insecta: Hemiptera) of Mindanao, Philippines, with descriptions of a new genus and nine new species, Journal of Natural History 57 (1 - 4), pp. 193-242 : 206-209

7. Chremistica flavialata Lee and Marshall sp. nov.

( Figures 7 , 8 )

Type material

Holotype. Male, specimen code 12.PH. MN. MUS.15, PHILIPPINES, Mindanao, Bukidnon, Maramag , Mt. Musuan , 7°52.62 ʹ N, 125°4.19 ʹ E, 5 May 2012, K.B. R. Hill, D.C. Marshall and A.B. Mohagan ( NMPM).

Paratypes. 1 male, PHILIPPINES, Mindanao, Bukidnon, Maramag , Bayabason, P 4B, 8 May 2012, R. Estorco and A.B. Mohagan ( UCONN); 3 males, PHILIPPINES, Mindanao, Malaybalay City, San Martin, 24 August 2010, A.B. Mohagan ( UCONN) .

Etymology

The specific name is the Latin prefix flavi -, meaning ̍yellowish̾, plus the feminine form of the Latin adjective alata, meaning ̍winged̾, in reference to the wings of this species, which are deeply tinged with yellowish brown.

Measurements of types (5 males)

Length of body: 33.8 (31.9–37.1). Length of head and thorax together: 15.9 (15.0–16.9). Length of abdomen: 17.9 (16.4–20.2). Width of head including compound eyes: 12.8 (12.4–13.5). Width of pronotum: 13.3 (12.5–14.1). Width of mesonotum: 11.2 (10.7–11.7). Width of abdominal tergite 3: 13.2 (12.7–13.9). Length of fore wing: 42.0 (39.3–45.6). Width of fore wing: 13.7 (12.9–14.7). Wing span: 94.3 (88.2–102.3).

Description of male

Head. Eyes slightly narrower than pronotum (including pronotal collar).Vertex black with the following reddish-brown marks, sometimes interrupted or incomplete: a pair of T-shaped marks between ocelli and compound eyes; and a pair of inverted L-shaped marks between postclypeus and compound eyes. Distance between lateral ocelli and compound eyes distinctly longer than distance between lateral ocelli. Antenna black to fuscous. Postclypeus moderately swollen.Postclypeus black in about anterior one-fourth but reddish brown (or dull ochraceous in discoloured specimens) in remaining part with black transverse fasciae along transverse grooves. Anteclypeus reddish brown with a pair of large elliptical black marks occupying most of the anteclypeus except for median longitudinal part and anterior and posterior margins. Rostrum reddish brown to ochraceous but black apically and with longitudinal median fascia on labium; nearly reaching posterior margin of hind coxae. Lorum dull brown to ochraceous with a large black patch on inner corner. Gena reddish brown to ochraceous with broad black patch on anterior margin.

Thorax. Inner area of pronotum black to fuscous with a pair of narrow transverse ochraceous fascia on anterior margin and median longitudinal thick ochraceous fascia, and irregularly spread dull purplish patches. Pronotal collar dull light green (or ochraceous in discoloured specimens) with dull ochraceous antero-lateral part and a pair of branch-like black marks derived from lateral corner of inner area. Anterolateral pronotal collar slightly developed and roundly angulated. Mesonotum black with the following dull greenish ochraceous (or reddish ochraceous in discoloured specimens) marks: median W-shaped mark along outside of submedian sigilla, extending to anterior arms of cruciform elevation; and a pair of longitudinal marks along lateral margin of mesonotum, connected to the median W-shaped mark posteriorly. Cruciform elevation reddish brown (dull brown in discoloured specimens) medially but dull light green (ochraceous in discoloured specimens) laterally with the following black marks: antero-median spot; narrow fascia along posterior margin; and a pair of spots on middle of anterior arms. Thoracic sternites dull brown to dull ochraceous with some black trivial marks. Legs reddish brown to ochraceous. Fore femur with a small subapical spine as well as primary and secondary spines; with black to fuscous fascia along midline of ventral side. Fore tibia black to fuscous. Fore- and mid tarsi mostly black to fuscous. Fore-, mid- and hind pretarsal claws fuscous apically.

Wings hyaline, tinged slightly with greenish yellow, especially basally. Fore wing venation dull greenish ochraceous (ochraceous in discoloured specimens) basally and brownish to fuscous apically, without infuscation. Basal cell more tinged with green. Basal membrane grey (tinged with green in fresh specimens). Hind wing jugum grey.

Operculum reddish brown with black antero-lateral margin; much longer than wide, with slightly oblique and convex lateral margin and rounded apical margin; nearly reaching or slightly passing beyond posterior margin of abdominal sternite II. Opercula meeting medially.

Abdomen slightly longer than head and thorax together; black with a pair of narrow white pubescent fasciae along anterior margin of tergite 3. Abdominal tergite 3 wider than head including compound eyes. Timbal cover tinged with purple, wider than long. Abdominal sternites mostly reddish brown, but sternite II ochraceous to reddish ochraceous or greenish ochraceous with fuscous mark.

Genitalia. Pygofer diamond-shaped in ventral view with angles rounded. Uncus shaped like flower shovel, with roundly pointed apex and without lateral protrusions. A pair of claspers originating from lateroventral uncus hidden behind uncus and lateral lobes. Aedeagus without subapical or ventral processes. Basal lobe of pygofer long, with roundish apex and with slender finger- or thumb-like protrusion branching out at subapical inner part of the basal lobe. Lateral lobe present, much longer than basal lobe and obliquely covering basal lobe. Dorsal beak narrowly triangular.

Remarks

This new species is similar to Chremistica tagalica (Stål, 1870) (TL: Philippine Islands) in marks and colours on the body but can be distinguished from C. tagalica mainly by the following characteristics: head comparatively narrow (vs wider than width of pronotal collar in C. tagalica ); pronotal collar with short and wide triangular black mark on medioposterior margin (vs without such a mark in C. tagalica ); male abdomen comparatively wide or thick, with tergite 3 wider than head including compound eyes (vs comparatively narrow or slender, with tergite 3 narrower than head including compound eyes in C. tagalica ); transverse white marks on abdominal tergite 3 narrow (vs broader, covering whole tergite 3 laterally, in C. tagalica ); uncus without bumps on underside (vs with bumps in C. tagalica ); and, finally and most importantly, basal lobe of pygofer with slender finger- or thumb-like protrusion branching out at subapical inner part of the basal lobe (vs with very short protrusion at subapical inner part of the basal lobe in C. tagalica ).

Song ( Figure 8 )

The holotype male was recorded for about 102 s at 2.58pm on 5 May 2012.A further recording of 103 s of anonymous males from the same location on 7 July 2010 was also examined. Song is produced in phrases of 9.5– 11.5 s duration, separated by slightly shorter gaps. A song phrase contains a complex range of 12–13 major frequency bands appearing at intervals of about 0.65 kHz from 1.8–8.9 kHz,with the middle frequencies being the loudest (much weaker bands extend beyond this range). The acoustic character of the song is dominated by a synchronised sharp frequency and amplitude modulation of about 8–9 cycles/s at the beginning of the phrase, accelerating to 12/s during the middle section, which is also louder, and then slowing again. The spectrum of frequencies also shifts slightly downward in concert by about 100–200 Hz during the central section of the phrase, and then rebounds. Sound pulses produced at about 588–606/s form the most basic structure of the song.

Figures

Figure 7. Chremistica flavialata Lee and Marshall sp. nov., male, Mindanao, Philippines. (A) Dorsal habitus of holotype; (B) ventral habitus of holotype; (C) pygofer, ventral view.

Figure 8. Chremistica flavialata Lee and Marshall sp. nov., holotype male calling song. Waveforms (A, C) and spectrograms (B, D) are shown at two time scales.