Tico Bahder & Bartlett, 2021

Bahder, Brian W., Zumbado Echavarria, Marco A., Barrantes Barrantes, Edwin A., Helmick, Ericka E. & Bartlett, Charles R., 2021, A new genus and two new species of planthopper in the tribe Cenchreini (Hemiptera: Auchenorrhyncha: Derbidae) from lowland tropical rainforest in Costa Rica, Zootaxa 4908 (3), pp. 369-392 : 373-374

Tico Bahder & Bartlett , gen. n.

Type species. Tico emmettcarri Bahder & Bartlett sp. n.

Diagnosis. Small (~ 3 mm, Tables 2, 3), pale cenchreine derbids with variably marked, clear wings. Frons moderately compressed (length at midline about 4x dorsal width), median carina absent, with transverse carinae near fastigium separating frons from clypeus; lateral carinae of frons and clypeus keeled, bearing row of sensory pustules. Forewing with ScP branch preceding apex of clavus (resulting in long marginal cell). Pygofer with distinct expansion (but not projections) on lateral margins, ventral margin of opening without lobe. Gonostyli long and spatulate, apex rounded, with a medially directed dorsal lobe near midlength (lobes absent on ventral margin). Aedeagus nearly bilaterally symmetrical, lacking subapical projections on shaft, terminating in complex array of retrorse processes. Anal tube elongate, in lateral view ventral margin weakly concave, apex inflected downward, apex truncate; in dorsal view broadly spatulate.

Description. Small, pale species (length with wings 2.98–3.10 mm for included species), with clear wings bearing dark markings. Head with frons moderately compressed (median carina absent), narrowest between eyes, widest at frontoclypeal suture, bearing transverse carina separating frons and vertex (usually marked by small visible hump in lateral view). Lateral carinae of vertex and frons strongly keeled, bearing a row of pits. Vertex roughly triangular, narrowed distally, anterior margin concave between carinae, posterior margin strongly concave between eyes. Pronotum tricarinate on disc (median carina weak), elevated posteriorly; at midline subequal in length to vertex; anteriorly convex, following contours of head, posteriorly weakly concave; lateral paradiscal areas expansively developed into foliations surrounding (and broadly overtopping) the antennae posteriorly. Mesonotum tricarinate, wider than long. Post-tibia lacking lateral spines, apical spinulation (8-7)-(7-6)-6. Forewings broad, clavus apex near midlength; Sc branch just proximad of claval apex; forking of CuA proximad of fork of Sc+RA with RP. Terminalia bilaterally symmetrical or nearly so. Pygofer narrow in lateral view, opening caudally projected on lateral margins (lacking projection on ventral margin). Gonostyli spatulate with dorsal, medially directed projection near midlength, apex rounded. Aedeagus symmetrical, complex endosoma, shaft simple (lacking processes). Anal tube elongate in lateral view, apex truncate and arched downward, paraproct short.

Remarks. Tico gen. n. as comprised here is composed of three species Tico emmettcarri sp. n., (the type species, described below), Tico pseudosororius sp. n. (described below), and Tico sororius (Fennah) new combination. Our molecular data supports Tico emmettcarri sp. n., and Tico pseudosororius sp. n. as a clade. Cenchrea sororia Fennah is here transferred into Tico gen. n. to give the new combination Tico sororius (Fennah) for reasons described below.

The species described here in Tico gen. n. initially appeared to belong to Cenchrea . Results of molecular analyses and consideration of some comments of Fennah (1952) led us to describe these taxa in a new genus. Fennah (1952) emphasized the distinctness of C. dorsalis (the type species) relative to the remaining species in Cenchrea , and suggested that C. dorsalis and the remaining taxa might be placed in different subgenera. Study of available Cenchrea specimens, along with available molecular data seems to support Fennah’s (1952) assertion. However, because specimens (or photos) of Cenchrea bipunctata (Muir) and C. sexguttata Fennah (the latter described from females) are not available to us, we are reluctant to speculative on their generic placement. For C. exquisita Uhler , differences in morphology (viz. the shape of the face and the presence of large falciform processes on the lateral margins of the pygofer opening, absent in both species placed in Tico gen. n.) would require a much more expansive definition of Tico gen. n. than we were comfortable making in the absence of supporting molecular data (sequencing available specimens was not successful). In contrast, we place Cenchrea sororia in Tico (as Tico sororius (Fennah) comb.) because of its unmistakable similarity to T. pseudosororius sp. n. (photos of Tico sororius show only slight differences), and the placement removes the diagnostic exception in the key to genus by both Fennah (1952) and O’Brien (1982).

Specifically, the diagnostic feature Cenchreini keys by Fennah (1952: 128) and O’Brien (1982: 308) is “tegmina with subcostal cell short (not extending basad of claval apex)”, a feature found in both Cenchrea and Contigucephalus Caldwell. This feature reflects that the Sc branches at the level of (or distal to) the apex of the clavus, making the marginal cell between the Sc and RA branches short. For species we place in Tico gen. n., the Sc branches before the level of the claval apex, resulting in a longer marginal cell then the species we retain in Cenchrea . Additional diagnostic comments under ‘Remarks’ following the amended description of Cenchrea .

There is some sexual dimorphism in the genus with males more slender and with narrower forewings than females and males tending to be more darkly marked.

Etymology. The generic name is to be treated as an arbitrary combination of letters, alluding to a colloquial term referencing something from Costa Rica. The term is masculine in gender.