Melanastera francisi, Serbina & Malenovský & Queiroz & Burckhardt, 2025

Serbina, Liliya Š., Malenovský, Igor, Queiroz, Dalva L. & Burckhardt, Daniel, 2025, Jumping plant-lice of the tribe Paurocephalini (Hemiptera: Psylloidea: Liviidae) in Brazil, Zootaxa 5585 (1), pp. 1-164 : 63-64

20 Melanastera francisi sp. nov.

( Figs 9J , 16C , 25T–Y )

Type material. Holotype ♂: Brazil: RORAIMA: Mucajaí, Campo experimental Serra da Prata , Embrapa , N2.3983, W60.9800, 90 m, 16–17.iv.2015, Xylopia aromatica (D. Burckhardt & D.L. Queiroz) #163(2) ( UFPR; dry).

Paratypes. Brazil: MATO GROSSO: 1 ♂, 1 ♀, Sorriso, Fazenda Mazzardo II, S12.4645, W55.7840, 390 m, 25.vii.2014 ( T. Mazzardo) # P001 ( NHMB; dry; NMB-PSYLL00003007) ; 1 ♂, same but S12.4244, W55.8503, 390 m, 26.vii.2014 # P020 ( NHMB; dry; NMB-PSYLL00003009) ; 2 ♂, 8 ♀, same but S12.4217, W55.8432, 390 m, 15.viii.2013 ( NHMB; dry, 70% ethanol; NMB-PSYLL0007874, NMB-PSYLL0003232, NMB-PSYLL0003233) .— RORAIMA: 18 ♂, 16 ♀, Boa Vista, 28 km E Boa Vista, Campo Experimental Água Boa , N2.6717, W60.8400, 90 m, 2.iv.2015, Xylopia aromatica (D. Burckhardt & D.L. Queiroz) #154(1) ( NHMB; 70% ethanol; NMB-PSYLL0007875) ; 7 ♂, 1 ♀, 15 immatures, 3 skins, same but Guatteria sp. (D. Burckhardt & D. L. Queiroz) #154(4) ( NHMB; 70% ethanol; NMB-PSYLL0007876, NMB-PSYLL0008317) ; 12 ♂, 17 ♀, Boa Vista, Embrapa campus, N2.7550, W60.7300, 80–100 m, 20.iv.2015, Xylopia aromatica (D. Burckhardt & D.L. Queiroz) #169(1) ( NHMB; 70% ethanol; NMB-PSYLL0008495) ; 7 ♂, 14 ♀, 7 immatures, same as holotype but ( NHMB, UFPR; dry, slide, 70% ethanol; NMB-PSYLL0007877, NMB-PSYLL0008258, NMB-PSYLL0008259, NMB-PSYLL0008260, NMB-PSYLL0008261, NMB-PSYLL0008262, NMB-PSYLL0007888, NMB-PSYLL0007889 [LSMelmac- 12], NMB-PSYLL0007890 [LSMelmac-12]) ; 21 ♂, 21 ♀, 6 immatures, same but km 442–440 along BR-174 S Mucujaí, N2.3583 /3850, W60.9133 / 9167, 100 m, 17.iv.2015 (D. Burckhardt & D. L. Queiroz ) #165(1) ( MMBC, NHMB; dry, slide, 70% ethanol; NMB-PSYLL0007878, NMB-PSYLL0008625, NMB-PSYLL0008626, NMB-PSYLL0007879 [LSMelmac-12], NMB-PSYLL0007880 [LSMelmac-12], NMB-PSYLL0007881 [LSMelmac-12], NMB-PSYLL0007882 [LSMelmac-12], NMB-PSYLL0007883, NMB-PSYLL0007886, NMB-PSYLL0007887) .

Description. Adult. Coloration as in M. cacantis sp. nov.

Structure. Forewing ( Fig. 16C ) ovoid, widest in the middle, broadly and unevenly rounded apically; wing apex situated in cell r 2 near apex of M 1+2; C+Sc curved in distal third; pterostigma wider than cell r 1 in apical third, strongly convex; Rs irregularly convex, strongly curved in apical third; M longer than M 1+2 and M 3+4; Cu 1a irregularly convex, ending at M fork; cell cu 1 short and wide; surface spinules present in all cells, very dense, leaving no spinule-free stripes along the veins. Hindwing with 9–12 ungrouped costal setae. Metatibia bearing 5–6 apical spurs, arranged as 2–3 + 3–4, anteriorly separated by 4 bristles.

Terminalia ( Fig. 25T–Y ). Male. Proctiger long, moderately produced in basal third posteriorly; densely covered with long setae in apical two thirds. Subgenital plate irregularly ovoid; dorsal margin weakly curved, posterior margin almost straight; with densely spaced long setae. Paramere, in lateral view, irregularly lamellar, with irregular posterior lobe in basal half; paramere apex, in lateral view, subacute, directed anteriad, in dorsal view, forming short digitiform process, pointed, directed inwards and slightly anteriad, with a sclerotised tooth; both outer and inner faces with dense, long setae; posterior margin with very long setae. Proximal segment of aedeagus with apical part sclerotised and strongly subdivided. Distal segment of aedeagus weakly sinuate in basal half; ventral process situated slightly proximad of the middle of the segment, in lateral view, spatulate, with a narrow base, broadest slightly posterior of the middle and with narrow, claw-like apex strongly curved dorsad; in ventral view, ventral process broad, distinctly broader than apical dilation, and subtrapezoidal basally, with a short and narrow, apically rounded median lobe arising from the base ventrally; apical dilation, in lateral view, long, narrow, with subparallel margins and rounded apex, base bearing small membranous extension at dorsal margin, in dorsal view, apical dilation slightly constricted submedially or subparallel-sided between ventral process and apex; sclerotised end tube long and almost straight.—Female terminalia cuneate; densely covered with setae. Dorsal margin of proctiger, in lateral view, concave distal to circumanal ring, apex narrow and subacute, in dorsal view, apex pointed; circumanal ring, in dorsal view, cruciform. Subgenital plate, in lateral view, gradually narrowing to pointed apex; in ventral view, apex blunt.

Fifth instar immature. Coloration. Yellow; antenna brownish yellow to pale brown, segments 6–8 with dark brown apices, segments 9–10 entirely dark brown; cephalothoracic sclerite, wing pads, legs and caudal plate pale brown.

Structure. Eye with one short, simple ocular seta dorsally. Antennal segments with following numbers of pointed sectasetae: 1(0), 2(1), 3(0), 4(2), 5(0), 6(2), 7(1), 8(1), 9(0), 10(0). Forewing pad with five marginal pointed sectasetae; hindwing pad with two marginal pointed sectasetae; both pads lacking sectasetae or larger lanceolate setae dorsally. Tarsal arolium broadly fan-shaped apically, 1.5 times as long as claws. Abdomen with one lateral pointed sectaseta on either side anterior to caudal plate. Caudal plate with anterior margin remote from anterior margin of extra pore fields; with 2 + 3 pointed sectasetae on either side laterally, and three pointed sectasetae near circumanal ring on either side dorsally. Extra pore fields forming continuous outer and inner bands, consisting of relatively small oval and round patches; outer band relatively long medially, end pointing outwards. Circumanal ring small.

Host plant. Guatteria sp. , Xylopia aromatica (Lam.) Mart. ( Annonaceae ).

Distribution. Brazil (MT, RR).

Derivation of name. Dedicated to Francis Halley Queiroz Sant’Anna, son of D.L. Queiroz.

Comments. Melanastera francisi sp. nov. differs from the other species of the amazonica -group as indicated in the keys. It also shares a similar forewing venation and similar type of terminalia with M. olgae sp. nov. but differs from the latter in the dotted forewing (versus uniformly coloured).

Figures

FIGURE 9. Melanastera spp., head, dorsal view. A, M. parva sp. nov.; B, M. guatteriae sp. nov.; C, M. macaireae sp. nov.; D, M. tijuca sp. nov.; E, M. falcata sp. nov.; F, M. spinosa sp. nov.; G, M. amazonica sp. nov.; H, M. cacantis sp. nov.; I, M. xylopiae sp. nov.; J, M. francisi sp. nov.

FIGURE 16. Melanastera spp., forewing. A, M. cacantis sp. nov.; B, M. xylopiae sp. nov.; C, M. francisi sp. nov.; D, M. roraima sp. nov.; E, M. tubuligera sp. nov.; F, M. umbripennis sp. nov., ♂; G, M. umbripennis sp. nov., ♀; H, M. nasuta sp. nov.; I, M. australis sp. nov.; J, M. obscura sp. nov. Scale bars: 0.2 mm.

FIGURE 25. Melanastera amazonica sp. nov. A, ♂ terminalia, lateral view; B, paramere, inner face, lateral view; C, distal segment of aedeagus, lateral view; D, distal segment of aedeagus, dorsal view; E, paramere, dorsal view; F, ♀ terminalia, lateral view.—M. cacantis sp. nov. G, ♂ terminalia, lateral view; H, paramere, inner face, lateral view; I, paramere, dorsal view; J, distal segment of aedeagus, lateral view; K–L, distal segment of aedeagus, dorsal view; M, ♀ terminalia, lateral view.—M. xylopiae sp. nov. N, ♂ terminalia, lateral view; O, paramere, inner face, lateral view; P, distal segment of aedeagus, lateral view; Q, distal segment of aedeagus, dorsal view; R, paramere, dorsal view; S, ♀ terminalia, lateral view.—M. francisi sp. nov. T, ♂ terminalia, lateral view; U, paramere, inner face, lateral view; V, distal segment of aedeagus, lateral view; W, distal segment of aedeagus, dorsal view; X, paramere, dorsal view; Y, ♀ terminalia, lateral view. Scale bars: 0.1 mm.