Melanastera variegata, 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 : 47-48

10 Melanastera variegata sp. nov.

( Figs 8J, 15A, B, 23E–J)

TypE matErIaL. HOLOtypE ♂: Brazil: AMAZONAS: Novo Airão, Parque Nacional de Anavilhanas , S2.5366 /6217, W60.8327 /9559, 20 m, 16.iv.2014, Guatteria sp. (D. Burckhardt & D. L. Queiroz) #128(1) ( UFPR; dry).

Paratypes. Brazil: AMAZONAS: 2 ♀, Manaus, Sede Embrapa, Campo Experimental , AM-010, km 29, S2.8950, W59.9733, 100 m, 27–30.iv.2014 (D. Burckhardt & D. L. Queiroz) #133 ( NHMB; dry, slide; NMB-PSYLL0008139, NMB-PSYLL0008171 [LSMelvar-56 A]) ; 1 ♂, 13 immatures, same as holotype but ( NHMB; slide, 70% ethanol; NMB-PSYLL0008135, NMB-PSYLL0008167 [LSMelvar-56 A], NMB-PSYLL0008165, NMB-PSYLL0008166) ; 1 ♂, 1 ♀, 20 immatures, same but Guatteria sp. (D. Burckhardt & D. L. Queiroz) #128(3) ( NHMB; dry, slide, 70% ethanol; NMB-PSYLL0008135, NMB-PSYLL0008167 [LSMelvar-56 A], NMB-PSYLL0008165, NMB-PSYLL0008166, NMB-PSYLL0008136, NMB-PSYLL0008137, NMB-PSYLL0008168 [LSMelvar-56 A], NMB-PSYLL0008169, NMB-PSYLL0008170 [LSMelvar-56 A]) ; 1 ♀, same but along road from Novo Airão to Manacapuru , S 2.7033 / 3.1366, W60.7033 /7316, 60 m, 22.iv.2014 (D. Burckhardt & D. L. Queiroz) #130 ( NHMB; 70% ethanol; [LSMelvar-56 A]) .— RORAIMA: 1 ♀, Mucajaí, km 442–440 along BR-174, S Mucujaí , N2.3583 /3850, W60.9116 /9166, 70–80 m, 18–19.iv.2015 (D. Burckhardt & D. L. Queiroz) #165 ( NHMB; 70% ethanol; NMB-PSYLL0008316) .

Description. Adult. Coloration.Body dark brown. Genae and clypeus pale brown.Antenna pale yellow, segments 4–8 with dark brown apices, segments 9–10 entirely dark brown. Forewing dark brown, sexually dimorphic: in male with three large colourless areas: a patch at base, a wide transverse band along nodal line and an oval subapical patch at costal wing margin ( Fig. 15A); in female with slightly lighter basal third and nodal line and a colourless small patch at the apex of clavus ( Fig. 15B). Femora, tibiae and tarsi pale brown. Younger specimens with less extended dark colour.

Structure. Forewing ( Fig. 15A, B) oval, widest in the middle, broadly and evenly rounded apically; C+Sc almost straight except for apical fifth which is curved; pterostigma short in males, long in females, in the middle about as wide as cell r 1, convex; Rs strongly convex; M longer than M 1+2 and M 3+4; Cu 1a unevenly curved, ending proximal of M fork; cell cu 1 short and wide; surface spinules present in all cells, leaving narrow spinule-free stripes along the veins, spinules absent in basal half of cell c+sc, forming hexagons of a single row of spinules. Hindwing with 4–5 + 3–4 grouped costal setae. Metatibia bearing 7 apical spurs, arranged as 3 + 4, anteriorly separated by 3–4 bristles.

Terminalia ( Fig. 23E–J). Male. Proctiger relatively narrow; densely covered with long setae in apical two thirds. Subgenital plate subglobular, in lateral view, with dorsal margin straight, rounded down caudally, posterior margin convex; with sparse, long setae, mostly in apical half. Paramere, in lateral view, weakly falcate; paramere apex, in lateral view, subacute, directed anteriad, in dorsal view, apex digitiform, narrow, with a small sclerotised tooth; both outer and inner faces with relatively sparse, moderately long setae; posterior margin with long setae. Proximal segment of aedeagus with apical part strongly subdivided. Distal segment of aedeagus with dorsal margin strongly sinuate; ventral process situated in the middle of the segment, in lateral view, elongate, relatively short, narrow, simple; in dorsal view, ventral process short, wider than apical dilation, widest in apical third, indistinctly three-lobed: median lobe longest; apical dilation, in lateral view, narrow, slightly widening to unevenly rounded apex, in dorsal view, apical dilation narrow, broadest medially, broadly rounded apically; sclerotised end tube moderately long and almost straight.—Female terminalia cuneate; densely covered with setae. Dorsal margin of proctiger, in lateral view, almost straight, with a small hump distal to circumanal ring, apex subacute; in dorsal view, apex blunt; circumanal ring, in dorsal view, distinctly cruciform. Subgenital plate in lateral view, with pointed apex; in ventral view, blunt apex.

Fifth instar immature. Coloration. Yellow; antenna gradually darkening to apex; cephalothoracic sclerite, wing pads, legs and caudal plate 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. Metatibiotarsus long; tarsal arolium broadly fan-shaped apically, 1.5 times as long as claws. Abdomen with 2–3 lateral pointed sectasetae on either side anterior to caudal plate. Caudal plate with anterior margin relatively close to anterior margin of extra pore fields; with 2+2 pointed sectasetae on either side laterally, and three pointed sectasetae subapically, on either side of circumanal ring dorsally. Extra pore fields forming continuous outer and inner bands, consisting of small oval patches; outer band long medially, end pointing outwards. Circumanal ring small.

Host plant. Guatteria sp. ( Annonaceae ).

Distribution. Brazil (AM, RR).

Derivation of name. From the Latin adjective variegatus = marked with a variety of colours, referring to the patchy forewing pattern of the male.

Comments. See comments under M. mazzardoae sp. nov.