Melanastera barretoi, 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 : 99

47 Melanastera barretoi sp. nov.

( Figs 12H , 19B , 32M–R )

Type material. Holotype ♂: Brazil: MATO GROSSO: Sorriso, Fazenda Mazzardo II, S12.4217, W55.8432, 390 m, 15.viii.2013 ( T. Mazzardo) ( UFPR; dry).

Paratypes. Brazil: MATO GROSSO: 3 ♂, 2 ♀, same as holotype but ( NHMB, UFPR; dry, slide; NMB-PSYLL0007788, NMB-PSYLL0007803, NMB-PSYLL0007804, NMB-PSYLL0007805 [LSMelbar-M3]) ; 4 ♂, 2 ♀, same but S12.4233, W55.5957, 390 m, 26.ii.2015, Guatteria schomburgkiana (D.L. Queiroz) #678(3) ( NHMB; dry, slide, 70% ethanol; NMB-PSYLL0007787, NMB-PSYLL0007802, NMB-PSYLL0007842, NMB-PSYLL0008283 [LSMelbar-M3]) .

Description. Adult. Coloration. Yellow, head and thorax with dark brown dots. Antenna with brown scape and pedicel, and apices of segments 4–8 and entire segments 9–10 dark brown. Mesopraescutum with pale brown patches at fore margin; mesoscutum with four broad pale brown and one median narrow dark brown longitudinal stripes. Forewing ( Fig. 19B ) yellow with scattered, irregular brown dots; base and apex of pterostigma and apices of Rs, M 1+2, M 3+4, Cu 1a and Cu 1b dark brown. Femora with dark brown dots, apical tarsal segments brown. Abdominal sternites dark brown, female terminalia brown.

Structure. Forewing ( Fig. 19B ) oblong-oval, widest in the middle, broadly rounded apically; wing apex situated in cell r 2, near apex of M 1+2; C+Sc weakly curved in distal third; pterostigma slightly narrower than r 1 cell;widening to apical third; Rs weakly convex; M longer than M 1+2 and M 3+4; Cu 1a weakly convex; distinctly distal to M fork; surface spinules present in all cells, leaving narrow spinule-free stripes along the veins, forming hexagons of a double row of spinules, in male with a single row in basal part of the wing, spinules absent from basal part of cell c+sc. Hindwing with 3–4 + 2–4 grouped costal setae. Metatibia bearing 4–5 apical spurs, arranged as 2 + 2–3, anteriorly separated by 3–4 bristles.

Terminalia ( Fig. 32M–R ). Male. Proctiger weakly produced posteriorly; densely covered with moderately long setae in apical two thirds. Subgenital plate subglobular; dorsal margin almost straight; posterior margin convex; with a few moderately long setae. Paramere, in lateral view, slightly irregularly acuminate; apex, in lateral view, blunt, in dorsal view, paramere gradually narrowing to blunt apex which is directed upwards and slightly inwards, lacking distinct sclerotised tooth; both outer and inner faces with dense, moderately long setae; posterior margin with long setae. Proximal segment of aedeagus with apical part moderately subdivided. Distal segment of aedeagus weakly curved in basal half; ventral process situated slightly distal of the middle of the segment, in lateral view, ventral process long, tubular, with apical part slightly curved ventrad and two large lateral lobes, in dorsal view, ventral process much broader than apical dilation, irregularly lanceolate; apical dilation, in lateral view, narrow, with slightly convex dorsal margin and rounded apex; sclerotised end tube moderately long and almost straight.— Female terminalia cuneate; densely covered with setae. Dorsal margin of proctiger, in lateral view, weakly convex distal to circumanal ring, apex straight and subacute; in dorsal view, apex subacute; circumanal ring, in dorsal view, distinctly cruciform. Subgenital plate, in lateral view, pointed apically; in ventral view, apex truncate.

Fifth instar immature. Unknown.

Host plant. Adults were collected on Guatteria schomburgkiana Mart. ( Annonaceae ) which is a possible host.

Distribution. Brazil (MT).

Derivation of name. Dedicated to Professor Marliton Rocha Barreto, for his help and support in the field.

Comments. Within the duckei -group, Melanastera barretoi sp. nov. shares the slender, acuminate, straight paramere with M. burchellii sp. nov. and M. sericeae sp. nov. It differs from the former species in the presence (versus absence) of dark dots in forewing cells c+sc and r 1. From the latter species, it differs as indicated in the key. Melanastera barretoi sp. nov. and M. sericeae sp. nov. also differ in the DNA barcoding sequence: the uncorrected p-distance between them is 8.62% for COI and 8.57% for cytb.

Figures

FIGURE 12. Melanastera spp., head, dorsal view.A, M. caramambatai sp. nov.; B, M.acuminata sp. nov.; C, M.melanocephala sp. nov.; D, M. brevicauda sp. nov.; E, M. michali sp. nov.; F, M. duckei sp. nov.; G, M. burchellii sp. nov.; H, M. barretoi sp. nov.; I, M. sericeae sp. nov.; J, M. tristis sp. nov.; K, M. discoloris sp. nov.; L, M. truncata sp. nov.

FIGURE 19. Melanastera spp., forewing. A, M. burchellii sp. nov.; B, M. barretoi sp. nov.; C, M. sericeae sp. nov.; D, M. tristis sp. nov.; E, M. discoloris sp. nov.; F, M. truncata sp. nov.; G, M. atlantica sp. nov.; H, M. stanopekari sp. nov.; I, M. sellowianae sp. nov.; J, M. simillima sp. nov. Scale bars: 0.2 mm.

FIGURE 32. Melanastera duckei 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. burchellii sp. nov. G, ♂ terminalia, lateral view; H, paramere, inner face, lateral view; I, distal segment of aedeagus, lateral view; J, distal segment of aedeagus, dorsal view; K, paramere, dorsal view; L, ♀ terminalia, lateral view.—M. barretoi sp. nov. M, ♂ terminalia, lateral view; N, paramere, inner face, lateral view; O, distal segment of aedeagus, lateral view; P, distal segment of aedeagus, dorsal view; Q, paramere, dorsal view; R, ♀ terminalia, lateral view.—M. sericeae sp. nov. S, ♂ terminalia, lateral view; T, paramere, inner face, lateral view; U, distal segment of aedeagus, lateral view; V, distal segment of aedeagus, dorsal view; W, paramere, dorsal view; X, ♀ terminalia, lateral view. Scale bars: 0.1 mm.