Fipsianus picturatus ( Distant, 1917 ) Holzinger, Werner E., 2009

Holzinger, Werner E., 2009, A new endemic genus of Oecleini from Seychelles (Hemiptera: Fulgoromorpha: Cixiidae), Zootaxa 2127 (1), pp. 59-68 : 60-62

Fipsianus picturatus ( Distant, 1917) , comb. nov.

Volcanalia picturata Distant, 1917: 281

Volcanalia varicolor Distant, 1917: 282 , syn. nov.

Material studied: Syntypes of Volcanalia picturata Distant : Male , glued to card, abdomen dissected, probably by Singh-Pruthi, labelled: “(printed on card) Mahe, ’08–9. / Seychelles Exp. / (handwritten) 38 // Seychelle Islands. / Percy Sladen Trust / Expedition. / 1913-170.” – Female, pinned, labelled: “(circular label with red border) Type / H. T. // (handwritten) Volcanalia / picturata / type Dist. // (handwritten) 94 // Seychelle Islands. / Percy Sladen Trust / Expedition. / 1913-170.” – Female, pinned, labelled: “(handwritten) 65 // Seychele Islands. / Percy Sladen Trust / Expedition. / 1913-170.” – Female, pinned, dissected by I. Kammerlander, abdomen in microvial on same pin, labelled: “(handwritten) 65 // Seychelle Islands. / Percy Sladen Trust / Expedition. / 1913-170.” – Two females glued to one card, one without abdomen, the other one upside down, labelled: “(handwritten on card) 6 // Silhouette, ’08. / Seychelles Exp. // Seychelle Islands. / Percy Sladen Trust / Expedition. / 1913-170.” – Female, pinned, labelled: “(handwritten) 49 // Seychelle Islands. / Percy Sladen Trust / Expedition. / 1913-170.” (all in BMNH).– Three females on three pins, each glued to a card, labelled “(printed on card) Mahe, ’08-9. / Seychelles Exp.”, with handwritten numbers 42, 53 and 104. – Female, glued to card, labelled “(handwritten) 29 // Mahe, ’08. / Seychelles Exp.” – Female, glued to card, labelled “(handwritten) 84” (in CUMZ)

Syntypes of Volcanalia varicolor Distant : Two males glued to card, one upside down, labelled: “(handwritten on card) 25 25 // (circular label with red border) Type / H. T. // (handwritten) Volcanalia / varicolor / type Dist.” // Silhouette, ’08. / Seychelles Exp. // (handwritten) spec. figd” – Male , glued to card, labelled: “(handwritten) 40 / Mahe, ’08-9. / Seychelles Exp. // Seychelle Islands. / Percy Sladen Trust / Expedition. / 1913-170.” – Male , glued to card, labelled: “(handwritten) 104 / Mahe, ’08-9. / Seychelles Exp. // Seychelle Islands. / Percy Sladen Trust / Expedition. / 1913-170.” – Male , pinned, labelled: “Mahe, ’08-9. / Seychelles Exp. // (handwritten) 43 // Seychelle Islands. / Percy Sladen Trust / Expedition. / 1913-170.” (all in BMNH) – Male , pinned, labelled: “Mahe, ’08-9. / Seychelles Exp. // (handwritten) 43 // (handwritten) Volcanalia / varicolor / Dist” – Male, glued to card, labelled: “(handwritten on card) 94 // Mahe, ’08-9. / Seychelles Exp.” – Male, glued to card, labelled: “(handwritten) 42 / Mahe, ’08-9. / Seychelles Exp.”, all in CUMZ ).

Additional material: Mahé: Numerous specimens from the following sites: La Reserve E Anse Boileau, palm forest (4° 42' 32'' S 55° 30' 6'' E, 410–470m), 8.xi., 12.xi. and 14.xii.2006 ; Mare aux Cochons, near swamp, mixed forest (4° 38' S; 55° 25' E, 350–400m), 7.xi. and 12.xii.2006; Monte Cristo E Anse a la Mouche, roadside vegetation (4° 44' 15'' S; 55° 30' 1'' E, 130–150m), 13.xii.2006; Mt. Palmiste northeast of Grand Anse, mixed forest and highland glacis (4° 40' S 55° 26' E, 200m), 16.xi.2006 ; Near tea plantation 2 km E Port Glaud , mixed forest (4° 39' 42–43''S 55° 26' 12–20'' E, 350–450m), 9., 10. and 13.xi.2006 ; northeast of Port Glaud , mixed forest (4° 39' 37''S 55° 25' 28'' E, 150–250m), 9.xi.2006 ; S Bel Ombre, N Mont Le Niol , chrysobalanus shrub (4° 37' 35'' S 55° 24' 16'' E, 360–420m), 7.xi.2006 ; valley between Mt. Jasmin and Mt. Le Niol, mixed forest (4° 38' 5'' S 55° 24' 30'' E, 420–460m), 7.xi.2006 ; Congo Rouge, mixed and mossy montane forest (4° 38–39' S 55° 26' E, 350–820m), 10. and 17.xi.2006, all W. Holzinger & B. Komposch leg.; Morne Seychellois (4° 38’ S 55° 26’ E, 450–900 m), 16.ix.2008; Mt. Copolia , mixed forest (55° 26’ 56’’ E, 4° 39’ 06’’ S, 400–480m), 17.ix.2008 ; Congo Rouge, mixed and mossy montane forest, 18.ix.2008; Casse Dent (4° 38' S 55° 25' E, 400–500m), 19.ix.2008; Montagne Planeau, mixed forest (55° 26’ E, 4° 40’ S, 100–350m), 24.ix.2008, all W. Holzinger leg. (in OEKO).

Silhouette: Numerous specimens from the following sites: Path from La Passe to Jardin Marron, mixed forest (4° 28' 52'' S 55° 14' 26'' E, 250–320m), 20.xi.2006; Jardin Marron, Coco de Mer palm forest (4° 28' 55'' S 55° 14' 19'' E, 320–370m), 20. and 22.xi.2006; Mont Pot à Eau, mossy montane forest (4° 28' 51'' S 55° 13' 59'' E, 500–620m), 22.xi.2006, all W. Holzinger & B. Komposch leg.;path from La Passe to Jardin Marron, 20.ix.2008, and lowland glacis E La Passe (4° 29’ 26’’S 55° 15’ 71’’ E, 20–80m), 21.ix.2008, W. Holzinger leg. (in OEKO) .

Description (see also Figs 1 , 3 , 5 , 7A, 7C, 7D ): Body length in males 4.2–4.6 mm, in females 4.7–5.2 mm.

Head and thorax ochraceous, mesonotum with blackish spot caudally, abdomen brownish to blackish with yellowish segment margins. Body coloration of females darker than males, richer in contrast. Frons with large, semicircular red band, adjacent area of clypeus also largely red. Prothoracic lateral areas red. Legs yellow, pro- and mesotibiae with central black band. 1 st and 2 nd tarsi black. Fore wings of males with lightbrownish tinge, veins concolorous or wings blackish with light pterostigma; veins distad of pterostigma whitish. Fore wings of females opaque with three broad dark transverse bands: anterior one reaching from wingbase to tip of scutellum, middle one immediately follows, leading to middle of clavus and posterior one Y-shaped, reaching from proximal end of pterostigma to end of clavus and to apical cells of Cu.

Male anal segment short and stout, asymmetrical, its apical process bilobate, blunt, directed ventrad ( Figs 5 A, B ). Genital style long, apically pointed ( Fig. 5 C ). Aedeagus with four rigid spines: A long, bifurcate spine pointed cephalad on ventral side and three additional, slightly curved spines on left and right side and one subapically, pointing caudad ( Figs 5 D, E, F ).

Female abdomen truncate. Ovipositor curved upwards. Inner female genitalia as shown in Fig 7 C , with long ductus ejaculatorius, winding in 3–4 places.

Ecology and distribution: The species is endemic to the two islands of Mahé and Silhouette. It is monophagous on the endemic “thief palm” Phoenicophorium borsigianum (K. Koch.) Stuntz and occurs in natural mid- and high altitude forests. It is distributed island-wide throughout Mahé and Silhouette almost wherever its host-plant occurs. Fipsianus picturatus is the most common planthopper on this plant. It was recorded on more than 50% of the leaves, in numbers of up to 15 hoppers per leaf. Fipsianus picturatus is a – in planthopper terms – quite “immobile” species. The subgregarious and sedentary behaviour of this species facilitates ant-attendance. Interactions of the species with ants of the genera Technomyrmex and Anoplolepis are described by Holzinger (2009).

Figures

FIGURE 1. F. picturatus, male. Silhouette, Jardin Marron, 20.ix.2008.

FIGURE 3. F. picturatus, female. Mahé, Mt. Copolia, 17.ix.2008.

FIGURE 5. F. picturatus, male genitalia. A = anal segment, lateral view; B = anal segment, caudal view; C = genital style; D, E, F = aedeagus in left lateral, ventral and right lateral view.

FIGURE 7. A = F. picturatus, hind wing. B = F. andreae, fore wing. C = F. picturatus, inner female genitalia. D = F. picturatus, male genital segment, lateral view.