Ariasa albimaculosa, Sanborn, 2016

Sanborn, Allen F., 2016, Generic redescription, two new species, and a key to the species of the cicada genus Ariasa Distant, 1905 with the description of a new genus (Hemiptera: Cicadidae: Cicadinae: Fidicinini), Zootaxa 4137 (4), pp. 501-519 : 504-507

Ariasa albimaculosa n. sp.

( Fig. 1 )

Ariasa colombiae (non Distant) Sanborn 2010: 1589 .

Type material. Holotype. “ Bonda / Colombia / Acc. No. 1999 // May” male ( CMNH). Paratypes. Same data as holotype, three females ( CMNH); one male and two females ( AFSC); “ Bonda / Colombia / Acc. No. 1999 // June” one male and two females ( CMNH).

Etymology. The species is named for the white (L. alba white) spots (L. maculosa spotted) on the lateral mesothorax.

Description. Ground color castaneous marked with black and tawny.

Head. Head wider than mesonotum, medial area black surrounding ocelli extending anterolaterally along posterior epicranial suture almost to lateral supra-antennal plate, black anterior, medial and posterior to eye, anterior and medial black areas not connected. Tawny along posterior epicranial suture, between posterior cranial depression and posterior eye extending anteriorly to lateral ocelli, ovoid mark on anterior vertex, and lateral frontoclypeal suture, tawny regions of anterior vertex and frontoclypeal suture expanded in some paratypes. Supra-antennal plate black with green posteromedial margin with postclypeus and anterolateral margin. Covered with short golden pile dorsally, longer silvery pile posterior to eye. Ocelli rosaceous, eyes castaneous. Ventral head ground color, transverse black mark surrounding eye extending medially toward postclypeus, tawny posteriorly from postclypeus to eye and along margin with lorum. Lorum tawny along margins. Thick white pubescence and long white pile on lorum and gena. Postclypeus centrally sulcate, sulcus tawny on dorsum and apex, black in middle, and castaneous on posterior ventral region, tawny region green on apex and expanding to medial triangle along frontoclypeal suture in some paratypes. Postclypeus with eleven transverse grooves, short golden pile on dorsum, thick white pubescence and long silvery pile on lateral postclypeus. Anteclypeus castaneous with black laterally and posterior margin covered with thick white pubescence and long silvery pile. Mentum tawny, labium proximal half tawny striped with castaneous, darkening to piceous tip reaching to hind trochanters with sparse short and long silvery pile. Scape castaneous with tawny medial side, pedicel castaneous with black tip, antennal flagella black.

Thorax. Dorsal thorax castaneous. Pronotum with black mark on either side of midline expanding anteriorly and posteriorly into triangular forms continuing to encircle scutes in ambient fissure, black within lateral fissure, black mark in paramedian fissure not reaching midline extending posteriorly onto disc from middle of fissure, tawny anterior margin. Pronotal collar green with castaneous posterior margin, black mark on margin of pronotal collar lateral angle. Pronotum covered with short golden pile, longer pile laterally. Mesonotum castaneous, lighter along parapsidal suture, cruciform elevation light castaneous with lateral green regions between arms, wing groove green laterally and posteriorly, lateral and submedian sigillae black, lighter mark extending anteriorly from terminus of anterior arm of cruciform elevation to posteromedial lateral sigillae, mark extends to parapsidal suture in some paratypes. White pubescent spot on anterolateral margin of mesonotum. Metanotum castaneous with green posterior margin. Long, dense golden pile on mesonotum, more dense on anterior margin, laterally and posteriorly and between arms of cruciform elevation, in wing groove, and on posterior metanotum. Ventral thoracic segments with thick white pubescence and long white pile, tawny with castaneous basisternum 2 and 3.

Wings. Fore wings and hind wings hyaline with eight and six apical cells respectively. Venation castaneous, costa tawny to node, becoming black distally, proximal half of median vein, arculus, proximal cubitus anterior to distal curve, cubitus posterior + anal vein 1, and anal vein 2 + 3 green, black mark between radius & subcostal vein, posterior extension from anal vein 2 + 3 castaneous with black posterior margin. Anterior three quarters and proximal margin of basal cell clouded. Pterostigma to three quarters the length of apical cell 1. Basal membrane of fore wing white at base becoming dark gray distally. Venation of hind wing cataneous except green cubitus anterior, cubitus posterior, and anal veins 1 and 2. Anal cell 3 and anal cell 2 along anal vein 3 dark gray, anal cell 1 and 2 along anal vein 2 white as is anterior cubital cell 2 along proximal seven-eighths of cubitus posterior vein. Small infuscation on proximal cubital cells 1 and 2.

Legs. Legs light castaneous, with greenish on distal coxa, femora and proximal tibiae, trochanters striped with castaneous. Fore femora with proximal spine oblique, secondary spine largest and upright and small tertiary spine, all castaneous and connected by a castaneous fascia. Fore tibiae proximally, middle tibiae proximal half and all but distal end of hind tibiae green. Tarsi castaneous, tibial spurs and comb castaneous with green base.

Operculum. Male operculum triangular with smoothly rounded posterolateral margin, reaching to anterior of sternite II, tawny with light castaneous base, covered with white pubescence. Medial margin extending to just mediad of meracanthus not covering tympanal cavity medially. Meracathus pointed, tawny with a castaneous base not reaching to posterior margin of operculum. Female operculum with rounded posterolateral margin, terminating medially at middle meracanthus reaching to anterior of sternite II, tawny with a light castaneous base, covered with thick white pubescence. Female meracanthus almost as long as operculum, tawny with a castaneous base. Opercula with long silvery pile radiating from edge.

Abdomen. Abdomen castaneous covered with long golden pile, especially dense laterally. Tergites with medial transverse black mark on anterior tergites, additional transverse black marks posterior to timbal cavity on tergite 2 and on lateral tergites 5 and 6, membrane between tergites tawny. Timbal cover incomplete exposing timbal dorsally, anterior margin of tergite 2 curled posteriorly with golden pile, angled at dorsal base and slightly arching to rounded anterior apex, ventral margin straight and parallel to long body axis. Female abdominal segment 9 with castaneous dorsolateral surfaces and stigma , tawny ventrally and posteriorly, with dense, long, golden pile. Posterior margin of abdominal segment 9 sinuate, black on dorsomedial curve and posterior of dorsal beak. Sternites and epipleurites tawny except castaneous sternite I and longitudinal castaneous mark along posterior midline of sternite VIII in males, male sternites II–VII translucent. Female sternite VII with sinuate posterior margin and medial notch, light castaneous spot laterally in some paratypes. Sternites and epipleurites with white pubescence, very dense laterally, and long silvery pile.

Genitalia. Male pygofer castaneous, darker along midline, laterally, and on posterior margin, tawny between pygofer basal lobes, with rounded distal shoulder, dorsal beak absent, with long silvery pile posteriorly. Pygofer basal lobe indistinct, pygofer upper lobes tawny, elongated, separated from pygofer, flattening and twisting to curved apex, short golden pile radiating medially. Anal styles castaneous, anal tube tawny. Median uncus lobes castaneous, flattend laterally with rounded apex and upturned at the posterior terminus , lateral uncus lobe ventral side straight as triangular extension is folded under posterior extension of median uncus lobes, basal lateral uncus lobes rounded and separated, long golden pile radiating dorsally and laterally. Aedeagus tubular, dark castaneous.

Female gonapophyses VIII and IX castaneous extending beyond dorsal beak with radiating golden pile. Gonocoxite IX tawny or light castaneous. Anal styles castaneous.

Measurements (MM). N = 3 males or 7 females, mean (range). Length of body: male 31.00 (30.0–32.0), female 28.77 (27.1–30.8); length of fore wing: male 40.03 (38.9–40.8), female 39.70 (37.2–43.6); width of fore wing: male 12.30 (11.9–12.8), female 11.89 (11.5–12.8); length of head: male 4.83 (4.8–4.9), female 4.82 (4.6– 5.1); width of head including eyes: male 11.57 (11.2–12.0), female 11.86 (11.1–12.8); width of pronotum including suprahumeral plates: male 11.87 (11.5–12.3), female 11.77 (10.9–12.9); width of mesonotum: male 9.87 (9.7– 10.1), female 9.93 (9.4–10.7).

Diagnosis. The lateral red abdomen promptly distinguishes A. nigrorufa from the new species. The lateral ochraceous areas of the abdomen, ochraceous pronotal collar and costal margin distinguish A. arechavaletae from the new species. The white basal area of the hind wings and unicolorous dorsal abdominal segments are unique to A. albiplica . The smaller body size (19 mm vs greater than 30 mm in males) simply distinguishes A. diupsilon and A. urens from the new species. The green and brown body, the white pubescent spots lateral to the genitalia, and smaller body size (about 28 mm) simply distinguish A. alboapicata from the new species. The smaller body size (about 28 mm), black basal cell of the fore wing, and primarily black mesothorax distinguish A. nigrovittata from the new species. Both A. egregia and A. maryannae differ from the new species in that they possess a variegated pattern of silvery and black pile on the dorsal abdomen that form an arch and have black in the basal cell of the fore wing. A black arch formed from pile is found on the dorsal abdomen of A. bilaqueata and A. bartletti n. sp. along with black marking in the basal cell of the fore wing. Ariasa russelli also has a black arch formed from pile on the dorsal abdomen along with primarily black abdominal tergites and black in the basal cell all of which distinguish it from the new species. The new species is most similar in general appearance to A. colombiae with which it was confused in the past ( Sanborn 2010). However, A. colombiae can be distinguished by its smaller body size (25–28 mm vs greater than 30 mm for males), the pronotal collar is tawny rather than green, lack of obvious white spots on the anterolateral mesonotum, the basal cell of the fore wing has a dark tawny spot, lateral silvery pile on the abdomen rather than the golden pile of the new species, and the uncus is longer and more robust in A. colombiae than in the new species.

Distribution. The species is known only from the type series collected in northern Colombia.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Ariasa albimaculosa n. sp.: A, holotype male and paratype female habitus; B, holotype male dorsum; C, holotype male timbal cover; D, paratype male operculum. E, paratype female operculum; F, holotype male lateral view of genitalia; G, holotype male posterior view of genitalia; H, paratype female lateral view of genitalia; I, paratype female ventral view of genitalia. Scale bar: A, 2 cm; B, 5 mm; C – E, 2 mm; F – G, 1 mm; H – I, 2 mm.