Fidicina guadeloupensis, Sanborn, 2024

Sanborn, Allen F., 2024, The cicada (Hemiptera: Cicadidae) fauna of the Lesser Antilles sensu lato with the description of two new species, two new combinations, and a key to species, Zootaxa 5497 (1), pp. 33-69 : 35-39

Fidicina guadeloupensis n. sp.

( Fig. 1 )

Fidicina mannifera Boulard 2001: 80 , 83 (in part, Guadeloupe references).

Type material. Holotype. “WInd: GUADELOUPE, BT / 3 km E. Pigeon, Bois Malher / N16°10.26, W61°45.10 / Humid forest uv trap, 350 m / 25.V.2012, S. Peck 12-34” male ( FSCA) . Paratypes. “WInd: GUADELOUPE, BT / Mehault Riviére Colas , xeric / forest streamside uv traps, / N16°11.26, W61°46.71, 80 m / 15.V.2012, S. Peck 12- 26” one male ( AFSC); “ GUADELOUPE: Basse Terre, / Parc National de la Guadeloupe / Corrosol, 7–IX–2010, / collectors: M.C. Thomas & / R.H. Turnbow, blacklight trap ” one female ( FSCA); “ GUADELOUPE: Basse Terre, / Bois Malher, 9–IX–2010 / Coll.: M.C. Thomas & / R.H. Turnbow, blacklight trap ” one female ( FSCA), one male and one female ( AFSC) .

Remarks. Boulard (2001) references Fidicina mannifera ( Fabricius, 1803) from French Guiana and Guadeloupe on page 80 of his work. He then states on page 83 that the homeland (“patrie”) of Fidicina mannifera remains uncertain. Considering that the specimens were provided a “few years” before the 1998 congress where the information was introduced (proceedings published in 2001), these specimens were likey in his possession prior to the publication of the work where multiple new species related to Fidicina mannifera was published ( Boulard & Martinelli 1996). No specimens from Guadeloupe were included in the material examined for Fidicina mannifera and Guadeloupe was not included in the geographic distribution of the species in Boulard & Martinelli (1996). The specimens of Fidicina mannifera from Guadeloupe referenced in Boulard (2001) are, therefore, considered to be members of the new species described here.

The new species is similar in size and general appearance to Fidicina christinae Boulard & Martinelli, 1996 , a species originally described from French Guiana but which has now been recorded from much of the South American continent ( Boulard & Martinelli 1996; Sanborn 2011, 2019a, 2023a; Nunes et al. 2023). The shape of the opercula provides a rapid mechanism to distinguish the two species although there are a number of differences between the species (see diagnosis below).

Etymology. The name is a combination of guadeloup – (Guadaloupe, island in the West Indies) and – ensis (L., suffix denoting place, locality) in reference to the island of origin for the type series.

Description. Ground color of head and prothorax green marked with piceous and fuscous, green fading to ochraceous in most specimens but two paratypes with distinctly green head and prothorax, mesothorax and metathorax castaneous with green lateral surfaces, greater proportion of green in metathorax, mesothorax marked with piceous, abdomen greenish fading to ochraceous marked with piceous and fuscous.

Head. Head slightly wider than mesonotum but not as wide as lateral angle of pronotal collar, ground color with piceous spot between ocelli, becoming fuscous on lateral and anterior portion of ocelli, mark extends along epicranial suture anterior arms in some paratypes, a pair of fuscous spots lateral to ocelli, fuscous spot on vertex near medial junction with supra-antennal plate, connected to medial spot of pair lateral to ocelli in some paratypes, laterally curved fuscous mark extending from posterior of head through posterior cranial depression and terminating between pair of spots lateral to ocelli, piceous posterior to eye. Head with short golden pile dorsally, sparse, long piceous pile radiating from dorsal head, both types of pile denser posterior to eye. Ocelli ochraceous, roasaceous in some paratypes, eyes dark castaneous. Ventral head ground color with transverse fuscous mark on mediolateral gena, piceous margin to eye, and piceous posteromedial lorum, very dense long and short golden pile on ventral head. Postclypeus centrally sulcate, ground color with fuscous posteroventral spot and fuscous within central sulcus, transverse ridges and central sulcus with golden and piceous pile, golden pile laterally.Anteclypeus fuscous covered with dense, long golden pile. Mentum greenish, ochraceous laterally, completely greenish in some paratypes, labium ground color laterally with fuscous fascia along midline becoming piceous distally, rostrum almost reaching middle of abdominal sternite II. Antennal segments fuscous, proximal pedicel lighter.

Thorax. Dorsal thorax ground color marked with fuscous. Prothorax ground color with fuscous anterior margin, fuscous within paramedian fissure, lateral fissure, and lateral ambient fissureto level of posterior lateral fissure, transverse fuscous mark on either side of midline just anterior to ambient fissure, mottling on disks between lateral and paramedian fissures and between lateral and lateral ambient fissures, laterally curved fuscous fascia extending posteriorly from middle of paramedian fissure, pronotum covered with short golden pile, short golden and short piceous pile within fissures, long golden pile along anterior margin posterior to eyes and on lateral pronotum and lateral angle of pronotal collar, density varies in paratypes. Pronotal collar ground color, pronotal collar lateral angle forming an obtuse angle. Mesothorax ground color, fuscous within submedian sigillae and anterior lateral sigillae, transverse piceous fascia across disk anterior to cruciform elevation, scutal depressions piceous, lateral cruciform elevation ochraceous, green in some paratypes, long, dense silvery pile along wing groove forming lateral fascia, on posterior mesonotum, on disk between anterior arms of cruciform elevation, and between lateral arms of cruciform elevation. Wing groove ground color radiating long, dense golden pile. Metanotum ochraceous with green posterior margin, transverse fuscous fascia along anterior margin, mark expanding or absent in various paratypes, with long, dense golden pile. Ventral thoracic segments greenish ochraceous except fuscous interior of basisternum 2, fuscous medial anepisternum 2 and anteromedial katepimeron 2, fuscous trochantin 2, anepimeron 2, katepimeron 2, and basisternum 3. Thoracic sternites covered with dense long white pile and radiating long piceous pile.

Wings. Fore wings and hindwings hyaline, highly infuscated along veins, infuscation on proximal radius anterior 2 through radial crossvein connecting through middle of radius posterior to radiomedial crossvein through proximal median vein 1 to proximal median vein 2 to median cossvein to proximal median veins 3 and 4 to mediocubital crossvein, ambient vein to middle of apical cell 8 and distal ends of all veins separating apical cells infuscated. Venation ground color at base, green costal margin and basal venation in greener paratypes, becoming castaneous distally, piceous along anteromedial basal cell, radius + subcostal vein castaneous, anal vein 2 + 3 piceous. Basal cell ochraceous with fuscous fascia along proximal cubitus anterior, proximal cubitus posterior + anal vein 1 and along radius + subcostal vein, pterostigma extending to radial crossvein, infuscation in remaining distal portion of cell, basal membrane of fore wing grayish with piceous posterior margin. Hindwing venation ground color proximally becoming castaneous distally except for ochraceous anal vein 2 and piceous anal vein 3. Proximal venation surrounded by gray, extending in anal cell 3 and anal cell 2 along anal veins 2 and 3, anal cell 1 along anal vein 2, infuscation along distal margin of grayish in all cells. Infuscation following similar pattern to fore wing except infuscation along crossveins and basal area of veins reduced but seen under magnification, ambient vein and distal veins between apical cells infuscated like fore wing.

Legs. Legs with two part tarsi, ground color striped with fuscous except fuscous distal tibiae, annular fuscous mark near the distal pretarsus, and piceous distal pretarsal claws. Fore femora with piceous fascia from which spines eminate, elongated proximal spine adpredded to femur, secondary spine almost upright shorter and more triangular than primary spine, tertiary spine very small, less than half the length of the secondary spine, slightly angled, primary spine castaneous, secondary and tertiary spines piceous. Tibial spurs and tibial combs castaneous with piceous tips. Legs with short white pile on coxae and trochanters with radiating long golden pile on all segments. Meracanthus pointed, slightly curved posteromediad, ground color with fuscous base, not reaching posterior opercular margin. Female meracanthus as in male except reaching to anterior of sternite II.

Opercula. Male operculum ground color with fuscous along anterior base and fuscous spot on anterolateral base, covered with long white pile, very dense at base, and short silvery pile on margin, long golden pile on anterolateral base, lateral margin angled posteromedially, smoothly curved posterolateral corner forming an acute angle with posterior margin, posterior margin sinuate to rounded medial margin, not meeting medially, reaching to posterior of sternite II, not covering tympanal cavity posteromedially. Female operculum similarly shaped and colored except more pronounced posterolateral margin curve, reaching to medial meracanthus medially and posterolateral extension reaching to middle of sternite II.

Abdomen. Abdominal tergite 1 fuscous, abdominal tergite 2 ground color with fuscous spot on medial opening to timbal cavity, tergites 3–8 ground color with piceous posteriorly margined with fuscous anterior margin, tegite 3 with large fuscous spot anterolaterally, tergites 3–7 with piceous lateral spot, tergites covered with golden pile, denser laterally and radiating from posterior tergite margins. Timbal cover ground color, lateroposteriorly inflated, anterior dorsolateral margin smoothly curving to semicircular anterior margin, incomplete exposing timbal dorsally. Timbal white and castaneous partially visible through opening in timbal cover. Male sternites and epipleurtes ground color, sternite II with fuscous lateral portion, completely fuscous in some paratypes, transverse fuscous fascia on either side of midline of sternite III, sternite VII with sinuate posterior margin, sternite VIII an open U-shape when viewed from the posterior, sternites covered with short silvery pile, long golden pile radiating from posterior of sternites VII and VIII, spiracles covered by white pubescence. Female tergites colored and covered with pile similar to male. Female sternite VII ground color with castaneous spot on each side of sternite with single open V-shaped notch, posterior margin transverse from notch about a quarter distance to lateral tergite where posterior margin angles posteriorly forming a semicircle on the posterolateral margin. Female abdominal segment 9 ground color with elongated piceous region on anterior dorsolateral surface, anterolateral margin castaneous, posterodorsal and posteroventral margins castaneous, dorsal beak and stigma castaneous, covered with short silvery pile and radiating long golden pile. Dorsal beak straight, about twice as long as ground color anal styles. Posterior margin of abdominal segment 9 sinuate.

Genitalia. Male pygofer ground color with elongated castaneous mark on anterior dorsolateral surface and castaneous posterior margin, basal pygofer lobes greenish. Distal pygofer shoulder forming a very broad triangle with curved margins, dorsal beak absent. Pygofer basal lobe laterally flattened, extended less than half the pygofer length, with triangular medial extension and curved lateral marginat terminus. Pygofer radiating long golden pile. Anal styles castaneous. Anal tube ground color, dorsal anal tube margined in piceous. Uncus dark castaneous. Dorsal crest of uncus recurved with rounded terminus, extending about the same length as the lateral branch of the uncus when viewed from the side. Lateral branch of uncus with recurved lateral margin, a triangular ventrolateral margin and small, knob-like ventral apophysis on the ventromedial margin along the midline. Uncus radiating long and short golden pile. Aedeagus dark castaneous, thin, recurving dark castaneous terminal extension with a ochraceous membrane.

Female gonocoxite IX ground color. Gonapophysis IX and X castaneous. Ovipositor sheath extends just past end of dorsal beak. Long golden pile radiating from ovipositor sheath, ovipositor sheath and anal styles with short golden pile.

Measurements (mm). N = three males or three females, mean (range). Length of body: males 32.65 (31.40– 33.60), females 30.62 (29.75–31.90); length of fore wing: males 47.83 (47.00–49.00), females 45.77 (44.80–47.20); width of fore wing: males 15.78 (15.00–16.45), females 15.37 (15.00–15.80); length of head: males 5.43 (5.15–5.60), females 5.12 (5.00–5.20); width of head including eyes: males 14.37 (14.00–14.60), females 13.77 (13.55–13.95); width of pronotum including suprahumeral plates: males 15.15 (14.75–15.45), females 14.73 (14.50–15.10); width of mesonotum: males 13.30 (13.00–13.70), females 12.97 (12.70–13.20).

Diagnosis. Fidicina guadeloupensis n. sp. can be distinguished quickly from F. innotabilis ( Walker, 1858c) and F.sawyeri Distant, 1912 by the lack of infuscation on the wing veins in these species. Similarly, the lack of infuscation on the ambient vien of the wings quickly distinguishes F. rosacordis ( Walker, 1850) and the heavily pilose F. sciras ( Walker, 1850) . The red basal areas of the wings quickly distinguishes F. obscura Boulard & Martinelli, 1996 , F. rosacordis ( Walker, 1850) , F. rubricata Distant, 1892b , and F. sawyeri Distant, 1912 , while the orange basal areas of the wings distinguish F. muelleri Distant, 1892a , F. explanata Uhler, 1903 , and F. vitellina ( Jacobi, 1904) from the new species. The smaller size (body length less than 26 mm, wingspan less than 75 mm) distinguishes the Argentine F. affinis Haupt, 1918 and F. vitellina ( Jacobi, 1904) from this larger new species, while the new species is smaller than F. ethelae ( Goding, 1925) (body length about 40 mm, wingspan greater than 125 mm). The piceous abdomen with red posterior margins distinguishes F. robini Boulard & Martinelli, 1996 and F. umbrilinea ( Walker, 1858c) from the new species, while green and red abdominal tergites distinguishes F. torresi Boulard & Martinelli, 1996 . Similarly, the piceous abdomen distinguishes F. toulgoeti Boulard & Martinelli, 1996 from the new species.

The final two described species of the genus require additional analysis as they have a similar general appearance to the new species and one species was mistakenly used to identify examples of the new species in Boulard (2001). Fidicina mannifera differs in the head being noticeably wider than the anterior pronotum, the widest expansion of the costal margin is at the level of the proximal fore wing basal cell, the fore wings are about 2.75 times longer than wide (compared to about 3.03 in the new species), the fore wing medial crossvein is straight but the mediocubital crossvein is sinuate, the fore wing radiomedial and median crossveins are distinctly separated at the divergence of median vein 2, the fore wing radial and radiomedial crossveins are almost parallel, the length of fore wing apical cell 7 extends to the intersection of the medial crossvein and median vein 3, the opercula have a distinctive triangular extension on the posterolateral corner with the posterior margin distinctly angled near the middle (rather than a sinuate posterior margin), the abdomen is primarily piceous marked with castaneous, the lateral mesothorax and the abdomen have much denser pile, the uncal dorsal crest lacks a median, terminal curve, the uncal dorsal crest extends the same distance (longer in the new species) as the lateral branch of the uncus which has a smoothly curved ventrolateral margin and pointed ventral apophysis when viewed from the posterior (rather than the triangular ventrolateral margin and small knob-like ventral apophysis on the ventromedial margin in the new species), and female abdominal sternite VII with the posterior notch extending slightly beyond the posterior margin and small posterolateral extensions.

Fidicina christinae has the most similar general appearance to the new species. Fidicina christinae can be distinguished from the new species by the head being just wider than the anterior pronotum, the widest expansion of the costal margin is at the level of the proximal fore wing basal cell, both the fore wing median and mediocubital crossveins are distinctly sinuate (rather than slightly sinuate), the fore wing radiomedial and median crossveins are distinctly separated at the divergence of median vein 2 (rather than almost meeting at the divergence of median vein 2), the fore wing radiomedial crossvein is more obliquely oriented than the radial crossvein, the length of fore wing apical cell 7 extends to the intersection of the medial crossvein and median vein 3 (rather than the length of fore wing apical cell 7 being shorter than the intersection of the median crossvein and median vein 3), the opercula have a triangular shape (rather than a triangular posterolateral corner) with a concave posterior margin (rather than a sinuate posterior margin), the timbal covers are more inflated posterolaterally in the new species, the uncal dorsal crest lacks a median, terminal curve, the lateral branch of the uncus which has a smoothly curved ventrolateral margin and pointed ventral apophysis when viewed from the posterior (rather than the triangular ventrolateral margin and small knob-like ventral apophysis on the ventromedial margin in the new species), and the length of the transverse portion of the posterior margin of female abdominal sternite VII is longer than the width of the notch but about the same length in the new species.

Distribution. The species is currently known only from the type series collected on Basse Terre, Guadeloupe.

Figures

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