Cavichiana bromelicola, Mejdalani, Gabriel, Quintas, Victor, Carvalho, Rachel A. & Takiya, Daniela M., 2014

Mejdalani, Gabriel, Quintas, Victor, Carvalho, Rachel A. & Takiya, Daniela M., 2014, A new genus and new bromelicolous species of Cicadellini (Insecta: Hemiptera: Cicadellidae) from Southeastern Brazil, Zootaxa 3755 (6), pp. 561-572 : 566

Cavichiana bromelicola sp. nov.

( Figs 1–17 , 21 )

Type-locality. Restinga de Maricá, Maricá, State of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Description. Measurements in mm (male, n = 2/female, n = 2). Length of body 6.0–6.1/6.3–6.4; median length of crown 0.62–0.67/0.68–0.71; interocular distance 0.95–1.00/0.99–1.02; transocular distance 1.59–1.60/1.66– 1.73; median length of pronotum 0.94–0.99/0.95–1.01; largest width of pronotum 1.58–1.60/1.60–1.69; median length of visible portion of mesonotum 0.82–0.88/0.83–0.98; largest width of visible portion of mesonotum 1.02– 1.09/1.03–1.10; length of fore wing 4.45–4.48/4.59–4.87.

Color ( Fig. 21 ). Ground color of dorsum dark brown to black. Crown ( Fig. 1 ) with eleven blue to white spots located as follows: two medially on apex, one on apex of each antennal ledge, one adjacent to each anterior eye angle, smaller one anterad of each ocellus, and three on posterior margin (one adjacent to each posterior eye angle and one on median line); eyes red. Pronotum ( Fig. 1 ) with pair of blue to white spots on lateral margins. Anterior half of fore wings ( Fig. 2 ) with large, circular transcommissural yellow macula bordered by irregular blue to white area, anterior portion of this macula (mostly the blue to white border) covering scutellum; costal margin with two blue to white spots, anterior one located slightly anterad of outer anteapical cell, posterior one larger, extending to posterior half of outer anteapical cell; with smaller blue to white spot located above distal costal spot. Face with frons dark brown to black, with pair of blue to white spots on superior portion; remaining facial areas (clypeus, lora, maxillary plates, and genae) brown with yellowish-brown portions; labrum and labium mostly yellow. Lateral and ventral portions of thorax and abdomen mostly brown with yellow areas. Fore and middle legs mostly yellow with extensive brown areas on fore coxae and fore and middle femora; hind legs mostly brown with tarsi yellow.

Material examined. Southeastern Brazil, states of Rio de Janeiro (RJ) and São Paulo (SP). Male holotype: “RESTINGA [ DE] MARICÁ \ MARICÁ - RJ \ 8-VIII-1991 \ M. E. Félix [Felix] col.” ( DZRJ). Paratypes: 7 males and 13 females from Restinga de Maricá (2 males and 2 females in MNRJ, 1 male and 1 female in DZUP, remaining ones in DZRJ); 1 male from São Conrado, Rio de Janeiro, RJ ( DZRJ); 6 males and 2 females from Parque Estadual da Serra do Mar, Núcleo Picinguaba, Ubatuba, SP (1 male and 1 female in MNRJ, remaining ones in DZRJ).

Etymology. The new species epithet ( bromelicola ) refers to the plants (bromeliads) from which the studied specimens were collected.

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 7. Cavichiana bromelicola gen. nov. et sp. nov. 1, head, pronotum, and mesonotum, dorsal view. 2, fore wing. 3 – 7, male genitalia. 3, pygofer, lateral view. 4, valve and subgenital plate, ventral view. 5, connective, style, and paraphyses, dorsal view. 6, ejaculatory reservoir, aedeagus, and anal tube, lateral view. 7, paraphyses, lateral view. Scale bars: 1 = 1 mm, 2 = 2 mm, 3 – 7 = 0.5 mm.

FIGURES 8 – 17. Cavichiana bromelicola gen. nov. et sp. nov., female genitalia. 8, sternite VII, ventral view. 9, apical portion of abdomen, lateral view (tergites VII and VIII were separated during the dissection). 10 – 12, first ovipositor valvula. 10, general lateral view and first valvifer. 11, dorsal sculptured area at basal portion. 12, dorsal sculptured area at apical portion. 13 – 17, second ovipositor valvula. 13, general lateral view. 14, teeth at basal portion. 15, tooth at median portion. 16, teeth at apical portion. 17, preapical prominence. (DEN) denticle; (DSA) dorsal sculptured area; (DUC) duct; (PPR) preapical prominence; (RAM) ramus; (TOO) tooth; (VAL) first valvifer; (VID) ventral interlocking device; (VSA) ventral sculptured area. Scale bars: 8 = 0.5 mm, 9, 10, 13 = 1 mm.

FIGURES 18 – 21. 18 and 19, bromeliads (Neoregelia johannis (Carrière) L. B. Smith) serving as hosts for Cavichiana bromelicola gen. nov. et sp. nov. at Picinguaba (Ubatuba, State of São Paulo, Brazil). 20, water stored by the bromeliad provides a humid microhabitat for the leafhoppers. 21, male specimen of C. bromelicola photographed at Picinguaba by Felipe Q. Machado.