Proutista moesta (Westwood, 1851)

Löcker, Holger, Löcker, Birgit & Holzinger, Werner E., 2009, Revision of the Derbidae of Seychelles Islands (Insecta: Hemiptera: Fulgoromorpha), Zootaxa 2221, pp. 1-26 : 20-25

Proutista moesta (Westwood, 1851)

( Figs 10 , 18 )

Derbe (Phenice) moesta Westwood, 1851: 209 .

Thracia albipes Walker, 1870: 141 , synonymised by Muir, 1918: 174. Assamia dentata Buckton, 1896: 1 , synonymised by Melichar, 1903: 54. Phenice maculosa Krüger, 1897: 243 , synonymised by Kirkaldy, 1907: 174. Proutista moesta (Westwood) , Kirkaldy, 1907: 174.

Material examined. SEYCHELLES, La Digue: 2 3 2 Ƥ, Nid d'Aigles ridge, 200–300m, 4°21'11,9''S, 55°50'29,1''E, 10.xii.2006, (W. Holzinger & B. Komposch) ( OEKO). Mahé: 12 3 9 Ƥ, Victoria, Mt Fleuri, roadside, on tall grass, 4°37'58,1''S; 55°27'16,7''E; 50m, 6.xi.2006, [2-1] (W. Holzinger & B. Komposch) ( OEKO); 1 3, Beau Vallon Beach, village, 4°36’30.8”S, 55°25’56.4”E, 0–30m, 5.xi.2006, [1-1, S1-902] (W. Holzinger & B. Komposch) ( OEKO); several specimens, Port Glaud, roadside, on tall grass, 4°39’26,5’’S, 55°24’35,7’’E; 3m, 19.ix.2008, W. Holzinger vid. Praslin: 4 3, 1 Ƥ, near Anse Lazio, on tall grass, 4°17’31.5”S, 55°42’09.2”E, 2–25m, 3.xii.2006, [27-1, S1-933 – S1-937] (W. Holzinger & B. Komposch) ( OEKO). Silhouette: 6 3, 2 Ƥ, La Passe village, 4°29’00”S, 55°14’59”E, 18.xi.2006 and 22.xi.2006, [13-1, 16-1, S1-928 - S1-932] (W. Holzinger & B. Komposch) ( OEKO).

Colour. Head, pronotum and mesonotum black except for pale yellow carinae, antennae and first segment of rostrum. Forewing dark brown to black with white marks as in Figs 10 B–D. Legs pale yellow. Abdominal sternites black with yellowish or reddish spots.

Morphology. Body length: male 2.4–2.6 mm (incl. wings 6.3–6.6 mm), female 2.5–3.0 mm (incl. wings 7.0– 7.2 mm).

Head: Vertex with shallowly v-shaped basal emargination. Median carina present on vertex, absent of frons. Lateral carinae of vertex and frons smooth, without granules. Frons extremely narrow, lateral carinae parallel. Frontoclypeal suture straight. Postclypeus with prominent median carina and moderately developed lateral carinae. Anteclypeus with moderately developed median and lateral carinae. Rostrum surpassing hind coxae. Eyes not reaching to base of clypeus. Head without subantennal processes. Antennae much shorter than frons. Second antennal segment small, ovate, less than twice as long as wide.

Thorax: Thorax wider than head. Hind margin of pronotum rectangular to obtusely angled. Mesonotum strongly convex, in lateral view distinctly raised above the vertex. Mesonotum with three, well developed, longitudinal carinae. Forewing with all median sectors single. Claval veins without a ridge of setiferous tubercles. Hindwing about half as long as forewing; apex rounded. Resting position with wings spread as in Fig. 10 A–D. Hind leg: tibia without lateral spines; tibia with 4 apical teeth with the outermost spine separated from the other 3 spines by a large diastema; 1st tarsomere with 7 apical teeth and no platellae; 2nd tarsomere with 7–9 apical teeth and no platellae. Forewing 6.3–7.6 times longer than wide (at level of apex of clavus), wing distinctly widening posterior of apex of clavus, forewing 3.7–4.2 times longer than wide (maximum width).

Male genitalia: Anal tube in left lateral view s-shaped with a very long apical lobe as in Figs 18 D–E; pygofer ventrally rounded, ventromedian process absent as in Fig. 18 F; genital styles apically with a pointed tip, dorsally with a partly sclerotised, hook-shaped process below midlength as in Figs 18 F–G. Aedeagus as in Figs 18 A–B; ventrally with two longitudinal ridges, left lateral with a spoon-shaped flap, apically with two prominent spines, spine (a) about half as long as spine (b).

Distribution. Seychelles (La Digue, Mahé, Praslin, Silhouette), Indonesia, India, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, China, Malaysia, Borneo, Japan, Guam, Singapore, Tanzania.

Figures

FIGURE 10. Proutista moesta: A – D habitus; E head; F body lateral. Scalebar 1 mm applies to figures B – D.

FIGURE 18. Proutista moesta: A, B aedeagus, (A) left lateral (B) right lateral; C genital capsule; D, E anal tube; F, G genital styles, (F) ventral (G) left lateral.