Vekunta bri Löcker, Löcker & Holzinger, 2009

Löcker, Holger, Löcker, Birgit & Holzinger, Werner E., 2009, Revision of the Derbidae of Seychelles Islands (Insecta: Hemiptera: Fulgoromorpha), Zootaxa 2221, pp. 1-26 : 15-17

Vekunta bri Löcker, Löcker & Holzinger , sp. nov.

( Figs 8 , 16 )

Types. Holotype, 3, SEYCHELLES, Mahé: Mt. Palmiste, 70–120m, 4°40’19,7’’S, 55°26’37,9’’E, Chrysobalanus shrub, 12.xi.2006, [8-2] (W. Holzinger & B. Komposch) (OEKO). Paratypes, 3 3, 2 Ƥ, same locality and date as holotype; 3, Mahé-N, Mission Lodge E Port Glaud, 4°39’18,4’’S, 55°26’42,3’’E, 500m, 11.xi.2006, [7-1] (W. Holzinger & B. Komposch) (OEKO); 3 3 Mahé-N, Ma Josephine SE Victoria; 4°39’~18’’S, 55°28’~22’’E, 330m, 16.xi.2006, [11-3] (W. Holzinger & B. Komposch) (OEKO). Silhouette: 16 3 5 Ƥ La Passe and coast south 4°29’~10’’S, 55°15’~11’’E, ~ 10m, 19.xi.2006, [14-1] (W. Holzinger & B. Komposch) (OEKO).

Holotype and paratypes are stored in coll. Oekoteam – Institute for Animal Ecology and Landscape Planning, Graz, Austria (OEKO) except for one male and one female paratype deposited in BMNH.

Etymology. The name “ bri ” is an arbitrary combination of letters. The species is dedicated to Brigitte Komposch in honour of her outstanding addiction to hopper collecting in Seychelles.

Colour. Body yellow. Apex of rostrum blackish. Forewing pale yellow with a more or less distinct brownish streak near subcosta, veins concolorous with cells.

Morphology. Body length: male 4.9–5.1 mm, female 5.8–6.0 mm.

Head: Vertex with u-shaped basal emargination. Lateral carinae of vertex with sensory pits. Vertex and frons lacking median carina. Frons moderately narrow, lateral carinae concave, frons widest near frontoclypeal suture. Frons with strongly elevated, distinctly granulated lateral carinae. Frontoclypeal suture straight. Postclypeus with moderately developed median and lateral carinae, anteclypeus with weakly developed median carina, without lateral carinae. Rostrum surpassing hind coxae. Head without subantennal processes. Apex of head distinctly angulate in lateral view. Second antennal segment small, ovate, less than 2 times longer than wide. Vertex 0.9–1.1 times as long as wide. Frons 2.2–2.3 times longer than wide.

Thorax: Pronotum with no distinct medial disc; hind margin of pronotum obtusely angled; lateral pronotal carinae and ventral lateral margins of pronotum not foliately raised. Mesonotum slightly convex, in lateral view slightly raised above the vertex. Mesonotum with three, weakly developed or evanescent longitudinal carinae. Forewing with closed clavus. Claval veins with a prominent ridge of setiferous tubercles. Forewing without trifid MA; with short subcostal cell. Hindwing more than half as long as forewing. Resting position with wings folded above abdomen. Hind leg: tibia without lateral spines; tibia with 7 apical teeth in an uninterrupted row; 1st and 2nd tarsomere with 6 apical teeth and no platellae. Forewing 3.9–4.3 times longer than wide (at level of apex of clavus), wing not distinctly widening posterior of apex of clavus. Male genitalia: Anal tube long, with a hook-shaped tip, pointing left laterad as in Figs 16 D–E; pygofer lacking ventromedian process, laterally with an elongated process pointing inwards as in Fig. 16 H; genital styles elongated, with a curved tip, about midlength with a process carrying setae as in Figs 16 F–G. Aedeagus as in Figs 16 A–C; with a long, pointed apical process carrying two spines (a,b) left lateral and two spines (c,d) right lateral.

Distribution. Mahé, Silhouette.

Diagnosis. Vekunta bri differs from many other Vekunta species by its colour and body shape. Compared to externally similar species, the structures of the male genitalia (anal tube, aedeagus, see Figs 16 A–E) allow easy identification.

Remarks. Vekunta is a diverse genus in the subtropical and tropical regions of India and Asia, comprising about 35 species (Bourgoin 2008). The generic placement of this new species into Vekunta , however, is tentative. It is based mainly on the characters given by Fennah (1952); both Vekunta and the family Derbidae as a whole still await a revision and comprehensive phylogenetic analysis.

Figures

FIGURE 8. Vekunta bri (paratype): A habitus lateral; B habitus dorsal; C head; D forewing. Scalebar 1 mm applies to figures A, B, D.

FIGURE 16. Vekunta bri: A – C aedeagus, (A) left lateral (B) ventral (C) ventrolateral; D, E anal tube; F, G genital style, (F) ventral (G) left lateral; H genital capsule.