Abana rufifrons, Sauceda-V & Malenovský & Takiya, 2025

Sauceda-V, Jefferson, Malenovský, Igor & Takiya, Daniela M., 2025, Species delimitation and taxonomic revision of Abana Distant, 1908 (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae: Proconiini): Intraspecific color variation and pseudocryptic diversity in Andean sharpshooters, Zootaxa 5596 (1), pp. 1-60 : 34-35

Abana rufifrons Sauceda-V & Takiya, sp. nov.

( Figs. 17 , 18 )

Diagnosis. Body coloration ( Figs. 17A, B , 18A, B ) mostly dark castaneous to dark brown; anterior portion of crown ( Figs. 17A , 18A ) and dorsal portion of frons ( Figs. 17B , 18B ) rufous; crown with contrasting dark maculae posteriorly and frons with contrasting dark maculae inferiorly; pronotum ( Figs. 17A , 18A ) brown to dark brown, except for an anterior broad darker marginal stripe; forewing ( Fig. 17A, B , 18A, B ) coloration not sexually dimorphic. Crown anterior margin ( Fig. 17A ) subtriangular to triangular; anterior portion ( Fig. 17B ), in lateral view, straight, not inflated; disk with a distinct depression; M-shaped elevation bordering posterior margin inconspicuous. Connective ( Fig. 17E ) with arms almost parallel; base of arms with a V-shaped dorsal rim. Style ( Fig. 17E ) with apodeme wide and long, as long as apophysis length; inner lobe rounded; apical portion approximately 1.4 times longer than wide; extending beyond connective apex. Aedeagal shaft ( Fig. 17F–H ) with preapical dorsal spiniform process sometimes with a small dentiform process at base posteriorly; anterodorsal projections wide and short. Dorsal connective ( Fig. 17H–J ) sclerotized; submedian acute process conspicuous.

Description. Total length: male (n = 1) 19.3 mm, female (n = 1) 20.5 mm.

External structures. Crown ( Figs. 17A , 18A ) M-shaped elevation bordering posterior margin inconspicuous. Ocelli closer to adjacent eye angle than to crown midline. Frons evenly convex medially. Pronotum ( Figs. 17A , 18A ) surface without pubescence. Hind legs with femoral setal formula 2:0:0. Other characters as in A. dives .

Coloration. Body coloration ( Figs. 17A, B , 18A, B ) mostly dark castaneous to dark brown. Crown ( Figs. 17A , 18A ) rufous, except for two triangular black areas on posterior portion, extending from antennal ledges to midline of crown on posterior margin. Frons ( Figs. 17B , 18B ) with upper two-thirds rufous, continuing rufous area of crown; ventral third brown, as well as clypeus. Gena ( Figs. 17B , 18B ) black on dorsal half and dark brown on ventral half, continuing dark area of crown to frons and clypeus. Thorax ( Figs. 17A, B , 18A, B ) almost completely to completely castaneous, in some specimens with some small and inconspicuous yellow areas on pleurites. Pronotum ( Figs. 17A , 18A ) brown to dark brown, except for a broad anterior darker marginal stripe. Forewing ( Figs. 17A, B , 18A, B ) castaneous to dark brown. Fore- and middle legs ( Figs. 17A, B , 18B ) with femora, tibiae, and tarsi yellow, with dark brown areas at basal and apical portions. Hind leg ( Figs. 17A, B , 18B ) dark brown, with an apical yellow area on femur. Abdomen completely dark.

Male terminalia. Pygofer ( Fig. 17C ), in lateral view, with a distinct median concavity on ventral margin; preapical region convex ventrally. Subgenital plates ( Fig. 17C ), in lateral view, almost extending to pygofer apex. Connective ( Fig. 17E ) with arms almost parallel; base of arms with a V-shaped dorsal rim. Style ( Fig. 17E ) with apodeme wide and long, as long as apophysis length; angle formed between preapical lobe and apical portion acute; apical portion approximately 1.4 times longer than wide; extending beyond connective apex. Aedeagal shaft ( Fig. 17F ), in lateral view, with preapical dorsal spiniform process almost attaining dorsal margin of lateral projections, base of this process with a small dentiform process sometimes present posteriorly. Dorsal connective ( Fig. 17F–H ) sclerotized; submedian acute process conspicuous. Other characters as in A. dives .

Female terminalia. Second valvula ( Fig. 18G ), in lateral view, with 89 separate teeth on dorsal margin. Gonoplac ( Fig. 18I ) apex subtriangular. Other characters as in A. dives .

Distribution. Panama (Bocas del Toro and Coclé provinces) ( Fig. 30 ).

Material examined. Type material: Holotype, ♂: PANAMA: Coclé: N of El Copé , 08.66819N, 80.59268W, 790 m a.s.l., 2005-viii-17, Mercury vapor light, J.N. Zahniser ( USNM) . Paratypes: PANAMA: Bocas del Toro: 2 ♂♂, 16 rd km N Lago Fortuna, “Willie Mazu” tourista spot, 08.793°N, 082.193°W, 507 m a.s.l., 2005-viii-19-20 , S.H.

McKamey ( USNM). Coclé: 1 ♂, same data as holotype ( DZRJ) . 1 ♀, same data, except: DNA voucher Entomologia DZRJ ENT6429 ( DZRJ) . 3 ♂♂, 2 ♀♀, same data, except: 08.688N, 080.593W, 2005-viii-18, S.H. McKamey ( USNM) ; 1 ♂, same data, except: DNA voucher Entomologia DZRJ ENT6584 ( USNM). Other specimens (based on photographs of habitus): PANAMA: Bocas del Toro : 1 ♂, Changuinola-1, 1980-i-16–17, M. Estrebi ( STRI) . Coclé: 1 ♀, El Copé, 1980-xi-03, J. Jaen ( STRI) .

Etymology. The specific epithet ‘ rufifrons ’ comes from the Latin rűfus (“red”) + frôns (“forehead, front”), referring to the rufous color present on the anterior part of the head of this species. The species name should be treated as a noun in apposition.

Remarks. This species resembles A. tissa mainly by the general brown to dark brown coloration of the body ( Figs. 17A, B , 20A, B ) and A. gigas also by the brown coloration of the body and the yellow coloration of the fore- and middle legs ( Figs. 10D , 17B ), but the former can be clearly distinguished from both species by the rufous coloration of the anterior region of head ( Fig. 17A, B ) and the dark stripe along the anterior margin of the pronotum ( Fig. 17A ).

Figures

FIGURE 10. Abana gigas (Fowler, 1898). A, male lectotype (BMNH), dorsal habitus; B, same male, lateral habitus; C, same male labels; D, male from Limon, Costa Rica (USNM), dorsal habitus; E, same male, lateral habitus; F, genital capsule, lateral view; G, subgenital plates, ventral view; H, connective and styles, dorsal view; I, aedeagus, anal tube and paraphyses, lateral view; J, aedeagus, anal tube and paraphyses, ventral view; K, aedeagus, anal tube and paraphyses, posterior view. Scale bars A–E: 1.0 mm, F–K: 0.5 mm.

FIGURE 17. Abana rufifrons Sauceda-V & Takiya, sp. nov., male holotype (USNM). A, dorsal habitus; B, lateral habitus; C, genital capsule, lateral view; D, subgenital plate, ventral view; E, connective and styles, dorsal view; F, aedeagus, anal tube and paraphyses, lateral view; G, aedeagus, anal tube and paraphyses, ventral view; H, aedeagus, anal tube and paraphyses, posterior view. Scale bars A, B: 1.0 mm, C–H: 0.5 mm.

FIGURE 18. Abana rufifrons Sauceda-V & Takiya, sp. nov., female paratype (DZRJ). A, dorsal habitus; B, lateral habitus; C, sternite VII, ventral view; D, pygofer, lateral view; E, first valvifer and first valvula, lateral view; F, detail of first valvula apex, lateral view; G, second valvifer and second valvula, lateral view; H, detail of second valvula, lateral view; I, gonoplac, lateral view. Scale bars A, B: 1.0 mm, C–I: 0.5 mm.

FIGURE 20. Abana tissa Distant, 1908, “blue morphotype”.A, male fromAntioquia, Colombia (CEUA 124372), dorsal habitus; B, same male, lateral habitus; C, male from Valle del Cauca, Colombia (CEUA), dorsal habitus; D, same male, lateral habitus; E, genital capsule, lateral view; F, subgenital plates, ventral view; G, connective and styles, dorsal view; H, aedeagus, anal tube, and paraphyses, lateral view; I, aedeagus, anal tube, and paraphyses, ventral view; J, aedeagus, anal tube, and paraphyses, posterior view. Scale bars A–D: 1.0 mm, E–J: 0.5 mm.

FIGURE 30. Distribution map of Abana species.