Herpis circumsoros Bahder & Bartlett, 2023

Zumbado Echavarria, Marco A., Barrantes Barrantes, Edwin A., Helmick, Ericka E., Bartlett, Charles R. & Bahder, Brian W., 2023, A new species of planthopper from Costa Rica in the genus Herpis (Hemiptera: Derbidae) from palms in the cloud forest, Zootaxa 5254 (3), pp. 357-369 : 360-366

Herpis circumsoros Bahder & Bartlett sp. n.

( Figures 2–6 )

Type locality. Costa Rica, Alajuela Province, Hotel Villa Blanca ( Fig. 1 ) .

Diagnosis. Body pallid, wings marked with oblique fascia, and three fuscous patches at base of wing. Terminalia bilaterally symmetrical. Medioventral process of pygofer longer than wide, approximately triangular, apex acute. Gonostyli in lateral irregularly spatulate, apex medially inflected with sclerotized point, bearing an angular process on oblique margin; in ventral view with large median hook just before midlength aedeagus bearing 6 pairs of processes plus a 5-parted endosoma; the aedeagal processes A1 & A2 are mildly serpentine and much shorter than processes A3 & A4 ( Fig. 6 , compared with H. soros in remarks below). Anal tube in lateral view elongate, distally enlarged with ventral margin concave; in dorsal view abruptly expanded just before anal column into pair of stout processes.

Description. Color. General body color predominantly white washed with yellowish (to tan) markings ( Fig. 2 ), anterior region of the head dull orange, pronotum dull orange, mesonotum with dull orange distad of lateral carinae, white mesad of lateral carinae (forming median vitta), median carina dull orange ( Fig. 3 ). Forewing transparent with fuscous oblique fascia extending from apex of RA proximad to Pcu with three fuscous patches in proximal portion of forewing (one at the base of the postcostal cell, one proximal between veins CuP and Pcu, and one proximal between Pcu and A1). Veins pale yellow distally, darker basally with apical vein washed with red from RA to clavus plus apices of MP and CuA. Abdominal tergites yellow-orange.

Structure. Body length male (with wings) 4.00 mm (n=1), female 4.15 (n=1) ( Table 2 ). Head. Vertex broad, trapezoidal, wider than long, widest basally, narrowed distally, median carina distinct, apex bearing weakly concave transverse carina, posterior margin angulate, lateral margins bearing 2+ rows of pits of variable, continuing to lateral margins of frons ( Fig. 3A ) although diminished in size ( Fig. 3B ); vertex weakly medially depressed in frontal view. Frons broad, lateral margins parallel and keeled; median carina distinct with dorsal portion convex forming projection near fastigium (evident from both frontal and dorsal views). Frontoclypeal suture straight, clypeus elongately triangular with distinct median keel. In lateral view, head evenly rounded from vertex, across fastigium, to face ( Fig. 3C ). Antennae short (greatly overtopped by foliate paradiscal region of pronotum in frontal view, Fig. 3B ), scape very small, pedicle spheroid, about as wide as tall, with many placoid sensillae (roughly evenly dispersed), particularly on anterior margin. Lateral ocelli obsolete. Rostrum exceeding hind coxae, terminal segment short, about as long as wide.

Thorax. Pronotum narrow in dorsal view (about half length of vertex midlength), anterior margin moderately convex, posterior margin deeply concave, median carina distinct with disc depressed in lateral compartments; in lateral view with posterior margin foliately raised (anteriorly declinate); paranotal region expanded and greatly foliate forming fossae behind antennae ( Fig. 3C ), from frontal view expanded paradiscal region subquadrate, greatly exceeding antennae ( Fig. 3B ). Mesonotum at midline longer than vertex and pronotum combined; obscurely tricarinate, lateral carinae subparallel; median carina distinct on scutum, weaker on scutellum; notum weakly inflected between scutum and scutellum. Tibiae lacking lateral spines; spinulation of hind leg 6–6–7. Forewing ( Fig. 4 ) with apex of clavus near wing midlength, fork of CuA just basad of Sc+RA and RP fork (cell C1 longer than cell C5), both in proximal half of wing; vein MP combined with Sc+R forming short stem from basal cell; wing branching pattern RA 2-branched, RP 2-branched, MP 6-branched, CuA 2-branched CuA understood as fused and apex of C5 and subsequently forked); MP region of wing with 6 closed cells (C4-C3aa inclusive), wing cell C5 closed before wing margin, Pcu+A1 joining CuP before the composite vein reaches wing margin.

Terminalia. Pygofer narrow (in lateral view), irregular in shape, narrowest subdorsally, widest ventrally, with irregularly sinuate anterior and posterior margins ( Fig. 5A ); in ventral view, medioventral process longer than wide, subtriangular at apex, lateral margins curved ( Fig. 5B ). Gonostyli in lateral view irregularly spatulate, narrowest near base, becoming abruptly wider with complex angular processes on incline of dorsal margin, distal margin broadly rounded ( Fig. 5A ), with dorsal apical margin medially curved (to sharply acuminate apex, visible from dorsal and ventral views, Figs. 5B, 5C ); dorsal angular processes highly complex from dorsal view ( Fig. 5C ), rounded lobe with sclerotized tooth arising from base, second, larger lobe with constriction, forming circular apex angled mesad; in ventral view, gonostyli wide at base, abruptly constricting to sinuate medioventral margin bearing large, medial falcate processes before midlength ( Fig. 5B ). Aedeagus bilaterally symmetrical, in lateral view shaft upcurved bearing complex series of 6 pairs of processes, along shaft and at apex plus complex endosoma with 3 pairs of processes ( Fig. 6 ); shaft with pair of elongate processes on both left and right margins (A1–A4) arising from lateral aspect before midlength on common base, proximal processes A1 and A2 slender and strongly falciform, apices directed dorsad, A1 with ventral node in basal half, distal processes A3 and A4 more robust, longer than A1 and A2, curved slightly dorsad, directed posteriorly ( Figs. 6A & 6B ); shaft with two pair of subapical processes (A5-A8), proximal pair (A7 & A8) retrorse and very elongate, extending almost to base of aedeagus, distal pair (A5 & A6) short and caudally directed processes; two pair of apical retrorse processes (A9-A12), both pair of moderate length, approximately 1/3 length of A5 & A6; processes A9 & A10 slightly downcurved; endosoma complex with 2 pairs of processes plus a single median process (E5); one dorsal pair (E1 & E2), arising at dorsal midline, curved medially, slender, extending to about midpoint of aedeagus; a second pair (E3 & E4) consisting of stout, elongate serrate lobes (E3 & E4);, extending to aedeagal base, serrate at apex and along dorsal margin; single median process (E5, visible from lateral view), stout, upcurved and apically round located beneath large serrate lobes (E3, E4) and half their length. Anal tube elongate in lateral view (approximately 2/3 length of gonostyli), distally expanded and inflected ventrad, narrowed to a sharp point; in dorsal view spatulate with caudal margin strongly bifid. Paraproct short and conical.

Plant associations. Palm ( Arecaceae ) seedlings, Geonoma sp.

Distribution. Costa Rica (Alajuela Province).

Etymology. The specific epithet refers to similarities in habitus between this species and H. soros ; the name is derived from the Latin term circum (around) appended to the specific epithet ‘ soros’.

Material examined. Holotype male, “ Costa Rica, Alajuela Pr. / Hotel Villa Blanca / 21-VI-2019 / Coll.: B.W. Bahder / sweeping palm seedlings // Holotype / Herpis circumsoros ” (FLREC) . Paratypes, same as holotype (5 males, 5 females, FLREC and FSCA) .

Sequence Data. For the COI gene, a 705 bp product was generated (GenBank Accession No. OQ108307) and for the 18S genes, a 1,438 bp product was generated (GenBank Accession No. OQ108366). The phylogenetic analysis based on COI and 18S data show strong bootstrap support (99 and 100 respectively) for Herpis circumsoros sp. n. resolving adjacent to H. soros ( Fig. 7 ). This relationship is also reflected in the consensus tree with strong bootstrap support (100) ( Fig. 7C ). In this phylogenetic analysis, Herpis is sister to Oropuna , the same relationship that was found in Bahder et al. (2021b).

Based on the pairwise comparison conducted using the 18S gene, H. circumsoros sp. n. differed by 2.9% from H. soros , whereas, it differed from other genera by an average of 8.8% (±0.4) ( Table 2 ). Of the taxa analyzed that had multiple species represented, the average variation within genera (intrageneric) was 1.7% (±0.5) while the average variability among genera (intergeneric) was 7.3% (±0.2). The level of variability between H. circumsoros sp. n. and H. soros is consistent with the expected intrageneric variability among available Cenchreini and the variability observed for both 18S and COI are consistent with interspecific levels of variability observed for respective genera, supporting the placement of H. circumsoros sp. n. in the genus Herpis and establishing it as distinct from H. soros .

Remarks. The new species placement in Herpis is strongly supported based on morphological characters. External diagnostic features for the genus include relatively large and stout (among New World Cenchreini ), frons broad and parallel-sided, bearing a median carina, frontoclypeal margin straight; vertex broad (nearly flat from frontal view). Among species of Herpis so far examined ( H. metcalfi , H. albida , H. soros , and H. fuscovittata ), they are all relatively pale in coloration. Genus-level features for the terminalia include broad, elongate parameres, each bearing a dorsal process and, in ventral view, a median hook; the aedeagus with a complex array of processes on the shaft and associated with the endosoma; and the anal tube elongate and, in dorsal view, apically bifid. These features appear to be consistent among the new species and terminalia figured by O’Brien 1987 (fig. 23 H. delicata , and fig. 17, H. metcalfi ).

Herpis circumsoros sp. n. is similar to Herpis soros , and are superficially very similar. Differences between these species include the forewings with three basal black spots in H. circumsoros (two in H. soros ), and the length of the MP 1 vein between the r-m crossvein and the MP 1 fork is longer circumsoros sp. n. (and the im-crossvein is shorter); differences in the terminalia include the aedeagal processes of the shaft are shorter and appressed to the shaft in H. circumsoros sp. n. (vs. elongate, falciform and diverging from the shaft in H. soros ); also, the pair of processes A3 & A4 are much more elongate in H. circumsoros sp. n. Another difference appears to be that the distal portion of the anal tube is more elongated in H. soros than in H. circumsoros sp. n. In ventral view, the gonostyli are much narrower in H. circumsoros sp. n. than in H. soros , most notably distal to the hooked process on the inner margins. These relatively small differences in morphology are supported by molecular data from both the COI (99) and 18S (100) genes and is further reflected in the consensus phylogeny (100). Furthermore, the difference between H. circumsoros sp. n. and H. soros is 2.9% and of the taxa analyzed in this study, this is the largest difference among species in the same genus for 18S. Of the other genera and species analyzed, the intrageneric variability is around 1%. This trend is particularly fascinating due to the morphological similarity between the two species of Herpis whereas all other species analyzed are far more distinct from each other yet have a smaller difference for the 18S gene.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Habitat and locality of Herpis circumsoros sp. n.

FIGURE 2. Male adult habitus, Herpis circumsoros sp. n. (A) lateral view; (B) dorsal view.

FIGURE 3. Adult Herpis circumsoros sp. n. (A) head, pronotum, mesonotum dorsal view; (B) head and pronotum frontal view; (C) head, pronotum, and mesonotum lateral view; scale = 1 mm.

FIGURE 4. Male Herpis circumsoros sp. n. forewing venation; black = vein, green = cell, italics = crossvein.

FIGURE 5. Male terminalia, Herpis circumsoros sp. n. (A) lateral view; (B) ventral view; (C) dorsal view.

FIGURE 6. Aedeagus of Herpis circumsoros sp. n. (A) right lateral view; (B) left lateral view; (C) dorsal view.

FIGURE 7. Maximum Likelihood trees (1,000 replicates) demonstrating relationship of Herpis circumsoros sp. n. relative to other Cenchreini planthoppers available with Anotia firebugia (Otiocerini) as an outgroup; (A) COI, (B)18S and (C) consensus tree based on concatenated COI and 18S sequence data, scale bar = percent nucleotide difference.