Olonia rubicunda ( Walker, 1851 )

Constant, Jérôme, 2018, Revision of the Eurybrachidae XIV. The Australian genera Olonia Stål, 1862 and Stalobrachys gen. nov. (Hemiptera: Fulgoromorpha), European Journal of Taxonomy 486, pp. 1-97 : 69-72

Olonia rubicunda ( Walker, 1851)

Figs 3 , 44

Eurybrachys rubicunda Walker, 1851: 391 (described).

Eurybrachys rubicunda – Kirkaldy 1906: 445 (listed as belonging to Olonia ).

Olonia rubicunda – Stål 1862: 488 (transferred to Olonia ). — Distant 1906: 206 (type species of Olonia ). — Metcalf 1956: 65 (catalogued).

non Olonia rubicunda – Jacobi 1928: 4 ((re)described from Kimberley District (erroneous, based on misidentified specimens)). — Lallemand 1935: 675 (mentioned from Northern Territory (erroneous, based on misidentified specimens)).

Diagnosis

The species can be recognized by the following combination of characters (♀):

(1) hind wings without orange marking ( Fig. 44B )

(2) pro- and mesofemora and tibiae largely black-brown ( Fig. 44C, E )

(3) tegmina brown, darker along costal and apical margins ( Fig. 44B )

(4) rather small size: 8.5 mm

This species is currently known only from a single female and the diagnosis will need to be augmented with characters of the male genitalia when male specimens become available.

Etymology

The species epithet rubicundus (adjective, Latin) means ʻbright redʼ. It refers to the colour of the abdomen in this species.

Material examined

Holotype

AUSTRALIA • ♀; Queensland, Sandy Cape; [24°43′46″ S, 153°12′30″ E]; “N.H., Sandy Cape; / on the reverse / 46 73”, “Type”, “22. Eurybracbys [sic] rubicunda ”, “Re-pinned on stainless”; left anterior and posterior, and right median legs glued on labels attached to the pin of the specimen, left tegmen missing; BMNH ( Fig. 44 ).

Note

“N.H.” on the first label stands for New Holland, a former name for Australia.

Description

MEASUREMENTS AND RATIOS. LT: ♀ (n=1): 8.5mm (extrapolated); BV/LV=4.25;BF/LF=1.76;LP+LM/BT not measurable; LTg/BTg = 2.5; LW/BW not measurable.

Female

HEAD ( Fig. 44A–E ). Vertex concave, with anterior and posterior margins parallel, curved; brown with darker marking at lateral angles. Frons uniformly reddish brown. Clypeus elongate, entirely reddish brown. Genae yellowish with elongate brown marking under eye. Labium black-brown, reaching metacoxae. Antennae black-brown; scape short, ring-shaped; pedicel subcylindrical, slightly narrowing towards apex.

THORAX ( Fig. 44A–E ). Pronotum brown and slightly wrinkled; obsolete median carina and 2 small impressed points on disc. Lateral fields of prothorax brown. Mesonotum brown variegated with blackish; peridiscal carinae weakly marked. Red ventrally. Tegulae brown. (Mesonotum damaged in the examined specimen.)

TEGMINA ( Fig. 44B ). Brown with small yellowish spots; pale yellowish marking on vein A1 at ¾ of clavus; marked with black along costal margin, more broadly so on posterior half, and along posterior margin. Triangular white marking on costal margin on nodal line; yellowish markings at apicosutural angle. (Remaining right tegmen of examined specimen damaged.)

POSTERIOR WINGS ( Fig. 44B ). Brown, paler on anal area and with large darker area reaching apical margin; elongate, transverse, subtriangular white marking at apicocostal angle, extending on 3 cells. Margin of anal area slightly sinuate; sutural margin with 1 cleft, cubital one not marked.

LEGS ( Fig. 44A, C, E ). Pro- and mesocoxae dark brown. Pro- and mesofemora black-brown with reddish spots marking obsolete rings. Pro- and mesotibiae black-brown with reddish markings on 3 obsolete rings. Pro- and mesotarsi black-brown, with basal half of third tarsomere paler. Metacoxae red; metafemora reddish with apex brown. Metatibiae brown, with 3 lateral spines paler basally and 8 apical black-brown spines. Metatarsi brown, with a ventral row of 6 black spines on first tarsomere.

ABDOMEN (FIG. 44A–D). Bright red with genital segments brown and sternite VII white.

Male

Unknown.

Distribution and biology

This species is known only from a single specimen from Fraser Island in southeastern Queensland ( Fig. 3 ), in the Eastern Australian Temperate Forests bioregion. Biology unknown.

Figures

Fig. 3. Olonia spp. and Stalobrachys alboapicata gen. et comb. nov. (Jacobi, 1928), distribution maps. A. Topographic map. B. Bioregion map.

Fig. 44. Olonia rubicunda (Walker, 1851), holotype, ♀. A. Habitus, dorsal view. B. Habitus, normal view of right tegmen. C. Ventral view. D. Habitus, lateral view. E. Habitus, normal view of frons. F. Labels (with three legs).