Tibicen chihuahuaensis, Sanborn, 2007

Sanborn, Allen F., 2007, New species, new records and checklist of cicadas from Mexico (Hemiptera: Cicadomorpha: Cicadidae), Zootaxa 1651, pp. 1-42 : 18-21

Tibicen chihuahuaensis sp.n.

(figs. 30–34)

Type material.— Holotype male: “ 65 miles NNW of Casa Grandes, Chihuahua, Mexico, August 27, 1957, J.C. Schaffner ” ( TAMU). Paratype males: same data (1 TAMU and 1 AFSC).

Etymology. The species is named for the state in which the specimens were collected.

Description

Coloration.—Ground color of head and thorax ochraceous, abdomen testaceous (fig. 30).

Head (fig. 31).—About as wide as mesonotum. Transverse tawny band separated from medial margin of eye curving posteriorly along epicranial suture anterior arm to posterior border of head encompassing lateral ocellus diverging laterally leaving posterior epicranial suture ochraceous. Small tawny spot anterior to median ocellus. Transverse mark continuous encompassing all ocelli and extending anteriorly to frontoclypeal suture in paratypes and extending to medial eye in one paratype. Medial two-thirds of supra-antennal plate tawny, medial one-third in one paratype. Postclypeus with tawny mark extending anteriorly from frontoclypeal suture at level of lateral ocelli which fades towards apex. Lateral transverse ridges of postclypeus, genae and mandibular plates with white pilosity. Anteclypeus pilose with a pair of parallel thin tawny lines lateral to midline. Rostrum ochraceous with a tawny tip reaching past posterior border of middle leg coxae. Scape ochraceous, pedicel and flagellar antennal segments tawny.

Thorax (fig. 31).—Transverse tawny mark along anterior pronotum lateral to midline appearing to be an extension of primary head mark. Small marks forming an incomplete V from medial terminus of paramedian fissure to middle of pronotal collar along midline. Spots on lateral pronotal collar and anteriolateral pronotum extending onto pronotal collar posterior to eye. This mark thickens in paratypes extending along lateral midline almost to anterior marks and diverging into paramedian suture. Mark extends posteriorly at lateral terminus in paramedian fissure in one paratype. Tawny mark in lateral fissure of one paratype. Mesonotum with submedian sigilla and anterior lateral sigilla tawny. Most of lateral sigilla tawny in paratypes. Medial tawny line beginning between submedial sigillar marks expanding laterally to ends of anterior arms of cruciform elevation. Mark extends across anterior arms in one paratype and medially onto cruciform elevation in other paratype. Scutellar depression testaceous. Tawny spot extending fromposterior mesonotum onto metanotum in lateral portion of cruciform elevation.

Legs.—Ochraceous marked with tawny. Dorsal fore femora with tawny stripe. Fore femora with large proximal and secondary spines, each with tawny tip, and small, oblique, distal spine. Fore tibia tawny ventrally and with two proximal spots along dorsal midline. Tibial spurs and tibial comb tawny. Metatarsal, mesotarsal, pretarsal and claws tawny, darker distally and in foreleg.

Tegmina and wings (fig. 30).—Hyaline except basal cell which is clouded with tawny. Tegmina with eight apical cells. Venation of tegmina ochraceous. Tawny spot at base of costa. Wing base orange. Distal half of radius anterior, radius posterior, median vein 1, medial crossveins between radius anterior and median vein 1 + 2, tawny. Tawny venation extends proximally along median vein to basal cell, all median veins between apical cells and cubitus anterior 1 in one paratype. These areas intermittently colored between ochraceous and tawny in second paratype. Slight infuscation on basal crossveins of apical cells 2 and 3. Wings with six apical cells. Venation of wings tawny. Three tawny spots at base of wing. Anal membrane grayish.

Operculum (fig. 32).—Male operculum ochraceous with white pubescence. Posterior rounded reaching middle of sternite II, overlapping medially. Operculum only reaches to anterior border of sternite II in one paratype. Meracanthus tawny, short, barely reaching operculum.

Abdomen (figs. 30).—Dorsal abdomen darker ochraceous than remainder of body. Dorsolateral tawny spot on tergite 2 extending as a line across posterior half of dorsal segment to join with spot on opposite side. Spot extends anteriorly onto dorsolateral surface of timbal cover. Lateral surface with white pubescence. Fine silver hairs covering dorsal segments, less dense on sternites. Timbal cover complete.

Male genitalia (figs. 33, 34).—Pygofer ochraceous, dorsal beak tip tawny. Dorsal beak as long as anal styles. Distal third of medial uncus lobe bent ventrally. Aedeagus tubular.

Measurements (in mm).— Males (n=3), mean (with range) given for available specimens. Length of body: 21.49 (22.10–22.20); length of fore wing: 21.76 (20.96–22.16); width of fore wing: 8.37 (7.92–8.70); length of head: 3.40 (3.36–3.44); width of head including eyes: 6.16 (5.80–6.48); width of pronotum including suprahumeral plates: 8.09 (7.60–8.34); width of mesonotum: 6.52 (6.38–6.68).

Notes. —This species is placed in the genus Tibicen Latrielle even though the status of the genus is being questioned ( Boulard 2001, Moulds 2005). The status of the genus will require a ruling from the International Commission of Zoological Nomenclature which has not been forthcoming. Their cogeners from Mexico were described in the genus Tibicen so this species is also described as a species of Tibicen .

The most similar species to T. chiricahuaensis are T. minor Davis and T. fuscus Davis. Tibicen chihuahuaensis can be separated from T. minor and T. fuscus by its larger body size (21.5 mm body length versus 17 mm and 16 mm respectively), general body coloration, and the shape of the uncus ( Davis [1934] illustrates the genitalia of T. minor and T. fuscus ). The remaining Mexican species of Tibicen are much larger and exhibit black ground coloration and are easily distinguished from T. chihuahuaensis .