Alara schmidti Zelazny, 2011

Zelazny, B. & Webb, M. D., 2011, 3071, Zootaxa 3071, pp. 1-307 : 28-29

Alara schmidti Zelazny , sp. nov.

( Figs. 16, 145)

Description. Length of forewings: male 2.4–2.9 mm (mean = 2.7, n= 18), female 2.5–3.2 mm (mean = 2.9, n= 9). Colour red. A few male paratypes faintly red or more reddish brown. Females stramineous, but in most specimens vertex, frons, parts of the thoracic pleura and forewing base reddish, abdomen bright red in all specimens, but genitalia stramineous. Male genitalia with pygofer narrow. Genital styles broad, rounded; proximal dorsal process short and slender, base of distal dorsal process broad, nearly touching proximal process. Stem of aedeagus wide; the left dorsal margin slightly produced just before apical part; apical part flat with a narrow, dorsal, longitudinal impression, ending in two short, broad, pointed tips, the right one shorter than the left.

Etymology. The species is named for Edmund Schmidt who made important contributions to the knowledge of the Auchenorrhyncha and ' schmidti ' is a latinized noun used in the genitive case.

Type material. Holotype ♂ (forewing 2.9 mm, body 1.5 mm), INDONESIA: PAPUA; labels: 1) NEW GUINEA (Neth.):/ Ifar (E. end Cyclops / Mts.) 150m., X-18-'57 2) J.L. Gressitt / Collector ( BPBM) . Paratypes. INDONESIA: PAPUA: Sentai , 90+m., 15+ 22. VI .1959, 16 ♂ (fw. 2.4, 2x2.5, 2x2.6, 3x2.7) 7 ♀ (fw. 2.5, 2.7, 2.9, 3.0), T . C. Maa; Hollandia area, W. Sentai, Cyclops Mts. , 150–250m, 19, 22–25. VI .1959, 1 ♂ (fw. 2.9) 1 ♀, J.L. Gressitt, ginger; Ifar, 300–600m, 20+ 22. VI .1959, 1 ♂ (fw. 2.7) 1 ♀ (fw. 3.1), Gressitt, ginger; INDONESIA: WEST PAPUA: Vogelkop: Ransiki , 10 m, 7.VIII.1957, 1 ♂ (fw. 2.6), D. Elmo Hardy; Bomberai, 700–900m, 5–8. VI .1959, 1 ♂ (fw. 2.7) 3 ♀ (fw. 2.6, 3.2), Gressitt, ginger and alpinia; Fak Fak, S. Coast of Bomberai , 100–700m, 5. VI .1959, 1 ♂, Maa; PAPUA NEW GUINEA: NE: Bubia, Markham V ., 50m, 17.IX.1955, 1 ♂ (fw. 2.8), Gressitt; Dreikikir, Sepik Distr., 350m, 23. VI .1961, 1 ♂ (2.7), J.L. + M. Gressitt; Lae , IX.1949, 6.VI.1957, 2 ♂ (fw. 2.6), N.L.N. Krauss, D. Elmo Hardy (all BPBM); Papua, Kokoda, 1200ft (400m), V .+ VI .1933 , 4 ♂ (fw. 2.6, 2.8) 2 ♀ (fw. 2.8, 2.9), L.E. Cheesman ( BMNH).

Distribution. Island of New Guinea.

Diagnosis. Alara schmidti is indistinguishable externally from A. armifera sp. nov., also from New Guinea. The males can be recognized by the apical part of the aedeagus ending in two short, broad and pointed processes.