Juliaca nigrosignata, Felix & Silva & Quintas & Pecly & Froza & Mejdalani, 2025

Felix, Márcio, Silva, Adriane Pereira, Quintas, Victor, Pecly, Nathalia Hiluy, Froza, Joyce Adriana & Mejdalani, Gabriel, 2025, Juliaca Melichar, 1926 (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae: Cicadellinae) from Ecuador: description of a new species and identification key, Zootaxa 5604 (1), pp. 77-83 : 78-81

Juliaca nigrosignata sp. nov.

( Figs. 1–12 )

Length. Males 6.19–6.38 mm (n = 2); females 6.03–6.24 mm (n = 2).

Head ( Fig. 1 ). Crown, in dorsal view, moderately produced anteriorly, its median length approximately 1/2 of interocular width and 3/10 of transocular width; surface smooth, without transverse concavity before ocelli; anterior margin broadly rounded; without carina at transition from crown to face. Ocelli located slightly behind imaginary transverse line between anterior angles of compound eyes, each ocellus approximately equidistant from median line of crown and adjacent anterior eye angle. Frontogenal suture extending onto crown and attaining ocellus. Antennal ledge, in dorsal view, not protuberant; in lateral view, with anterior margin approximately rectilinear and vertical. Face with frons convex medially; muscle impressions distinct. Epistomal suture obsolete. Clypeus, in lateral view, not protuberant, its contour continuing profile of frons at upper portion and more nearly horizontal at lower portion.

Thorax ( Fig. 1 ). Pronotum, in dorsal view, with width greater than transocular width of head; lateral margins distinctly convergent anteriorly; posterior margin slightly concave; dorsolateral carina distinct, complete, rectilinear, declivous anterad; disk smooth, without transverse rugae.Mesonotum, in dorsal view, with scutellum not transversely striate. Forewing not coriaceous, translucid, without distinct apical membranous area; with four apical cells, base of fourth more proximal than base of third, and three anteapical cells, their bases obscure; without anteapical plexus of veins. Hind wing with vein R 2+3 incomplete. Hind leg with femoral apical setal formula 2:1:1; first tarsomere longer than combined length of two more distal tarsomeres, its plantar surface with two longitudinal rows of small setae.

Male terminalia. Pygofer ( Fig. 2 ), in lateral view, moderately produced posteriorly; without processes; posterior margin broadly rounded; surface with macrosetae distributed mostly on posterior half of disk, some of them very elongate. Valve ( Fig. 2 ), in ventral view, subrectangular. Subgenital plate ( Figs. 2, 3 ), in ventral view, subtriangular, distinctly narrowed along apical half; with elongate uniseriate macrosetae distributed along outer margin; microsetae also present; plates not fused to each other basally; in lateral view, extending as far posteriorly as pygofer apex. Connective ( Fig. 4 ), in dorsal view, Y-shaped; arms widely divergent; stalk elongate, with median keel. Style ( Fig. 4 ), in dorsal view, with apophysis elongate; without preapical lobe; apex acute, directed outward. Aedeagus ( Figs. 5, 6 ) symmetrical; shaft, in lateral view, short, with apical half directed ventrally; apex moderately expanded; without processes; gonopore located ventroapically. Paraphyses ( Fig. 7 ) symmetrical; stalk poorly sclerotized, articulated with apex of connective; with pair of slender spiniform rami directed posteriorly.

Female terminalia. Sternite VII ( Fig. 8 ), in ventral view, moderately produced and slightly narrowed posteriorly; posterior margin convex, with distinct median triangular projection. “Internal” sternite VIII, in dorsal view, without distinct sclerites. Pygofer ( Fig. 9 ), in lateral view, moderately produced posteriorly; posterior margin narrowly rounded; macrosetae distributed mostly on posterior third and extending anteriorly along ventral margin. Valvifer I, in lateral view, guttiform, ventral margin distinctly rounded. Valvula I, in ventral view, with basal portion not modified, just slightly expanded; blade, in lateral view, with apical portion gradually narrowed; apex acute; ventral interlocking device located on basiventral half of valvula; dorsal sculptured area extending from basal portion to apex of blade, formed mostly by scale-like processes arranged in oblique lines; ventral sculptured area restricted to apical portion, formed by scale-like processes. Valvifer II, in lateral view, pentagonal, narrowed inferiorly; with distinct sensory field of small setae adjacent to articulation point. Valvula II ( Figs. 10–12 ), in lateral view, slightly expanded beyond basal curvature; dorsal margin convex; preapical prominence distinct; apical portion spear-shaped; apex subacute; blade with about twelve continuous, subtriangular sclerotized teeth, most teeth at basal and median thirds elongate, those at apical third smaller; denticles distributed on teeth and on dorsal and ventral apical portions of blade, except on apex (dorsal and ventral dentate apical portions with about same size); blade with ducts extending toward teeth and apex. Gonoplac extending as far posteriorly as pygofer apex; in lateral view, with basal half narrow and apical half distinctly expanded; apex obtuse; surface with denticuli and few small setae on apical portion and extending anteriorly along ventral margin.

Color ( Fig. 1 ). Body mostly white to brownish-white. Crown with single, conspicuous black spot at median portion, pedunculate at base, broadened at middle where it attains ocelli, and emarginate at apex; compound eye, in lateral view, mostly dark brown to black on superior portion and mostly yellow on inferior portion. Tarsal claws brown. Subgenital plate with apex dark brown.

Etymology. The specific epithet, nigrosignata , refers to the conspicuous black spot at the median portion of crown ( Fig. 1 ).

Known distribution. Ecuador, Province of Sucumbíos, sub-Andean montane forest ( Figs. 13, 14 ).

Material examined. Ecuador, Province of Sucumbíos. Male holotype: “Ponto 7. Ecuador, \ Sucumbíos, rio , 5 km ao \ norte de La Bonita .”; “ N 00.51625°; W 077.53477°. \ Alt. 2006 m. 12.ii.2014, A \ Kury & A Giupponi leg.” ( QCAZI) . Paratypes: five males and three females, same data as the holotype (one couple at QCAZI; one couple plus one male at CEIOC; one couple at MNRJ; one male at MELQ) .

Figures

FIGURES 1–12. Juliaca nigrosignata sp. nov. Male (1–7): 1, dorsal habitus (length 6.38 mm); 2, pygofer, valve, subgenital plate, and anal tube, lateral view; 3, left subgenital plate, ventral view; 4, left style and connective, dorsal view; 5, ejaculatory bulb and shaft of aedeagus, lateral view; 6, ejaculatory bulb and shaft of aedeagus, ventral view; 7, paraphyses, dorsal view. Female (8–12): 8, sternite VII, ventral view; 9, pygofer, lateral view; 10, ovipositor valvulae II, lateral view; 11, apical portion of valvula II, lateral view; 12, teeth at median portion of valvula II, lateral view. Scale bars of figures 2, 9, and 10 = 0.5 mm.

FIGURES 13–14.13, mapshowing the locationof the type locality of Juliacanigrosignatasp. nov. in theProvince of Sucumbíos, Ecuador. 14, sub-Andean montane forest at the type locality (about 2,000 m a.s.l.). Photograph by Adriano Brilhante Kury.