Tico villablanca Bahder & Bartlett, 2022

Zumbado Echavarria, Marco A., Barrantes Barrantes, Edwin A., Helmick, Ericka E., Bartlett, Charles R. & Bahder, Brian W., 2022, A new species of planthopper in the genus Tico (Hemiptera: Auchenorrhyncha: Derbidae) on palms in Costa Rica, Zootaxa 5209 (2), pp. 187-198 : 190-195

Tico villablanca Bahder & Bartlett sp. n.

( Figures 2–6 )

Diagnosis. Body pale (generally yellowish) strongly contrasting with red-fuscous wings. Head pale with fuscous patches on posterior half of genae below eyes. Lateral carinae of vertex and frons foliate with sensorial pits obsolete. Dorsal apex of aedeagal shaft bearing large, heart-like flanges with serrations on anterior margin. Gonostyli with elongate sclerotized ridge on inner margin bearing low, irregular serrations and elongate process at apex.

Description. Color. General body color yellow-orange ( Fig. 2 ), head and venter paler, posterior portion of genae marked with fuscous patch from eyes to frontoclypeal suture (washed with red near lateral ocelli); clypeus washed with red ( Fig. 3C ). Foliate region of paranota of prothorax paler then dorsal region, legs pale. Forewings red-fuscous, veins red distally, orange basally ( Fig. 2 ). Tergites of abdominal segment washed with bright red, sternites yellow-orange. Gonostyli pale, translucent, and slightly tinted with red and orange on dorsal margin, anal tube light red ( Fig. 5 ).

Structure. Body length without wings 1.74–1.78 mm (males), 1.81–1.83 mm (females); with wings 2.68–2.71 mm (males), 2.75 mm (females; Table 3 ). Head. In lateral view, rounded with slight angle representing the transverse carina at the fastigium ( Fig. 3B ). In dorsal view, vertex trapezoidal, truncate at anterior margin (at transverse carina), concave between eyes at posterior margin, lateral carinae foliate smooth (lacking sensorial pits) ( Fig. 3A ), disc concave, median carina absent. In frontal view, frons concave with lateral margins foliate and irregularly sinuate (sensorial pits lacking), narrowest between eyes, slightly wider at ventral margin then dorsal margin. Lateral ocelli conspicuous below eyes, antennae short, scale ringlike, pedicle spheroid bearing inconspicuous sensory plaques, flagellum bristle-like with bulbous base.

Thorax. Pronotum relatively elongate, at midline approximately equal length to vertex ( Fig. 3A ), anterior margin truncate, posterior margin moderately concave; distinctly tricarinate (lateral carinae laterally arched, reaching hind margin), paradiscal region distinctly declinate at lateral carinae (from dorsal view); in lateral view ( Fig. 3B ), posterior margin raised, declining anteriorly; paradiscal regions broadly foliate, forming cup-like fossa surrounding antennae posteriorly; in frontal view, foliations broadly exceeding antennae, appearing rounded laterally (Fig, 3C). Mesonotum approximately as long at midline as wide (longer at midline than vertex and pronotum combined, Fig. 3A ); carinate at midline, lateral carinae obscure. Forewing ( Fig. 4 ) with apex of clavus near forewing midlength, fused vein Pcu+A1 reaching wing margin distantly proximad to CuP at claval apex. Fork of R (forming C1 cell) just preceding claval apex, fork of CuA proximad of R fork (cell C5 longer than C1); composite vein M+R+ScP forming elongate stem from basal cell before branching of MP from ScP+R. Branching pattern: RA 1-branched, RP 2-branched (RP 1+2 and RP 3+4), MP 4-branched (a forked MP 1 plus MP 2 and MP 3+4; CuA 2 branched (forming cells C5 and C5’ by icua crossvein and icu forming marginal C6 cell). Large pustules along subcostal vein, Pcu and costal vein between ScP and Ra, very small pustules present along all veins, branches and crossveins from basal region to distal margin ( Fig. 4 ).

Terminalia. Pygofer in lateral view irregular in shape, widest at dorsal margin, narrowing ventrally then expanding at ventral margin, irregularly sinuate on anterior and posterior margin ( Fig. 5A ); in ventral view, posterior margin lacking medioventral process ( Fig. 5B ). Gonostyli in lateral view broadly spatulate with large angular process at base, distally rounded on ventral margin, truncate at apex with slight apical invagination, dorsal margin irregularly sinuate, subapical lobe bearing sclerotized hook, curving distad ( Fig. 6A ); inner lateral margin with elongate sclerotized ridge with slight serrations, curved mesad with subapical process ( Fig. 6B ); in ventral view, narrow basally, expanded at large angular process, then abruptly constricted, expanded again at distal 2/3 then subapically constricting, apices rounded ( Fig. 5B ). Aedeagal shaft upcurved, cylindrical, simple with complex array of mostly retrorse aedeagal and endosomal processes, approximately bilaterally symmetrical; aedeagal processes are a pair of subapical heart-shaped flanges on dorsal margin (A1 & A2) angled cephalad with anterior margin serrate ( Figs 7 & 8 ). Aedeagal endosoma very complex with five pairs of processes; first pair (E1 & E2) dorsal most processes in lateral view, slender, moderate length, curving ventrad; second pair (E3 & E4) strongly bifid with secondary processes (E3s & E4s) arising on dorsal margin of primary processes (E3p & E4p), E3s and E4s short, about as thick as E1 and E2, terminating approximately at same point as E1 and E2, curved ventrad; E3p and E4p long, reaching base of aedeagus, laterally flattened (broad in lateral view), dorsal and ventral margins sinuate, apex curved dorsad; third pair of processes (E5 & E6) simple, slender, slightly sinuate, nearly reaching base of aedeagus; fourth pair (E7 & E8) simple, slender, reaching approximately midpoint of E3p and E4p, angled slightly dorsad; final pair (E9 and E10) strongly bifid, dorsal subprocess (E9d & E10d) slender, strongly sinuate, curving dorsad, ventral subprocesses (E9v & E10v) slender, strongly sinuate, curving laterally and dorsad then curving mesad at apex ( Figs 7 & 8 ). Anal segment moderately long, not reaching apex of gonostyli, irregularly sinuate on dorsal and ventral margins, apex elongate, apex blunt, curved slightly ventrad ( Fig. 5A ); paraproct short, conical.

Plant associations. Undetermined palm species ( Arecaceae ).

Distribution. Costa Rica (Alajuela)

Etymology. The specific name is given in reference to type locality, Hotel Villa Blanca.

Material examined. Holotype male, “ Costa Rica, Heredia / Hotel Villa Blanca / 15.V.2018 / Coll.: B.W. Bahder, sweeping palms / Holotype Tico villablanca ♂ ” ( FLREC) ; Paratypes same as holotype (10 males, 4 females, FSCA) .

Sequence Data and Analysis. For COI, a 681 bp product was generated (GenBank Accession No. ON797450 ) and for 18S, a 1,601 bp product was generated (GenBank Accession No. ON783969 ). While support for all clades based on COI is weak, bootstrap support for placement of Tico villablanca sp. n. within Tico based on the 18S gene is strong (99) and based on the consensus analysis, there is also strong bootstrap support (100) for the genus Tico , where Tico villablanca sp. n. resolves adjacent to Tico sierra with weak bootstrap support (56).

Remarks. Features observed in T. villablanca sp. n. (angular projection at base of gonostyli and sclerotized structure on inner margin of the gonostyli) are consistent with other members of the genus Tico and support its placement therein. Furthermore, molecular support (while weak) places T. villablanca sp. n. adjacent to T. sierra , to which it bears the closest resemblance, superficially based on color. However, there is strong bootstrap support for the monophyly of Tico based on the loci analyzed thus far.

Tico villablanca sp. n. is unusual in lacking the sensorial pits on the lateral carinae of the vertex and frons. Since the presence of these pits is usually taken to be a tribal feature, our presumption is that the absence of these pits is a derived feature, an assertion that is supported by the placement of this species as derived in the Cenchreini ( Fig. 9C ).

Figures

FIGURE 2. Adult male habitus of Tico villablanca sp. n.; A) lateral view, and B) dorsal view; scale = 1 mm.

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

FIGURE 4. Adult male Tico villablanca sp. n. forewing venation.

FIGURE 5. Male Tico villablanca sp. n. terminalia; A) left lateral view, B) ventral view, and C) dorsal view.

FIGURE 6. Male Tico villablanca sp. n. gonostylus; A) lateral view and B) inner-ventral view displaying sclerotized ridge.

FIGURE 7. Aedeagus of Tico villablanca sp. n.; A) right lateral view, B) left lateral view, and C) dorsal view.

FIGURE 8. Line art of aedeagus of Tico villablanca sp. n.; A) right lateral view, B) left lateral view, and C) dorsal view; A = aedeagus process, E = endosoma process, s = secondary, p = primary, d = dorsal and v = ventral.

FIGURE 9. Maximum Likelihood phylogenetic trees based on 1,000 replicates; A) COI gene, B) 18S gene, and C) consensus of concatenated COI and 18S sequences.