Poviliana dayubiikii Delorme

Delorme, Quentin, Jourdan, Hervé & Mille, Christian, 2015, Description of two new cicada species of the genus Poviliana Boulard (Insecta: Hemiptera, Cicadoidea, Cicadidae) from New Caledonia, Zootaxa 3957 (4), pp. 489-500 : 490-497

Poviliana dayubiikii Delorme sp. nov.

( Figs. 1–5 )

Material examined. Holotype male ( MNHN 19284), Nouvelle-Calédonie, Province Nord, Hienghène, Mont Panié, refuge Blaffart (570 m), 25/II/2013, Quentin Delorme rec, caught by net. Paratypes: 2 males ( MNHN 19285 and MNHN 19286), same data as holotype.

Measurements (in mm, 3 males): FL: 19.4–19.3–19.1, FW: 6.9–7.4–6.8, YW: 1.2–1.2–1.2, HW: 5–5.1–5, HL: 1.9–1.9–1.6, BL: 14.6–14.9 - 14, PL: 2–2–2, PW: 4.7–4.7–4.7, HWW: 5–5–5, HWL: 10.4–10.4–11.2.

Description of male ( Figs. 1–4 ). Head. Slightly broader than mesonotum; vertex more angular than P. vincentiensis , greenish with pink ocelli separated by a distance equal to two times the width of an ocellus. Each ocellus set on a wide black patch much larger than found in P. vincentiensis . Epicranial suture green. Anteromedian ocellus located in a frontal position. Compound eyes greenish, prominent, wider than long. Dorsal postclypeal area about three times shorter than width, flat horizontal and black, with a yellowish triangular patch in the middle; anterior border slightly prominent than curve of supra-antennal plate. Scape and supra-antennal plate are yellowish with a black ocular margin. Antennal flagella and pedicel black. Postclypeus yellowish slightly domed with four transversal grooves. Anteclypeus yellowish with brownish margins only in lower half, hull entirely blackish. Rostrum with labrum, mentum and labium yellowish with darker sutures. Apex of rostrum reaching bases of mid trochanter. Gena and lorum yellow with a thin brown longitudinal line (length variable).

Thorax. Pronotum longer than head, green with variable black ornamentations. A very thin mediolongitudinal black line disappearing in posterior half, absent in one paratype. Pronotal collar and lateral parts yellowish with black posterior margin. Lateral and paramedian fissures black. Mesonotum green with three longitudinal black fascia. Median fascia reaching cruciform elevation. Lateral fascia terminating at beginning of anterior branch of cruciform elevation. Scutal depression with circular black patch. Metanotum greenish with blackish posterior margin. Cruciform elevation greenish, except blackish posterior branch and prolongation of median fascia. Opercula whitish, separated, as long as wide and domed, bearing scattered silver hairs on posterior margin. Opercula entirely covering tympanal cavity.

Wings. Forewings hyaline with eight apical cells; venation yellowish except apical cells and a part of ulnar cells, which are blackish; median and cubital anterior veins fused for 1 mm by their bases. Hindwings with six apical cells, reaching middle of forewings; venation blackish; vannus and jugum hyaline.

Legs. Greenish with longitudinal black ornamentations. Forelegs with coxa yellow with black internal margin. Trochanters greenish with variable brownish ornamentations. Femurs greenish except anterior side which bears a wide longitudinal brown line. Femur with three developed black spines and a forth one (aborted) on anterior base of third spine. Primary spine strong and oblique, isolated, shorter than distance between base of primary and second spine. Secondary spine oblique, much shorter than primary (<½) one. Apical spine oblique, shorter than second spine (<½).

Abdomen. Tergites 1 and 2 green with a black posterior margin and black lateral side. Tergite 3 whitish with median posterior black margin. Tergite 4 whitish with complete thin black posterior margin. Tergites 5 to 8 entirely black. Timbals bear a series of two short ribs and three long ribs connected by a dorsal bar and running dorsoventrally to timbal plate. Sternites 2 and 3 whitish with black median black spot on posterior margin; sternites 4 to 7 uniformly blackish; sternite 8 whitish.

Genitalia. Pygofer whitish, slightly curved with a non-prominent rounded upper lobe distant from dorsal beak. Basal lobe almost insignificant. Dorsal beak black and sharp. Median lobe of uncus rectangular and flat. Thecal pseudoparameres of aedeagus yellow, filiform and much smaller than theca. Claspers whitish, well developed, large, dominant, restraining aedeagus, lobe-like, flat, wide in lateral view, outer face with an overhanging lip along margin; unfused; distally parallel to each other; their apices not widely separated; apically obtuse.

Song patterns. Calling song ( Fig. 5 ) duration varies between 4 or 5 seconds. Each call is separated by a silence of 2.5 or 3 seconds and is formed by two types of sequence (A). The first sequence during about 2 seconds is composed by 34 to 38 groups of two echemes and generally introduced by two groups of three echemes (B and C). The duration of the second sequence is similar to the first one. But it is composed by two or three long phrases. Each phrase is formed by eight to nine echemes for duration of 0.13 second (D) which are separated from each other by an interval of 0.6 to 0.9 seconds. The two sequences do not differ in their frequency content. They all cover frequencies from 8 to 21 kHz with main energy between 13 and 16 kHz and a maximum of energy at 14–15 kHz ( Fig. 5 F).

Distribution. North-east cost of New Caledonia (Mont Panié) ( Fig. 11 ).

Derivation of name. From “Dayu-biik” name of the nature protection association working on Mont Panié. Dayu-biik is also the Melanesian name of the Kauri trees endemic to the Mont Panié, Agathis montana de Laubenfels, 1972 ( Araucariaceae ).

Habitat and ecology. Like Poviliana sarasini and P. vicentiensis , P. dayubiikii Delorme sp. nov., inhabits primary rainforest undergrowth. Male usually calls while set on the trunk of small trees, rarely up to 3 m high. It appears not gregarious, but two or three males can call on the same trunk, separated by at least a distance of 30 cm. It is strictly diurnal and sciaphilous. Population density in the station seems important. Indeed, males calling song generates a continuous low background noise during daylight. The species was encountered from 200 m up to 750– 800 m. The altitudinal distribution of this cicada seems to depend only on the primary rainforest distribution on Mont Panié. At highest elevation, forest composition and structure change, probably becoming unsuitable to P. dayubiikii Delorme sp. nov. We have no information on seasonality and peak period of emergence.

Poviliana montrouzieri Delorme sp. nov. ( Figs. 6–10 )

Material examined. Holotype male ( MNHN 22418), Nouvelle-Calédonie, Province Nord, Houaïlou, Col des Roussettes (300 m), 15/II/2015, Quentin Delorme rec, caught by net. One paratype male ( MNHN 22419), same data as the holotype.

Measurements (in mm, 2 males): FL: 16.2–16.1, FW: 6.3–6.2, YW: 1.2–1.2, HW: 4.4–4.5, HL: 1.2–1.3, BL: 13.2–13.4, PL: 1.8–1.8, PW: 4.0–4.1, HWW: 4.4–4.4, HWL: 8.6.–8.5.

Description of male ( Figs. 6–9 ). This new species is very similar to P. vincentiensis and P. sarasini but differs mainly in male calling song and coloration of sternites and operculum.

Head. Slightly broader than mesonotum; vertex greenish with pink ocelli separated by a distance equal to two times the width of an ocellus. Each ocellus set on a wide black patch. Epicranial suture green. Antero-median ocellus in a frontal position. Compound eyes greenish, prominent, wider than long. Dorsal postclypeal area about three times shorter than width, flat horizontal and almost entirely black; anterior border slightly more prominent than curve of supra-antennal plate. Scape and supra-antennal plate yellowish with black ocular margin. Antennal flagella and pedicel black. Postclypeus yellowish slightly domed with four or five transversal grooves. Anteclypeus greenish with pale brownish margins only in lower half, hull entirely blackish. Rostrum with labrum, mentum and labium yellowish with darker sutures. Apex of rostrum reaching bases of mid trochanter. Gena and lorum yellow with a thin brown longitudinal line (length variable).

Thorax. Pronotum longer than head, green with variable black ornamentations. Pronotal collar and lateral parts greenish with black posterior margin. Lateral and paramedian fissures black. Mesonotum green with three longitudinal black fascia. Median fascia reaching cruciform elevation. Lateral fascia terminating at beginning of anterior branch of cruciform elevation. Scutal depression with circular black patch. Metanotum greenish with blackish posterior margin. Cruciform elevation greenish, except blackish posterior branch and prolongation of median fascia. Opercula pinkish, paler than sternites 3 and 4, separated, as long as wide and domed, bearing scattered silver hairs on posterior margin. Opercula entirely covering tympanal cavity.

Wings. Forewings hyaline with eight apical cells; venation yellowish except apical cells and part of ulnar cells, which are blackish; median and cubital anterior vein fused for 1 mm by bases. Hindwings with six apical cells, reaching middle of forewings; venation blackish; vannus and jugum hyaline.

Legs. Greenish with longitudinal black ornamentations. Forelegs with coxa green with black internal margin. Trochanters greenish with variable brownish ornamentations. Femurs greenish except anterior side which bears a wide longitudinal brown line. Femur bears three developed black spines. Primary spine strong and oblique, isolated, shorter than distance between base of primary and second spine. Secondary spine oblique much shorter than primary (<½). Apical spine oblique, shorter than second spine (> ½).

Abdomen. Tergites 1 and 2 pinkish with large black posterior margin and black lateral side. Tergite 3 paler pinkish with slender median posterior black margin. Tergite 4 whitish with a complete thin black posterior margin. Tergites 5 to 7 entirely black; tergite 8 mostly pinkish with not well defined black spot. Timbals bear series of two short ribs and three long ribs connected by a dorsal bar and running dorsoventrally to the timbal plate. Sternites 2, 3 and 4 entirely pinkish; sternite 5 pale pink and black in median posterior half, sternites 6 and 7 entirely blackish; sternite 8 pale pinkish.

Genitalia. Pygofer whitish slightly curved with a non-prominent rounded upper lobe distant from dorsal beak. Basal lobe almost insignificant. Dorsal beak black and sharp. Median lobe of uncus rectangular and flat. Thecal pseudoparameres of aedeagus yellow, filiform and much smaller than theca. Claspers whitish, well developed, large, dominant, restraining aedeagus, lobe-like, flat, wide in lateral view, outer face with an overhanging lip along margin; unfused; distally parallel to each other; their apices not widely separated; apically obtuse.

Song patterns. Calling song ( Fig. 10 ) is composed of calls lasting between 8 or 10 seconds. Each call is separated by a silence lasting between 7 to 11 seconds (A) and is formed by four sequences (B & C). The first sequence lasting about 1.5 second is composed by a regular succession of echemes emitted at a rate of about 30 per second. The second sequence, lasting about 4 or 5 seconds, shows a progressive acceleration of the rate of echeme emission to reach a maximal rate of about 105–110 echemes per second. Third sequence, lasting about 2 seconds, is composed by groups of three echemes emitted at a rate of 18 or 19 groups per second. The last sequence shows a similar acceleration as the second sequence but much shorter. At most of the time, the calling song ends with one or two groups of three echemes. All sequences cover frequencies from 7.5 to 20 kHz with main energy between 14.5 and 16 kHz and a maximum of energy at 15 kHz (fig. 10-D).

The calling song of P. montrouzieri is close to P. sarasini because of the similar acceleration in the rate of echemes emission. It differs mainly by the presence of a third sequence composed by a succession of groups of three echemes.

Distribution. Central mountain chain of New Caledonia ( Fig. 11 )

Derivation of name. The species is dedicated to the Reverend Father Xavier Montrouzier (1820-1897) who first studied cicadas in New Caledonia in 1861.

Habitat and ecology. Like Poviliana sarasini , P. vicentiensis and P. dayubiikii Delorme sp. nov., P. montrouzieri Delorme sp. nov. inhabits primary rainforest undergrowth and behaves exactly like the previous described species.

Distribution range of each species. The figure 9 illustrates the non-sympatric distribution of Poviliana species.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Poviliana dayubiikii Delorme sp. nov., dorsal view of holotype male (Photography: Laurent Fauvre, MNHN)

FIGURE 2. Poviliana dayubiikii Delorme sp. nov., ventral view of holotype male (Photography: Laurent Fauvre, MNHN)

FIGURE 3. Poviliana dayubiikii Delorme sp. nov., pygofer lateral view of holotype male (Photography: Laurent Fauvre, MNHN)

FIGURE 4. Poviliana dayubiikii Delorme sp. nov., pygofer ventral view of holotype male (Photography: Laurent Fauvre, MNHN)

FIGURE 5. Poviliana dayubiikii Delorme sp. nov., Nouvelle-Calédonie, Mont Panié, refuge Blaffart (570 m), 25 / II / 2013, 14 h 00. Graphic representation of typical male calling song. A) Oscillogram of a record of 19 seconds showing four completes calls and the beginning of a fifth one. Each call is composed by two types of phrases. B) Oscillogram of the first phrase. C) Spectrogram the first phrase. D) Oscillogram of the second phrase. E) Spectrogram of the second phrase. F) Power spectrum.

FIGURE 6. Poviliana montrouzieri Delorme sp. nov., dorsal view of holotype male (Photography: Quentin Delorme, IAC)

FIGURE 7. Poviliana montrouzieri Delorme sp. nov., ventral view of holotype male (Photography: Quentin Delorme, IAC)

FIGURE 8. Poviliana montrouzieri Delorme sp. nov., pygofer lateral view of holotype male (Photography: Quentin Delorme, IAC)

FIGURE 9. Poviliana montrouzieri Delorme sp. nov., pygofer ventral view of holotype male (Photography: Quentin Delorme, IAC)

FIGURE 10. Poviliana montrouzieri Delorme sp. nov., Nouvelle-Calédonie, Houaïlou, Col des Roussettes, 15 / II / 2015, 16 h 00. Graphic representation of typical male calling song. A) Oscillogram of a record of 69 seconds showing four calls. Each call is composed by four types of sequence. B) Oscillogram of one call. C) Spectrogram one call. D) Power spectrum.

FIGURE 11. Distribution of Poviliana species.