Abbrosoga Caldwell, 1951

Otero, Miriel & Bartlett, Charles R., 2019, A New Species of Abbrosoga (Hemiptera: Fulgoroidea: Delphacidae), An Endemic Puerto Rican Planthopper Genus, with an Updated Checklist of the Delphacidae of Puerto Rico, Zootaxa 4563 (2), pp. 372-386 : 374-375

Genus Abbrosoga Caldwell, 1951

Type species. Abbrosoga errata Caldwell, 1951

Diagnosis. Body pale with weakly patterned wings (known species with an entirely pale frons); head and thoracic carinae distinct, concolorous with body. Aedeagus bearing a ventral projection (unique among New World Delphacini ); pygofer opening without ventral processes, anal tube (=segment X) without processes.

Amended description. Elongate and slender forms. Head narrower than pronotum ( Figs 1A , 3A ), vertex weakly projected in front of eyes. Vertex and frons broad, fastigium rounded ( Figs 1C , 3C ). Medial facial carinae forking near fastigium ( Figs 1B , 3B ). Median carina of vertex weak. Lateral carinae of pronotum not clearly reaching posterior margin. Hind leg ( Fig. 1D ) with 2 lateral spines, 1 near femoral-tibial joint, 1 near midlength; tibial apex with 5 spinules, arranged 3+2. Basitarsus with 7 apical spinules, arranged 5+2, second tarsomere with row of 4 spinules. Forewing ( Figs 1C , 3C ) elongate, mostly clear with diffuse patterning (in distal cubital area and less often in costal region), with an elongate dark spot on commissural margin at apex of claval veins. Forewing venation ( Fig. 6 ) with Sc and RA unbranched, RP 3 branched, M unbranched and CuA 2–3 branched. Metatibial spur foliaceous and tectiform, row of many fine, black-tipped teeth on posterior margin. Male genitalia with pygofer subquadrate in lateral view ( Figs 2B , 3E ), distinctly taller than wide; opening in caudal view subcircular with rounded margins ( Figs 2A , 3F ), lacking projections. Gonostyli (=parameres) ( Figs 4C , 5A ) simple (unbranched), basal angle small; proximally diverging, apex medially converging in distal forth. Aedeagus ( Figs 4B , 5B ) strongly curved ventrally, subtended with slender process(es). Aedeagal base closely approximating anal tube (aedeagal base symmetrical), suspensorium O-shaped, surrounding base of aedeagus including subtending process, stem of suspensorium (between aedeagus and anal tube) short. Male anal tube unarmed.

Remarks. Superficially, Abbrosoga is similar to other pale Delphacini , such as Toya Distant , Metadelphax Wagner , Spartidelphax Bartlett & Webb , Syndelphax Fennah , Sogatella Fennah or perhaps Tagosodes Asche & Wilson. The dorsum of the mesonotum bears a narrow, weak median vitta, unlike the strong vitta of Sogatella and Tagosodes . Unlike Metadelphax , Toya , Spartidelphax and some Syndelphax , the frons is entirely pale, instead of bearing dark markings near the carinae. The wings are diffusely patterned unlike macropterous Syndelphax . The form of the terminalia, and the aedeagus in particular, contrasts with all these genera; the aedeagus of Abbrosoga bears a subtending process that is not found in any of these other genera.

It is possible that Abbrosoga is phylogenetically most closely allied with Phrictopyga and Pygospina in that they are all pale taxa, with a weak median vitta (absent in A. multispinosa n. sp.), diffusely pale wings, and bearing (at least between Pygospina and Abbrosoga ) similarities in the male genitalia (shape of pygofer, parameres and aedeagus). However, both Pygospina and Phrictopyga are slightly laterally compressed with the pygofer and anal tube bearing processes that are absent in Abbrosoga .

Caldwell & Martorell (1951) compared Abbrosoga to Nilaparvata Distant and Columbisoga Muir. Nilaparvata has teeth on the basitarsus of the hind legs, a synapomorphy of the genus. Columbisoga may have similar coloration and also has a similar structure of the aedeagus (i.e., bearing a ventral projection), but is in the Tropidocephalini , and lacks teeth on the calcar (and the distinct suspensorium found in Delphacini ).

All available specimens of A. errata were collected at relatively high elevations, above 2000 ft (610 m) as reported by Caldwell and Martorell (1951). In contrast, specimens of A. multispinosa n. sp. were collected at low elevation (the type locality is at approximately 40 m). No plant associations are available for Abbrosoga . At present the genus is only known from Puerto Rico; however, we have examined a single male specimen from Costa Rica (La Selva Biological Station, UDCC) that is substantially similar to Abbrosoga and may be placed in the genus once more material becomes available. We have also examined a specimen from Brazil (Santa Catarina, UDCC) that has substantially similar male terminalia, but is much larger and darkly patterned and may be an allied undescribed genus.

Etymology. The etymology of “ Abbrosoga ” was not specified in Caldwell & Martorell (1951), and the underlying meaning is not obvious to us. We speculate that the name is a truncation of the Latin word “ abbreviatus ” plus the Spanish word “ soga ” (rope), meaning ‘short rope’ a possible reference to the suspensorium. Also, plausibly the name may be comprised of the prefix “ ab -̏ (away, from) plus a truncation of “ brosis ” (Greek, food), plus “- oga ” for euphony; or alternatively an arbitrary combination of letters. The name is treated as feminine in gender.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Abbrosoga errata Caldwell, male holotype except D (Maricao State Forest); A. dorsal habitus, B. front, C. lateral habitus, D. hind leg and metatibial spur, ventral view, E. labels.

FIGURE 2. Abbrosoga errata Caldwell, male terminalia (Maricao State Forest), A. caudal view, B. left lateral view.

FIGURE 3. Abbrosoga multispinosa Otero and Bartlett, male paratype, Mayagüez, P.R. A. dorsal habitus, B. front, C. lateral habitus, D. dorsal view, head and thorax, E. male terminalia, lateral view, F. male terminalia, caudal view, G. lateral view, head and thorax.

FIGURE 4. Abbrosoga errata Caldwell, male terminalia line art (redrawn from Caldwell and Martorell 1951), A. male terminalia, left lateral view; B. aedeagus, right lateral view; C. gonostyli, caudal view.

FIGURE 5. Abbrosoga multispinosa Otero and Bartlett, male genitalia, line art, A. left gonostylus, widest view; B. aedeagus, left lateral view (slightly rotated clockwise).

FIGURE 6. Abbrosoga multispinosa Otero and Bartlett, wing venation (from left wing of paratype).