Balclutha, Kirkaldy, 1900

Zahniser, James N., Halbert, Susan E., Moore, Matthew R., Mottern, Jason L. & Beuzelin, Julien M., 2023, Balclutha jafara (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae): integrative identification of a species introduced in the Western Hemisphere, and notes on other Balclutha, Zootaxa 5361 (4), pp. 526-554 : 543-544

Key to species (males) of Balclutha occurring in Florida

1. Pygofer with distinct ventral or posteroventral process........................................................ 2

1’. Pygofer without distinct ventral or posteroventral process (Fig. 15).............................................. 4

2(1). Pygofer process distinctly bifid apically, arising on inner surface; forewing with strong to weak red coloration, central apical cell brown................................................................................ B. rubrostriata

2’. Pygofer process not bifid, arising posteroventrally; forewing without coloration described above...................... 3

3(2’). Pygofer process directed ventrally, not dentate; aedeagal shaft arising posteriorly from base; dorsal apodeme of aedeagus base expanded into two lateral lobes; aedeagus without pairs of processes arising from base...................... B. frontalis

3’. Pygofer process directed somewhat mesad, dentate or not; aedeagal shaft arising dorsally from base; aedeagus base not expanded into lateral lobes dorsally; aedeagus with three pairs of upturned processes arising posteriorly from base.......... B. incisa

4(1’). Aedeagus relatively short, in lateral view with apex curved posteriorly; with short, sclerotized part of the phragma articulating with top of aedeagal base; pygofer short, with prominent, slightly curved vertical bar at mid-length........... B. caldwelli

4’. Not as above........................................................................................ 5

5(4’). Head wider than ( Fig. 4 ) or equal to ( Fig. 28 ) pronotum width................................................. 6

5’. Head narrower than pronotum ( Fig. 66 ).................................................................. 11

6(5). Connective stem very long, nearly 2.5x or more length of anterior arm ( Fig. 14 ); style preapical lobe large, apex acutely angled and rounded ( Fig. 14 ); style apophysis long, gradually tapered to very thin and sharply pointed apex ( Fig. 14 ); shaft of aedeagus curved throughout its length, gonopore preapical on ventral side, apical extension beyond gonopore constricted in width in lateral view ( Figs. 18, 20 , 22–26 ).................................................................. B. jafara

6’. Connective stem not as long, 1.8x or less as long as anterior arm ( Fig. 45a ); style and aedeagus without the above combination of characters......................................................................................... 7

7(6’). Base of aedeagus narrow in lateral view, long, nearly 1/2 as tall as shaft ( Figs. 41–44 )..................... B. flavescens

7’. Base of aedeagus not as above ( Fig. 59 )................................................................... 8

8(7’). Aedeagal shaft directed dorsally, not extending over base of aedeagus; style preapical lobe short, rounded............... 9

8’. Aedeagal shaft directed anteriorly anterodorsally, extending over base of aedeagus ( Fig. 59 ); style preapical lobe larger, more prominent ( Fig. 61 )................................................................................... 10

9(8). Aedeagus with ventral part of preatrium prominent.................................................. B. neglecta

9’. Aedeagus with ventral part of preatrium not prominent.............................................. B. saltuella

10(8’). Connective anterior arms relatively longer, stem shorter, apex bifid with apical margin distinctly concave; aedeagal shaft very long, curved dorsad and anterad.................................................................. B. lucida

10’. Connective anterior arms relatively shorter, stem longer ( Fig. 63 ), apical margin only slightly concave ( Fig. 63 ); aedeagal shaft not as long.................................................................................. B. curvata

11(5’). Connective truncate at apex; aedeagus slightly expanded at apex or preapically........................ B. abdominalis

11’. Connective bifid apically or with apical margin concave; aedeagus not expanded at apex or preapically................ 12

12(10’). Crown usually longer medially than next to eye; base of aedeagus abruptly tapered toward narrow shaft; shaft of aedeagus elongate, far-exceeding base of aedeagus.......................................................... B. impicta

12’. Crown usually as long medially as next to eye; base of aedeagus broader, more gradually tapered to shaft; shaft of aedeagus not elongate, not exceeding or not far-exceeding base of aedeagus........................................ B. punctata

Figures

FIGURES 1–10. Balclutha jafara habitus. (1) male, Colombia, dorsal, IMDx_1020; (2) male paratype, Seychelles, dorsal, NHMUK 013588847; (3) male, Colombia, IMDx_1019; (4) male, Zimbabwe, dorsal, USNMENT01513827; (5) female paratype, Aldabra, dorsal, NHMUK 013588848; (6) male, South Sudan, dorsal, USNMENT01513828; (7) male, Colombia, dorsal, JNZ_AA0474; (8) same, ventral; (9) male, Colombia, lateral, IMDx_1020; (10) male, Colombia, lateral, JNZ_AA0474. Figs. 7–8, 10: images taken of specimen immersed in ethanol.

FIGURES 28–32. Balclutha flavescens (Baker), female holotype specimen of Eugnathodus virescens Osborn, USNMENT01513874. (28) dorsal habitus; (29) lateral habitus; (30) face; (31) labels; (32) sternite VII.

FIGURES 66–76. Balclutha sujawalensis Ahmed. (66–67, 69, 71: female from Kenya, BIOUG25769-E12; 68, 72–76: male from Kenya, BIOUG25950-A04; 70: female from Pakistan, BIOUG15390-G03): (66) dorsal habitus; (67) lateral habitus; (68) head to mesonotum, dorsal; (69) face; (70–71) sternite VII; (72) pygofer, lateral; (73) style apophysis, dorsolateral; (74) valve, subgenital plates, connective, and styles, ventral; (75) connective, ventral; (76) connective, aedeagus, and style (part), lateral.

FIGURES 14–21. Balclutha jafara male genitalia. (14–16, Colombia, IMDx_1019): (14) connective and styles, ventral; (15) pygofer, lateral; (16) valve and subgenital plate, ventral. (17) connective, style, and partial base of aedeagus, ventral, paratype, Seychelles, NHMUK 013588847; (18–19, Zimbabwe, USNMENT01513827): (18) genital capsule, lateral; (19) genital capsule, ventral. (20–21, Kenya, BIOUG41840-C09): (20) genital capsule, lateral; (21) genital capsule, ventral.

FIGURES 22–27. Balclutha jafara aedeagus. (22–26, lateral; 27, caudal): (22) Colombia, IMDx_1020; (23) paratype, Seychelles, NHMUK 013588847; (24) USA: FL: Belle Glade, JNZ_AA0114; (25) Zimbabwe, USNMENT01513827; (26–27) South Sudan, USNMENT01513828.

FIGURES 41–45. Balclutha flavescens (Baker). (41–44, aedeagus, lateral; 45, connective and styles, ventral; 45a, connective showing measurements made to approximate lengths of connective stem [A] and anterior arm [B]): (41) from Palm Beach Co., FL, FSCA R3A8, JNZ_AA0024; (42) from Collier Co., FL, FSCA L12222021 3444, JNZ_AA0034; (43) from Pan de Azucar, Panama, USNMENT01513493; (44–45) from Punta Gorda, Belize, USNMENT01513022.

FIGURES 55–65. Balclutha curvata Caldwell, holotype specimen, USNMENT01513859. (55) dorsal habitus; (56) lateral habitus; (57) face; (58) aedeagus, caudal; (59) aedeagus, lateral; (60) pygofer, lateral; (61) style, ventral; (62) valve and subgenital plate, ventral; (63) connective, ventral; (64) labels; (65) connective, lateral.