Moriphila Burckhardt & Cho, 2018

Burckhardt, Daniel, Cho, Geonho & Lee, Seunghwan, 2018, Moriphila furva gen. and sp. nov. (Hemiptera: Psylloidea: Homotomidae), a new jumping plant-louse from Korea associated with Morus australis (Moraceae), Zootaxa 4444 (3), pp. 299-315 : 300

Moriphila Burckhardt & Cho gen. nov.

Type species: Moriphila furva Burckhardt & Cho , sp. nov.; by present designation and monotypy. Gender feminine.

Description. Adult. Small psyllids ( Figs 1 , 6), total body length 2.5‒3.2 mm. Head ( Figs 3 , 14 ) slightly narrower than mesonotum, inclined at 45° from longitudinal body axis (Fig. 6). Vertex rectangular, about twice as wide as long along midline, weakly indented around foveae; covered in sparse, slightly curved microscopic setae (at 100 times magnification); shiny, microsculpture absent from disc; separated from genae by indistinct transverse suture; median suture complete, reaching hind margin of head; genae produced into short, irregularly conical processes; occiput forming narrow ribbon-like sclerite behind compound eye; preocular sclerite absent; frons forming small rhomboid sclerite, delimited by vertex and genae, almost completely covered by median ocellus; compound eye relatively small, subhemispherical. Clypeus hidden by genae in frontal view, pear-shaped; lacking setae; rostrum short, hardly visible in lateral view. Antenna ( Fig. 3 ) about as long as head width, 10-segmented, segments tubular to slightly conical, elongate (= clavate-type flagellum), segment 3 longest, with a single subapical rhinarium on each of segments 4, 6, 8, and 9; terminal setae shorter than segment 10. Thorax weakly arched dorsally; covered in short, slightly curved setae. Pronotum ( Fig. 3 ) transversely ribbon-shaped, slightly wider than head, lying in a plane subparallel to that of vertex. Propleurites (Fig. 12) broader than high, slightly oblique; proepimeron smaller than episternum. Metapostnotum flattened medially, with a pair of small, submedian tubercles ( Fig. 8 , arrow). Forewing ( Fig. 2 ) oval, coriaceous, less than twice as long as wide; veins on upper surface lined with sparse microscopic setae; pterostigma elongate, not clearly separated from cell r1 by vein R1 which is ending in pterostigma; costal break present; branches of vein M much shorter than their stem; vein Cu1a strongly curved in the middle; m1 cell value 1.0, cu1 cell value 1.5; anal break close to apex of vein Cu1b. Hindwing slightly shorter than forewing; costal setae evenly spaced; vein R+M+Cu splitting into veins R and M+Cu. Mesofemur and mesotibia of male without modifications. Metacoxa ( Fig. 11 ) with moderately large, apically blunt meracanthus; metafemur with ventral sense organs in basal position, the most distal one slightly offset from proximal pair ( Fig. 15 ); metatibia lacking genual spine; bearing an open crown of 12‒15 evenly spaced, small apical spurs. Metabasitarsus with two small spurs apically. Male proctiger ( Figs 16, 17 ) distinctly bipartite; basal portion with well developed, slender posterior processes which form an inward directed hook, bearing long sparse setae on the outer face and a few thicker setae on inner face dorsally; distal segment of proctiger tubular, covered in long setae. Subgenital plate irregularly hemispherical. Paramere lamellar with sclerotised hook on inner face ( Fig. 18 ). Aedeagus relatively short, proximal segment narrowly curved in basal third; distal segment ( Figs 19, 20 ) shorter than paramere, inflated in apical half; sclerotised end tube of ductus ejaculatorius strongly modified: joint lacking, membranous part of ductus ejaculatorius ending in a hole which is in a slightly sclerotised plate supported by a sclerotised ring and ending in two sclerotised horns. Female terminalia ( Fig. 23 ) relatively small, in profile, cuneate. Circumanal ring ( Fig. 21 ) oval, consisting of two subequal rows of pores. Ovipositor ( Fig. 22 ) short, simple.

Fifth instar immature unknown.

Etymology. From Morus and Greek φιλειν = to love, referring to its presumed host association.

Distribution. East Palaearctic.

Host plant. Adults were collected on Morus australis Poir. (Moraceae) which is a likely host.

Comments. Moriphila can be separated from other homotomid genera with the key provided by Hollis & Broomfield (1989: 140, 141) in conjunction with the following addition (see also Discussion and conclusion).

Figures

FIGURES 1‒3, 5, 6. Moriphila furva sp. nov. 4, 7. Phytolyma fusca. 1, 6, 7. Habitus. 2. Forewing (a/b = m 1 cell value. c/d = cu 1 cell value). 3, 4. Head and pronotum, dorsal view. 5. Surface spinules on forewing.

FIGURES 14‒23. Moriphila furva sp. nov. 14. Head, dorsal view. 15. Base of metafemur. 16. Male proctiger and parameres, dorsal view. 17. Male terminalia, lateral view. 18. Paramere, inner face. 19. Apical part of apical portion of aedeagus, dorsal view. 20. Apical portion of aedeagus, lateral view. 21. Section of circumanal ring. 22. Ovipositor, lateral view. 23. Female terminalia, lateral view. Numbers below scale bars refer to corresponding figures.

FIGURES 8, 11, 12. Moriphila furva sp. nov. 9. Phytolyma fusca. 10, 13. Pseudoeriopsylla sp. 8‒10. Thorax, dorsal view (arrows indicating one of the paired tubercles on metapostnotum). 11. Metacoxa. 12. Propleurites; positioned slightly obliquely: anterior margin left, ventral margin right, dorsal and posterior margins above; procoxa right. 13. Paired tubercles on metapostnotum, frontal view.