Pariaconus hualani Percy

Percy, Diana M., 2017, Making the most of your host: the Metrosideros-feeding psyllids (Hemiptera, Psylloidea) of the Hawaiian Islands, ZooKeys 649, pp. 1-163 : 74-77

Pariaconus hualani Percy sp. n. Figure 37

Adult colour.

General body colour dark red to red-brown, or yellow-brown. Females often appear to have a dark abdomen due to darkly pigmented egg load. Fore wing membrane clear.

Adult structure.

Fore wing apex bluntly acute; spinules distributed in all cells; short to medium-short setae on margins and veins (Fig. 37A). Antennae medium-long (av. length 1.05; ratio AL:HW av. 1.83); genal processes long (ratio VL:GP av. 1.28), and acute or bluntly acute; medium-long setae on vertex, shorter on thorax; distal proboscis segment short (av. length 0.08); hind tibia length subequal to head width (ratio HW:HT av. 1.06) (Fig. 37 B–C, F, H). Male terminalia (Fig. 37 D–E): paramere longer than proctiger (ratio MP:PL av. 0.92), slender, broader at the base and tapering evenly to apex with anteriorly directed hook; distal aedeagus segment shorter than paramere (ratio PL:AEL av. 1.19) with base somewhat angular and slightly inflated, and a large hooked apex (ratio AEL:AELH av. 2.08). Female terminalia (Fig. 37G, I): proctiger short, dorsal surface convex, apex bluntly acute, anal ring short (ratio FP:RL av. 4.07); subgenital plate with slight medial bulge ventrally, bluntly acute apically; ovipositor apex lacking serrations, valvulae dorsalis moderately convex dorsally.

Egg.

Short, broadly ovoid to almost circular, pigmented brown (except tip of pedicel and tail), surface with microsculpturing, short pedicel with slightly inflated tip, tail extremely short (Fig. 37J).

Immature.

Unknown.

Host plant notes.

Preference unknown; collected from glabrous and pubescent morphotypes.

Island.

Molokai.

Distribution notes.

Known only from Kamakou Preserve.

Biology.

Unknown; but morphology suggests it may be a leaf galler.

Etymology.

Named after Hualani, a High Chiefess of Molokai in ancient times (noun in the nominative singular standing in apposition to the generic name).

Comments.

Molecular data recovers this taxon as sister to Pariaconus kupua from Maui.

Type material.

Holotype male (slide mounted, BMNH). See Table 2 for details of type and other material examined for this study.