Notuchus ninguae Hoch and Asche, 2006

Hoch, Hannelore, Asche, Manfred, Burwell, Chris, Monteith, Geoff M. & Wessel, Andreas, 2006, Morphological alteration in response to endogeic habitat and ant association in two new planthopper species from New Caledonia (Hemiptera: Auchenorrhyncha: Fulgoromorpha: Delphacidae), Journal of Natural History 40 (32 - 34), pp. 1867-1886 : 1877-1879

publication ID	https://doi.org/ 10.1080/00222930601046576
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/856A87EE-FF9D-FFAB-8495-B0C2FCF1FD11
treatment provided by	Felipe
scientific name	Notuchus ninguae Hoch and Asche
status	sp. nov.

Treatment

Notuchus ninguae Hoch and Asche View in CoL sp. nov.

( Figures 30–40 View Figures 30–36 View Figures 37–40 )

Description

Small, highly troglomorphic delphacids with compound eyes absent and tegmina vestigial. Body pigmentation strongly reduced.

Colour. Head and legs pale yellow. Thorax including vestigial tegmina uniformly white. First two abdominal tergites white, 3rd abdominal tergite laterally on each side with yellow portions, the remaining abdominal tergites yellow throughout. Abdominal sternites with similar colour pattern as in N. kaori sp. nov. Male and female genitalia well sclerotized, stramineous.

Head. Head as in N. kaori sp. nov. except rostrum shorter, in repose not reaching anterior margin of genital segment in male, and reaching proximal third of ovipositor in female.

Thorax. Thorax as in N. kaori sp. nov. except pro- and mesonotum slightly more strongly vaulted dorsally. Tegmina vestigial as in N. kaori sp. nov., however slightly shorter and distally more rounded, wings absent.

Legs. Metatibia laterally unarmed, distally with one minute tooth. Posttibial spur vestigial, as in N. kaori sp. nov. Metabasitarsus and 2nd tarsal segments with distal teeth largely reduced. Basitarus slightly longer than 2nd and 3rd tarsal segments together.

Abdomen. Abdomen as in N. kaori sp. nov. with a distinct constriction between thorax and abdomen due to narrow mesonotum and narrow first and second abdominal segments; abdomen wide in both sexes. Fifth abdominal sternite with two sensory pits laterally on each side, however, not as readily visible as in N. kaori sp. nov.

Male genitalia ( Figures 30–40 View Figures 30–36 View Figures 37–40 ). Genital segment in shape and proportions similar to N. kaori sp. nov. Genital segment in caudal aspect slightly higher than wide, ventrocaudal margin medially shallowly incised, medially notched ( Figure 34 View Figures 30–36 ), not bilobate as in N. kaori sp. nov. Caudal margins of genital segment smoothly rounding into diaphragm; diaphragm filling lower third of caudal area; opening for parameres widely ovate. Anal segment similar to that of N. kaori sp. nov. Parameres shaped as in N. kaori sp. nov., slightly more stout, apically rounded. Aedeagus similar in shape to that of N. kaori sp. nov. Flagellum with filiform sclerite (versus taeniform in N. kaori sp. nov.) integrated into membrane, exposed towards shaft ( Figure 39 View Figures 37–40 , arrow); ejaculatory duct distally ending with a wide opening, phallotreme subapical ( Figure 40 View Figures 37–40 , arrow).

Female genitalia. Female genitalia as in N. kaori sp. nov.

Larval morphology. Unknown.

Distribution

Endemic to New Caledonia. Known from a single collection from Pic Ningua, a botanical reserve located about midway between Bouloupari and Thio, approximately 65 km northwest of Noumea.

Ecology

Collected in rainforest in a 15–20 mm diameter chamber in the soil. The chamber was exposed when a small log was turned over. Ants were not actively searched for when the collection was made.

Diagnosis

Habitus very similar to N. kaori sp. nov. but differing in details of colour (head and thorax without remnants of pigmentation as in N. kaori sp. nov.), of external morphology (e.g. length of rostrum: slightly shorter than in N. kaori sp. nov.; shape of vestigial tegmina: more rounded than in N. kaori sp. nov.) and especially in the male genital structures (ventrocaudal margin of genital segment: medially shallowly incised, notched versus bilobate in N. kaori sp. nov.; parameres: apically rounded, more stout than in N. kaori sp. nov.; aedeagus: sclerite of flagellum membrane filiform versus taeniform in N. kaori sp. nov.).

Troglomorphies even more strongly expressed than in N. kaori sp. nov.

Material examined

Holotype: male. New Caledonia, Ningua Res. Camp, 1100 m, 21 ° 459S, 166 ° 099E, 12–13 November 2001 [8641], hand collected, C. Burwell, G. Monteith ( MNHN) . Paratypes: two males, two females, same data as holotype ( QM) .