Syntomoza tahuata (Klyver, 1932)

Martoni, Francesco & Brown, Samuel D. J., 2018, An annotated checklist of the Cook Islands psyllids with keys to the species and two new records (Hemiptera, Psylloidea), ZooKeys 811, pp. 91-108 : 91

Syntomoza tahuata (Klyver, 1932) Figures 1-10, 23

Material examined.

4 females, 10 males. This species was collected on two separate occasions on Rarotonga: on 15 April 2017 on Te Manga at elevations between 540 m and 560 m, collected from two host plants: from Weinmannia samoensis A.Gray ( Cunionaceae ) (five specimens) and from Freycinetia wilderi Martelli ex Wilder ( Pandanaceae , plant specimens not collected) (two specimens), and on 17 April 2017 in the Avana Valley around 70 m elevation, from the foliage of a fallen Homalium acuminatum Cheeseman ( Salicaceae ) (seven specimens collected, with several more observed). Three additional specimens collected around Avatiu in November 1979 by NLH Krauss were located in the Bishop Museum.

Measurements.

Measurements are in mm (n = 3 ♂, 2 ♀ unless reported differently in brackets). Length of body (vertex to terminalia) ♂ 0.98-1.30 (n = 2), ♀ 1.17-1.53; length of body (vertex to apex of folded wings) ♂ 1.72-1.88 (n = 2), ♀ 2.21-2.22; width of head (HW) ♂ 0.53-0.60 (n = 2), ♀ 0.63-0.65; length of genal processes (GCL) ♂ 0.10 (n=1), ♀ 0.12; length of vertex (VL) ♂ 0.12-0.18 (n = 2), ♀ 0.18-0.19; width of vertex (VW) ♂ 0.30-0.35 (n = 2), ♀ 0.34-0.38; length of antenna (AL) ♂ 0.40-0.49 (n = 2), ♀ 0.44-0.57; length of fore wing ♂ 1.40-1.49, ♀ 1.71-1.77; width of fore wing ♂ 0.63-0.68, ♀ 0.75-0.85; length of vein Rs ♂ 0.82-0.87, ♀ 1.02-1.04; length of vein M (M) ♂ 0.44-0.46, ♀ 0.52-0.53; length of vein M1+2 (M1) ♂ 0.36-0.40, ♀ 0.48-0.51; marginal width of cell m1 ♂ 0.18-0.20, ♀ 0.26-0.27; marginal width of cell cu1 ♂ 0.50-0.54, ♀ 0.62-0.63; length of vein Cu1b ♂ 0.11-0.14, ♀ 0.13-0.16; length (height) of proctiger (PL) ♂ 0.21-0.24 (n = 2); length of paramere ♂ 0.17-0.19 (n = 2); length of proximal aedeagal segment ♂ 0.19 (n = 1); length of distal aedeagal segment ♂ 0.09 (n = 1); length of proctiger (PL) ♀ 0.44-0.52; length of circum-anal ring (CL) ♀ 0.16-0.20; length of subgenital plate (SL) ♀ 0.35-0.46.

Description.

The stout body shape, and the distinct dorsal patterning of orange stripes on a black background makes this psyllid readily recognised within the Cook Island fauna. This psyllid was identified using the original description ( Klyver 1932) and the subsequent reclassification that attributed this species to the genus Syntomoza Enderlein, 1921 ( Burckhardt and Mifsud 2003). Other features that allow it to be placed in S. tahuata include the greatly modified tergites and the secondary groups of small teeth at the apex of the posterior tibiae in both sexes (Figure 8), which are characteristic of this genus, together with the strongly inclined head (at about 90° to the longitudinal body axis; Figures 1, 2). Furthermore, the female terminalia which are pronouncedly down-turned at about 45° (Figure 1), the shape of the male parameres (Figure 10), and wing shape and venation (Figure 7) allowed identification of this species as per the description and figures presented by Klyver (1932).