Caetana, Domahovski & Gonçalves & Takiya & Cavichioli, 2019

Domahovski, Alexandre Cruz, Gonçalves, Clayton Corrêa, Takiya, Daniela Maeda & Cavichioli, Rodney Ramiro, 2019, Two new genera and species of Gyponini (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae) from South America, Zootaxa 4568 (3), pp. 561-570 : 562

Caetana gen. nov.

( Figs 1 –23, 38–41)

Type species: Caetana pulchra sp. nov.

Diagnosis. Large flattened leafhoppers ( Figs 38 –41); head ( Figs 1 , 14 ) in dorsal view strongly produced and distinctly narrower than pronotum, in lateral view (Figs 3, 16) with anterior margin foliaceous; scutellum (Figs 3, 16), in lateral view, strongly inflated and spiniform; forewing (Figs 4, 17) with apical third expanded laterally; hind wing (Fig. 5) with long r-m and m-cu; male sternite VIII (= pregenital sternite) (Fig. 6) covering subgenital plates partially; male pygofer (Fig. 8) without processes; aedeagus (Figs 12, 13) simple, without apodemal processes.

Description. Length 12.88–13.90mm (male), 14.44–14.56mm (female). Head ( Figs 1 , 14 ), in dorsal view, strongly produced; median length of crown slightly less than interocular width; transocular width seven-tenths humeral width of pronotum; lateral margins parallel. Crown ( Figs 1 , 14 ) with anterior margin broadly rounded; surface flat with two longitudinal elevations parallel to median line, extending over the entire length of the crown; texture smooth between ocelli and with inconspicuous and oblique striae between eyes and ocelli. Ocellus small, closer to median line than eye and to posterior than anterior margin of crown. Head (Figs 2, 15), in ventral view, face as wide as long; gena excavated just below eyes, ventrolateral margin slightly excavated; frons approximately 1.8 times longer than wide, concave below anterior margin of crown, lateral margin distant from eye by maximum width of clypeus; frontogenal suture extending to antennal ledges; antennal ledge carinate and transversal; maxillary plate produced ventrally as far as clypeus apex; clypeus approximately 1.5 times longer than wide, lateral margins divergent towards apex, apex emarginated. Head (Figs 3, 16), in lateral view, with crown-face transition foliaceous, with two very close carinae; frons and clypeus slightly inflated and convex. Pronotum ( Figs 1 , 14 ), in dorsal view, with conspicuous transverse striae on disc and posterior third; lateral margins long, straight and convergent anterad; posterior margin deeply excavated; in lateral view (Figs 3, 16) straight and moderately declivous, continuous to head declivity. Mesonotum ( Figs 1 , 14 ), in dorsal view, slightly longer than wide; scutellum (Figs 3, 16), in lateral view, strongly inflated and spiniform. Forewing (Figs 4, 17) without extra crossveins; venation distinct; apical third expanded laterally, wings at rest position overlapping first and portion of second apical cells; appendix narrow, bordering first to fourth apical cells. Hind wing (Fig. 5) with long r-m and mcu; apex rounded. Profemur elongated, 4.6 times longer than high; AV and PV rows formed by three short setae. Protibia, in cross-section, triangular; dorsal surface concave, without setae; anterior and ventral surface covered with many short setae; AV row formed by short setae, thin and close setae in the basal fourth and thick and spaced setae in the distal portion; PD row with five very short setae; PV row developed, with about seven setae. Hind leg with femoral setal formula 2:2:1; tibial AD row without intercalary setae between macrosetae, PV row with setae of apical half long and thin, homogeneous in length and thickness; first tarsomere with two rows of setae on plantar surface, external row with longer and thinner setae than inner row, apex with six platellae; second tarsomere apex with three apical platellae. Abdomen ( Figs 38 , 39) flattened dorsoventrally; lateral margins exceeding the costal margin of forewing in repose.

Male terminalia. Sternite VIII (Fig. 6) wider than long, partially covering subgenital plates. Pygofer (Fig. 8) without processes. Aedeagus (Figs 12, 13) simple, without apodemal processes.

Female terminalia. Second valvula (Fig. 22) twice as high near mid-length as near base; apical portion (Fig. 23) with dorsal and ventroapical margins minutely and uniformly denticulate.

Distribution. Brazil (Mato Grosso and Rondônia) and Ecuador (Orellana).

Etymology. The generic name Caetana (feminine noum) is derived from the Latin word “ caetus ” meaning shark. It refers to the sharklike profile, especially with the spiniform scutellum resembling a dorsal fin. The suffix - ana is common in Gyponini genera.

Notes. An unpublished parsimony analysis based on morphological characters (182 characters) combined with sequence data (28S and 16S rDNA and cytochrome oxidase subunit I) recovered Caetana gen. nov. as sister to the monotypic genus Woldana DeLong, 1981 ( Gonçalves 2016) . Caetana gen. nov. shares the following morphological characteristics with Woldana : (1) crown with two longitudinal elevations parallel to median line and median length slightly less than interocular width (2) ocelli closer to median line than eyes and nearer posterior margin of crown; (3) face as wide as long; (4) head width conspicuously narrower than pronotum width; (5) crown- face transition foliaceous; (6) pronotum with lateral margins long, straight, and convergent anterad, posterior margin widely excavated and moderately declivous; and (7) aedeagus simple, without apodemal processes. However, Caetana gen. nov. can be easily distinguished from Woldana by the apically wider crown, strongly inflated scutellum, posteriorly wide forewing, hind wing with long r-m and m-cu and male pygofer without processes. Furthermore, other externally similar genera in South America are Sulcana DeLong & Freytag, 1966 and Coelogypona DeLong & Freytag, 1966 based on the elongated crown with longitudinal elevations, but both Caetana gen. nov. and Insolitana gen. nov. can be separated from these based on the combination of diagnostic characteristics.

Figures

FIGURES 1─13. Caetana pulchra sp. nov., male holotype. 1, head and thorax, dorsal view. 2, head and thorax, ventral view. 3, head and thorax, lateral view. 4, forewing. 5, hind wing. 6–12, male terminalia: 6, sternite VIII, ventral view. 7, valve, ventral view. 8, pygofer, valve, and subgenital plate, lateral view. 9, subgenital plate, ventral view. 10, style and connective, dorsal view. 11, style, lateral view. 12, aedeagus, lateral view. 13, aedeagus, posterior view. Scale bars: 1–5 = 2.0 mm, 6–13 = 0.5 mm.

FIGURES 14─23. Caetana pulchra sp. nov., female paratype. 14, head and thorax, dorsal view. 15, head and thorax, ventral view. 16, head and thorax, lateral view. 17, forewing. 18–23, female terminalia: 18, sternite VII, ventral view. 19, pygofer and third valvula, lateral view. 20, first valvifer and first valvula, lateral view. 21, apex of first valvula, lateral view. 22, second valvula, lateral view. 23, apex of second valvula, lateral view. Scale bars: 14–17 = 2.0mm, 18–20, 22 = 1.0mm, 21, 23 = 0.25mm.

FIGURES 38─43. Habitus, 38–41, Caetana puchra sp. nov. 38, holotype, dorsal. 39, holotype, lateral. 40, female paratype, dorsal. 41, female paratype, lateral. 42, 43, Insolitana carinata sp. nov. 42, holotype, dorsal. 43, holotype, lateral. Scale bars: 2.0 mm.