Ariasa venezuelaensis, SANBORN, 2020

SANBORN, ALLEN F, 2020, Eight new species and three new records of Neotropical cicadas (Hemiptera: Cicadidae) from Venezuela, Journal of Insect Biodiversity 16 (1), pp. 6-37 : 7-10

Ariasa venezuelaensis sp. nov. ( Fig. 1 )

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:155F9F69-16B4-4D0C-B419-1634BF2A7D88

Type material: Holotype. “ VENEZUELA, Barinas / Barinitas , 25-II-1986 / R.B. Miller & L.A. / Stange, cloud forest”, female ( FSCA). Paratypes. “VENEZUELA: State / of Monagas / –X–68 / J. M. Osorio”, one male (FSCA), one male (AFSC).

Etymology. The name is a combination of the country of origin venezuela – and – ensis (L., suffix denoting place, locality) in reference to the apparent distribution of the species across much of Venezuela.

Remarks. This is one of three small species of Ariasa that have a similar size and general appearance. The female is selected as the holotype because it is heavily pilose and probably represents the natural state of the males that appear to have been altered by chemical exposure.

Description

Ground color tawny marked with castaneous and piceous. The holotype has significantly more pile than the paratypes that appear to have been exposed to chemicals possibly causing the loss of pile.

Head. Head slightly wider than mesonotum, tawny with transverse piceous fascia through ocelli expanding anteriorly within frons and posteriorly to surround lateral ocelli, eye margined in piceous, piceous posterior to eye. Ocelli rosaceous, ochraceous in one paratype, eyes castaneous, ochraceous in one paratype. Dorsal head with short silvery pile, longer silvery pile posterior to eye. Ventral head tawny marked with piceous, gena with transverse piceous fascia between eye and postclypeus, lorum piceous with tawny anterior and lateral margin, covered with short silvery pile and dense white pile. Postclypeus tawny dorsally, greenish tawny ventrally, castaneous within transverse grooves except two on dorsal surface, centrally sulcate from anterior to posteroventral margin to apex, with ten transverse ridges, short silvery pile on lateral margin, within transverse grooves and central sulcus, and on dorsal surface. Anteclypeus piceous with tawny anterior margin and carina, piceous connected across anterior carina in holotype. Mentum ochraceous, labium tawny with castaneous lateral fascia becoming piceous distally, reaching to sternite I. Distal scape tawny, remaining antennal segments piceous.

Thorax. Dorsal thorax tawny, pronotum with piceous triangular marks on either side of anterior midline, longitudinal piceous fascia from anterior to medial terminus of paramedian fissure to ambient fissure curving laterad then mediad at posterior terminus to join on midline in ambient fissure, piceous mark in anterior paramedian fissure, covered with silvery pile. Pronotal collar tawny anteriorly, greenish posteriorly, posterior half of lateral part of pronotal collar piceous, covered with silvery pile. Mesonotum tawny, castaneous lateral sigillae with piceous anterior margin and piceous fascia on posteromedial margin, submedian sigillae piceous with castaneous midline, rhomboidal piceous mark on midline posterior to submedian sigillae extending to cruciform elevation, scutal depressions piceous, rhomboidal mark and scutal depressions surrounded by castaneous, piceous mark on posterolateral corner, piceous mark posterior to anterior arm of cruciform elevation, wing groove castaneous with green posterior margin. Metanotum castaneous with green posterior margin. Dorsal thorax with short silvery pile, denser on lateral mesonotum, long silvery pile between anterior arms of cruciform elevation, posterior to anterior arms of cruciform elevation, and on posterior mesothorax, long white pile radiating from wing groove, and on posterior metanotum, piceous pile on posterolateral margin. Ventral thoracic segments greenish tawny except piceous basisternum 2 and meron 2, piceous mark on basisternum 2, and castaneous katepisternum 2, covered with short silvery pile, long white pile, and white pubescence.

Wings. Fore wings and hind wings hyaline, with eight and six apical cells respectively. Venation tawny at base becoming castaneous distally, except castaneous radius & subcostal vein, arculus and piceous anal vein 2 + 3,pterostigma present reaching slightly beyond radial crossvein. Basal cell greenish except along cubitus anterior, Basal membrane gray with piceous posterior margin. Hind wing venation tawny proximally becoming castaneous distally, except green, ochraceous in paratypes, radius posterior, cubitus anterior, cubitus posterior, and anal vein 1, and castaneous anal vein 3. Anal vein 3 short, about one-third the length of anal vein 2, with curved terminus. Anal cell 3 and plaga gray, anal cell 2 along anal vein 3 and anal vein 2 margined with gray, anal cell 1 along anal vein 2 margined with gray, gray in anal cell 2 margined with infuscation, white infuscation in base of cubital and radial cells.

Legs. Legs greenish tawny, castaneous mark on lateral hind coxa, dorsal trochanters, proximal femora, femora with castaneous fascia, middle of fore tibia castaneous, distal fore and middle tibiae piceous, distal hind tibiae castaneous, fore and middle tarsi piceous, hind tarsi castaneous, pretarsal claws castaneous. Fore femora with proximal finger-like, adpressed to femur, secondary spine triangular, upright, tertiary spine very small, upright, all spines greenish tawny. Tibial spurs and tibial combs castaneous with darker tips. Legs with short silvery pile, radiating long silvery pile, and white pubescence, pubescence absent in paratypes. Female meracanthus piceous with greenish tawny margin, pointed, lateral margin sinuate, tip curved laterad as in male except reaching posterior of sternite II. Male meracanthus as in female, not reaching posterior opercular margin extending to posterior of sternite I.

Opercula. Male operculum tawny with piceous anterior and lateral margins, area lateral to meracanthus domed, slightly expanded to point at lateral base, lateral margin straight, angled mediad, rounded posterolateral margin forming an approximate right angle between lateral and posterior margin, posterior margin straight, rounded medial margin, almost meeting medially, reaching to anterior of sternite II, not covering tympanal cavity posterolaterally. Female operculum smaller than male operculum, with curved posterior margin, reaching to lateral meracanthus medially and middle of sternite II posteriorly, with green posterolateral and posterior margins, dark castaneous at base, covered with short silvery pile and white pubescence laterally and medially at base.

Abdomen. Abdominal tergites 1–7 tawny with transverse castaneous mark on midline bordered anteriorly and posteriorly with piceous and green posterior margin, anterolateral margin of tergite 2 piceous, female with piceous spot on lateral tergites 2 and 3, castaneous spot on lateral tergite 3 in male paratypes, tergite 8 tawny, tergites covered with dense pile in holotype, pile very reduced in paratypes probably due to chemical exposure, silvery pile on tergites replaced with castaneous pile anterior dorsolateral tergite 2, lateral tergite 3, forming an arch from dorsolateral tergite 3 to lateral tergites 6 and 7, short golden pile on dorsal midline of tergites 2–8, expanding laterally in posterior tergites, long white pile on lateral tergites 7 and all of tergite 8. Timbal cover tawny margined with piceous, dorsolateral margin smoothly curving around posterior timbal cavity, incomplete exposing timbal dorsally, anterolateral margin rounded, curving mediad, ventral margin straight, parallel to long body axis. Timbal white with dark castaneous markings visible through opening in timbal cover. Sternites castaneous medially, ochraceous posterolaterally, male sternites III–VI translucent, male sternite VII castaneous with transverse posterior margin, male sternite VIII castaneous with ochraceous posterolateral margin, U-shaped notch posteriorly, sternites covered with short silvery pile, long castaneous pile radiating from male sternites VII and VIII, epipleurites castaneous. Female sternite VII castaneous with tawny spot on middle of lateral surfaces with single open U-shaped notch, posteriorly angled straight posterior margin to curved posterolateral margin. Female abdominal segment 9 castaneous, darker dorsally and along ventral margin, with greenish ventroanterior spot and posterior margin, dorsal beak piceous, covered with short silvery pile, radiating long white pile. Dorsal beak extending beyond castaneous anal styles. Posterior margin of abdominal segment 9 smoothly curved.

Genitalia. Female gonocoxite IX and gonapophysis IX castaneous, gonapophysis X piceous. Ovipositor sheath extends slightly beyond dorsal beak. Long golden pile radiating from ovipositor sheath.

Male pygofer castaneous dorsally becoming tawny and greenish tawny ventrolaterally, distal shoulder margined with greenish tawny, basal lobe greenish tawny, uncus castaneous dorsally, greenish tawny anterolaterally with piceous terminus of lateral branch of the uncus, anal styles tawny margined with castaneous. Dorsal beak thin, elongated spine with piceous tip. Pygofer basal lobe medial margins straight, parallel to curve forming triangular terminus, extending slightly more than half of pygofer length. Uncal dorsal crest triangular emerging at slightly oblique angle with rounded terminus radiating castaneous pile. Lateral branch of uncus short, not as long as dorsal crest, lateral section slightly recurved ventrally to triangular lateral apex, posteromedial margin straight, meeting under the median uncus lobe to surround aedeagus. Aedeagus castaneous with ochraceous terminal membrane.

Measurements (mm). N = two males or one female, mean (range). Length of body: male 20.58 (20.45–20.70), female 20.10; length of fore wing: male 27.38 (27.30–27.45), female 31.60; width of fore wing: male 8.48 (8.45–8.50), female 9.95; length of head: male 2.95 (2.90–3.00), female 3.10; width of head including eyes: male 7.88 (7.80– 7.95), female 8.35; width of pronotum including suprahumeral plates: male 7.65 (7.55–7.75), female 8.75; width of mesonotum: male 6.38 (6.35–6.40), female 7.25.

Diagnosis. Ariasa venezuelaensis sp. nov. can be distinguished from all but A. urens ( Walker, 1852) and A. diupsilon ( Walker, 1850) by the body length being less than 21 mm. It can be distinguished from the slightly smaller (body lengths 19 mm) A. urens by the incomplete transverse fascia on the dorsal head, the ochraceous fascia on the postclypeus, mesonotum with linear piceous fasciae, and the tawny abdominal tergites with a piceous anterior margin on the dorsal midline of tergites 1–2 and from A. diupsilon by the primarily piceous head, the paired piceous fascia on the postclypeus, mesonotum with the large, obconical piceous fasciae with ferruginous posterior of lateral fasciae, and piceous abdominal tergites with a tawny posterior margin found in these species.

The presence of the thin dorsal beak is the first reported for a species of Ariasa . It may be a characteristic of the smaller species in the genus. Further specimens need to be obtained in order to test this hypothesis as the A. urens holotype is missing its genitalia and the A. diupsilon holotype is a female.

The other reported Venezuelan species of the genus are A. bilaqueata ( Uhler, 1903) and A. colombiae ( Distant, 1892) . The larger body size (greater than 25 mm) quickly distinguishes both of these species from A. venezuelaensis sp. nov. although A. bilaqueata also has a piceous arch on the dorsal abdomen formed from pile. The new species can be distinguished from A. nigrorufa ( Walker, 1850) by the red lateral and posterior abdominal tergites found in that species.

Distribution. The new species appears to be found over much of northern Venezuela as the type series was collected in the states of Monagas in northeastern and Barinas in western Venezuela.

Figures

Figure 1. Ariasa venezuelaensis sp. nov. A, habitus, holotype female (top) and paratype male (bottom); B, holotype female dorsum; C, paratype male timbal; D, holotype female operculum; E, paratype male operculum; F, paratype male lateral view of genitalia; G, paratype male posterior view of genitalia; H, holotype female lateral view of genitalia; I, holotype female ventral view of genitalia. Scale bar: A, 2 cm; B, 5 mm; C–E, 2 mm; F–I, 1 mm.