Polana (Varpulana) vulgaris, Domahovski, Alexandre Cruz & Cavichioli, Rodney Ramiro, 2017

Domahovski, Alexandre Cruz & Cavichioli, Rodney Ramiro, 2017, Six new Brazilian species of Polana (Varpulana) (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae: Gyponini) with key to males, Zootaxa 4244 (4), pp. 535-555 : 549-552

Polana (Varpulana) vulgaris sp. nov.

( Figs 76–96 , 102 )

Diagnosis. Pronotum ( Fig. 76 ) with two elongate dark-brown maculae near posterior margin. Style ( Fig. 85 ) with ventral protrusion of blade short with apex serrated. Aedeagus ( Figs 86, 87 ) with slender processes arising on each side of shaft near base, apex bifid; shaft without apical or subapical processes, apical third translucent.

Description (male). Length 6.5mm, (n=5), female, (paratype) 7.5mm, (n=5). Head ( Fig. 76 ) in dorsal view with median length approximately three-tenths interocular width. Other characteristics as in generic description. Coloration. Head and thorax ( Figs 76 , 93–96 ) brownish, in life ( Fig. 92 ) green. Face ( Fig. 77 ) without maculae. Crown ( Fig. 76 ) without maculae. Pronotum ( Fig. 76 ) in dorsal view, with two elongate dark-brown maculae near posterior margin; in lateral view ( Fig. 78 ), proepimeron with black strip below pronotal carina. Forewing ( Fig. 79 ) brown with black markings on: cross veins of discal cell, apex of anal veins, crossed veins of second and third apical cells and larger maculae usually on costal margin at mid-length of wing; a transversal darkbrown band on apical third. Legs brown.

Male terminalia. Sternite VIII ( Fig. 80 ) 1.3 times wider than long; posterolateral corners rounded; posterior margin with middle portion slightly produced and rounded. Pygofer ( Fig. 81 ) 1.8 times longer than maximum height; dorsal margin with short process at base; apex tapered and rounded; posterior margin ( Fig. 82 ) in ventral view, with slightly produced protrusion. Subgenital plate ( Fig. 83 ) 2.4 times longer than wide; oval; apex rounded. Connective ( Fig. 84 ) T-shaped, with basal width as wide as length of stalk. Style ( Fig. 84 ), in dorsal view, with outer lobe truncated; in lateral view ( Fig. 85 ), ventral protrusion short, about as long as maximum width, apex serrated; blade with apical portion slightly curved dorsally and narrower than base, apex acute. Aedeagus ( Figs 86, 87 ) with atrial processes as long as shaft, apex broad with acute dorsomedial tip; shaft with slender processes arising on each side of shaft near base, with bifid apex, external rami longer than internal rami; shaft sigmoid in lateral view, without apical processes; apex membranous.

Female terminalia. Sternite VII ( Fig. 88 ) two times wider than long; posterolateral corners rounded; posterior margin excavated laterad of rounded median lobe. Pygofer ( Fig. 89 ) 1.6 times longer than maximum height. First valvifer ( Fig. 90 ) 2.1 times higher than long. First and second valvulae ( Figs 90, 91 ) as in generic description.

Etymology. The specific epithet, vulgaris (noun in apposition), was chosen because this is a very common species in the locality where it was collected.

Material examined. Holotype male: " Brasil, Paraná, S.[São] J.[José] dos\ Pinhais , 25°36'18"S \ 49°11'37"W 880m \ 09–23.ii.2012 malaise\ A. C. Domahovski leg." ( DZUP) ; Paratypes: 18 ♂, 15 ♀, same data as the holotype ( DZUP) ; 8 ♂, 6 ♀, same data as the holotype except 21.xii.2011 sweep ( MNRJ) ; 7 ♂, 10 ♀, same data as the holotype except 22.i.2012 sweep ( MZUSP) ; 8 ♂, same data as the holotype except 23.xi.2013 sweep ( DZUP) ; 1 ♂, same data as the holotype except 02–09.xii.2012 ( DZUP) ; 1 ♂, same data as the holotype except 30.xi.2011 ( DZUP) ; 1 ♂, same data as the holotype except; 23.xi.2013 ( DZUP) ; 1 ♂, same data as the holotype except 24.iii.2012 ( DZUP) .

Remarks. Polana (V.) vulgaris sp. nov. is similar to P. (V.) bidens and P. (V.) tulara in the shape of aedeagus with sigmoid shaft, without apical or subapical processes and translucent apex. However, it differs in having the aedeagus with atrial processes unbranched apically and the shaft with basal processes bifid apically. The aedeagal shaft lacks processes at mid-length, as in P. (V.) bidens and P. (V.) tulara .

The coloration of some specimens can vary in intensity: more pigmented specimens ( Fig. 93 ) have larger black maculae on the costal margin at the wing mid-length; less pigmented specimens ( Fig. 95 ) have smaller black maculae on the costal margin and lack the transverse dark-brown band on the apical third; or ( Fig. 96 ) without black maculae on the costal margin and transverse dark-brown band. The coloration of the holotype is similar to Figure 94 and is the typical and most frequent coloration. The extremes, very pigmented ( Fig. 93 ) and very light ( Fig. 96 ), are less common. More than 100 other specimens, not included in the type-series, all from the same locality, were available for study.

Figures

FIGURES 76 – 87. P. (F.) vulgaris sp. nov., holotype male. 76, head and thorax, dorsal view. 77, head, frontal view. 78, head and thorax, lateral view. 79, forewing. 80 – 87, male terminalia: 80, sternite VIII, ventral view. 81, pygofer, valve and subgenital plate, lateral view. 82, apex of pygofer, ventral view. 83, subgenital plate, ventral view. 84, style and connective, dorsal view. 85, style, lateral view. 86, aedeagus, lateral view. 87, aedeagus posterior view. Scale bars: 76 – 78 = 1.0 mm, 79 = 2.0 mm, 80 – 8 1 = 0.5 mm, 82 – 87 = 0.25 mm.

FIGURES 88 – 91. P. (F.) vulgaris sp. nov., female paratype terminalia: 88, sternite VII and pygofer, ventral view. 89, pygofer and valves, lateral view. 90, first valvifer and first valvulae, lateral view. 91, second valvulae, lateral view. Scale bars: 8 8 = 1.0 mm, 89 – 91 = 0.5 mm.

FIGURES 92 – 96. Color variations of P. (F.) vulgaris sp. nov. specimens: 92, live specimen coloration. 93 – 96, four different intensities of coloration: 93, more pigmented pattern. 94, more common pattern. 95, less pigmented pattern (without transversal dark-brown band). 96, less pigmented pattern (without transversal dark-brown band and black maculae on costal margin).

FIGURES 97 – 102. Holopypes habitus, dorsal view (up) and lateral view (down). 97, P. (F.) bahiensis sp. nov. 98, P. (F.) grossii sp. nov. 99, P. (F.) intricata sp. nov. 100, P. (F.) naja sp. nov. 101, P. (F.) sapitanduva sp. nov. 102, P. (F.) vulgaris sp. nov. Scale bars = 1.0 mm.