Corythucha tapiensis Ajmat, 1991

Guilbert, Éric & Montemayor, Sara I., 2010, Tingidae (Insecta, Heteroptera) from the Argentinan Yungas: new records and descriptions of selected fifth instars, Zoosystema 32 (4), pp. 549-565 : 553

Corythucha tapiensis Ajmat, 1991

Corythucha tapiensis Ajmat, 1991: 144 .

MATERIAL EXAMINED. — Argentina. Province of Salta, Orán , 5.VI.2007, Guilbert & Montemayor coll., 1 ş ( MNHN). — Province of Salta, Urundel, 6.VI.2007, Guilbert & Montemayor coll., 1 instar V ( MNHN) ; 1 instar V ( MLP). — Province of Jujuy, Calilegua , 10.VI.2007, Guilbert & Montemayor coll., 1 Š ( MLP) .

DISTRIBUTION. — Argentina, Tucumán (Tapia).

HOST PLANTS. — Celtis pubescens (Kunth) (Ulmaceae) ( Ajmat 1991: 144).

DESCRIPTION OF FIFTH INSTAR ( FIG. 2 )

Body yellow to brown with margins somewhat transparent; shiny, glabrous.Body length 1.83 mm; width 1.05 mm ( Fig. 2A ). All the dorsum covered with small conical microstructures ( Fig. 2B ).

Head armed with five tubercles; frontal pair long, simple, spiny, base stout and the rest slender, ending with a seta at the apex; median tubercle bifid, stout at base, made of two slender, spiny branches, ending with a seta at apex of each; occipital pair with a bulbous and pedunculate base, made of two long and slender tubercles and a short one, all three ending with a seta at apex, with two additional long setae directly on base, as long as tubercles ( Fig. 2C ).

Pronotum short and wide, with lateral margins expanded far from head, with a swollen conical area just behind anterior margin followed posteriorly by a longitudinal, median keel, slightly angulate backwards on posterior margin; armed with two pairs of long slender, simple tubercles on the submedian line, one anterior at the apex of the swollen part and one posterior on the keel; margins armed with four tubercles each, three short, slender, simple tubercles, the most anterior shorter and the most posterior longer; the fourth posterior to the other three, composed of a short pedunculate, with two long, slender tubercles and a seta as long as tubercles; all tubercles ending with a short seta at the apex.

Wing pads slightly wider than pronotum, armed with a submedian pair of tubercles and four marginal tubercles on each side; the submedian tubercles in contact with posterior margin of pronotum, made of a bulbous and pedunculate base with two slender, simple tubercles, a short one and a long one, and two long setae; marginal tubercles divided into a group of three short, simple, slender tubercles on the anterior half of margins, the most anterior shorter and the most posterior longer, and the fourth tubercle on posterior half of margin made of a bulbous base bearing three slender, simple tubercles, unequal in size and a seta as long as the tubercle.

Abdominal tergites with lateral expansions as wide as wing pads; first tergite without tubercles; second tergite with a submedian pair of slender, simple tubercles on each side of the median; third tergite without tubercles; fourth to ninth tergites with a tubercle on each lateral margin, the tubercle slightly bulbous at base, simple, long, slender; a seta at the base as long as tubercle on fourth to seventh tergites but without setae on eighth and ninth segments; fifth, sixth and eighth tergites with a submedian pair of tubercles and a marginal tubercle on each side, submedian tubercles bulbous at base, with an erect, long, slender, simple tubercle, with two setae at base, as long as tubercle on fifth and sixth and one seta on eighth; all tubercles erect and ending with a short seta at apex.

REMARKS

This species is similar to Corythucha pellucida Drake & Hambleton, 1938 . The latter is slightly smaller and has two or three rows of areolae on the costal area whereas C. tapiensis has only two. These two species could be synonyms; however, we have not examined enough specimens to be certain. Corythucha pellucida is only known from the Brasilian state of São Paulo, on Celtis brasiliensis Planch. and Celtis ferruginea Walp. , whereas C. pellucida , is restricted to Argentina. The latter is here newly recorded from Jujuy and Salta. All specimens were collected by beating the understory.

The immatures of all species of Corythucha have similar protuberances, i.e. a bulbous base with several tubercles and setae. Thus, they are difficult to distinguish. These tubercles are characteristic of the genus, and have not been observed in other larvae ( Guilbert 2005).

Figures

FIG. 2. — Instar V of Corythucha tapiensis Ajmat, 1991: A, habitus; B, microstructures on instar V dorsum; C, cephalic tubercle. Scale bars: A, 1 mm; B, 10 μm; C, 100 μm.