Psalmocharias japokensis Ahmed & Sanborn

Ahmed, Zubair & Sanborn, Allen F., 2010, The cicada fauna of Pakistan including the description of four new species (Hemiptera: Cicadoidea: Cicadidae), Zootaxa 2516, pp. 27-48 : 35-37

Psalmocharias japokensis Ahmed & Sanborn , sp.n.

(figs. 16–20)

Etymology.— The species is named for the town of Japoke where the type series was collected.

Type material.— Holotype male: “ PAKISTAN: Northern Areas: Gilgit; Gizar District, Japoke, 15.VI.2009, Zubair Ahmed”( NHMK). Paratypes: 11 3 and 7 Ƥ, same data as holotype (10 3 and 6 Ƥ ZACP and 3 3 AFSC).

Description

Head (fig. 16). Piceous with castaneous areas. Eyes ochraceous. Small ochraceous spot on posterior margin of vertex between lateral ocellus and eye. Small ochraceous spot along medial margin of lateral ocellus, absent in some paratypes. Distal anterior arm or epicranial suture ochraceous in some paratypes. Postclypeus globosely produced anteriorly, centrally sulcate, transverse grooves marked with castaneous, varying from piceous to castaneous in posterior to medial grooves. Anteclypeus piceous. Mentum ochraceous, labium castaneous proximally becoming piceous toward tip. Rostrum reaching to hind coxae. Dense long white pile posterior to eye and on ventral head. Frontoclypeal suture without white pile, sparse pile found in some paratypes.

Pronotum (fig. 16). Ochraceous medially, along anterior margin and on disc. Longitudinal piceous fasciae on either side of midline expanding anteriorly and along ambient fissure before almost joining posteriorly on pronotal collar. Angled piceous mark from ambient fissure to posterior pronotal collar almost fusing at midline forming broad ochraceous triangular spot lateral to midline on anterior pronotal collar, reduced to oblique line in some paratypes. Fissures piceous brown. Lateral margins obliquely angulate, straight in some paratypes; lateral angles of pronotal collar ampliated. Broad piceous spot across lateral margin of pronotal collar, reduced in some paratypes.

Mesonotum (fig. 16). Entirely piceous except ochraceous linear marking along parapsidal suture and central and posterior margin of cruciform elevation. Ventral thorax piceous brown, piceous in some paratypes, sparse white pile. Episternum 2, katepisternum 2, anepimeron 2 and episternum 3 with ochraceous markings, trochantin 2, epimeron 2, basisternum 2 and basisternum 3 marked with ochraceous in some paratypes. Male operculum narrowed towards rounded apex, strongly oblique posteriorly with concave depression apically. Dark ochraceous, piceous brown or with piceous base in some paratypes, sparse white pile on surface, not reaching posterior of sternite II. Female operculum rounded laterally, slightly deflected posteriorly, medial margin rounded, with narrow piceous lobate spot apically. Meracanthus broadly triangular with narrow, long apex, piceous margined in ochraceous with white pile at base. Legs dark castaneous. Fore femora strongly marked with piceous dorsolaterally, armed with three dark castaneous spines with piceous tips, primary spine longest and angled, secondary spine of intermediate size, upright and apical spine shortest and slightly angled, with another small spine in some paratypes. Linear marks to varying degrees on fore coxae, trochanters and femora of paratypes. Tibial spurs and tibial comb castaneous with piceous tips. Hind tarsi banded with ochraceous in some paratypes.

Wings (fig. 16). Fore wings and hind wings hyaline. Venation faint ochraceous proximally becoming piceous distally. Fore wing with eight apical cells; linear piceous mark in anterior basal cell, surrounding veins piceous in some paratypes; costal membrane dull reddish; heavy infuscation from base of radius anterior 2 across radial crossvein, radius posterior, radiomedial crossveins and proximal portion of median vein 1; median crossvein and mediocubital crossvein with lighter infuscation in paratypes; small elongated narrow cell at apex of claval area fuscous. Hind wing with six apical cells; heavy infuscation beginning on radius anterior extending across radial crossvein and radius posterior to radiomedial crossvein, extending to marginal vein 1 or 2 in some paratypes; grayish on either side of anal vein 2 and 3, reddish in some paratypes.

Abdomen (figs. 16–17). Male tergite 1 piceous. Male tergites 2–8 and female tergites piceous with posterior margins dark ochraceous on anterior tergites becoming ochraceous and increasing in proportion in posterior tergites in some paratypes. Short pile on posterior tergite margins. Timbal covers piceous, incomplete, semicircular, anterior margin ochraceous in some paratypes. Timbal (fig. 17) with nine complete, one incomplete and nine intercalary ribs. Sternites piceous with margins dark ochraceous, without sparse hairs. Sternites completely ochraceous in some paratypes with pile on posterior sternite margins or on epipleurites in some paratypes.

Male genitalia (figs. 18–20). Pygofer (fig. 18) with dorsal beak pointed, basal lobe ill defined, terminating in an approximate right angle. Upper lobe of pygofer well developed with approximate right angle, expanding posteriorly concealing anal styles. Claspers (fig. 19) expanding in the middle, recovering to sharp point with acute apex. Aedeagus (fig. 20) elongated, protruded, extended to apex of sternite VIII, with one long curved and one long straight spine laterally, a recurved hook-like spine dorsally, and a series of short spines ventrally. Sternite VIII broad, apically raised.

Female genitalia. Abdominal segment 9 piceous, ochraceous marking on laterally margin and tip of dorsal beak. Sternite VII castaneous with piceous spot on either side of midline. Ovipositor dark piceous extending to level of dorsal beak.

Measurements.— N = 11 males or 6 females, mean (range). Length of body: male 24.41 (22.5–24.0), female 24.08 (22.5–25.0); length of fore wing: male 30.36 (28.0–33.0), female 29.67 (28.5–30.5); width of fore wing: male 10.91 (10.0–12.0), female 10.75 (10.0–11.0); length between frontoclypeal suture and posterior head: male 2.0 (2.0–2.0), female 2.0 (2.0–2.0); width of head including eyes: male 6.32 (6.0–7.0), female 6.33 (6.0–6.5); width of pronotum including suprahumeral plates: male 8.82 (8.0–10.0), female 8.91 (8.5–9.0); width of mesonotum: male 7.82 (7.0–8.5), female 7.83 (7.0–8.0).

Diagnosis.— Psalmocharias japokensis is most similar to P.gizarensis and P. chitralensis . The variable coloration and size range of the specimens of the three species makes timbal structure, and male genitalia the best characters to use to differentiate the three species. The markings on the pronotal collar of P. japokensis are similar to those found in P. paiiuri but the remaining body coloration is very different. The timbal of P. japokensis has nine complete, one incomplete and nine intercalary ribs, more than found in P. gizarensis and P. chitralensis . The larger basal lobe of the pygofer of P. japokensis separates the species from both P. gizarensis and P. chitralensis . The aedeagus of each species is also different as illustrated.