Psalmocharias gizarensis 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 : 33-35

Psalmocharias gizarensis Ahmed & Sanborn , sp. n.

(figs. 11–15)

Etymology.— The species is named for the Gizar District where the type series was collected.

Type material.— Holotype male: “ PAKISTAN: Northern Areas: Gilgit; Gizar District, Japoke, 15.VI.2009, leg. Zubair Ahmed” ( NHMK). Paratypes: 15 3 and 10 Ƥ, same data as holotype (10 3 and 10 Ƥ ZACP, 5 3 AFSC).

Description

Head (fig. 11). Piceous with castaneous on supra-antennal plate, anterior arm of epicranial suture and vertex marked with castaneous in some paratypes. Eyes ochraceous with broad piceous fascia dorsally, color varying from ochraceous to tawny in paratypes. Small ochraceaous round fascia at posteriolateral margin of vertex between lateral ocellus and corresponding eye. Small ochraceous spot along medial margin of lateral ocellus in some paratypes. Postclypeus globosely produced anteriorly, centrally sulcate; transverse grooves marked with castaneous, varying from dark piceous marks in posterior to medial grooves to being absent in some paratypes. Anteclypeus dark piceous marked centrally with ochraceous, varying from completely piceous to ochraceous with medial piceous linear mark in paratypes. Rostrum ochraceous with piceous tip, considerably passing middle coxae. Sparse long white pile posterior to eye, dense pile on ventral head. Shorter white pile along frontoclypeal suture in some paratypes.

Pronotum (fig. 11). Ochraceous medially and along anterior margin. Two longitudinal piceous fasciae on either side of midline. Two broad ochraceous triangular spots lateral to midline on anterior pronotal collar, reduced to oblique lines in some paratypes. Fissures dark ochraceous. Pronotal collar posteriorly ochraceous, lateral margins obliquely angulate, lateral angles ampliated, apically sinuate in some paratypes. Piceous spot or transverse broad linear mark across lateral margin of pronotal collar present in some paratypes.

Mesonotum (fig. 11). Piceous, linear ochraceous marking along parapsidal suture, curved and thickened at their bases, mark extending to and surrounding scutal depression in one paratype. Scutal depression piceous. Cruciform elevation dark ochraceous centrally, mark extending along posterior or posterior arms. Ventral thorax piceous, with some reddish ochraceous areas, covered with thick white pile. Piceous mark on ochraceous episternum 2, anepimeron 2 ochraceous surrounding piceous mark. Male operculum narrowed towards apex, rounded, strongly oblique posteriorly, concave depression apically, dull reddish ochraceous covered with thick white pile, not reaching posterior of sternite II. Female operculum rounded laterally and posteriorly, medial margin pointed. Lateral base of operculum nearly piceous. Meracanthus elongate trianglular, piceous edged with ochraceous, with sparse white pile at base. Legs castaneous. Fore femora strongly marked with piceous dorsolaterally, completely piceous in some paratypes; armed with three ochraceous spines with piceous tips, primary spine longest, slightly angled, very angled in some paratypes, secondary spine intermediate in size upright or slightly angled, apical spine shortest and blunt. Linear marks to varying degrees on fore coxae, trochanters and femora of paratypes. Tibial spurs and tibial comb castaneous with piceous tips.

Wings (fig. 11). Fore wing and hind wing hyaline. Venation ochraceous proximally becoming faint yellow distally, piceous distally in some paratypes. Fore wing with eight apical cells; basal cell fuscous with piceous surrounding veins; costal membrane reddish ochraceous; 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 elongate narrow cell at apex of claval area, fuscous. Hind wings 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; dull reddish on either side of anal veins 2 and 3.

Abdomen (figs. 11–12). Male tergite 1 castaneous to piceous; male tergites 2–8 piceous with posterior margins dark ochraceous with proportion of ochraceous increasing in posterior segments, very narrow coloration on posterior margins in some paratypes. Female tergites piceous with posterior segments broadly dark ochraceous except piceous tergite 7. Tergites 4 to 7 narrowly dark ochraceous and 2, 4 and 7 ochraceous in some paratypes. Timbal (fig. 12) with nine complete and eight intercalary ribs. Sternites piceous brown with segmental margin of sternites II to VII dark ochraceous, sternites IV and V dark ochraceous or allochraceous in some paratypes, covered with scarcely sparse hairs laterally.

Male genitalia (figs. 13–15). Pygofer (fig. 13) with dorsal beak pointed, distal shoulder angulate, close to dorsal beak, upper lobe well developed and rounded, basal lobe well defined with bud-like extension. Claspers (fig. 14) expanded medially, partially recurving with broad point. Aedeagus (fig. 15) constricted in uncus, not protruding, long curved spine along margin apically. Sternite VIII elongate.

Female genitalia. Abdominal segment 9 piceous, marked with recurved fascia laterally and tip of dorsal beak leading to margin laterally ochraceous. Sternite VII piceous with castaneous margin. Ovipositor piceous, extending near to the level of the dorsal beak apex.

Measurements.— N = 11 males or 10 females, mean (range). Length of body: male 28.04 (26.0–30.0), female 27.45 (26.0–29.5); length of fore wing: male 33.91 (32.0–35.0), female 28.95 (24.0–32.5); width of fore wing: male 11.86 (11.0–12.5), female 12.1 (11.0–13.0); 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 7.0 (6.5–7.5), female 6.95 (6.5–7.5); width of pronotum including suprahumeral plates: male 10.54 (10.0–11.0), female 10.45 (9.0–11.5); width of mesonotum: male 9.18 (8.5–10.0), female 8.85 (8.0–10.0).

Diagnosis.— Psalmocharias gizarensis is similar to P. paliuri (Kolenati) . The new species is larger (about 28 mm male body length) than P. paliuri (about 21 mm male body length). The ground color of P. g i z a re n s i s is darker and the coloration of P. paliuri is tawny while P. gizarensis is more ochraceous with the markings generally more reduced. The claspers of P. paliuri are smaller and curved laterally instead of posteriorly and the aedeagus lacks the long spines found in P. gizarensis . This species can be differentiated from P. chitralensis and P. japokensis by the timbal structure and pygofer. The timbal of P. g i z a re n s i s has eight complete, one incomplete and eight intercalary ribs, more than the number of ribs found in P. chitralensis and fewer than the number found in P. japokensis . The pygofer of P. gizarensis can be differentiated by the larger basal lobe of the pygofer of P. japokensis and the angled rather than rounded upper lobe of the pygofer of P. chitralensis . The aedeagus of each species is also different as illustrated.