Formiscurra atlas, Gnezdilov, 2019

Gnezdilov, Vladimir M., 2019, A new species of the myrmecomorphic planthopper genus Formiscurra (Fulgoroidea: Caliscelidae) from Ethiopia, Acta Entomologica Musei Nationalis Pragae (Acta. Ent. Mus. Natl. Pragae) 59 (1), pp. 17-22 : 17-20

Formiscurra atlas sp. nov.

( Figs 1–19 )

Type locality. Southwestern Ethiopia, Bench Maji Zone, Omo National Park, Uesca Ueca, ca. 5°49′N, 35°36′E.

Type material. HOLOTYPE: ♁, ʻUesca Ueca / Basso OMO / III – 40 Patriziʼ ( MZUR; dry-mounted, glued on a card label) . PARATYPES: 2♁♁ (missing some parts of the body and legs) 3 ♀♀, same locality label as holotype ( MZUR – 1 ♁ 2 ♀♀, ZIN – 1 ♁ 1 ♀).

Description. Body length. Male – 5.3 mm; females – 5.6–5.7 mm.

Male ( Figs 1, 2 , 8 ). Coloration. General coloration dark brown. Lateral margins of metope above eye level, median carina and margins of coryphe light yellow. Postclypeus medially and anteclypeus yellowish light brown. Rostrum light brown, with apex nearly black. Pedicel light yellow on the inner side. Pronotum with light yellow median carina and light yellow spots. Paranotal lobes with light yellow lower margins. Fore wings with wide ivory band medially ( Figs 1, 2 ). Apices of leg spines black. Abdominal tergite III whitish light yellow except for dark brown lateral margins. Abdominal tergites IV–V yellowish light brown except for dark brown lateral margins. Abdominal tergites VI–VII brownish light yellow medially, except for dark brown median line, with lateral parts dark brown to black. Abdominal sternite III straw yellow with basal part dark brown ( Fig. 8 ). Abdominal sternites VI–VII dark brown to black with yellowish margins. Fore and middle legs brown to dark brown. Hind femora with light yellow areas in upper third on inner edge. Pygofer and styles dark brown to black. Anal tube dark brown, with lateral margins yellowish brown.

Structure. Head and body with fore wings covered by sparse long setae ( Fig. 1 ). Coryphe transverse, three times as wide as long at midline, without carinae; anterior margin four-angled; posterior margin weakly concave ( Fig. 2 ). Lower part of metope and upper part of postclypeus forming ball-shaped projection which is smooth and covered by long setae ( Figs 1, 2 ). Ball-shaped projection with narrow basal part, enlarged apically, slightly flattened laterally. Metope wide, with lateral margins convex, weak and short median carina and very weak sublateral carinae only visible in its upper angles. Metopoclypeal suture convex, resting against base of ball-shaped projection. Postclypeus large and swollen. Coryphe and metope, in lateral view, joining at an obtuse angle ( Fig. 1 ). Scape cylindrical, with one-side edge above the other. Pedicel cylindrical, with sensory organs and very long knife-shaped projection, flattened and pointed apically ( Fig. 2 ). Flagellum twice as long as the knife-shaped projection of pedicel. Rostrum reaching hind coxae; third segment short and cylindrical; second segment three times as long as third one. Pronotum slightly longer than coryphe at midline, with short median carina extending from its posterior margin, but not reaching anterior margin. Paradiscal fields of pronotum narrow behind eyes. Paranotal lobes of pronotum wide, nearly triangular. Posterior margin of pronotum concave. Mesonotum large, 1.5 times longer than pronotum, with peculiar lateral carinae joining on scutellum ( Fig. 10 ). Fore wings saddle-shaped, not reaching posterior margin of abdominal tergite III, with only radial veins visible. Femora and tibiae very long – combined length of femur + tibia is comparable to length of head + body. Fore and hind legs longer than middle ones. Fore tibiae slightly flattened laterally. Hind tibia with single lateral spine nearly at mid length and five apical spines. First metatarsomere as long as second and third ones combined, with two latero-apical spines and pad of hair-shaped setae. Abdomen, in lateral view, strongly curved posterior to tergite III; tergite V strongly convex; sternite III with concave trapezoidal posterior margin ( Fig. 8 ); sternites IV–VI with wedge-shaped posterior margins.

Genitalia ( Figs 11–19 ). Anal tube, in dorsal view, wide, clearly narrowing apically ( Fig. 16 ); in lateral view, apex slightly turned down ( Fig. 18 ). Pygofer with thick process on hind margins in its upper half ( Figs 18, 19 : pp). Penis wide, enlarged apically with drawn tip of apex, in lateral view, mushroom-shaped, and a pair of curved aedeagal hooks – right one turned down and left one turned up ( Figs 11–13 ). Connective with wide cup ( Fig. 17 ). Style with narrow and long capitulum, without lateral tooth ( Figs 14, 15 ).

Female. Coloration. General coloration of head and body including fore wings yellowish light brown with dense dark brown to black dots fused into tiny longitudinal stripes on abdominal tergites ( Figs 3, 4 ). Metopial projection dark brown to shiny black apically and laterally ( Fig. 3 ). Postclypeus yellowish light brown to black, with dark brown dots medially below metopial projection. Rostrum black apically. Scape dark brown. Pedicel dark brown to black outside and light yellow inside. Fore wings with whitish yellow costal margins. Legs with dark brown dots fused into marginal longitudinal stripes clearly visible on flattened fore tibiae. Tarsi dark brown to black. Abdominal tergites IV–VII with light yellow lateral margins. Abdominal sternite VII with dense dark brown dots fused into wide dark brown areas ( Fig. 7 ). Anal tube light yellow, with wide dark brown median longitudinal stripe dorsally and ventrally. Gonoplacs dark brown from base to middle. Gonocoxae VIII dark brown except for light yellow proximal parts.

Structure. Head and body including fore wings covered by sparse long setae. Metope and metopial projection dorsally with dotted grooves. Metope with weak sublateral carinae. Metopial projection wide and thick, in dorsal view, with weak constriction, slightly flattened laterally from the base towards its apex, smooth ventrally and laterally ( Figs 3, 4 ). Pedicel cylindrical, with very long knife-shaped projection, flattened and pointed apically, and sensory organs covering also inner side of projection ( Fig. 5 ). Rostrum reaching hind coxae; third segment short and cylindrical; second segment three times as long as third one ( Figs 6 , 9 ). Pronotum with smooth median carina. Mesonotum without carinae. Fore wings straight, not saddle-shaped, venation obscure ( Figs 3, 4 ). Abdomen not curved in lateral view. Fore wings not reaching hind margin of abdominal tergite III. Fore tibiae slightly flattened. Hind tibiae with single lateral spine above their mid-length and five apical spines. First and second metatarsomeres as in males. Arolium, in dorsal view, not surpassing apices of claws. Abdominal sternite III massive, convex vertically ( Fig. 7 ); sternites IV–VI deeply concave; sternite VII wide, with hind margin convex bearing median concavity ( Fig. 7 ).

Diagnosis. See the key below.

Etymology. The species name is derived from the name of the Greek mythological character “Aτλας” – Titan supporting the pillars that separate the Earth from the Sky – and should be treated as a noun in apposition.

Figures

Figs 1–4. Formiscurra atlas sp. nov. 1 – male, holotype, lateral view; 2 – same, dorsal view; 3 – female, paratype, lateral view; 4 – same, dorsal view. Total length: male – 5.3 mm, female – 5.7 mm.

Figs 5–8. Formiscurra atlas sp. nov.5 – female, paratype, antenna, dorsal view; 6 – female, paratype, rostrum, lateral view; 7 – female, paratype, abdomen, ventral view; 8 – male, holotype, abdomen, ventral view.

Figs 9–10. Formiscurra atlas sp. nov. 9 – female, paratype, rostrum, lateral view; 10 – male, holotype, pro- and mesonotum, dorsal view.

Figs 11–19. Formiscurra atlas sp. nov., paratype, male genitalia. 11 – penis, left lateral view; 12 – penis, right lateral view; 13 – penis, ventral view; 14 – style, lateral view; 15 – capitulum of style, dorsal view; 16 – anal tube, dorsal view; 17 – connective, lateral view; 18 – pygofer, left lateral view; 19 – pygofer, right lateral view. Abbreviation: pp – process of hind margins of pygofer.