Pseudophacopteron tamessei, Malenovský & Burckhardt, 2009

Malenovský, Igor & Burckhardt, Daniel, 2009, A review of the Afrotropical jumping plant-lice of the Phacopteronidae (Hemiptera: Psylloidea), Zootaxa 2086 (1), pp. 1-74 : 44-45

Pseudophacopteron tamessei sp. nov.

( Figs. 63 , 82 , 160–162, 170, 221, 224, 228)

Description. Adult. Colour (ethanol preserved specimens). Body ochreous with more or less distinct brown markings. Vertex ochreous, brown laterally. Genae ochreous, tubercles below toruli brown apically; frons brown; clypeus ochreous. Pronotum ochreous with brown markings on both sides of midline and laterally. Mesopraescutum and mesoscutum ochreous with midline narrowly bordered with brown. Mesoscutellum and metascutum ochreous. Lateral sclerites of thorax ochreous with dark markings. Antenna off-white, segments 1–2 ochreous, brown basally, segments 3–8 dark brown to black in apical thirds and segments 9–10 entirely dark brown to black. Legs almost entirely ochreous, fore and mid femora with a brown streak subapically, tarsi infuscated. Fore wing membrane clear, transparent, lacking dark patches ( Fig. 63 ). Veins off-white with well-delimited brown to black spots each on apices of veins Rs, M 1+2, M 3+4, Cu 1a and Cu 1b, forks of veins R+M+Cu 1, R, M+Cu 1, M and Cu 1, touching point of Rs and M 1+2, two spots medially on M 1+2, M 3+4 and anal vein and one spot medially on Cu 1a. Hind wing clear, transparent, veins C+Sc and A light brown. Abdominal tergites ochreous, narrowly dark brown posteriorly. Sternites ochreous. Male terminalia ochreous, paramere apex brown. Female terminalia ochreous, apical extensions of proctiger and subgenital plate brown.

Morphology. Head, in frontal view, about twice wider than high. Vertex regularly rounded down in front, flat dorsally, with small triangular tubercles laterally; lateral ocelli lying in the plane of vertex. Median epicranial suture distinct in apical third or half, reduced in front. Genae below toruli swollen and slightly produced anterio-laterally, blunt at apex. Antenna robust, segments short and distinctly widening to apex (Fig. 170); two rhinaria (similar in structure as in P. serrifer ) subapically on segments 4 and 5, one large rhinarium subapically on each of segments 6–9; terminal setae subequal, very long, more than twice longer than segments 9 and 10 together ( Fig. 228 ). Fore wing membrane smooth, surface spinulation indistinct ( Fig. 82 ). Mesotibia lacking distinct subapical comb of stout setae on outer margin. Hind legs long and slender; metatibia with 11–14 tightly packed unsclerotised apical spurs; metabasitarsus long, cylindrical, apically bearing two lateral sclerotised spurs. Male subgenital plate, in lateral view, with dorsal margin nearly straight (Fig. 160). Male proctiger, in lateral view, slender. Paramere large, longer than proctiger, lamellar; in lateral view, constricted medially, apex broadly rounded with a sclerotised tooth situated anteriorly (Fig. 161). Distal segment of aedeagus very long and slender, bent, apical dilation narrow (Fig. 162). Female proctiger and subgenital plate with long, slender and sharply pointed apical extensions; proctiger with dorsal margin steeply and more or less straightly descending posterior to circumanal ring and with angle in middle, apex slightly turned upwards; subgenital plate with apical extension finely serrate, covered with cuticular teeth ( Fig. 221 ); in ventral view, as in Fig. 224 . Lateral valvulae bilobed apically; dorsal and ventral valvulae lacking distinct teeth ( Fig. 221 ). Measurements and ratios in Tabs. 2–4.

Larva unknown.

Host plant. The adults of the type series were collected on Dacryodes edulis (Burseraceae) which is a possible host plant.

Biology. Unknown.

Distribution. Cameroon, Nigeria.

Material examined. Holotype, ♂, CAMEROON: ♂, Centre Province , Nkolhisson, 26 June 2006, Dacryodes edulis (J. L. Tamesse & W. Yana) . Dry-mounted [ NHMB] . Paratypes: CAMEROON: 2 ♂, 3 ♀, same data as holotype ; 3 ♂, 3 ♀, South Province , Nkolandom, 26 May 2006, Dacryodes edulis (J. L. Tamesse & V. P. Mveyo) . NIGERIA: 1 ♂, Ikom, 11–12 February 1957, yellow tray (V. F. Eastop). Dry- and slidemounted [ BMNH, LZUY, MHNG, MMBC, NHMB] .

Etymology. Named in honour of Joseph Lebel Tamesse who collected the major part of the type material.

Comments. P. tamessei is similar to P. serrifer (see under the latter). It differs from P. serrifer in its smaller size, the less transverse and dorsally flatter head, the shorter and more robust antenna, the longer antennal terminal setae, the clear apex of vein R 1 and the absence of a dark spot in the middle of the apical portion of vein Rs of fore wing. The shape of the paramere differs in lateral view and the dorsal margin of the female proctiger is less convex.

Figures

FIGURES 59–66. Pseudophacopteron spp. 59–63, fore wings (arrow: costal break); 64, habitus, lateral view; 65–66, head, dorsal view (arrow: lateral tubercle on vertex). 59, 65, P. caffrariense; 60, 66, P. hollisi; 61, P. cuniculus; 62, 64, P. serrifer; 63, P.tamessei.

FIGURES 77–82. Pseudophacopteron spp., fore wings, distribution of surface spinules (delimited by dashed lines). 77, P.bicolor; 78, P. hankae; 79, P. stigmatum, female; 80, P. caffrariense; 81, P. hollisi; 82, P.tamessei.

FIGURES 216–229. Pseudophacopteron spp. 216–217, 219, 221–222, female terminalia, lateral view, with details of circumanal pore ring structure, dorsal and ventral valvulae, and subgenital plate apex; 218, 220, 223–224, female subgenital plate, ventral view; 225, antennal segment 4; 226–229, antennal segments 9 and 10. 216, 225–226, P. caffrariense; 217–218, P.cuniculus; 219–220, 227, P. hollisi; 221, 224, 228, P. tamessei; 222–223, 229, P. serrifer (217–218 reproduced from Malenovský et al. 2007 with permission of Taylor and Francis, London).