Parvopsalta victoriae, Moulds & Marshall, 2022

Moulds, Max & Marshall, David C., 2022, New genera and new species of Western Australian cicadas (Hemiptera: Cicadidae), Zootaxa 5174 (5), pp. 451-507 : 477-479

Parvopsalta victoriae sp. n.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:C555F409-D11E-4251-BEEC-98C704DF70BC

( Figs 4 , 36–38 )

Synonymy. “podgy black” Marshall et al., 2016: fig. 2b.

Etymology. Named after Queen Victoria of England for whom the type locality, Queen Victoria Rock, is named; noun in genitive case.

Types. Holotype male, (Simon Lab. voucher 03.AU.WAU.VIC.06), Queen Victoria Rock , Western Australia, 31°17’S 120°56’E, 444 m, 17.i.2003, Moulds, Hill, Marshall & Vanderpool ( WAME 113455 ) ( WAM) . Paratypes as follows: WESTERN AUSTRALIA: 2 males, 85 km SSW of Coolgardie , 20.i.1991, M.S. & B.J. Moulds ( DE). 2 males, 85 km SSW of Coolgardie , 20.i.1991, M.S. & B.J. Moulds ( LP). 12 males, 2 females, 85 km SSW of Coolgardie , 20.i.1991, M.S. & B.J. Moulds ; 2 males (1 genitalia prep. POD 20 ), Queen Victoria Rock , 31°17’S 120°56’E, 444 m, 17.i.2003, Moulds, Hill, Marshall & Vanderpool ; 3 males (1 genitalia prep. POD 1 ), WAU. LKK, Lake King , 33°05’S 119°40’E, 335 m, 18.i.2003, Moulds, Hill, Marshall & Vanderpool ; 2 males (Simon Lab. vouchers 09.AU.WA. CGB.01, 09.AU.WA. CGB.02), 38 km W of Coolgardie , 31°3.852’S 120°47.632’E, 419 m, 8.ii.2009, K. Hill & D. Marshall ; 1 male ( Simon Lab. voucher 10.AU.WA. WOR.01), 28 km NE of Calingiri, 30°57.127’S 116°39.501’E, 237 m, 13.i.2010 ; Hill, Marshall Moulds ( MSM). 2 males, 85 km SSW of Coolgardie , 20.i.1991, M.S. & B.J. Moulds ( PH). 1 male, same data as holotype ( WAME 113456 ) ; 2 males, WAU.LKK, Lake King , 33°05’S 119°40’E, 335 m, 18.i.2003, Moulds, Hill, Marshall & Vanderpool ( WAME 113457-113458 ) ; 1 male, 38 km W of Coolgardie , 31°3.852’S 120°47.632’E, 419 m, 8.ii.2009, K. Hill & D. Marshall ( WAME 113459 ) ( WAM).

Distribution and habitat ( Fig. 36 ). Southwest of Western Australia northeast from Wongan Hills to within 40 km of Coolgardie. All specimens have been taken in mid January but adults almost certainly occur at other times. Adults frequent low shrubs in open dry eucalypt woodland with a shrub understory.

Adult description. Male ( Figs 4 , 37 ). Head black, with supra-antennal plates partly marked dull yellow or brown and usually a spot of similar colour on anterior and posterior midline. Postclypeus black, often with a dull yellow or brown patch on most anterior part sometimes extending to vertex; lateral ventral margin indistinctly yellow or brown. Anteclypeus black. Rostrum dark brown becoming black distally; reaching apices of mid coxae. Thorax with pronotum black, its dorsal midline sometimes partly marked yellow or brown and sometimes also along anterior margin; pronotal collar usually edged yellow or brown along its posterior margin between lateral angles. Mesonotum black with a pair of yellow or brown markings from between submedian and lateral sigilla to anterior arms of cruciform elevation, considerably variable in extent, often much reduced but always straight along their outer margins; cruciform elevation of similar colour but with anterior arms black distally. Metanotum dull yellow. Wings hyaline; without infuscations. Forewing venation black except for pale brown CuA and C; basal cell hyaline; basal membrane blackish. Hindwing venation pale brown becoming black on about distal third; plaga dull white sometimes tending pale brownish mainly in jugum. Legs yellowish, with black markings of variable extent, most extensive on forelegs, least on hindlegs. Opercula very pale yellow with a little black at base; epimeron 3 swollen. Abdomen with tergites black usually with narrow yellow or brown banding; tergite 1 black, sometimes with narrow brown lateral marking; tergite 2 with a narrow dull yellow or brown posterior margin sometimes broken on dorsal midline; tergites 3–7 with a narrow yellow posterior margin; tergite 8 black except for an indistinct orange brown patch in posterior sublateral corner. Sternites pale yellow with black variable in extent; sternite I black; sternite II yellow with a broad black midline; sternites III–VII yellow, each with a broad, blackish centre sometimes extending to lateral extremities but never reaching distal margin; sternite VIII blackish. Timbals with ribs as in generic description above; timbal cavity sharply angled along posterior margin and barely ridged.

Male genitalia ( Figs 37a–d ). See generic description above.

Female. The single known female similar to male. Abdominal segment 9 long, in dorsal view a little longer than wide; black dorsally, otherwise brown except for a small sublateral patch distally and a narrow black anterior margin. Ovipositor sheath brown becoming black distally, barely projecting beyond anal styles.

Measurements. Range and mean (in mm) for 10 males, 1 female (includes smallest and largest males). Length of body (including head): male 11.3–13.8 (12.9); female (including ovipositor) 13.4. Length of forewing: male 11.8–13.6 (13.0); female 13.7. Width of head (including eyes): male 3.4–3.9 (3.7); female 3.8. Width of pronotum (across lateral angles): male 3.5–4.0 (3.8); female 3.9.

Distinguishing features. Differs from all other species by the distinguishing features listed in the generic description above. Among Australian small black cicadas males differ from nearly all in having the abdomen a little wider than the thorax and in having 5 apical cells in the hindwing.

Song ( Figs 38a–c ). Recordings were examined from the holotype location as well as the WA.CGB and WA.WOR paratype locations.

Male calling song is composed of alternating short and long syllables containing simple pulses or doublets (with the first pulse louder, if doublets). Pulses are produced at a steady rate of around 185–300 pulses/s. In the typical song, the gap preceding the shorter syllable is somewhat longer than the gap following it, with the overall syllable repetition rate ranging between 2–3.5/s. Short syllables consist of around 8–16 pulses (30–75 ms duration) and long syllables consist of about 15–25 pulses (60–105 ms duration). Sometimes multiple short syllables are produced in series, and our recordings suggest that this can occur as a male flies to a new station. In the recordings from WA.VIC the occasional syllable is broken into two parts when one or a few pulses drop out. Most sound energy is contained in the range 8–13 kHz, and the peak frequency is around 10.5 kHz. There is no frequency modulation.

Males are extremely wary and tend to sing from short shrubs, knee-height to chest-height.

Figures

FIGURE 38. Parvopsalta victoriae sp. n., male calling song. (38a, b) oscillogram and spectrogram showing several short-long syllable pairs from a caged male (23°C); (38c) further detail of syllable structure.

FIGURES 1–7. (1a) Illyria viridis sp. n., male; (1b) Illyria viridis sp. n., female; (2) Pedana hesperia gen. et sp. n., male; (3a) Chrysocicada trophis sp. n., male; (3b) Chrysocicada trophis sp. n., female; (4) Parvopsalta victoriae gen. et sp. n., male; (5) Ewartia adusta sp. n., female; (6) Pegapsaltria lutea gen. et sp. n., male; (7a) Kalarko ferruginosus gen. et sp. n., male; (7b) Kalarko ferruginosus gen. et sp. n., female.

FIGURES 36–37. Parvopsalta victoriae sp. n. (36) distribution; (37a) male genitalia in lateral view; (37b) same in ventral view; (37c) dissected aedeagus in lateral view; (37d) basal plate in dorsal view.