Pegapsaltria lutea, 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 : 474-475

Pegapsaltria lutea sp. n.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:A232925E-E2A1-4E34-BE0E-71E9965E0CFE

( Figs 6 , 33–35 )

Synonymy. “flying yellow fairy” Marshall et al. 2016: fig. 2.

Common name. Flying yellow fairy.

Etymology. From the Latin adjective luteus meaning yellow and pertaining to the yellow colour of this species.

Types. Holotype male (song recorded, molecular voucher 11.AU.WA.BAR.01), Barnett River xing on Gibb River Road , Western Australia, 16°42.589’S 125°56.143’E, 433 m, 20.xi.2011, K. Hill, D. Marshall ( WAME 113438 ) ( WAM) . Paratypes as follows: WESTERN AUSTRALIA: 2 males, AU.WA.BAR, Barnett River xing on Gibb River Road, 16°42.589’S 125°56.143’E, 433 m, 20.xi.2011, K. Hill, D. Marshall ( AMS). 2 males, AU.WA.BAR, Barnett River xing on Gibb River Road, 16°42.589’S 125°56.143’E, 433 m, 20.xi.2011, K. Hill, D. Marshall (DE). 2 males, AU.WA.BAR, Barnett River xing on Gibb River Road, 16°42.589’S 125°56.143’E, 433 m, 20.xi.2011, K. Hill, D. Marshall ( LP). 1 male ( Simon Lab. voucher 10.AU.WA. LEN.02), Lennard R., Gibb River Rd, 17°23.525’S 124°45.304’E, 78 m, 20.i.2010, Hill, Marshall, Moulds ; 22 males (1 genitalia prep. FLY 1 ), 4 females, AU.WA. BAR, Barnett River xing on Gibb River Road, 16°42.589’S 125°56.143’E, 433 m, 20.xi.2011, K. Hill, D. Marshall ( MSM). 2 males, AU.WA.BAR, Barnett River xing on Gibb River Road, 16°42.589’S 125°56.143’E, 433 m, 20.xi.2011, K. Hill, D. Marshall ( PH). 15 males, 1 female, AU.WA.BAR, Barnett River xing on Gibb River Road, 16°42.589’S 125°56.143’E, 433 m, 20.xi.2011, K. Hill, D. Marshall ( WAME 113439-113454 ) ( WAM).

Distribution ( Fig. 33 ). Kimberley region of Western Australia where it is known from just two localities, the Lennard River and Barnett River crossings, Gibb River Road. Adults have been taken in November and January. Adults are found in monsoonal open woodland.

Adult description. Male ( Figs 6 , 34 ). Head dull light brownish yellow to light tan; irregular blackish markings surrounding ocelli and around margin of postclypeus, considerably variable in extent between individuals; ventrally usually a little paler and usually an indistinct black patch at base of antennae. Eyes in life dull light yellowish brown. Postclypeus ventral midline deeply grooved and a broad, glossy black band running full length ventrally, the most anterior part usually vaguely yellowish brown. Anteclypeus glossy black. Rostrum yellowish brown becoming black distally; reaching a little beyond bases of hind coxae. Thorax light yellowish brown to light tan. Pronotum with a small, blurred black patch either side of midline against anterior margin and two adjacent, very small, black dots on midline against pronotal collar. Mesonotum with submedian and lateral sigilla unmarked or barely so; scutal depressions black and usually a little black at base of cruciform elevation between anterior arms. Metanotum with a blurred black mark across dorsal midline and usually a very small black spot laterally. Forewings hyaline, without infuscations; apical cells 3–6 mostly a little shorter than ulnar cell; basal cell tinted light brown; basal membrane orange. Hindwings hyaline; with plaga pale brown, reaching almost to distal end of vein 3A. Legs light yellowish brown often with femora partially black; meracantha pale yellowish brown.0 Opercula pale yellowish brown. Male abdomen with tergites dull light yellowish brown to light tan; sternites a little paler, glossy. Timbals as in generic description above.

Male genitalia ( Figs 34a–d ). See generic description above.

Female. Similar to male. Abdominal segment 9 similarly coloured to abdomen; usually a pair of paramedian black fascia never reaching dorsal spine; apical spine black; ventral margin blackish on distal half or so. Ovipositor sheath black, barely projecting beyond apical spine.

Measurements. Range and mean (in mm) for 10 males and 5 females (includes largest and smallest specimens). Length of body (including head): male 15.1–17.0 (16.0); female (including ovipositor) 15.4–17.9 (17.0). Length of forewing: male 17.7–20.0 (18.6); female 20.3–23.4 (21.6). Width of head (including eyes): male 4.2–4.7 (4.4); female 4.7–5.1 (4.9). Width of pronotum (across lateral angles): male 4.2–4.9 (4.5); female 4.9–5.6 (5.1).

Distinguishing features./ Readily distinguished by its yellow body colour and the long slender body of the males. No other Australian species is similar. It differs from all other species by the distinguishing features listed in the generic description above.

Song ( Figs 35a–c ). Males sing a high-pitched tzik-tzik-tzik calling song of repeated short syllables while flying. We did not obtain a recording of free-flying song or note the rate of production of the syllables. However, two caged males (one from WA.LEN and one from WA.BAR) each produced a few short syllables about 3.1– 3.6 s ms in duration at 1–2 syllables per second, during a few seconds of recorded sample. Each syllable consists of four pairs of pulses (sometimes more than two pulses), with the first and third paired pulses partly to entirely coalesced. The sound energy is concentrated in two frequency peaks, one 8–10 kHz and the other 16–20 kHz. The spectrogram shows that the low frequency peak is mainly produced by the first and third pulse pair, while all four contribute to the higher frequency sound.

Figures

FIGURE 35. Pegapsaltria lutea sp. n., male calling song. (35a, b) oscillogram and spectrogram showing two isolated syllables from a caged male; (35c) further detail of pulse structure. Temperature not recorded.

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 33–34. Pegapsaltria lutea sp. n. (33) distribution; (34a) male genitalia in lateral view; (34b) same in ventral view; (34c) dissected aedeagus in lateral view; (34d) basal plate in dorsal view.