Sphenoclypeana Lallemand & Synave, 1952

Paladini, Andressa, Carvalho, Gervásio Silva & Cavichioli, Rodney Ramiro, 2010, Taxonomic review of Sphenoclypeana and cladistic analysis of Ischnorhinini (Hemiptera, Cercopidae, Tomaspidinae), Zootaxa 2502, pp. 24-36 : 29-32

Sphenoclypeana Lallemand & Synave, 1952

Sphenoclypeana Lallemand & Synave, 1952: 8 ; Metcalf, 1961: 126; Fennah, 1968: 171 (syn. with Guarania ); Carvalho, 1987: 211; 1993: 173

Type species: Tomaspis parana Distant , by original designation.

Guarania Nast, 1951: 58 (description); Metcalf, 1961; Fennah, 1968: 171; Nast, 1975: 99.

Type species: Tomaspis consanguinea Distant , by original designation.

Homonymy: Guarania Nast, 1951: 58 ; name pre-occupied by Guarania Carvalho & China, 1951.

Head with punctures, tylus and vertex with median carina, basal body of flagellum longer than pedicel, conical and elongated, with group of coeloconic and basiconic sensilla distributed across surface ( Fig. 27 ), arista absent at apex of basal body (if present, small, inconspicuous and visible only with optical or electron microscope; Fig. 28 a), pedicel with long and abundant setae, postclypeus in ventral view weakly compressed with angled profile, lateral ridge of postclypeus arched and weakly marked, longitudinal carina of postclypeus narrow and not forming a triangle in apex with tylus, rostrum reaching mesocoxae. Pronotum curved in profile, with median carina present and complete, anterior margin straight, lateral-anterior margins straight, lateral-posterior margins sinuous, and posterior margin grooved, humeral angles rounded, scutellum concave. Tegmina narrow with prominent venation. Wings hyaline, fuliginous, vein Cu1 thickened at base. Hind tibia with two lateral spines, basal spine smaller than those of apical crown and the apical one of equal size, apical crown with two rows, basitarsus with two rows of 7–12 spines covered with long setae, subunguiel process present ( Fig. 32 ).

Pygofer with one process at lateral margin between anal tube and subgenital plates, these wide with round apex, short in relation to pygofer; parameres subrectangular with dorsal elevation developed, apical spine sclerotized, directed backward; aedeagus cylindrical, with apex expanded, with pair of apical spiniform processes.

Sphenoclypeana haematina ( Germar, 1821) ( Figs.9–17 )

Cercopis haematina Germar, 1821: 39 ; Metcalf, 1961: 74 (syn. of Homalogrypota coccinea ( Fabricius, 1794: 46) ; Carvalho, 1993: 174, (as S. chapada ) Carvalho & Webb, 2005: 89 (stat. rev.)

Tomaspis chapada Distant, 1909: 194 ); Tomaspis (T.) chapada distanti Lallemand, 1912: 91 ; Tomaspis (T.) chapada ; Lallemand, 1912: 194; Guarania chapada distanti ; Nast, 1951: 59; Guarania chapada ; Nast, 1951: 59: 62; Sphenoclypeana chapada ; Nast, 1975: 99; Sphenoclypeana haematina ; Carvalho & Webb, 2005: 89. Syn. nov.

Tomaspis brasiliensis Distant, 1909:194 ; Metcalf, 1961: 126; Guarania brasiliensis ; Nast, 1951: 58 = Sphenorhina marginata Walker, 1851 (nec. Fabricius) (apud Nast, 1951); Tomaspis marginata ; Walker, 1858: 175; Tomaspis (T.) brasiliensis ; Lallemand, 1912:91. Metcalf, 1961: 126; Guarania brasiliensis ; Nast, 1951:63; Sphenoclypeana brasiliensi s; Lallemand & Synave, 1952: 10; Carvalho, 1993: 174; Carvalho & Webb, 2005: 89. Syn. nov.

Length (mm). male: 20, 65 female: 21.4

Redescription. Head black, wider than length of vertex, vertex narrow, with punctures and scarce pubescence; supra-antennal margin black, tylus black, quadrangular, with median carina; ocelli brown, separated by about one ocellar diameter, closer to each other than to eyes and posterior margin of head, darkbrown eyes, prominent and arranged transversely; antennae with pedicel black, visible dorsally, with thick set of setae; postclypeus black, inflated with angled profile forming straight or obtuse angle, longitudinal carina well marked and prominent; anteclypeus black, rostrum blackish-brown. Pronotum black, with red longitudinal band along lateral-anterior margins and another longitudinal red band located in the middle portion on posterior half of median carina, which may vary in thickness, hexagonal, with some wrinkles, humeral angles rounded, scutellum black, with strong median concavity and horizontal ridges slightly marked. Tegmina finely punctured, red with two longitudinal black bands: one extending from costal margin to apical margin, wider in section on veins R2+R3, another extending transversally from vein M to vein A2, but not reaching anal margin, extending longitudinally from base of the wing to top of apical third, M and Cu1 united in basal third, A1 and A2, present and distinct, apical reticulation reduced. Wings with venation reddishbrown. Legs long and slender, with articular regions reddish-black; hind legs: femur with inconspicuous spine on inner face, tibia elongated, apical crown of tibia with 15 spines distributed in two rows; basitarsus with about 10 apical spines, distributed in one row, covered by one layer of long bristles; subunguiel process present similar to another tarsal claw ( Fig.32 ).

Male genitalia. Pygofer black ( Fig.13 ), with rounded lateral process between anal tube and subgenital plates ( Fig.13 ); parameres subrectangular with apex long and curved with an apical spine turned backward, dorsal elevation developed and rounded forming a ridge, dorsal margin and with a set of setae ( Fig.17 ); aedeagus cylindrical with apex enlarged, slightly bi-lobed with two apical spiniform processes in each lobe, shaft with slight curvature and one spiniform process located at beginning of middle third ( Figs. 14 and 15 ).

Female genitalia. First valve of ovipositor long and slender with acute apex and basal process developed, rounded, turned back ( Fig.16 ), second valve long and slender, knife-shaped, dorsal margin without teeth ( Fig.16 b), third valve short and wide, with long setae ventrally ( Fig.16 c).

Comments. The similarity between the species of Sphenoclypeana was highlighted by most authors who studied the genus: Distant, 1909 in the description of Tomaspis brasiliensis commented that the postclypeus is very similar to Tomaspis chapada . “...face black, in structure resembling that of the previously described species T. chapada …” According to Nast, 1951 the only specimen of the type series of S. haematina was missing its abdomen (fig. 10) and the species of the genus are difficult to distinguish, particularly in the correspondence of males and females. None of the specimens examined by Nast corresponded exactly in respect to color (common in Cercopidae ) with the holotype, and there may be melanic forms ( Fig. 12 ). Still, Nast, 1951 stated that the four existing species of Sphenoclypeana are very close and that the differences between S. chapada and S. brasiliensis are not very great and there is a wide variation in color patterns. He suggested that a larger amount of material be examined to describe the variability and improve species delimitation. Therefore, the proposal of synonymy between the two species was justified taking into account the great similarity and the low variability of the male genitalia. One of the only variations observed was a difference in the size of the apex of the aedeagus (described by Nast, 1951 Figs. 7 and 8), occurring in specimens from the same locality.

Transcript of the original description, translated from German to English (by Carvalho & Webb, 2005):

1) “ C. haematina m. fronte compressa , angulata, atra, collari elytrisque sanguineis, tibiis posticis unidentatis. Habitat in Brasília.”

Almost an inch long, black. The frons blood red with sharp black longitudinal carina. The head black, the eyes grey. The pronotum blood red, with strongly upturned lateral margin and two deep blackish anterior pits. The scutellum black with reddish tip. The elytra blood red, fore and hind margin with narrow black edge. The wings black. The metatibiae with a spine under the middle.

Examined material. Brasil: Minas Gerais: Ibiá, 11–20.X.1965, Claudionor Elias leg. 83 e 6Ƥ; idem: 20.XI.1977. sem coletor, 1Ƥ; Araxá, 6.XI.1965, A.M. Sakakibara leg. 23, 2Ƥ; Passos, 20–25.XI.1961, A.M. Sakakibara leg. 13, 1Ƥ; Corinto, 15.XII.1979, Claudionor Elias leg. 23, 1Ƥ, Serra do Cipó, 25.XI.2006, A.M. Sakakibara leg. 1Ƥ; Bahia: Encruzilhada, 960m, XI.1962, Alvarenga & Seabra leg. 23 Mato Grosso: Chapada dos Guimarães, 19–21.XI.1983, Excursão Departamento de Zoologia (Polonoroeste) leg. 13, 2Ƥ; Goiânia: Sta. Rita do Araguaia, XII.1963, M. Alvarenga leg. 13; São Paulo: Pedregulho, 8.XI.1962, Claudionor Elias leg. 13; Paraná : Jaguariaiva, 3.XI.1972, Pe. Moure leg. 13, 1 Ƥ.

Figures

FIGURES 27 – 38. Morphological characters: 27. S. parana, Antennae: basal body of flagellum with coeloconics and basiconics sensillae; 28. S. parana, antennae, a. arista, b. basal body, c. setae of pedicel; 29. M. cingulata, antennae, a. flagellum, b. arista, c. basal body; 30. N. ocellata, first valvulae of ovipositor, a. b. basal processes; 31. N. ocellata, apex of the second valvulae of ovipositor; 32. S. haematina, posterior leg, claws, a. subunguiel process; 33. posterior leg, a. spine in the inner face of femur, b. basal spine of tibia, c. apical spine of tibia, d. rows of spines of the apex of tibia; e. rows of spines of basitarsus. 34. Ischnorhinini, head in frontal view, a. longitudinal carina, b. lateral ridges of postclypeus; 35. Tomaspidini, head in frontal view, a. longitudinal carina of postclypeus, b. lateral ridges of postclypeus; 36. Tomaspidini, head in dorsal view, a. median carina of vertex, b. median carina of tylus; 37. Typeschata marginata, head and thorax, a. lateral ridge of postclypeus; 38. Typeschata marginata, female genitalia, a. basal process of first valvulae of ovipositor, b. second valvulae of ovipositor.

FIGURES 9 – 17. Sphenoclypeana haematina. 9. Tomaspis brasiliensis, Syntype (female), dorsal view; 10. Tomaspis chapada, Syntype (sex?), dorsal view; 11. head and thorax, lateral view; 12. melanic specimen dorsal view; 13. pygofer, lateral view; 14. aedeagus, dorsal view; 14 a. apex of aedeagus, dorsal view; 15. aedeagus, lateral view; 16. female, valvulaes of ovipositor; 17. paramere, external lateral view.