Apogonalia nielsoni Felix et Mejdalani

Felix, Márcio & Mejdalani, Gabriel, 2006, A new species of the leafhopper genus Apogonalia from Mexico (Insecta: Hemiptera: Cicadellidae: Cicadellini), Zootaxa 1237, pp. 19-25 : 20-24

Apogonalia nielsoni Felix et Mejdalani , sp. nov.

( Figs 1–9 )

Description

Total length. Male holotype, 12.1 mm.

Head and thorax. Head ( Figs 1, 2 ) conically produced; crown with median length about 6/10 interocular width and 1/3 transocular width; ocelli located behind line between anterior eye angles, each ocellus slightly closer to adjacent anterior eye angle than to median line of crown; antennal ledges, in lateral view, with anterior margins oblique and approximately straight; frons slightly flattened medially; muscle impressions not distinct; clypeus with contour slightly more nearly horizontal in its lower portion; genae with sinuous vertical line extending from lower portion of eye to near upper portion of lorum.

Pronotum ( Fig. 1 ) width slightly greater than transocular width of head; lateral margins convergent anteriorly; disc not transversely rugulose. Forewings ( Fig. 3 ) with membrane well delimited, entirely opaque, including all of apical cells except outer one; veins distinct. Hindlegs with femoral setal formula 2:1:1; first tarsomere with length slightly greater than combined length of second and third, without small setae basally between two parallel rows of setae on plantar surface. Remaining morphological characteristics of head and thorax as in the generic description of Young (1977: 916).

Male genitalia. Pygofer ( Figs 4, 5 ) moderately produced in lateral view; posterior margin emarginate; posteroventral portion with pair of spiniform processes dorsomedially curved, not attaining median line of pygofer; disc with long macrosetae on apical half of ventral portion and on posterior portion; some short macrosetae and microsetae sparse on discal surface. Valve ( Figs 4, 6 ) broad, subtriangular in ventral view; anterior margin concave; basilateral portions well produced, extending laterally beyond outer margins of subgenital plates; posterior margin triangular with median portion nearly right­angled. Subgenital plates ( Figs 4, 6 ) elongate, subtriangular in ventral view, with apical portion narrow and dorsally curved; not extending posteriorly as far as pygofer apex; outer margin with long microsetae; apical portion with short row of small macrosetae and numerous short microsetae. Styles ( Fig. 7 ) moderately long, falciform in dorsal view; not extending posteriorly as far as connective apex; preapical portion with inconspicuous lobe and few long setae; apex truncate. Connective ( Fig. 7 ) T­shaped in dorsal view; stalk very long and narrow with apical portion slightly broadened; dorsal keel moderately produced. Aedeagus ( Fig. 8 ) short and dorsally curved in lateral view; shaft with pair of short, triangular, dorsally directed lateral processes between basal and median thirds; median third with pair of long, acute ventral processes, anteroventrally curved; right process slightly longer than left one; apical third of shaft narrowed and less sclerotized; apex subacute; gonopore apical; dorsal apodemes well developed, curved posteriorly, with apical portion subtriangular in lateral view. Paraphyses ( Fig. 9 ) asymmetrical; basal plate Y­shaped and curved, arms moderately long, left arm shorter than right one; apical rami narrow and very long; left ramus arising subapically from basal plate, dorsally curved, apical portion broadened in lateral view, slightly curved leftward, apex acute; right ramus arising apically from basal plate, ventrally curved, apical portion narrowed in lateral view, slightly curved rightward, apex acute.

Color. Crown, pronotum, and mesonotum brown with yellow maculae. Crown ( Fig. 1 ) with irregular, interrupted yellow median stripe extending from near apex to posterior margin; anterior portion slightly darkened with pair of narrow, interrupted yellow arcs; adjacent portions to inner margins of ocelli and eyes with yellow maculae; ocelli dark brown; posterior coronal margin yellow with pair of small darkened areas; eyes (coronal portion) reddish­brown with narrow yellow stripe along inner margins. Pronotum ( Fig. 1 ) with numerous, small yellow maculae on median line of disc; anterior portion darkened with pair of large yellow maculae; pair of incomplete, longitudinal yellow stripes on lateral margins; posterior margin with two pairs of large yellow maculae. Mesonotum ( Fig. 1 ) with small yellow maculae on mesoscutum; mesoscutellum yellow with irregular, transverse brown area on median third. Forewings ( Fig. 3 ) dark red with numerous pinkish­red maculae; claval suture black; membrane brown. Hindwings brown. Face ( Fig. 2 ) brown with numerous small yellow maculae; ventral portion of frons with median, broad yellow macula adjacent to epistomal suture; clypeus almost entirely yellow with irregular, broad brown stripe extending medially from epistomal suture to near apex; lateral portions of face with brown areas bordering lorum and extending dorsally along sinuous vertical line of gena; posterior margins of genae with elongate, small brown macula near eye; portions around antennal pits brown; antennal scapes brown; eyes (facial portion) reddish­brown with anterior portions darkened, margins with narrow yellow stripe. Thoracic pleura yellow with brown areas; proepisterna brown. Legs yellow with brown stripes and maculae; femora with longitudinal brown stripes; apices of tibiae and apical tarsomeres brown. Mesosternum yellow with lateral and posterior portions brown; anterior half with two pairs of anteriorly connected brown stripes.

Female unknown.

Etymology

The specific epithet, nielsoni , is in honor of Dr. Mervin Nielson, in recognition of his important contributions to the knowledge of the Cicadellidae of the world.

Taxonomic notes

Apogonalia nielsoni can be placed in the first group of species recognized by Young (1977: 917) in this genus, which is composed of leafhoppers with the head conically produced and with the aedeagus bearing one or more processes directed ventrally. The new species can be distinguished from the other known species of Apogonalia by the following combination of features: head ( Fig. 1 ) with (1) anterior portion conically produced; anterior dorsum ( Fig. 1 ) with (2) color pattern brown with yellow maculae; forewings ( Fig. 3 ) with (3) color pattern dark red with numerous pinkish­red maculae; face ( Fig. 2 ) with (4) frons brown with numerous yellow maculae and (5) clypeus yellow with irregular, broad brown stripe extending medially from epistomal suture to near apex; male pygofer ( Figs 4, 5 ) with (6) posterior margin emarginate and (7) posteroventral portion with pair of spiniform processes, curved dorsomedially; valve ( Fig. 6 ) (8) broad and with subtriangular form; aedeagus ( Fig. 8 ) with (9) pair of short, dorsally directed, triangular lateral processes and (10) pair of long, acute ventral processes, anteroventrally curved; paraphyses ( Fig. 9 ) with (11) basal plate curved, Y­shaped and (12) apical rami narrow and very long, left ramus subapical and dorsally curved, right ramus apical and ventrally curved.

The color pattern and body length of the new species are very similar to those of A. germana . The anterior dorsum ( Fig. 1 ), as well as the frons ( Fig. 2 ), is brown with numerous yellow maculae, and the forewings ( Fig. 3 ) are dark red with numerous pinkishred maculae in both species. However, A. nielsoni has an irregular, broad brown stripe on the median portion of clypeus ( Fig. 2 ), which is absent in A. germana .

Concerning the male genitalia, the new species is very similar to A. monticola . The pygofer in both species presents a pair of spiniform processes on the posteroventral portion, curved dorsomedially. The T­shaped connective with its very long, narrow stalk, and the falciform styles, are very similar in these species ( Fig. 7 ). The aedeagi of A. nielsoni ( Fig. 8 ) and A. monticola are short and dorsally curved with the apical portion of shaft narrowed. This structure also presents, in these species, a pair of long, anteroventrally curved, acute processes on ventral margin. However, the new species has on the aedeagal shaft a pair of short, dorsally directed triangular processes, which are absent in A. monticola . The paraphyses of A. nielsoni ( Fig. 9 ) and A. monticola are formed by a curved, Y­shaped basal plate and by a pair of narrow and very long rami. In the former species the basal plate arms are longer than those of the latter species. Moreover, the rami of the new species are dorsally or ventrally curved, whereas in A. monticola they are approximately straight.

Apogonalia nielsoni keys to couplet 16 in Young’s (1977: 920) key. This couplet establishes the distinction between A. monticola and A. woodruffi . The new species fits better in A. monticola in this couplet. Both species have the aedeagal shaft broadened and slightly curved dorsally in lateral view ( Fig. 8 ), and the pygofer processes short, not attaining the median line of the structure in posteroventral view ( Fig. 5 ), which are similar to those of A. blanchardi . However, the forewing corium in A. monticola has large white areas ( Fowler 1899: 244 [Pl. XV, Fig. 22]), which are absent in A. nielsoni ( Fig. 3 ).

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 9. Apogonalia nielsoni sp. nov., male holotype. (1) Crown, pronotum, and mesonotum (specimen pinned on mesoscutellum); (2) face; (3) forewing; (4) pygofer, anal tube, valve, and subgenital plate, lateral view; (5) detail of pygofer apex showing the medially directed process, ventral view; (6) valve and subgenital plate, ventral view; (7) connective and style, dorsal view; (8) aedeagus, lateral view; (9) paraphyses, lateral view.