Kakuna taibaiensis Ren & Qin

Ren, Feng-Juan, Xie, Qi, Qiao, Li & Qin, Dao-zheng, 2014, Kakunataibaiensis sp. n. and a newly recorded species of Dicranotropis (Hemiptera, Fulgoroidea, Delphacidae) from China, ZooKeys 444, pp. 119-130 : 121

Taxon classification Animalia Hemiptera Delphacidae

Kakuna taibaiensis Ren & Qin sp. n. Figs 1-16

Description.

Macropterous male: Body length: male 5.82-5.91 mm; forewing length: male 5.06-5.13 mm (n=2).

Color. General color brown. Ocelli reddish brown, eyes black. Dorsum of body with a milky longitudinal stripe from the junction of Y-shaped carina to the middle of posterior margin of forewing. Forewing yellowish brown, membrane has a large, longitudinal, fuscous marking from base of costal area to apex, veins fuscous, longitudinal veins ornamented with blackish brown granules. Abdomen fuscous. Fore and middle legs brown, hind legs yellowish brown, apices of spines on tibiae and tarsi black.

Structure. Head including eyes narrower than pronotum (about 0.81:1) (Figs 1, 3). Vertex shorter in midline than wide at base (about 0.82:1), narrower at apex than at base (about 0.78:1), lateral margins slightly concave in dorsal view, submedian carinae convex, originating from near 1/3 base of lateral carinae and uniting at apex of vertex (Figs 1, 3). Y-shaped carina distinct, basal compartment shallowly concave (Fig. 3). Fastigium rounded (Fig. 2). Frons longer in midline than maximum width about 2.05:1, widest above the level of ocelli, median carina conspicuous, forked at extreme base (Fig. 4). Postclypeus wider at base than frons at apex, post- and anteclypeus together approximately 0.86 × of the length of frons (Fig. 4). Rostrum almost reaching mesotrochanters. Antennae terete, nearly attaining middle level of postclypeus, scape longer than wide at apex (about 1.83:1), shorter than pedicle (about 0.52:1) (Fig. 4).

Pronotum in midline slightly shorter than length of vertex (about 0.79:1), lateral carinae developed, slightly curved, not reaching posterior margin (Fig. 3). Mesonotum medially ca. 1.64 times longer than vertex and pronotum together, lateral carina almost straight, reaching posterior margin, median carina obscure apically (Fig. 3). Forewings long and narrow, longer than widest part about 3.35:1, widest in middle (Figs 1, 2, 16). Spination of apex of hind leg 5 (3+2) (tibia), 8 (6+2) (basitarsus) and 4 (2nd tarsomere) (Fig. 5). Metabasitarsus distinctly longer than tarsomere 2+3 combined (about 1.79:1), calcar shorter than metabasitarsus (about 0.77:1), thin, bearing 29 black-tipped teeth on lateral margin (Fig. 5).

Male genitalia. Male pygofer slightly wider ventrally than dorsally, laterodorsal angles roundly produced caudad; in posterior view with opening longer than wide, ventral margin shallowly excavated, medioventral process absent (Figs 6-9). Suspensorium ventrally ring-like, dorsally with a process at each side leading to the anal segment ventrolaterally (Fig. 14). Diaphragm narrow, mediodorsal processes fairly developed, pillar-like, basally with a broad common stalk, thence contiguous apicad, apical part separated and curved laterad, tips truncated (Figs 6, 8). Parameres fairly long, reaching to the level of anal segment, in posterior view contiguous basally, apical 2/5 convergent mesad, apices rounded, inner margins expanded and ornamented with denticles medially (Figs 6, 11, 15). Aedeagus tubular, arch-shaped in profile, moderately dilated near the base, near apex on the dorsal side to the ventral apex provided with small teeth, gonopore apical on the slightly membranous dorsal side (Figs 12, 13). Male anal segment deeply sunk into dorsal emargination of pygofer, ring-like, caudoventral processes absent (Figs 6, 7, 10, 11).

Type materials.

Holotype. ♂ (macropterous, NWAFU), China, Shaanxi Province, Mt. Taibai, 13-VIII-2010, by light trap, coll. A. P. Dong. Paratype. 1♂ (macropterous, NWAFU), same data as holotype.

Female.

Unknown.

Host plant.

Unknown.

Etymology.

The species epithet is named after the type locality, Mt. Taibai in Shaanxi, China.

Distribution.

Known currently from the type locality in northwest China (Shaanxi Province).

Remarks.

Kakuna taibaiensis is similar to Kakuna zhongtuana Chen & Yang (2010) in the male anal segment not produced caudoventrally, aedeagus not bearing spinous processes and mediodorsal processes of diaphragm having a common stalk basally. However, the new species differs from the latter in the mediodorsal processes fairly long, reaching to the level of anal segment (mediodorsal processes short, not reaching to the level of anal segment in zhongtuana ), aedeagus curved ventrad medially in profile (aedeagus curved dorsad medially in profile in zhongtuana ), parameres rounded at apex in posterior view, inner margins ornamented with denticles medially (parameres acute at apex and adorned with a nipple-like process medially along each inner margin in zhongtuana ).

Discussion.

The Himalaya-Qinling-Huai River line is the most distinctive barrier and may serve as the division of the Palaearctic and Oriental Regions since the Pleistocene. However, the north-south transitional affects have been much more pronounced in species and a broad transitional zone has resulted ( Zhang 2002). The new finding in this paper based on the specimens from Mt. Taibai (the main peak of Mts. Qinling in Shaanxi, China) confirms the suggestion of Chen and Yang (2010) that the members of the genus Kakuna have extended into the southern area of the Palaearctic Region. During our investigations of Delphacidae on Mt. Taibai, we found many species in this family have extended into the border of the two Regions which were traditionally thought to be confined in the Palaearctic or Oriental Region only, including some new species described in recent years ( Qin 2007, Qin et al. 2012). We suspect that the delphacid fauna in this border area will be more extensive if more investigations are conducted.