Kapateira coffea, Godoy

Godoy, Carolina, Garita-Cambronero, Jerson & Villalobos, Carmen Rivera William, 2006, Two new species of Kapateira Young from Costa Rica (Auchenorrhyncha: Cicadellidae: Cicadellinae), Zootaxa 1282, pp. 29-38 : 31-36

Kapateira coffea, Godoy , sp. nov. ( Figs. 1–13 )

Type material: Holotype: male, COSTA RICA: San José: Desamparados, 1200m, 5­I­ 2001, C.M. Rodríguez ( CAS). Paratypes: 13 males and 6 females, same data as holotype; 4 male and 7 female, same data except 19­I­2000; 1 female, same data except 8­II­2000; 2 males and 3 females, same data except 15­II­2000; 4 males and 7 females, same data except 21­XII­2000; 2 females same data except 8­II­2001; 4 males and 3 females, same data except 12­II­2001; 2 females, same data except 8­III­2001; 1 male and 2 females, same data except 19­III­2001; 1 male and 3 females, same data except 28­III­2001; 1 male and 2 females, same data except 6­IV­2001; 2 females, same data except 21­XII­2001; 1 male and 3 females, same data except 29­X­2001 ( CAS, INBio, BMNH, UCR).

Description. Length of male 6.7–7.2 mm, female 6.5–7.4 mm. General color mustard yellow, with black spots or lines on the dorsum of head; pronotum with two spots ( Fig. 1 ).

Male genitalia: pygofer with ventral posterior margin rounded, posteriorly produced into short spine on dorsal posterior margin ( Fig. 2 ). Subgenital plate narrowly triangular, extending posteriorly beyond apex of pygofer, with uniseriate macrosetae ( Figs. 2, 3 ).

Style extending posteriorly beyond apex of connective, without preapical lobe ( Fig. 5 ). Connective short, Y­shaped ( Fig. 4 ). Aedeagus symmetrical in lateral view with a paired elongate apical processes projecting distally, gonopore located apically, atrium with spine, basal apodemes greatly elongate ( Figs. 6, 7 ).

Female sternum VII with ventral surface convex, posterior margin pointed at apex and concave on both sides ( Fig. 8 ). First and second valvulae elongate, slightly wider subapically, tapered to apex. First valvula in lateral aspect wider in apical half and slightly curved, with strigate sculpture on dorsal and apical margins ( Fig. 9 ). Second valvula in lateral aspect with dorsal teeth, individual teeth rounded and slightly elevated ( Fig. 10 a–b). Third valvula shorter, narrowed apically to rounded point ( Fig. 11 ).

Nymphs ( Figs. 12 a–e ). Color yellowish, with four distinct longitudinal brown to black stripes. Head large, as long as basal width, crown with anterior portion brown to black; clypeus broad with two longitudinal stripes. Abdominal tergites VI to VIII each with short setae on posterior lateral margins, usually more setae on tergite IX. There are five instars, each resembling the other except for size and the developing wings as shown in Fig. 12e . The developing wings, in the form of wing pads, become more pronounced in the third, fourth and fifth instars. In these same instars the tibiae have a brown line between setal rows I and II. The nymphs vary from 1.6 to 1.8 mm in length in the first instar, to 6 mm in the fifth instar.

Distribution. Known only from Costa Rica.

Diagnosis. Kapateira coffea is similar to K. rosipennis but the pygofer has the ventral margin rounded and it is produced into a short spine. Moreover, the aedeagus has paired processes, which is very distinct from the aedeagus of K. rosipennis .

Etymology. The specific name refers to the host plant Coffea arabica.

Biology. The eggs ( Fig. 13 ) are generally laid in pairs, rarely individually, the two eggs together and in the same position. They are covered with a transparent mucilaginous secretion and are inserted just under the surface of the epidermis, on both the underside and the upperside of the leaf, occasionally on young, nonwoody stems. Each egg is about 2 mm long and yellow. They are fairly difficult to find even with a hand lens, but can be recognized as small, bean­shaped blisters ( Fig. 13 ). The red eye of the developing nymph can be recognized shortly before it hatches. The egg stage lasts about 7 days (n = 10).

Immediately after eclosion the nymphs began feeding, generally on the underside of young leaves. The average duration of the first stadium was 11 days (n=10). Nymphs observed in the process of molting in the laboratory (n=10), were always located on the undersides of mature leaves on the lower part of the plant. The average duration of the second, third, and fourth stadia was 5 (n=9), 4.5 (n=8), and 9.5 days (n=8), during which time feeding behavior remained the same, except that the fourth and fifth instars began feeding for greater lengths of time on nonwoody stems. The average duration of the fifth stadium was 11 days (n=6). Of the ten total individuals under observation in the laboratory, one died during the second stadium, one in the third, and two died during the fourth stadium.

The adult stage, which lasted about 37.5 days (n=6), fed on both young and mature leaves. Adults also fed on young stems, on which they remained for most of the day. A total of 120 individuals were tested with DAS­ELISA, and of these 43 were positive for Xylella fastidiosa . This suggests that K. coffea is a potential vector of plant diseases caused by this bacterium, although further tests are needed to determine its actual role in disease transmission. In North America X. fastidiosa has a diverse host range encompassing over 30 families of monocotyledonous and dicotyledonous plants ( Purcell and Hopkins, 1996). In Costa Rica this bacterium causes coffee leaf scorch and citrus variegated chlorosis, although the latter seems to occur primarily when citrus is planted in coffee plantations ( Rodríguez, et al. 2001; Aguilar et al. 2005).

Figures

FIGURES 13. Eggs of Kapateira coffea, Godoy sp. nov.

FIGURES 1 – 7. Kapateira coffea, Godoy sp. nov. (holotype). 1. Anterior dorsum, dorsal view; 2. Pygofer, subgenital plate and valve, lateral view; 3. Subgenital plate, ventral view; 4. Connective dorsal view; 5. Style, dorsal view; 6. Aedeagus, lateral view; 7. Aedeagus, ventral view.

FIGURES 8 – 11. Kapateira coffea, Godoy sp. nov. 8. Female abdominal sternum VII, dorsal view; 9. Ovipositor, first valvula, lateral view; 10 a. Ovipositor, second valvula, lateral view; 10 b. Apex of ovipositor, second valvula, lateral view; 11. Ovipositor, third valvula, lateral view.

FIGURES 12 a – e. The five instars of Kapateira coffea, Godoy sp. nov.