Melanastera clavata, Serbina & Malenovský & Queiroz & Burckhardt, 2025

Serbina, Liliya Š., Malenovský, Igor, Queiroz, Dalva L. & Burckhardt, Daniel, 2025, Jumping plant-lice of the tribe Paurocephalini (Hemiptera: Psylloidea: Liviidae) in Brazil, Zootaxa 5585 (1), pp. 1-164 : 81-82

35 Melanastera clavata sp. nov.

( Figs 2B , 11F , 17J , 29M–R )

Type material. Holotype ♂: Brazil: MINAS GERAIS: Vargem Bonita, Parque Nacional da Serra da Canastra, Cachoeira Casca d’Anta , plateau, S20.2976 /2986, W46.5195 / 5289, 860 m, 5.ix.2014, Miconia sellowiana (D. Burckhardt & D.L. Queiroz) #144(1) ( UFPR; dry).

Paratypes. Brazil: MINAS GERAIS: 5 ♂, 5 ♀, 3 immatures, same as holotype but ( MMBC, NHMB, UFPR; dry, slide, 70% ethanol; NMB-PSYLL0007812, NMB-PSYLL0007813, NMB-PSYLL0007681, NMB-PSYLL0007824 [LSMelcla-79], NMB-PSYLL0007825, NMB-PSYLL0007826 [LSMelcla-79]) ; 3 ♂, 4 ♀, 3 immatures, same but Cachoeira Casca d’Anta, around park entrance, S24.8541 /8573, W48.6982 /7121, 850– 860 m, 4–8.ix.2014, Miconia pusilliflora (D. Burckhardt & D.L. Queiroz) #141(20) ( MMBC, NHMB; dry, slide, 70% ethanol; NMB-PSYLL00003133, NMB-PSYLL0007821, NMB-PSYLL0007822 [LSMelcla-79], NMB-PSYLL0007823 [LSMelcla-79], NMB-PSYLL00003130, NMB-PSYLL00003129) .

Description. Adult. Coloration. Orange. Antenna yellow, apices of segments 4–9 and entire segment 10 brown. Thorax with indistinct light brown dots and patches; mesoscutum with four broad and one narrow median brown longitudinal stripes. Forewing ( Fig. 17J ) amber-coloured, with irregular, sparse brown dots mostly absent from wing base; apices of veins Rs, M 1+2, M 3+4, Cu 1a and Cu 1b inconspicuously brown.

Structure.Forewing ( Fig. 17J ) oblong-oval, broadest in the middle, narrowly, slightly unevenly rounded apically; wing apex situated in cell r 2 near apex of M 1+2; C+Sc relatively straight in basal two thirds, moderately curved in distal third; pterostigma narrower in the middle than r 1 cell, widening to apical third; Rs mostly straight, strongly curved to fore margin in apical quarter; M longer than M 1+2 and M 3+4; Cu 1a irregularly convex, ending almost at M fork; surface spinules present in all cells, leaving narrow spinule-free stripes along the veins, forming hexagons mostly of a double row of spinules; spinules absent from base of cell c+sc. Hindwing with 4–5 + 3 grouped costal setae. Metatibia with 8–10 grouped apical spurs, arranged as 4 + 4–6, anteriorly separated by 2–3 bristles.

Terminalia ( Fig. 29M–R ). Male. Proctiger weakly produced posteriorly; densely covered with long setae in apical half. Subgenital plate subglobular; dorsal margin weakly curved; posterior margin slightly curved; with long setae, mostly posteriorly. Paramere, in lateral view, asymmetrically lanceolate; apex, in lateral view, blunt, directed slightly anteriad, in dorsal view, apex blunt, directed upwards and slightly inwards, lacking distinct sclerotised tooth; both outer and inner faces with dense, moderately long setae; posterior margin with longer setae. Proximal segment of aedeagus with apical part strongly subdivided. Distal segment of aedeagus with dorsal margin slightly sinuate in basal half; ventral process situated slightly distal to the middle of the segment, in both lateral and dorsal views, ventral process moderately long, simple, lacking lateral lobes, club-shaped, narrow basally, broadest subapically; apical dilation, in both lateral and dorsal views, moderately broad, oblong, subparallel-sided, with truncate apex; sclerotised end tube short and curved.—Female terminalia cuneate; densely covered with setae. Dorsal margin of proctiger, in lateral view, sinuate, apex pointed, slightly upturned; in dorsal view, apex blunt; circumanal ring, in dorsal view, distinctly cruciform. Subgenital plate, in lateral view, pointed apically; in ventral view, apex blunt.

Fifth instar immature. Coloration. Yellow to orange; antenna pale brown, gradually becoming darker towards apex; cephalothoracic sclerite, wing pads, legs and caudal plate brown.

Structure. Body dorsum and venter of caudal plate densely covered with minute clavate and narrowly lanceolate setae. Eye with one short simple ocular seta dorsally. Antennal segments with following numbers of pointed sectasetae: 1(0), 2(1), 3(0), 4(2), 5(0), 6(2), 7(1), 8(1), 9(0), 10(0). Forewing pad with five marginal pointed sectasetae; hindwing pad with two marginal and 0–1 dorsal pointed sectasetae; both pads densely covered with many minute clavate and several narrowly lanceolate setae dorsally. Metatibiotarsus short; tarsal arolium broadly fan-shaped apically, 1.2 times as long as claws. Abdomen with two lateral pointed sectasetae laterally anterior to caudal plate. Caudal plate with anterior margin relatively distant from anterior margin of extra pore fields; with five (2 + 3) pointed sectasetae situated on two tubercles on either side laterally, and three pointed sectasetae subapically on either side of circumanal ring dorsally. Extra pore fields forming continuous outer and inner bands, consisting of small oval and round patches; outer band relatively short medially, end pointing outwards. Circumanal ring large.

Host plants. Miconia pusilliflora (DC.) Naudin , M. sellowiana Naudin ( Melastomataceae ).

Distribution. Brazil (MG).

Derivation of name. From the Latin adjective clavatus = with a club, referring to the shape of the ventral process of the distal segment of aedeagus and the presence of many minute clavate setae on dorsum of the immatures.

Comments. Within the trematos -group, M. clavata sp. nov. resembles M. goldenbergi sp. nov. in the narrowly, asymmetrically lanceolate paramere. The two species differ from each other as indicated under the description of M. goldenbergi .

Figures

FIGURE 2. Morphology and measurements of Paurocephalini.A, Melanastera michali sp. nov.; B, M. clavata sp. nov.; C, M. tubuligera sp. nov. A, head, dorsal view; B, forewing; C, hindwing. For abbreviations see Table 1.

FIGURE 11. Melanastera spp., head, dorsal view. A, M. dimorpha sp. nov., ♀; B, M. cabucu sp. nov.; C, M. itatiaia sp. nov.; D, M. pusilliflorae sp. nov.; E, M. goldenbergi sp. nov.; F, M. clavata sp. nov.; G, M. tibialis sp. nov.; H, M. pleromatos sp. nov.; I, M. ingariko sp. nov.; J, M. brasiliensis sp. nov.

FIGURE 17. Melanastera spp., forewing. A, M. trematos sp. nov.; B, M. virolae sp. nov.; C, M. inconspicuae sp. nov.; D, M. dimorpha sp. nov., ♂; E, M. dimorpha sp. nov., ♀; F, M. cabucu sp. nov.; G, M. itatiaia sp. nov.; H, M. pusilliflorae sp. nov.; I, M. goldenbergi sp. nov.; J, M. clavata sp. nov. Scale bars: 0.2 mm.

FIGURE 29. Melanastera pusilliflorae sp. nov. A, ♂ terminalia, lateral view; B, paramere, inner face, lateral view; C, distal segment of aedeagus, lateral view; D, distal segment of aedeagus, dorsal view; E, paramere, dorsal view; F, ♀ terminalia, lateral view.—M. goldenbergi sp. nov. G, ♂ terminalia, lateral view; H, paramere, inner face, lateral view; I, distal segment of aedeagus, lateral view; J, distal segment of aedeagus, dorsal view; K, paramere, dorsal view; L, ♀ terminalia, lateral view.—M. clavata sp. nov. M, ♂ terminalia, lateral view; N, paramere, inner face, lateral view; O, distal segment of aedeagus, lateral view; P, distal segment of aedeagus, dorsal view; Q, paramere, dorsal view; R, ♀ terminalia, lateral view.—M. tibialis sp. nov. S, ♂ terminalia, lateral view; T, paramere, inner face, lateral view; U, distal segment of aedeagus, lateral view; V, distal segment of aedeagus, dorsal view; W, paramere, dorsal view; X, ♀ terminalia, lateral view. Scale bars: 0.1 mm.