Melanastera nasuta, 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 : 67-69

24 Melanastera nasuta sp. nov.

( Figs 10D , 16H , 26S–X )

Type material. Holotype ♂: Brazil: AMAZONAS: Iranduba, Embrapa, Campo Experimental , Caldeirão , S3.2516 /2566, W60.2216 /2233, 30–50 m, 14–17.iv.2014, Annona sp. (D. Burckhardt & D. L. Queiroz) #125(10) ( UFPR; dry).

Paratypes. Brazil: AMAZONAS: 3 ♂, 3 ♀, 8 immatures, same as holotype but ( NHMB; slide, 70% ethanol; NMB-PSYLL0007969, NMB-PSYLL0007961 [LSMelinas-15], NMB-PSYLL0007962 [LSMelnas-15], NMB-PSYLL0007963, NMB-PSYLL0007964, NMB-PSYLL0007965) .— MATO GROSSO: 10 ♂, 11 ♀, Colíder , S10.5839, W55.4862, 290 m, 29.v.2016, Guatteria sp. ( L. A. Pezzini) #769 ( NHMB; dry, slide, 70% ethanol; NMB-PSYLL0005768, NMB-PSYLL0007928, NMB-PSYLL0007948, NMB-PSYLL0007966) ; 1 ♂, Lucas do Rio Verde , S13.2490, W56.0275, 400 m, 12.vi.2016 ( L. A. Pezzini) #794 ( NHMB; dry; NMB-PSYLL0005771) ; 1 ♀, Nova Mutum , S13.5930, W56.0611, 430 m, 12.vi.2016 ( L. A. Pezzini) #801 ( NHMB; dry; NMB-PSYLL0005790) ; 4 ♂, 8 ♀, Terra Nova do Norte , S10.4369, W55.1532, 300 m, 28.v.2016, Guatteria sp. ( L. A. Pezzini) #704 ( BMNH, MMBC, NHMB, USNM; dry, 70% ethanol; NMB-PSYLL0007970, NMB-PSYLL0005743) .

Description. Adult. Coloration. Head ( Fig. 10D ) and clypeus dark brown; genae and vertex laterally yellow. Antenna pale yellow, segments 3–8 with brown apices, segments 9–10 entirely brown. Thorax brown to dark brown; mesoscutum with four broad and one median narrow dark brown longitudinal stripes. Forewing ( Fig. 16H ) pale yellow to pale brown with distinct, dense brown dots scattered over entire surface, becoming darker, denser and often confluent towards wing apex; apical third of cell cu 2 whitish lacking dark dots; cell a 2 brown; base and apex of pterostigma and apices of Rs, M 1+2, M 3+4, Cu 1a and Cu 1b dark brown. Legs pale yellow, base of femora dark brown and distal tarsal segments brownish. Abdomen with dark brown sclerites. Terminalia brown; female terminalia with pale brown apex.

Structure. Head, in lateral view, inclined at> 45° from longitudinal body axis. Vertex with distinct imbricate microsculpture. Forewing ( Fig. 16H ) with Rs obliquely curved to fore margin apically; surface spinules present in all cells, leaving narrow spinule-free stripes along veins, forming hexagons of a single row of spinules; spinules sparse at apex of cell cu 2 and absent from basal half of cell c+sc. Hindwing with 5–6 ungrouped costal setae. Metatibia bearing 6 apical spurs, arranged as 3 + 3, anteriorly separated by 3 bristles.

Terminalia ( Fig. 26S–X ). Male. Proctiger weakly produced posteriorly; densely covered with short setae in apical two thirds. Subgenital plate, in lateral view, subtriangular; dorsal margin rounded in proximal half, straight in apical half, posterior margin irregularly convex; with moderately long setae. Paramere, in lateral view, lamellar, with abruptly narrowed digitiform, subacute apical process which is weakly curved anteriad; in dorsal view, apex subacute, directed obliquely anteriad and upwards; outer face with sparse, short setae in apical two thirds; inner face with dense, short setae in apical half and dense, long setae arranged in an oblique row in basal half. Proximal segment of aedeagus with apical part strongly subdivided. Distal segment of aedeagus almost straight in basal half, with dorsal margin weakly sinuate; ventral process in distal third of the segment; in lateral view, ventral process large, nose-shaped, broadly fused with apical dilation poximally, bearing a small button-like lobe on either side apically; in dorsal view, ventral process triangular, broader than apical dilation, with small button-like lobes only partly covered by apical dilation; apical dilation, in lateral view, almost half as long as segment, with rounded apex and membranous basal lobe; in dorsal view, apical dilation oblong, with rounded apex; sclerotised end tube short and almost straight.—Female terminalia cuneate; densely covered with setae. Dorsal margin of proctiger, in lateral view, weakly sinuate distal to circumanal ring, apex blunt; in dorsal view, apex blunt; circumanal ring, in dorsal view, distinctly cruciform. Subgenital plate, in lateral view, pointed apically; apex, in ventral view, blunt.

Fifth instar immature. Coloration. Pale yellow, apical two antennal segments pale brown; cephalothoracic sclerite, wing pads, legs and caudal plate yellow to orange.

Structure. 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 5–6 marginal pointed sectasetae; hindwing pad with two marginal pointed sectasetae; both wing pads lacking sectasetae or larger lanceolate setae dorsally. Tarsal arolium broadly triangular apically, slightly longer than claws. Abdomen with three lateral pointed sectasetae on either side anterior to caudal plate. Caudal plate with anterior margin close to anterior margin of extra pore fields; with 3–4 (1+2 or 2+2) pointed sectasetae 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 relatively small rounded patches; outer band long medially, end pointing outwards. Circumanal ring small.

Host plant. Annona sp. ( Annonaceae ); adults were also collected on Guatteria sp. which is a possible host.

Distribution. Brazil (AM, MT).

Derivation of name. From the Latin adjective nasutus = big-nosed, referring to the nose-shaped apical dilation of the aedeagus.

Comments. Melanastera nasuta sp. nov. differs from the other species of the genus in the unique shape of the distal segment of aedeagus.

Figures

FIGURE 10. Melanastera spp., head, dorsal view. A, M. roraima sp. nov.; B, M. tubuligera sp. nov.; C, M. umbripennis sp. nov.; D, M. nasuta sp. nov.; E, M. australis sp. nov.; F, M. obscura sp. nov.; G, M. trematos sp. nov.; H, M. virolae sp. nov.; I, M. inconspicuae sp. nov.; J, M. dimorpha sp. nov., ♂.

FIGURE 16. Melanastera spp., forewing. A, M. cacantis sp. nov.; B, M. xylopiae sp. nov.; C, M. francisi sp. nov.; D, M. roraima sp. nov.; E, M. tubuligera sp. nov.; F, M. umbripennis sp. nov., ♂; G, M. umbripennis sp. nov., ♀; H, M. nasuta sp. nov.; I, M. australis sp. nov.; J, M. obscura sp. nov. Scale bars: 0.2 mm.

FIGURE 26. Melanastera roraima 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. tubuligera 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. umbripennis 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. nasuta 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.