Myconus jacquelinae Bahder & Bartlett, 2022

Zumbado Echavarria, Marco A., Barrantes Barrantes, Edwin A., Bartlett, Charles R., Helmick, Ericka E. & Bahder, Brian W., 2022, A new species of planthopper in the genus Myconus (Hemiptera: Auchenorrhyncha: Fulgoroidea: Achilidae) from the Los Angeles Cloud Forest, Costa Rica, Zootaxa 5128 (1), pp. 129-141 : 133-135

Myconus jacquelinae Bahder & Bartlett sp. n.

Type locality. Hotel Villa Blanca, Reserva Privada el Silencio de Los Angeles , Alajeula Province, Costa Rica .

Diagnosis. Large (~ 14 mm), general color mottled brown-olive, forewing with irregular deep chestnut markings (~10) along A1 vein. Male terminalia with aedeagus distally upcurved, bearing a pair of elongate dorsal processes and short ventral processes ventrally; gonostyli broad, in lateral view, with dorsal distal process broad and quadrate and basal process, broadly rounded with dorsal subapical convexity. Anal segment in lateral view long, dorsal and ventral margins subparallel, apex strongly arched ventrad.

Description. Color. General color is mottled brown-olive, head with clypeus paler and irregular pale markings on face and genae; ocelli whitish; pro- and mesothorax brown to dark brown with pale spots (perhaps representing vestiges of sensory pits), mesonotum with intracarinal region paler (suggesting a pale median vitta on the mesothorax), legs less mottled and paler. Forewings heavily mottled basally with brown markings, a faintly darker diagonal marking from claval base or R vein (giving appearance of a V-shaped marking on forewings in repose), paler in distal 1/3 of the wing, clavus with irregular deep chestnut markings (~10) along A1 vein and between A1 and wing margin, white patch at stigma.

Structure. Males 14–14.1 mm long with wings, 9.97 mm without wings. Biometric data presented in Table 2.

TABLE 2. Biometric data for adult male (n = 2) of Myconus jacquelinae sp. n. (in mm).

Head. Head (including eyes) in dorsal view about half as wide as pronotum in dorsal view; in lateral view pointed, acrometopal region medially projecting. Vertex broad, wider than long (ratio of width at hind margin to length at midline ~1:0.55), trapezoidal, posterior margin concave (with median dorsal inflection at midline), anterior margin acutely pointed ( Fig. 3 ), median carina evident, lateral carinae foliate (disc of vertex concave), transverse carina distinct at apex (evident from dorsal, lateral and frontal view). Frons in frontal view broad, sides of dorsal projection appearing slightly concave (giving appearance of trigones characteristic of Taosini ( Dictyopharidae ), viz. Emeljanov 1997, 2011), median carina evident from dorsal margin to frontoclypeal suture, lateral margins sinuate (subparallel from vertex to level of antennae, then arched—broadening, then narrowed—to frontoclypeal suture), frontoclypeal suture dorsally arched; clypeus rhomboid, lateral carinae not extending to anteclypeus (a tribal feature according to Emeljanov 1993). Lateral ocelli large, hemispherical, below eyes and in front of antennae. Antennae laterally projecting (clearly exceeding eyes in dorsal view); scape wider than tall, apex appearing broadly membranous; pedicle elongate, twice as long as wide, flagellum bristle-like, with bulbous base. Rostrum reaching hind coxae, terminal segment approximately one-half length of basal segment.

Thorax. Thorax ‘humped’ in lateral view, pronotum and anterior mesonotum declinate to head. Pronotum in dorsal view as long as vertex at midlength, anterior margin carinate, following contours of posterior margin of head medially convex, convexly inflected behind eyes (anterior carinae of pronotum extending laterad and caudad to tegulae to form lateral margin of pronotum from dorsal view); median carina strong, posterior margin deeply convex. In lateral view, paradiscal region (below lateral margin) wide, irregularly quadrangular, with two carinae, dorsal carinae originating anteriorly at about 1/3 length of paranotum transverse (weakly convex) from anterior to posterior margin (face of paranota between lateral margin and top carinae bearing ~7 spots, irregularly arranged), a second originating just below the first diagonal toward ventroposterior margin ( Fig. 3 ). Mesonotum slightly wider than long, tricarinate (lateral carinae laterally arched), carinae reaching posterior margin; rounded convexities laterad of lateral carinae at midlength ( Fig. 3 ); scutellum weakly inflected upward, not clearly set off from scutum.

Forewing broad, elongate, weakly convex on leading margin, distinctly concave on trailing margin. Postcostal cell broad, extending 2/3 length of wing. Pterostigma between apex of ScP and RA veins including a series of transverse and diagonal veinlets. Composite vein ScP+R+MP forming short stem from basal cell before MP fork. Claval apex near wing midlength, fusion of Pcu+A 1 in apical quarter of clavus with composite vein joining CuP before reaching wing margin. Branching pattern; ScP one, RA one, RP three, MP five, CuA three (excluding spurious veins in marginal cell between CuA and wing margin, distad of icu).

Three lateral teeth on hind tibiae on laterodistad margin, approximately evenly spaced, spinulation of hind leg 5-5-6 ( Fig. 5 ).

Terminalia. Terminalia bilaterally symmetrical, pygofer in lateral view narrow, widest at ventral margin, anterior margin concave, ventral margin expanded, lateral fold extending from dorsal margin to approximately 2/3 distance to ventral margin ( Fig. 6A ); in ventral view with broadly triangular medioventral process ( Fig. 6B ). Gonostyli broad, in lateral view upcurving caudally, ventral margin slightly sinuate, dorsal margin with two large projections, a large process in distal half (“distal process”), subquadrate, posterior margin hooked cephalad, anterior margin sinuate, posterior corner of process rounded, anterior corner acute and curved ( Fig. 6A ); second process at laterobasal margin (“basal process”), broadly rounded with dorsal convexity (nearly closed by hooked distal apex) ( Fig. 6B ); in ventral view very broad, inner margins weakly concave, curved strongly distad to broadly rounded apex, outer margins irregularly sinuate (weakly concave; apex of basal process visible near midpoint on outer margins ( Fig. 6B ); in dorsal view, strongly cupped, distal processes with large caudally directed process, basal processes visible, projecting distad ( Fig. 6C ). Aedeagus in lateral view slender, strongly upcurved distally, bearing two large, slender subapical processes (A1 & A2) on dorsal margin, processes sinuate with apices medially intersecting in dorsal view ( Fig. 7 ), two hooked ventro-apical processes (A3 & A4), short, robust, sinuate ( Fig. 7 ). Anal segment in lateral view long, dorsal and ventral margins subparallel, apex strongly arched ventrad ( Fig. 6A ); in dorsal view, ovoid ( Fig. 6C ); paraproct short, conical.

Plant associations. Unknown, collected at light trap.

Etymology. The specific name is given as an honorific to the senior author’s grandmother, Jacqueline Miller.

Material examined. Holotype male “ Costa Rica, Alajuela Province / Hotel Villa Blanca / 23.VI.2019 / Coll.: B.W. Bahder, light trap / Holotype Myconus jacquelinae ♂ ” ( FLREC) ; Paratype same as holotype (1 male, FSCA) .

Sequence data. For the COI locus, a 678 bp sequence was generated (GenBank Accession No. OK314958 ); for 18S, a 1,394 bp sequence was generated (GenBank Accession No. OK316890 ); and for H3, a 296 bp sequence was generated (GenBank Accession No. OK324962 ).

Remarks. Myconus jacquelinae sp. n. appears to be the only New World Myconus with mottled coloration. Myconus uniformis ( Fig. 8 & 9 ) and M. conspersinervis ( Fig. 10 ) are much more uniform in coloration (or at least less mottled) and Myconus trivittatus ( Fig. 11 ) has markings on the tegmina described by Fennah (1950: 19) as “a band from base of commissural margin to middle of costa, another from apex of clavus to stigma”. Also, Fennah (1950, figs. 3-4) illustrated portions of the terminalia of M. conspersinervis and M. trivittatus . Myconus conspersinervis differs from Myconus jacquelinae sp. n. most obviously in that the distal process of the gonostylus in M. conspersinervis bears 3 apical spines and in M. trivittatus the distal process appears as an elongate hook. Geographically, M. uniformis would the closest species to M. jacquelinae sp. n., however, M. uniformis is described ( Metcalf 1938: 373) as “dark cinnamon brown, almost uniform above and below including tegminae and wings” whereas M. jacquelinae sp. n. forewings mottled with olive green and brown and. The terminalia of M. uniformis has not been illustrated—the species was described from a single female specimen (type at the USNM). Furthermore, the black markings on the forewings of M. uniformis are absent from M. jacquelinae sp. n. The lateral carinae of the mesonotum are much more strongly curved than those of its congeners.

Figures

FIGURE 3. Adult male Myconus jacquelinae sp. n.; A) head frontal view, B) head, pronotum, and mesonotum dorsal view, and C) head, pronotum and mesonotum lateral view, scale = 1mm.

FIGURE 5. Hind tibia and tarsus of Myconus jacquelinae sp. n. showing spinulation.

FIGURE 6. Male terminalia Myconus jacquelinae sp. n.; A) lateral view, B) ventral view, and C) dorsal view.

FIGURE 7. Aedeagus of Myconus jacquelinae sp. n.; A) left lateral view, B) right lateral view, and C) dorsal view.

FIGURE 8. Holotype of Messoides uniformis Metcalf, 1938 (at USNM), A) dorsal view and B) labels.

FIGURE 9. Adult male Myconus from Wolda collection at Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Panama, reported as Myconus uniformis by Wolda (1980).

FIGURE 10. Holotype of Myconus conspersinervis, A) dorsal view, B) ventral view, C) lateral view, and D) frontral view.

FIGURE 11. Holotype adult male Myconus trivittatus Fennah, 1950 (at BMNH).

Tables

TABLE 2. Biometric data for adult male (n = 2) of Myconus jacquelinae sp. n. (in mm). Character Range Average ± SE Body length, with wings 14.0–14.1 14.05±0.05 Body length, no wings 9.97 9.97±0.00 Forewing length 11.8–11.9 11.85±0.05 Vertex length 0.55 0.55±0.00 Vertex width, basal margin 0.91 0.91±0.00 Vertex width, distal margin 0.74 0.74±0.00 Pronotum length, midline 0.55 0.55±0.00 Mesonotum length, midline 2.66 2.66±0.00 Mesonotum width 3.04 3.04±0.00 Frons width, dorsal margin 0.62 0.62±0.00 Frons width, clypeal suture 0.93 0.93±0.00 Frons width, widest 1.08 1.08±0.00 Frons width, narrowest 0.62 0.62±0.00 Frons length, midline 1.44 1.44±0.00 Clypeus length 0.85 0.85±0.00

Character	Range	Average ± SE
Body length, with wings	14.0–14.1	14.05±0.05
Body length, no wings	9.97	9.97±0.00
Forewing length	11.8–11.9	11.85±0.05
Vertex length	0.55	0.55±0.00
Vertex width, basal margin	0.91	0.91±0.00
Vertex width, distal margin	0.74	0.74±0.00
Pronotum length, midline	0.55	0.55±0.00
Mesonotum length, midline	2.66	2.66±0.00
Mesonotum width	3.04	3.04±0.00
Frons width, dorsal margin	0.62	0.62±0.00
Frons width, clypeal suture	0.93	0.93±0.00
Frons width, widest	1.08	1.08±0.00
Frons width, narrowest	0.62	0.62±0.00
Frons length, midline	1.44	1.44±0.00
Clypeus length	0.85	0.85±0.00