Pseudokanakia Delorme

Delorme, Quentin, Mille, Christian & Jourdan, Hervé, 2016, A review of the genus Kanakia Distant, 1892 (Insecta: Hemiptera, Cicadoidea, Cicadidae) from New Caledonia, Zootaxa 4092 (3), pp. 301-338 : 303-304

Genus Kanakia Distant, 1892

Kanakia Distant, 1892: 62 . Type species: Kanakia typica Distant, 1892

According to the original description of the genus by Distant (1892) the main characters are: “Head somewhat convexly produced in front, about equaling length to the space between the eyes, including outer margins of eyes about equal in width to base of mesonotum; eyes large, obliquely directed backwardly; ocelli about equally wide apart from eyes as from each other; a distinct broad central sulcation from between ocelli to base. Pronotum more than twice as broad as long, with the lateral margins prominently and somewhat acutely angulated, the lateral posterior angles moderately ampliated. Mesonotum large, with the cruciform elevation well developed. Tympana totally exposed and uncovered. Abdomen of the male moderately inflated, beneath grooved before the lateral margins; the opercula small; anterior femora armed with four spines, the one near base and one near center longest and very prominent, remaining two small, situate about apex, and the apical one minute. Face long and somewhat depressed. Tegmina and wings hyaline. Tegmina with eight apical areas; the interior ulnar area with its anterior margin convex, and with its base and apex subequal in breadth; ulnar veins well separated; basal cell twice as long as broad. Wings with six apical areas”.

After a careful morphological study of the four present species attributed to Kanakia , we discovered some divergent morphological characteristics for both, K. flavoannulata and K. parva , which have been assigned to this genus by Boulard (1988, 1991). On account of these observations, we propose to attribute Kanakia flavoannulata to the genus Pseudokanakia Delorme gen. nov., and Kanakia parva to the genus Panialna Delorme gen. nov. Below, we present a new definition for the genus Kanakia .

The type locality of the holotype male Kanakia typica (from BMNH collection) remained unknown. But the allotype female (BMNH collection), collected in Canala County (East Coast), shows the same pronotal fascia, suggesting that the holotype comes from the same locality or surrounding areas.

Additional generic features of KANAKIA Distant, 1892 . Head. About as wide as pronotum. Median ocellus pink, lateral ocelli separated by a distance equal to 1.5 times the width of median ocellus. Dorsal postclypeal area about 0.5 time as wide, slightly convex and oblique; anterior border non prominent, following the curve of the supra-antennal plate. Postclypeus furrowed, slightly domed with transversal grooves. Apex of rostrum reaching base of posterior trochanter.

Thorax. Pronotum longer than head. Lateral parts of pronotal collar with two prominent lobes; anterior lobe triangular, posterior lobe rounded. Opercula almost joining, as long as wide, slightly domed with sparse long hairs on margin. Meracanthus slender and sharp. Male sternite 7 about as long as wide, apically rounded. Male sternite 1 almost smooth or with a not well marked rounded bulge.

Wings. Forewings hyaline, with eight apical cells; venation brownish; radial crossvein oblique; base of apical cell 1 located in second third of pterostigma length; pterostigma slender briefly reduced at tip; distance between r and r-m much less than distance between r-m and m. Hindwing with six apical cells, reaching middle of forewing; anal lobe 3 long, reaching almost the distal margin of anal cell 2.

Legs. Forelegs with femur bearing three developed brown spines. Primary spine strong and oblique, isolated, almost as long as distance separating the primary and secondary spines. Secondary spine sharp, sub-perpendicular distinctly shorter than primary one; apical spine oblique, triangular, distinctly shorter than secondary one. Hind legs with three tibial latero-internal spurs and two latero-external spurs.

Genitalia. Upper lobe of pygofer wide, slightly curved inward and getting slender to its obtuse tip. Dorsal beak sharp. Median lobe of uncus with narrow median furrow. Thecal pseudoparameres of aedeagus in dorsal position, originating closer to its apex than to its base, always much longer than theca ( Fig. 1 a & b). Claspers shorter than pseudoparameres, divergent, ending in a wide hooked spine in posterior part, and a smaller and shorter spine in anterior part (ice ax like) ( Fig. 1 c). Aedeagal basal plate in lateral view angled at about 90°.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Kanakia typica Distant, 1892: A, lateral view of aedeagus. B, ventral view of aedeagus (Drawing: Delphine Cury). C, lateral view of right clasper (Drawing: Claire Motz).