Popplepsalta aeroides, Owen & Moulds, 2016

Owen, Christopher L. & Moulds, Max S., 2016, Systematics and Phylogeny of the Australian Cicada Genus Pauropsalta Goding and Froggatt, 1904 and Allied Genera (Hemiptera: Cicadidae: Cicadettini), Records of the Australian Museum 68 (4), pp. 117-200 : 187-188

Popplepsalta aeroides n.sp.

Fig. 39 , Pl. 6

Popplepsalta aeroides Owen et al., 2015: 260 , 274, nomen nudum.

Types. Holotype male (molecular voucher 06.AU.NS.BES.03; GenBank accessions: KM377154 , KM377314 , KM377463 , KM377538 , KM668291 ), S of Bega on Hwy 1, c. 33 km N of Eden, New South Wales, 36°50.096'S 149°48.728'E, 191 m, 22.xi.2006, D. Marshall, K. Hill ( AM) . Paratypes — NEW SOUTH WALES: 1♂, Royal N.P., 1.7 km E of road thru park (68), nr Garie , 88 m, 34°10.305'S 151°03.753'E, 15.i.2011, K. Hill, D. Marshall ( AE) . 1♂ (molecular voucher 11.AU.NS.GAR.01), Royal N.P., 1.7 km E of road thru park (68), nr Garie , 88 m, 34°10.305'S 151°03.753'E, 15.i.2011, K. Hill, D. Marshall ( AM) . 2♂♂ (one genitalia prep. PAU 420 and one molecular voucher 06.AU.NS.BES.04), S of Bega on Hwy 1, c. 33 km N of Eden, 36°50.096'S 149°48.728'E, 191 m, 22.xi.2006, D. Marshall, K. Hill ; 2♂♂, Royal N.P., 1.7 km E of road thru park (68), nr Garie , 88 m, 34°10.305'S 151°03.753'E, 15.i.2011, K. Hill, D. Marshall ( MSM) . QUEENSLAND: 1♂, Governor’s Chair, Spicers Gap , 28°05'07"S 152°25'03"E, 2 Jan 2013, L. Popple, A. McKinnon, 393-0002 ( LP) .

Distribution ( Fig. 39 ). Known only from one locality in southeastern Queensland at Spicers Gap and two localities in New South Wales, one near Garie in Royal National Park south of Sydney and one on the far south coast between Bega and Eden. There are records for January only. Adults inhabit dry sclerophyll forest.

Description

Male (Pl. 6). Head about as wide as lateral angles of pronotal collar; dominantly black. Vertex with muddy yellow to bluish green spot at posterior midline. Postclypeus black with red and brown markings; a reddish brown spot on midline around most anterior portion; sometimes bluish green; lateral and posterior margin brown; transverse ridges and central groove distinct.Anteclypeus jet black. Rostrum black, usually brown proximally, reaching to or almost to apices of mid coxae. Antennae black and edged brown. Supra-antennal plates black sometimes with reddish brown anterior margin.

Thorax. Pronotum black, with brown and reddish brown markings; usually anterior margin edged reddish brown; fascia along midline brown to reddish brown, laterally expanded at pronotal collar where it is usually interrupted by a black mark; pronotal collar brown to reddish brown; lateral margin not ampliate. Mesonotum primarily black with reddish brown markings; lateral margin reddish brown; a reddish brown marking following parapsidal suture and extending to anterior arms of cruciform elevation, this marking projecting inwards to varying degrees around mid length; cruciform elevation reddish brown, sometimes a black fascia along midline. Metanotum black at hind wing base, edged reddish brown or bluish green (usually reddish brown), near dorsal midline.

Legs. Legs mainly brown, with varying degrees of black. Meracanthus black basally, otherwise pale yellow or greenish yellow.

Wings. Hyaline. Fore wing with fused stem of veins M and CuA complete, the veins fused as one before meeting basal cell; venation red to brownish red tending black distally; basal membrane pale grey to blackish. Hind wing with 6 apical cells; venation red to brownish red tending black distally; plaga muddy white to pale brown, sometimes blackish; black infuscation on wing margin at distal end of vein 2A.

Opercula. For the most part not reaching distal margin of tympanal cavity; widely separated; flat other than a low rounded swelling of epimeron 3; often mostly black with distal margin pale yellow or muddy yellow, sometimes mostly yellow.

Timbals with four long ribs spanning the width of timbal membrane and one much shorter anterior rib terminating before lower end of adjacent intercalary rib.

Abdomen. Tending triangular in cross section with epipleurites reflexed inwards. Tergites dominantly black; tergites 1 and 2 entirely black; tergites 3–6 with margins greenish blue, sometimes lateral margins red to varying degrees; tergite 7 with posterior margin red and greenish blue to varying degrees; tergite 8 entirely black. Sternite I black; sternites II–VII black to brownish black, usually with lateral sides and posterior margin reddish brown and greenish blue to varying degrees; sternite VIII muddy yellow to brown, sometimes tending black basally.

Genitalia ( Fig. 39 ). Pygofer upper lobe wide and long, blinker-shaped with distal portion broadened, ventral apex bluntly hook-shaped. Basal lobe as an inner spike-like projection. Secondary basal lobe well-developed, in ventral view longer than wide, spike-like. Median lobe of uncus duck-bill shape, narrowing distally, slightly depressed on dorsal surface. Claspers claw-like, very short, apically turned outwards, thin in ventral view, apex with two small teeth. Aedeagus with pseudoparameres almost as long as endotheca, slender, lying above endotheca in lateral view, in dorsal view parallel to each other, slightly diverging outward at distal end. Endotheca curved, parallel sided, circular in cross-section, sclerotized but with fleshy dorsal outer covering; apex trumpet-like, wider than tall, serrated laterally and ventrally; in lateral view ventral portion of apex with a small sclerotized process pointing ventrally.

Female. Unknown.

Measurements. Range and mean (in mm) for 7♂♂; includes smallest and largest of available specimens. Length of body: male 17.3–20.4 (18.8). Length of forewing: male 21.0–25.2 (23.3). Width of forewing: male 7.5–8.7 (8.0). Ratio length/ width of forewing: male 2.8–2.9 (2.85). Width of head (including eyes): male 5.7–6.5 (6.1). Width of pronotum (across lateral angles): male 5.6–6.5 (6.0).

Distinguishing features

Most similar in general appearance to Popplepsalta rubristrigata . Males differ in having the distal margins of abdominal segments 3–6 greenish blue in fresh specimens; in Po. rubristrigata the distal margin of segments 2–7 are pale yellow with a narrow band of red abutting. The male genitalia clearly differ from those of Po. rubristrigata in having the basal lobe as a very small triangular flap rather than a long spike-like structure.

Etymology. From the Latin aeroides meaning sky blue, referring to the blue on the abdomen of live and recently deceased specimens.

Song ( Fig. 39 ). The song consists of a series of clicks and echemes. Generally, five or more echemes of equal duration are followed by a series of four or more long and short echemes. Echemes are usually shorter than 0.1 s and clicks are all shorter than echemes. The frequency of the song ranges from 4–16 kHz.

Figures

Figure 39.Popplepsalta aeroides n.sp. (A) male genitalia, lateral view (genitalia prep PAU 420);(B) male genitalia, ventral view (genitalia prep PAU 420); (C) male aedeagus, lateral view; (D) waveform of male calling song recorded from S of Bega on Hwy 1, c. 33 km N of Eden, NSW; (E) spectrogram of male calling song; (F) species distribution map.