Pauropsalta borealis Goding & Froggatt, 1904

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 : 138-139

Pauropsalta borealis Goding & Froggatt, 1904

Fig. 14

Pauropsalta borealis Goding & Froggatt, 1904: 615 , 627, 566; Distant, 1906: 179; Hahn, 1962: 9; Metcalf, 1963: 405; Ewart, 1989: 293; Moulds, 1990: 131; Owen et al., 2015: 260.

Melampsalta borealis Burns, 1957: 647 .

Pauropsalta “near walkeri ” Marshall & Hill, 2009: 4.

Material examined. NORTHERN TERRITORY: Holotype female (by monotypy), 1895, Tepper ( ANIC, on permanent loan from Macleay Museum, University of Sydney). 1♂, Howard Springs, S of Darwin, 10.xii.1982, A. Walford-Huggins ( AE). 1♂, Darwin, 3.ii.1977, M.S. & B.J. Moulds ( LP). 1♂, Parap [Darwin], 5.xii.1972, N. Forrester; 1♂, Marrikae Rd, 30 km SSE of Darwin, 7.i.1992, M.S. & B.J. Moulds; 1♂, Rum Jungle, 7.i.1992, M.S. & B.J. Moulds; 2♀♀, Barry Springs Rd, via Darwin , 25–26. xi.1978, R.I. Storey; 1♂, Darwin , 3.ii.1977, M.S. & B.J. Moulds; 1♂, 1♀, Howard Springs, S of Darwin, 10.xii.1982, A. Walford-Huggins; 1♂, 29 km W of Batchelor, 89 m, 13°1.3'S 130°56.2'E, 22.i.2004, Cooley, Hill, Marshall, Moulds; 1♂, Dripstone Cliffs, 23.i.2004, Cooley, Hill, Marshall, Moulds; 1♂, 6 km E Humpty Doo, 9.ii–1.iii.1987, R.I. Storey ( MSM); 1♂ (molecular voucher 04.AU.NT.NKA.10; GenBank accessions: KM377125 , KM377291 , KM377507 , KM668302 ), Stuart Hwy (Hwy 1) 34.1 km N Katherine, -14.2498 132.0545, 24.i.2004, Cooley, Marshall, Hill, Moulds, Moulds, Olive, Olive, Cowan ( UCS).

Distribution ( Fig. 14 ). Top End of the Northern Territory excluding Arnhem Land between Darwin and the Roper River. It is a common species in and around Darwin. There are records from late November to late February.

Habitat. Usually found in open eucalypt woodland but also sometimes in suburban streets and gardens.

Re-description

Male. Head wider than lateral margins of pronotal collar; black with muddy yellow spot at posterior midline. Postclypeus jet black with muddy yellow markings; usually with muddy yellow dorsally, variable in extent; usually a muddy yellow mark on midline around most anterior portion; lateral and posterior margins muddy yellow; transverse ridges and central groove distinct. Anteclypeus dark brown tending black. Rostrum brown tending black distally, sometimes all black, reaching to or just beyond bases of hind coxae.Antennae brown tending light brown to white distally. Supra-antennal plates black, sometimes edged yellowish brown along anterior margin.

Thorax. Pronotum predominantly brown and black with some pale yellow markings; central area of pronotum a mixture of brown and black patches, the black often, but not always, following fissures; fascia along midline pale yellow, usually extending from near head almost to pronotal collar, this fascia usually outlined in black except at anterior end; sometimes a muddy yellow marking dorsally abutting and/or on anterior margin of pronotal collar; pronotal collar not, or barely, ampliate, brown to muddy yellow in colour with dorsal anterior margin edged black to varying degrees and lateral angles mostly black. Mesonotum black and light brown; submedian and lateral sigilla black; usually a black fascia partly or entirely filling space between anterior arms of cruciform elevation, and often extending anteriorly between submedian sigilla; lower lateral area often with a black streak; scutal depressions occasionally visible as black dots surrounded by brown; cruciform elevation light brown, sometimes partly muddy yellow, usually with black midline and often black between anterior and posterior arms. Metanotum black at hind wing base, remainder light brown, sometimes black near dorsal midline.

Legs. Fore legs mostly dark brown tending black, with a yellowish brown fascia to varying degrees along anterior length of femora; femora with spines brown or black; tarsi light brown tending dark brown distally; pretarsal claws brown and black with pale yellow apices. Mid and hind legs mostly brown tending black; coxae with proximal margin edged light brown; femora dark brown tending black; tibiae and tarsi brown tending black. Meracanthus brown with outer lateral margin and apex pale yellow.

Wings. Hyaline. Fore wing with fused stem of veins M and CuA not complete, the veins abutted rather than fused as one; venation brown; basal membrane orange. Hind wing with 5 apical cells; venation brown except for pale yellowish brown 2A and CuP; plaga muddy white to brownish black; inconspicuous 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; yellowish brown, usually with some black basally.

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

Abdomen. Tending triangular in cross section with epipleurites reflexed inwards from junction with tergites. Tergites orange brown with black or brown markings. Tergite 1 black to dark brown with anterior and lateral margins edged light brown; tergites 2–8 with anterior margin black or dark brown to varying degrees, otherwise orange brown with posterior margin often edged light brown to yellow. Sternite I black to muddy brown; sternites II–VII orange to orange brown with posterior margin tending yellow to varying degrees; sternite VIII brown to orange brown.

Genitalia ( Fig. 14 ). Pygofer upper lobe narrow and long, in lateral view tending parallel-sided and tapering to a rounded apex. Secondary basal pygofer lobe small, in lateral view broadly rounded; basal lobe a rounded, flap-like, not protruding inwards. Median lobe of uncus longer than wide, concave below, apex broadly rounded. Claspers clawlike, medium width in dorsal view, concave below, apices turned slightly outwards. Aedeagus with pseudoparameres two thirds to three quarters or so the length of endotheca, very thin and slender, slightly flattened in cross section, lying immediately above endotheca and usually slightly sloping downwards in lateral view, in dorsal view parallel to each other but distally curved slightly outwards. Endotheca nearly straight or slightly up-curved, parallel-sided, circular in cross section, apex terminating in a spine-like projection at dorsal midline, apex in lateral view sloping backwards ventrally, apex in dorsal view distally flanged either side with translucent membrane.

Female. Similar to male. Abdominal segment 9 brown with a dark brown or black subdorsal fascia on each side of midline extending from the anterior margin but not reaching posterior margin; often midline marked dark brown to black beyond the pair of subdorsal fascia; sometimes also dark brown to black pigment laterally, sometimes covering much of lateral side; caudal beak absent. Ovipositor sheath long, extending some 1.0– 1.5 mm beyond apex of abdomen; dark brown to black.

Measurements. Range and mean (in mm) for 9♂♂ and 4♀♀; includes smallest and largest of available specimens. Length of body: male 12.6–15.9 (14.5); female 14.1–16.7 (15.4). Length of fore wing: male 15.0–19.7 (17.3); female 17.3–19.8 (18.8). Width of fore wing: male 5.2–6.9 (6.2); female 6.0–7.4 (6.7). Ratio length/width of fore wing: male 2.6–2.9 (2.8); female 2.7–2.9 (2.8). Width of head (including eyes): male 3.8–4.9 (4.2); female 4.1–4.9 (4.5). Width of pronotum (across lateral angles): male 4.0–5.5 (4.7); female 4.7–5.6 (5.1).

Distinguishing features

Within the distribution of Pauropsalta borealis care should be taken not to confuse this species with Pau. melanopygia . Distinguished from Pau. melanopygia by the length of the rostrum; that of borealis reaches to or beyond the apices of the hind coxae while that of Pau. melanopygia reaches only to the bases.

Song ( Fig. 14 ). Each song is composed of a series of pulses and echemes. Each phrase begins with a series of pulses, about 12 pulses per phrase, followed immediately by a short echeme. This is followed by a brief pause, which is followed by a second echeme to end the phrase. Each phrase is less than 1 s long, while the rate of echemes occur at less than 1 per second. The highest energy is between 6 kHz and 11 kHz.

Figures

Figure 14.Pauropsalta borealis (A) male genitalia, lateral view (genitalia prep PAU 230); (B) male genitalia, ventral view (genitalia prep PAU 230); (C) waveform of male calling song recorded from 34.1 km north of Katherine on the Stuart Hwy (Hwy 1), NT;(D) spectrogram of male calling song; (E) species distribution map.