Pauropsalta agasta, 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 : 136-138

Pauropsalta agasta n.sp.

Fig. 13 , Pl. 2

Pauropsalta agasta Owen et al., 2015: 260 , nomen nudum.

Types. Holotype male (molecular voucher 10.AU.WA.DBE.01), Junction Le Lievre St and Derby Hwy, E edge of Derby , 3.2 km NW of Gibb River Rd, Western Australia, 17 m, 17°316'S 123°651'E, 19.i.2010, Hill,Marshall, Moulds ( WAM) . Paratypes — WESTERN AUSTRALIA: 2♂♂ (molecular vouchers 10.AU.WA.HCD.01 and 10.AU.WA.HCD.02; GenBank accessions: KM377132 , KM377322 , KM377461 , KM668257 ), 14 km E of Halls Creek on Duncan Rd, 18°14.806'S 127°46.661'E, 23.i.2010, K. Hill & D. Marshall ( AM). 1♂, 274 m, 183 km W of Halls Creek on Great Northern Hwy, c. 110 km E of Fitzroy Crossing , 18°748'S 126°197'E, 24.i.2010, K. Hill, D. Marshall; 1♂ (molecular voucher 11.AU.WA.KNM.01), 10.5 km W of Kununurra on Victoria Hwy, 15°766'S 128°661' E, K. Hill, D. Marshall; 1♂, 26.5 km SW of Mt. Barnet Roadhouse turnoff on Gibb River Rd., SW of Station Creek xing, 16°53.232'S 125°47.971'E, 21.xi.2011, K. Hill, D. Marshall; 1♂, 29.2 km SE of Fitzroy River on Great Northern Hwy, SE of Fitzroy Crossing, 18°400'S 125°742'E, 25.xi.2011, K. Hill, D. Marshall ( MSM). 1♂, Mitchell Plateau , 14.8886°S 126.0402°E, 7.x.2009, E. tetradonta , C. nesophila, L. W. Popple. SF 007031, 700-016 ( LP); 1♂, Drysdale River Hsd 15°42'03"S 126°22'56"E, 6.x.2009, E. tetradonta, L. W.Popple,SF 007031, 700-0014 ( LP) . NORTHERN TERRITORY: 1♂, 110 km E of Kununurra , Victoria Hwy , 26.xii.1991, M.S. & B.J. Moulds ( AE). 1♂ (genitalia prep. PAU 223), 1♀, 110 km E of Kununurra , Victoria Hwy, 26.xii.1991, M.S. & B.J. Moulds ( MSM). 1♂ 183 km WSW of Halls Creek, 18°44.939'S 126°11.661'E, 274 m, 24 i.2010, K. Hill & D. Marshall; 1♂, Tanami Rd , 39 km SE of Great Northern Hwy, 18°35.067'S 127°37.925'E, 25.i.2010, Hill, Marshall, Moulds ( WAM) .

Distribution ( Fig. 13 ). Northeastern Western Australia in the vicinity of Fitzroy Crossing and Halls Creek, and the Top End of the Northern Territory within some 60 km of the WesternAustralian border. The only known localities are 183 km WSW of Halls Creek, 14 km east of Halls Creek, some 40 km south of Halls Creek and 110 km east of Kununurra. Specimens have been taken in December and January but most likely occur over a much wider range of months.

Habitat. Open eucalypt woodland where adults rest on tree trunks and limbs.

Description

Male (Pl. 2). Head wider than width of lateral margins of pronotal collar, about as wide or narrower than lateral margins of pronotum; dominantly black. Postclypeus black and light orange brown; dorsal surface light orange brown in central region; ventral surface with a broad black fascia centered on midline, never reaching lateral extremities; transverse ridges distinct, central groove indistinct. Anteclypeus dark brown. Rostrum pale brown with a black apex, reaching to apices of hind coxae. Antennae brown to dark brown. Supra-antennal plates light orange brown.

Thorax. Pronotum light orange brown with black markings; a black fascia on either side of midline, not always continuous, extending from the head and meeting at the pronotal collar, widest near head and pronotal collar; black fascia along paramedian fissure, diverging at posterior end to become parallel to midline; lateral fissure black; lateral edge of pronotum black; pronotal collar between lateral angles dominantly pale brown; lateral margins of pronotal collar mostly black, narrowly edged light orange brown, not ampliate. Mesonotum light orange brown with black to dark brown markings; submedian sigilla black to dark brown with margins sometimes edged reddish brown; lateral sigilla black to dark brown fading to reddish brown in parts; brown to dark brown fascia extending from centre of mesonotum, along midline to cruciform elevation; scutal depressions marked as black spots; lower ridge of wing groove light orange brown; cruciform elevation light orange brown, sometimes with black fascia along midline joining with fascia along midline of mesonotum. Metanotum brown at hind wing base, remainder light orange brown.

Legs. Fore legs mostly light orange brown to dark brown; thin dark brown band outlining proximal edge of coxa; femora mostly dark brown; distal end of tarsi and pretarsal claws dark brown, almost black. Mid and hind legs light orange brown to dark brown; dark brown outline on the proximal edge of coxa; femora dark brown; tibiae dark brown tending light orange brown on distal half; distal end of tarsi and pretarsal claws dark brown, almost black. Meracanthus dark brown to black near base with a brown distal half.

Wings. Hyaline. Fore wing with fused stems of veins M and CuA not. complete, the veins abutted rather than fused as one; venation dark brown; without infuscations; basal membrane grey to black, sometimes with hints of brown. Hind wing with 5 apical cells; venation brown; blackish infuscation along 2A and on wing margin at distal end of vein 2A; plaga grey.

Opercula. Small, not reaching distal margin of tympanal cavity; widely separated; a low rounded swelling on epimeron 3; dark brown to black on epimeron 3, otherwise light orange brown.

Timbals with the ribs not heavily sclerotized; four long ribs spanning the width of timbal membrane and a much shorter anterior rib terminating before lower end of adjacent intercalary rib.

Abdomen. Tending round in cross section with epipleurites not reflexed inwards but following curvature of abdomen; light orange brown to brown. Tergite 1 brown; tergite 2 brown, primarily on anterior lateral half; tergites 3–8 light orange brown with posterior edged light brown. Sternites I–VIII light orange brown.

Genitalia ( Fig. 13 ). Pygofer upper lobe long, in lateral view almost tear-drop in shape, very wide and rounded at base, thereafter narrowing to a narrow rounded apex. Basal pygofer lobe small, in lateral view broadly rounded. Median lobe of uncus wider than long, slightly bi-lobed at apex, the branches broad and rounded. Claspers claw-like, concave below, of medium width in dorsal profile. Aedeagus with pseudoparameres a little longer than endotheca, slender, flattened in cross section with distal portion gradually tapering to a point, in lateral view aligned with endothecal tube, in dorsal view parallel to each other but distally gradually diverging outwards by about 30°; endotheca nearly parallel sided, slightly expanded distally, circular in cross-section, apex in cross section circular, without ornamentation.

Female (Pl. 2). Similar to male. Black fascia along midline of mesonotum from pronotal collar to cruciform elevation. Abdominal segment 9 light orange brown, without markings. Ovipositor sheath long, extending some 2.3 mm beyond apex of abdomen; dark brown to black.

Measurements. Range and mean (in mm) for 6♂♂ and 1♀. Length of body: male 21.5–24.9 (24.1); female 28.5. Length of fore wing: male 27.3–31.8 (31.1); female 31.5. Width of fore wing: male 8.1–9.5 (9.0); female 9.6. Ratio length/width of fore wing: male 3.3–3.4 (3.35); female 3.3. Width of head (including eyes): male 6.2–7.6 (7.2); female 7.9. Width of pronotum (across lateral angles): male 6.9–8.3 (7.8); female 8.6.

Distinguishing features

Distinguished from most other species of the Pauropsalta group of genera (i.e. those genera with species bearing an infuscation at the distal end of hind wing vein 2A) by the following combination of characters. Fore wing veins M and CuA with their stems closely abutted but not fused as one (view under magnification), a fore wing length longer than 27 mm, and a pronotum with a background that is dominantly brown rather than black.

Pauropsalta agasta is most similar to Pau. adelphe . While their distributions appear to be separate ( Pau. agasta from WesternAustralia and the far west of the Top End of the Northern Territory, Pau. adelphe from the central part of the Top End) there is little to distinguish the two species. As a general rule Pau. agasta differs from Pau. adelphe in having the markings on the mesonotum brown rather than black, but examination of the male genitalia is required for positive identification.

The male genitalia differ in the distal portion of the endotheca. In Pau. agasta the apical part in dorsal view is not bifurcate; that of Pau. adelphe is bifurcate.

Etymology. From the Greek agastor meaning twin or near kinsman, and referring to the close similarity of this species to Pau. adelphe .

Song ( Fig. 13 ). The body of the song is composed of a series of echemes. Each echeme is less than 1 s in length, while the echemes occur at a rate of slightly above 1 echeme per second. The majority of echemes fall between 2 kHz and 20 kHz.

Figures

Figure 13. Pauropsalta agasta n.sp. (A) male genitalia, lateral view (genitalia prep PAU 223); (B) male genitalia, ventral view (genitalia prep PAU 223);(C) waveform of male calling song recorded from east of Derby, 3.2 km northwest of Gibb River Rd, WA;(D) spectrogram of male calling song; (E) species distribution map.