Olonia albomarginata, Constant, 2024

Constant, Jérôme, 2024, Revision of the Eurybrachidae XVIII. The Australian genus Olonia Stål, 1862: Four new species, new records and biological data (Hemiptera: Fulgoromorpha), European Journal of Taxonomy 941 (1), pp. 1-51 : 7-15

Olonia albomarginata sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:693DE67F-0432-458B-BF4F-A73FE30DEAF4

Figs 1–6A

Diagnosis

The species can be recognized by the following combination of characters:

(1) hind wings rather narrow with conspicuous orange marking ( Figs 1E , 3E );

(2) pro- and mesofemora and tibiae mostly dark brown ( Figs 1A–B , 3A–B );

(3) anal tube of male oblong with posterior margin broadly rounded with a small indentation in middle ( Fig. 2F );

(4) centroventral part of gonostyli narrowing into an elongate process directed caudad, with inner margin rather strongly sinuate at mid-length and with apical point curved laterad ( Fig. 2A–B );

(5) laterodorsal part of gonostyli bifid, with upper process strongly elongate and curved posteroventrad, and lower process reduced to a strong spine projecting caudad ( Fig. 2A, C, G );

(6) rather small size: 5–7.5 mm.

Differential diagnosis

The most similar species are O. jackiei sp. nov., O. lindae sp. nov., O. marginata Distant, 1906 and O. rylandae Constant, 2018 . However, O. albomarginata sp. nov. is immediately differentiated from all those species by the strong spine forming the lower process of the laterodorsal part of the gonostyli, which is absent in the four other species.

Etymology

The species epithet is formed from ‘ albus ’ (adj., Latin) meaning ‘white’ and ‘ marginatus ’ (adj., Latin) meaning ‘marginate’. It refers to the narrow white margin of the apex of the tegmina in the females of the species.

Type material

Holotype AUSTRALIA • ♂; Queensland, Chillagoe ; 17°08′55″ S, 144°31′43″ E; 7–11 May 2022; elev. 400– 500 m; J. Constant and L. Semeraro leg.; Leopold III Funds exped.; QM.

Paratypes AUSTRALIA – Queensland • 1 ♀; same data as for holotype; QM • 2 ♂♂; same data as for holotype; RBINS • 2 ♂♂, 2 ♀♀; Chillagoe, surface around Ryan Creek Tower ; 17°08′14.7″ S 144°26′41.7″ E; 14 Jun. 1987; M. Asche and H. Hoch leg.; A15; MFNB • 1 ♂, 1 ♀; same data as for preceding; RBINS • 2 ♂♂, 1 ♀; Chillagoe, between Rockwood and Mungana, surface around Piano Tower; 13 Jun. 1987; M. Asche and H. Hoch leg.; A13; MFNB • 1 ♀; same data as for preceding; RBINS • 1 ♂, 1 ♀; W Chillagoe, around Haunted Tower; 2 Jan. 1989; M. Asche and H. Hoch leg.; Au5; MFNB • 1 ♂; Chillagoe Caves National Park , Haunted Tower , surface; 15 Mar. 1997; F.D. Stone leg.; RBINS • 1 ♀; Chillagoe Caves National Park, Haunted Tower ; 12–13 Mar. 1997; M. Asche and H. Hoch leg.; sweeping shrubs; Au97-36, 38; MFNB • 1 ♂; same data as for preceding; RBINS • 1 ♂; Chillagoe, Mungana Caves National park, surface around Carpentaria Cave ; 17°05′31.4″ S, 144°23′51.4″ E; 1 Jan. 1989; M. Asche and H. Hoch leg.; Au4; MFNB • 1 ♂; Chillagoe, Walkway Donna, Royal Arch Cave ; 17 Sep. 2003; P. Erbe leg.; ASCT HE029999; ASCU .

Description

MEASUREMENTS AND RATIOS. LT: ♂ (n = 12): 6.0 mm (5.1–6.4); ♀ (n = 8): 6.9 mm (6.6–7.5); BV/LV = 4.0; BF/LF = 1.67; LP+LM/BT = 0.7; Ltg/BTg = 2.36; LW/BW = 2.22.

Male HEAD ( Fig. 1A–D ). Vertex concave with anterior and posterior margins parallel, curved; brown, often with darker marking at lateral angles. Frons brown. Clypeus elongate, brown. Genae variegated brown and yellowish. Labium dark brown, reaching metacoxae. Antennae dark brown; scape short, ring-shaped; pedicel subcylindrical, slightly narrowing towards apex.

THORAX ( Fig. 1A–D ). Pronotum brown, sometimes slightly paler in lateral angles; obsolete median carina and 2 small impressed points on disc. Lateral fields of prothorax brown. Mesonotum brown weakly variegated with yellowish and black, scutellum usually paler; median and peridiscal carinae weakly marked; median carina ending before scutellum; slight impression before scutellum. Red ventrally. Tegulae brown.

TEGMINA ( Fig. 1A, C, F ). Brown; dark brown to black along costal and apical margins and with dark area at about ⅔ of tegmen length, expanding from costal area; moderately developed triangular white marking on costal margin on nodal line, sometimes missing. Maximum breadth at nodal line; costal margin broadly rounded; apical margin obliquely rounded.

POSTERIOR WINGS ( Fig. 1E ). Black-brown, orange between veins CuP and A1, with orange area expanding to vein CuA in middle portion; anal area orange basally turning to brown towards distal portion; small triangular white marking at apicocostal angle, extending on 1–3 cells, sometimes absent. Anal area narrow with margin weakly sinuate; sutural margin with one cleft at A1, cubital one obsolete.

LEGS ( Fig. 1A–D ). Pro- and mesocoxae brown, sometimes variegated with yellowish. Pro- and mesofemora brown, sometimes with some yellowish markings, and with apical portion dark brown to black. Pro- and mesotibiae entirely brown to yellowish brown with 3 ring-shaped darker markings, larger one near apex. Pro- and mesotarsi brown with basal half of third tarsomere paler. Metacoxae and metafemora reddish yellow with distal portion of metafemora brown ventrally. Metatibiae yellowish brown with 3 lateral and 8 apical black-brown spines. Metatarsi brown to yellowish with a ventral row of 6 black spines on first tarsomere. Metatibiotarsal formula: (3) 8/6/0.

ABDOMEN. Bright red with genital segments brown.

MALE TERMINALIA ( Fig. 2 ). Posterior margin of pygofer (Py) in lateral view strongly sinuate, strongly roundly projecting at dorsal ⅓, moderately broad ventrally ( Fig. 2A–C ). Anal tube (An) spatulate, 2.1 times as long as broad, with lateral margins weakly diverging from base to half-length in dorsal view; slightly sinuate ventrally in lateral view; lateral margins slightly curved ventrally in distal ⅔; apical margin broadly rounded with small median indentation; epiproct (ep) in basal ⅓ ( Fig. 2A–F ). Gonostyli (G) fused on basal third of length of centroventral part (cvp) and projecting posteriorly ( Fig. 2A–G ). Centroventral part of gonostyli moderately broad and dorsoventrally flattened on basal half, then narrowing into an elongate, slightly sinuate, process directed caudad and with inner margin rather strongly sinuate at mid-length; apex forming point curved laterad ( Fig. 2A–B ). Laterodorsal part of gonostyli bifid, with upper process strongly elongate, directed straight caudad in dorsal view and curved posteroventrad, shorter than centroventral part in lateral view, and lower process reduced to a strong spine projecting caudad; lateral process (lp) elongate, as long as spoon-shaped process (ssp), projecting laterad ( Fig. 2A–G ). Dorsal portion of phallobase (dpp) with short, hooked process on each side, progressively narrowing from base to apex, strongly curved dorsad in distal portion and with apex pointing dorsad; directed straight, caudad in dorsal view ( Fig. 2H–K ). Ventral portion of phallobase (vpp) subrectangular with apical margin roundly bisinuate in dorsal view and about as long as phallus (ph) ( Fig. 2H–I, K ). Phallus dorsoventrally flattened, moderately elongate with lateral margins weakly diverging from base to apex and apical margin bisinuate ( Fig. 2H–J ). Connective (cv) elongate and narrow, without tectiductus ( Fig. 2H–I ).

Female

Generally similar to male, with tegmina missing the white triangle on costal margin on nodal line, but with narrowly white apical margin (sometimes missing); hind wings sometimes with narrow apical white marking ( Fig. 3 ).

Distribution and biology

The species is currently recorded from a single location, Chillagoe in tropical Queensland, in the Einasleigh Upland Savanna bioregion ( Fig. 6A ). The specimens were collected in January, March, May, June and September, which may mean that the adults of this species can be found all year long. They are cryptic when sitting on the stems of their herbaceous host plants ( Fig. 4 ).

The specimens collected in May 2022 were swept from three plant species belonging to the Fabaceae ( Neptunia major (Benth.) Windler ( Fig. 5A–C ) and Vigna vexillata (L.) A.Rich. ( Fig. 5D–F )) and to the Malvaceae ( Sida atherophora Domin ( Fig. 5G–I ) in a widely open woodland area ( Fig. 5J–K ); these plants are regarded as host plants as nymphs were also found on them.

Figures

Fig. 1. Olonia albomarginata sp. nov., holotype, ♂ (QM). A. Habitus, dorsal view. B. Habitus, ventral view. C. Habitus, lateral view. D. Habitus, perpendicular view of frons. E. Posterior wing. F. Right tegmen.

Fig. 2. Olonia albomarginata sp. nov., holotype, ♂ (QM), terminalia. A–G. Pygofer, anal tube and gonostyli. A. Left lateral view. B. Ventral view. C. Dorsolateral view. D. Caudal view. E. Laterodorsal view. F. Dorsal view. G. Lateroventral view. H–K. Aedeagus and connective. H. Lateral view. I. Laterodorsal view. J. Dorsal view. K. Ventral view. Abbreviations: see Material and methods.

Fig. 3. Olonia albomarginata sp. nov., paratype, ♀ (QM). A–D. Habitus. A. Dorsal view. B. Ventral view. C. Lateral view. D. Perpendicular view of frons. E. Posterior wing.

Fig. 4. Olonia albomarginata sp. nov., live specimens, Chillagoe, 10 May 2022. A–C. Male. A. Lateral view. B. Dorsal view. C. Lateroventral view. D–F. Female. D. Lateral view. E. Dorsal view. F. Anterodorsal view.

Fig. 5. Host plants and habitat ofOlonia albomarginata sp. nov., Chillagoe, 9 May 2022.A–C. Neptunia major (Benth.) Windler (Fabaceae). A. Entire plant. B. Leaves. C. Seedpods. D–F. Vigna vexillata (L.) A.Rich. (Fabaceae).D. Stems and leaves. E. Underside of leaf. F. Seedpod. G–I. Sida atherophora Domin (Malvaceae). G. Stem with flowers and leaves. H. Flower. I. Seedpods. J–K. Habitat. J. Dominated by N. major. K. Dominated by S. atherophora and V. vexillata.

Fig. 6. Olonia spp., distribution maps. A. Olonia albomarginata sp. nov., O. guillaumei Constant, 2018, O. lindae sp. nov. and O. rubicunda (Walker, 1851). B. Olonia aschei sp. nov., O. jackiei sp. nov. and O. picea Kirkaldy, 1906.