Regalana sheilae, Domahovski, Alexandre Cruz, Gonçalves, Clayton Corrêa, Takiya, Daniela Maeda & Cavichioli, Rodney Ramiro, 2014

Domahovski, Alexandre Cruz, Gonçalves, Clayton Corrêa, Takiya, Daniela Maeda & Cavichioli, Rodney Ramiro, 2014, Seven new South American species of Regalana DeLong & Freytag (Cicadellidae: Iassinae: Gyponini), Zootaxa 3857 (2), pp. 225-243 : 235-239

Regalana sheilae sp. nov.

( Figs 64 ─85, 103, 104)

Diagnosis. Male pygofer (Fig. 69) with posterior margin acute. Style (Figs 71, 72) with ventral margin serrated at apical half. Aedeagus (Figs 73─75) shaft with one short lateral spiniform process; pair of short spiniform processes on posterior surface at apical fourth; apex with three pairs of processes: LD shorter than AL in dorsal view and LV directed ventrally, arising anterior to shaft in lateral view, and without spiniform projections. Female sternite VII (Fig. 80) with posterior margin deeply excavated laterad of broad median lobe and with lateral corners rounded.

Measurements (mm). Holotype male: total length 7.10. Paratype female, total length 7.20.

Coloration. Male sternite VIII (Fig. 68) lateral margins with narrow stripes, posterior margin with median macula extending towards the center, brown. Female sternite VII (Fig. 80) posterior margin median lobe with median brown macula.

External morphology of male. Head ( Fig. 64 ) with transocular width about 4/5 of pronotum humeral width. Clypeus (Fig. 65) about as long as wide; apical margin straight. Forewing (Fig. 67) approximately 3.4 times longer than wide.

Male terminalia. Sternite VIII (Fig. 68) with lateral margins convex, posterior margin approximately straight. Pygofer (Fig. 69) with posterodorsal margin near rectilinear; posteroventral margin slight concave; apex rounded. Valve, in ventral view, about as wide as long; lateral margins convergent posteriorly; posterior margin convex. Subgenital plate (Figs 69, 70) with largest width at median length. Connective (Fig. 71) with rami longer than stem length; apex slightly concave. Style (Figs 71, 72) apical portion with ventral margin serrated at apical half.

Aedeagus (Figs 73─75) shaft tubular, elongated, and curved dorsally, in lateral view, narrowed at apical fourth, right lateral margin with short spiniform process, pair of short spiniform processes on posterior surface at apical fourth; apex with three pairs of processes: anteromedian (AM) absent, anterolateral (AL) long and directed anteriorly, apices divergent, laterodorsal (LD) shorter than AL, directed dorsally, and slightly divergent in dorsal view, lateroventral (LV) spiniform, approximately half length of shaft, directed ventrally, arising anterior to shaftin lateral view, and without projections.

External morphology of female. Head ( Fig. 76 ) with transocular width about 4/5 of pronotum humeral width. Clypeus (Fig. 77) width about 3/4 of length; apical margin straight. Forewing (Fig. 79) approximately 3.1 times longer than wide.

Female terminalia. Sternite VII (Fig. 80) about 2.3 times wider than long; posterolateral corners rounded; posterior margin deeply excavated laterad of broad median lobe, which occupies median third and is not produced posteriorly as far as lateral angles. Internal sternite VIII membranous. Pygofer (Fig. 81) longer than basal height; posterior margin rounded; macrosetae distributed at apical third and part of middle portion. First valvifer (Fig. 82) approximately elliptical; external surface granulose. First valvulae (Figs 82, 83) about five times longer than high; highest at median third; apical two-thirds with dorsal sculptured area strigate; apex acute. Second valvulae (Fig. 84) approximately five times longer than high; highest at median third; apical third of dorsal margin with small and rounded teeth; apex acute. Second valvifer (Fig. 85) semicircular. Third valvulae (Fig. 85) with dorsal margin straight; posteroventral margin convex; apex rounded.

Etymology. The new species name alludes to Sheila, the thief, one of the protagonists of the TV series Dungeons & Dragons.

Material examined. Holotype male, “BR [ Brazil], GO [Goiás],Portelândia, Riacho da\ Laje, L07.17º16’46”S\ 52º44’47.5”W. 19.ii.2012 pano\ branco L.Scarbi; A.P.M.\ Santos; E. Raimundi”, DZRJ. Paratype female, same data of holotype, DZRJ.

Notes. Regalana sheilae sp. nov. is a medium to large sized species of the genus. It can be easily distinguished from the latter and other Regalana species by the diagnostic characters above, in addition to the aedeagal shaft, in lateral view, which is narrowed at apical fourth (Fig. 73).

The seventh sternite described herein for the topotypical female assumed as R. sheilae sp. nov. is strikingly different than the one described for the only other female known, the allotype of R. corona , from Brazil. This female was collected in Viçosa, Minas Gerais State, in the Atlantic Forest of Brazil. Given the inability to distinguish Regalana species based on color pattern and the distance to the type-locality ( Panama canal zone), the allotype of R. corona probably belongs to another undescribed Brazilian species.

The new species was collected with a light trap in the Brazilian Cerrado.

Figures

FIGURES 64 ─ 75. Regalana sheilae sp. nov., holotype male. 64, head and thorax, dorsal view. 65, head, frontal view. 66, head and thorax, lateral view. 67, forewing, dorsal view. 68 ─ 75, male terminalia: 68, sternite VIII, ventral view. 69, pygofer and subgenital plate, lateral view. 70, subgenital plate, ventral view. 71, style and connective, dorsal view. 72, style, lateral view. 73, aedeagus, lateral view. 74, aedeagus, posterior view. 75, aedeagus, dorsal view. Scale bars in mm.

FIGURES 76 ─ 85. Regalana sheilae sp. nov., female paratype. 76, head and thorax, dorsal view. 77, head, frontal view. 78, head and thorax, lateral view. 79, forewing, dorsal view. 80 ─ 85, female terminalia: 80, sternite VII, ventral view. 81, pygofer, lateral view. 82, first valvifer and first valvulae, lateral view. 83, dorsal sculptured area of first valvulae. 84, second valvulae, lateral view. 85, second valvifer and third valvulae, lateral view. Scale bars in mm.