Chidaea belairensis, Löcker & Holzinger, 2019

Löcker, Birgit & Holzinger, Werner E., 2019, Revision of the Australian planthopper genus Chidaea Emeljanov with a redescription of Cixius sidnicus Stål, 1859 (Hemiptera: Auchenorrhyncha: Fulgoromorpha: Cixiidae), Zootaxa 4691 (5), pp. 401-443 : 411-412

Chidaea belairensis sp. nov.

( Figs 4 , 19 , 31A )

Zoobank Registration: http://zoobank.org/ urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:28004C96-61BE-4F8F-912F-804AEC37712D

Types. Holotype, ♂, AUSTRALIA, SA: Belair National Pk , malaise trap, 6.–20.x.1996 (J.T. Jennings) ( ASCU ASCTHE 032872) . Paratypes, SA: 1 ♂, 1 ♀, same data as holotype ( ASCU) ; 1 ♀, same data except for 9.–22.ix.1996 ( ASCU) .

Etymology. Named after the type locality, Belair National Park.

Colour. Head mid brown or dark brown with pale carinae.Pronotum light brown, with darker patches.Mesonotum mid brown, carinae concolorous or slightly paler. Forewings light brown, tubercles and veins concolorous light brown. Legs and body light brown.

Morphology. Body length: ♂ 3.9–4.0 mm; ♀ 4.7–4.9 mm.

Head: Vertex 2.0–2.5 x wider than long; median carina of vertex covering about 1/4–1/2 of basal compartment of vertex; absent in apical compartment. Frons 0.8 x longer than wide; position of maximum width more or less around centre of frontoclypeal suture; lateral carinae of frons in facial view sinuate, s-shaped. Frontoclypeal suture strongly semicircular, bent upwards, median part reaching at least lower margin of antennal scape. Postclypeus with median carina evanescent. Anteclypeus with median carina evanescent or absent. Rostrum reaching hind coxae.

Thorax: Hind margin of pronotum acutely angled or rectangular Mesonotum with median carina weakly to moderately developed; lateral carinae weakly developed, evanescent or absent. Forewing 3.3 x longer than wide; concavity at costal border absent; costal margin with about 17 tubercles; fork of ScP+RA and RP basad or slightly distad of fork CuA1 and CuA2; tubercles of forewing dark or pale, concolorous with veins; ScP+RA apically unforked; RP bifid; MP1+2 trifid; MP3+4 bifid; 10 apical cells; 6 subapical cells. Hind leg: tibia with 6 apical spines; 1 st tarsomere with 10 apical teeth and 5 platellae; 2 nd tarsomere with 9 apical teeth and 7 platellae.

Male genitalia: Anal tube as in Figs 19 D–E. Pygofer and genital styles as in Figs 19 F–G. Aedeagus as in Figs 19 A–C. Phallotheca almost transparent, slightly asymmetrical, wider in basal two thirds, narrower in apical third; with a bifurcate ventral process near base of phallotheca; laterodorsally with two very long, slightly curved to almost straight spines (a,b), reaching or surpassing base of bifurcate ventral process. In ventral view phallotheca concealing all of spine (a) and most of spine (b), only about 1/8 of spine is visible. Spine (a) in right lateral view with its tip curved slightly dorsal.

Diagnosis. This species shares the following combination of characters with Ch. orangensis and Ch. algida : presence of platellae on the first hind tarsomere and tubercles on forewing that are concolorous with veins. Chidaea algida can be easily separated from Ch. belairensis by the two long spines that cross over ventrally. Chidaea orangensis can be distinguished from Ch. belairensis in the shape of the phallotheca: in Ch. orangensis it is about the same width throughout, whereas in Ch. belairensis the phallotheca is widest around midline and much narrower in apical and basal quarter.

Distribution: SA.

Remarks. The only two specimens known from this species are in a very poor condition (e.g. crinkled wings, deformed body, potential loss of colouration), probably because they were caught in a malaise trap. This means character states listed above and in the keys need to be interpreted with caution.

Two Chidaea sp. specimens collected in the Brisbane area have a striking resemblance in the male genitalia to Ch. belairensis , however they lack platellae. See Remarks section of Ch. dickinsonorum for further details.

Figures

FIGURE 4. Chidaea belairensis: A habitus; B–D head.

FIGURE 19. Chidaea belairensis: A aedeagus left lateral; B aedeagus ventral; C aedeagus right lateral; D–E anal tube; F–G genital styles.

FIGURE 31. Known distribution of Chidaea species.