Quilessa Fennah, 1942

Haas, Matthé Cornelis De & Bartlett, Charles R., 2024, A new species of Quilessa Fennah from Saint Martin (Fulgoromorpha: Fulgoroidea: Kinnaridae: Prosotropini), Zootaxa 5537 (4), pp. 551-560 : 552-553

Genus Quilessa Fennah, 1942

Type species: Quilessa lutea Fennah, 1942 , by original designation.

Amended description (modified after Fennah 1942). Small (mostly less than 3 mm), somewhat flattened species. Head with eyes about two-thirds width of pronotum. Eyes slightly longer than broad, emarginate above antennae. Vertex quadrate, usually slightly longer than broad, expanding posteriorly, posterior margin shallowly, and usually angularly, excavated; median and lateral carinae well developed; apical transverse carina absent. In lateral view, head smoothly rounded from posterior margin to frons. Frons and clypeus collectively roughly rhomboid (apex truncate); frons longer than wide at widest point (just above frontoclypeal suture, 1.2 to 1); median and lateral carinae distinct. Clypeus at base 3/4th as wide as widest part of frons, tapering acutely to apex, median and lateral carinae present; clypeus and apical half of frons somewhat convex, basal part of frons sloping smoothly posteriorly into vertex. Frontoclypeal suture nearly straight, median ocellus absent, lateral ocelli anterior to antennae, below anteroventral margin of eye. Eyes emarginate ventrally above antennae. Genae somewhat tumid below antennae, sub-antennal process absent, antennae with scape very short, pedicel slightly longer than broad.

Pronotum at midline approximately as long as vertex, anterior margin shallowly excavated behind eyes; posterior border broadly and shallowly emarginate, curving anteriorly near tegulae; median carina distinct, lateral carinae obsolete; lateral margin (from dorsal view) with a strong carina behind eye and tegula; paradiscal region broad with ventral margin truncate. Mesonotum feebly convex from lateral view with weak concavity at scutellum, in dorsal view bearing three distinct carinae, tip of scutellum acute. Hind tibiae without lateral spines, apical spinulation of hindleg: 7-6-5.

Pygofer usually with a lateral process which can be positioned at the dorsal-, central-, or ventral-lateral side. Anal segment of male bifid, often asymmetrically; phallotheca with a ventral keel, often containing a complex sclerotised rod, and often with a process overhanging dorsally.

Diagnosis. Median carina on vertex, frons and clypeus complete (incomplete in Apocathema Emeljanov, 2017 , Eparmene Fowler, 1904 , Dineparmene Fennah, 1945 , Lomagenes Fennah, 1945 & Mauriciana Campodonico, 2018 ). Vertex ± as broad as long (longer than broad in Eparmenoides Fennah, 1945 ). Pronotum with only a median carina (pronotum with median and lateral carinae in Atopocixius Muir, 1926 , Oreopenes Ramos, 1957 & Prosotropis Uhler, 1895 ). Forewings subhyaline or hyaline with apical venation regular and apex widely and evenly rounded (thickened with irregular venation and oblique forewing apex in Microissus Fennah, 1947 ). Forewing veins M 3+4 forked before apex or simple to apex (always simple to apex in Eparmenoides Fennah, 1945 & Oreopenes Ramos, 1957 ).

Etymology. Dmitriev (2022) states that the generic name is derived from the Spanish word ‘ quilo ’ (kilo, thousand) plus the diminutive suffix ‘ –essa ’; however, the name also appears to allude to the type locality of the type species, the Quilesse forest reserve in St. Lucia. The genus name is feminine in gender.