Platylomia kohimaensis, Hajong, 2021

Hajong, Sudhanya Ray, 2021, Platylomia kohimaensis n. sp. - a new cicada species (Hemiptera: Cicadidae) from the Naga Hills in the Eastern Himalayas, Zootaxa 5047 (1), pp. 81-91 : 83-90

Platylomia kohimaensis n. sp.

Material Examined. Holotype male, (Accession code, NEBIORES/141), 07.vi.2019, Mitelephe, Kohima , Nagaland N 25° 38.180’ E 094°11.221’ Coll. S. R. Hajong; altitude 997 meters asl

Paratypes: 1 male, (Accession code, NEBIORES/140); 07.vi.2019, Mitelephe, Kohima , Nagaland N25° 38.180’ E094°11.221’ Coll. S. R. Hajong; altitude 997 meters asl ; 2 males (Accession code. NEBIORES/178a and NEBIORES/178b), 15.vii. 2019. Mitelephe, Kohima , Nagaland N 25°38.180’ E 094°11.221’ Coll. Limatemjen & Veketsho, altitude 997 meters asl ; 1 Female, (Accession code, NEBIORES/179), 15.vii. 2019. Mitelephe, Kohima , Nagaland N 25°38.180’ E 094°11.221’ Coll. Limatemjen & Veketsho, altitude 997 meters asl .

Etymology: The species is named kohimaensis based on the type locality.

Description of Male ( Figure 1a, b ). HEAD: Head antique brown, area around ocelli black, fuscous spots on ocular tubercles extending posteriorly to the anterior prothoracic margin, epicranium mostly fuscous posteriorly. Distance between lateral ocelli and compound eyes about twice as wide as the distance between lateral ocelli. Postclypeus moderately swollen; transverse grooves matted with waxy white hairs. Gena fuscous with matted golden hairs. Antennae brownish. Supra-antennal plate with transverse fuscous spot. Anteclypeus and lorum covered with a layer of longer fine scattered hairs and with a layer of short white waxy hairs, a fuscous spot on the lower portion of lorum. Rostrum light brown to ochraceous with pale hairs, apical part black, reaching near the posterior margin of the hind trochanter.

THORAX. PRONOTUM: Pronotum light ochraceous to cinnamon brown with a pair of central longitudinal fasciae, area around paramedial fissure and lateral fissure brown and surface moderately rugose. Pronotal collar pale cinnamon, fore and hind margins black and with two oblique fuscous bands near the lateral angles of pronotum. The anterolateral margin of pronotal collar with a small tooth. Basisternum mostly covered with waxy white scaly layer.

MESONOTUM: Mesonotum brownish suffused with the following black markings: a median longitudinal fascia anteriorly narrowed and touching anterior margins of mesonotum and posteriorly just reaching anterior margin of scutal depression; a black spots on the inner anterior arms of cruciform elevation; a pair of fasciae on parapsidal sutures, narrowed anteriorly touching anterior margin of mesonotum and slightly dilated posteriorly terminating before the black spot on inner anterior arms of cruciform elevation. A small pair of posteriorly directed and pointed fasciae between parapsidal suture and lateral sigillum; a diffused black fascia on lateral sigillum. The anterior angle of cruciform elevation is light brownish; posterior angles fuscous. Anterior depression on the cruciform angle; and posterior end of mesonotum with white waxy coatings. Ventral surface mostly sparsely hirsute, with areas around basistrena 2 and 3 with waxy white pollinosity. Base of operculum and abdominal sternite I, with dense white waxy scaly layer. Sternite II fuscous posteriorly and white waxy anteriorly with fine anteriorly directed hairs. Areas around epipleurites and hypopleurites waxy white.

LEGS: Fore leg blackish and yellow ochraceous; small blackish marking ventrally on the base of coxa, trochanter, femur, and pre-tarsal claw. Fore femur with primary and secondary spines directed anteriorly and more or less parallel to one another. Fore tibia black on outer and inner surface. Mid and hind coxae yellow ochraceous. Trochanters, mostly yellow ochraceous, femora yellow ochraceous to slightly darkened. Mid tibia and tarsus ochraceous with black fasciae on proximal and distal ends. Hind tibia and tarsus mostly ochraceous with a blackish marking near femora-tibial and tibio-tarsal joint. Hind tibial spur blackish. Meracanthus triangular not reaching posterior margin of sternite I.

WINGS: Wings hyaline, the fore wing with complete infuscation along radial (r) and radiomedial (r–m) crossveins, infuscation spots on middle of medial and mediocubital crossveins. Small infuscation at the end of RP, M 1, M 2, M 3, M 4, and CuA 1, not touching the ambient vein. Venation light brown to blackish in both fore wing and hindwing. R + Sc pale brownish; apical veins pale brownish, Radial Posterior (RP) blackish, CuA black, CuP +1A pale brownish, blackish along nodal line.

ABDOMEN: Abdomen more or less cylindrical, considerably longer than the distance from head to cruciform elevation. Timbal cover pale ashen, covering incompletely and exposing timbal more than half. Tergites 1–5 chestnut suffused with black; 6–8 more blackish than chestnut. The anterior segmental margin of 2 nd and 3 rd tergite white waxy; tergal margins 3 rd and 4 th with golden hair. Lateral edges of operculum extend laterally, and visible dorsally on 3 rd, 4th, and 5 th abdominal segments, black spots on lateral tergites 3 and 4; sternites yellow ochraceous to brownish; epipleurites waxy white.

OPERCULUM ( Figure 2a ): Male operculum about 16 mm in maximum length; reaching 3/4th to posterior of sternite IV. Light orange yellow with a white waxy coat on apical edges; basal outer lateral margin black to the middle of constriction. Apical edge convex, oblong spoon-shape with convexity more on outer portion. Both opercula widely separated from each other, with narrowest gap about 3.0 mm. Outer margin convex, inner margin concave.

MALE GENITALIA ( Figure 3a, b ): Pygofer yellow ochraceous dorsally and pale underneath, longer than broad. Upper lobe of pygofer apically rounded without protrusion, basal lobe of pygofer rounded with straight hairs. Uncus broad and bifurcate, lateral margin of uncus concave, claspers pointed, slightly curved inward, dark brown and sclerotized; surface of lateral boundary of clasper with a few additional tiny toothed protrusions.

Measurements: Holotype male: total body length (head to tip of abdomen) = 46.0 mm; wingspan = 120.4 mm; abdomen length = 26.8 mm; forebody length (head + thorax) = 20.1; length of fore wing = 53.1 mm; width of fore wing = 16.3; length of hindwing = 29.0 mm; distance between eye = 7.1 mm, opercular length (longest axis) = 16.7 mm.

Paratype Male (Accession code NEBIORES/140): total body length = 45.3 mm; wingspan =117.0 mm; abdomen length = 25.8 mm; forebody length (head+ thorax) = 19.2 mm; length of fore wing = 52.7 mm; width of forewing = 16.1 mm; length of hind wing = 28.6 mm; distance between eye = 6.9 mm; opercular length = 17.5 mm.

Female paratype (Accession code NEBIORES/179): total body length (head to tip of abdomen) = 35.4 mm; wingspan = 114.2 mm; abdomen length = 17.0 mm; forebody length (head + thorax) = 19.8 mm; length of fore wing = 51.3mm; width of fore wing = 15.3 mm; length of hind wing = 28.5 mm; distance between eye = 6.9 mm; opercular length = 4.7 mm.

Female ( Figure 4 ). Female opercula ( Figure 4d ) light orange yellow reaching nearly middle of sternite III, lateral margin black, basal 2/3 with pale more or less rounded spots, the distal end of the lateral margin slightly extended, then curved inward, more on the inner half. Sternite VII prominently crested and little notched on mid posterior margin. Meracanthus is at least longer than the inner margin of the operculum, reaching slightly beyond the middle of sternite III. Ovipositor sheath extending beyond abdominal segment 9. Dorsal beak longer than anal styles. ( Figure 4b, c )

Timbalisation and Acoustic Identification card (AIC). Platylomia kohimanesis n. sp. appears to be a dusk singing cicada. The first call from a single individual was heard around 5.45 pm in the evening, few moments after sundown. Initially, the first author had the impression that it must be coming from some kind of tree frog, as it was in the form of a rapid and continuous regular cackling sounding somewhat like. … kok.. kok.. kok.. kok.. kok…. of a regular intensity. The call was quite in contrast to the common and abundant Platylomia radha , which also timbalise at the same time as the new species. Few isolated calls of this cicada were heard till around 7.30 pm in the evening.

The recording made was used to obtain the sonogram and prepare the Acoustic Identification card (AIC) using RAVEN PRO 1.6. A portion of the recording of around 1.5 minute duration was expanded ( Figure 5a ). It revealed the wave pattern in the form of continuously repeating echemes. Each echeme is approximately 0.1 second in duration. The echemes repeat at the rate of around 8 echemes per second. The echemes have more or less a constant relative amplitude ( Figure 5b ). Each, echeme consists of a major frequency component lying between 1 – 4 kHz and a discontinuous frequency band extending beyond 15 kHz. ( Figure 5 c )

Biotype: The species has been recorded only from the Naga Hills, in the Kohima district of Nagaland, India ( Figure 6a ). This species may also occur in other adjacent areas with similar vegetation and altitude. The collection site of this species was on a semi-disturbed forest patch, with human activities as evident nearby in the form of farming and agriculture land ( Figure 6b ). The biotype where this cicada was collected consists of medium-sized tree species like Quercus acutissima (Fagaceae) ; Quercus glauca (Fagaceae) , Azadirachta excels (Meliaceae) , Spondias pinnata (Anacardiaceae) , along with several unidentified bamboos ( Figure 6c ).

Distribution: Kohima, Naga Hills (Nagaland state) India.

Remarks: Platylomia kohimaensis n. sp. differs from other Platylomia species group by a much broader uncus, claspers pointed and curved little inward, operculum light orange yellow and spoon-shaped, and a timbalisation pattern that differs from all other P. radha species group, in the form of a continuous and rapid cackling of a regular intensity.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Habitus Platylomia kohimaensis n. sp. a—dorsal and b—ventral view (Bar = 2 cm).

FIGURE 2. Abdomen showing operculum (op—operculum). (Bar = 1 cm)

FIGURE 3. a—Lateral view of pygofer, b—everted and ventral view of pygofer (db- dorsal beak, as—anal styles, cl—clasper, pyg—pygofer, stVIII—sternite VIII, aed—aedeagus, mdl—medial dorsal lobe, upl—upper lobe of pygofer, bl—basal lobe of pygofer.

FIGURE 4. a—Female paratype, b—lateral view of female terminalia with ovipositor inside sheath (Bar = 2 cm), b—ventral view of terminalia, d—female operculum (os—ovipositor sheath, db—dorsal beak, op—operculum).

FIGURE 5. a—Waveform showing the complete 1.5 minute call recording, note the middle part where call is paused (inbox—section stretched to reveal waveform pattern), b—a portion of the recorded timbalisation stretched to revel the pattern of waveform in the form of regular echemes repeating at the rate of 8 echemes per second, c—Frequency spectrogram of the call showing frequency components (arrow showing main frequency components in each echeme).

FIGURE 6. a—Map showing location of P. kohimaensis n. sp., b—Collection site of P. kohimaensis n. sp., note habitat fragmentation due to farming and road, c—biotype at collection site.