Craspedolepta tadshikistanica Baeva, 1973

Lashkari, Mohammadreza & Burckhardt, Daniel, 2020, Jumping plant-lice (Hemiptera: Psylloidea) of Kerman, Iran, with the description of one new Cacopsylla species, Zootaxa 4803 (3), pp. 576-590 : 580-582

Craspedolepta tadshikistanica Baeva

( Figs. 2 , 12−17 )

Material examined. Iran: 14 ♂, 16 ♀, Kerman, Golzar , N 29°30’14”, E 57°08’19”, 5.vi.2016, Artemisia spp., M. Lashkari leg. ( KGUT, HMIM, NHMB) .

Description. Adult. Colour. Body light brown. Antennae light brown with apices of segments 4–8 and entire segments 9 and 10 dark brown. Genal processes light brown. Eyes grey and ocelli reddish brown. Head with dots which are located on four longitudinal rows. Pronotum light brown with indistinct whitish pattern consisting of six dots, mesopraescutum light brown with three longitudinal whitish stripes, mesoscutum light brown with six longitudinal whitish stripes. Legs light brown with indistinct dark brown pattern consisting of stripes and dots on the dorsal surface of femora, apical spurs on metatibia and metabasitarsus black. Forewing ( Fig. 2 ) transparent with light dark brown veins and dark brown pattern consisting of dots which are distributed on the whole wing. Terminalia light brown; posterior lobe of proctiger and tip of paramere dark brown; aedeagus light brown. Apices of female proctiger and subgenital dark brown.

Structure. Adult. Head slightly narrower than thorax; vertex 0.4–0.5 times as long as broad; genae apically rounded without seta. Antenna 10-segmented, 1.0–1.3 times head width. Metatibia 0.8–0.9 times as long as head width, with an open crown of 8–9 sclerotised apical spurs. Metabasitarsus with two lateral sclerotised spurs. Fore- wing ( Fig. 2 ) membranous, elongate, asymmetrically rounded apically, 2.6–3.0 times as long as broad, 3.5–3.9 times as long as head width. Surface spinules coarse, densely, irregularly spaced, completely covering wing membrane up to veins.

Terminalia as in Figs. 12–17 . Male proctiger with long posterior lobes narrowing to apex which is turned in- wards, lobes longer than subgenital plate; proctiger, except for basal sixth, covered with long setae, denser apically. Male subgenital plate relatively concave dorsally and convex ventrally, rounded apically; bearing several sparse short setae latero-ventrally ( Fig. 12 ). Paramere, in lateral view, curved and narrowed in the middle with broad apical half; apico-posterior edge somewhat angular, but apico-anterior edge rounded; several short setae on posterior margin; inner surface with one sclerotised subapical tooth posteriorly which is curved to the inner side, and one jagged claw-like tooth which is also curved to the inner side; with sparse setae, as long as those on the outer surface, on the basal two thirds, few setae just below the posterior tooth and a few setae on the anterior claw-like process; without microsculpture ( Figs. 13, 14 ). Distal segment of aedeagus with a membranous dorsal lobe on apical dilatation ( Fig. 15 ), apical dilatation about one-third of distal segment. Female proctiger, in lateral view, with almost straight dorsal margin, narrowing to slightly swollen apex; proctiger 0.6 times as long as head width, 5.5–6.2 times as long as circumanal ring, 1.3 times as long as subgenital plate ( Fig. 16 ). The basal half of proctiger with sparse short lateral setae and relatively long dorsal setae which become shorter towards apex, dense conical peg-like setae present in apical third. Circumanal ring small, composed of two rows of pores, surrounded by short setae. Female subgenital plate, in lateral view, convex ventrally, subacute apically, covered with short fine setae except near basal margin. Dorsal and ventral valvulae smooth, without any teeth ( Fig. 17 ).

Measurements (in mm; 5 ♂, 5 ♀). Head width 0.55–0.64; antenna length 0.52–0.61; forewing length 1.80–2.34; male proctiger length 0.40–0.44; paramere length 0.36–0.39; length of distal segment of aedeagus 0.29–0.32; female proctiger length 1.05–1.1.

Distribution. Iran, Tajikistan ( Baeva 1973; Burckhardt & Lauterer 1993).

Host plant. Artemisia baldshuanica Krasch. & Zaprjag. (Compositae) ( Burckhardt & Lauterer 1993).

Comments. As Baeva’s (1973, 1985) description and figures of Craspedolepta tadshikistanica lack detail, the species is redescribed and illustrated here.

Craspedolepta is a species-rich and taxonomically difficult genus with holarctic distribution. Craspedolepta tadshikistanica belongs to a palaearctic species complex associated with Artemisia spp. bearing spotted forewings. It is diagnosed by the relatively narrow, apically narrowly rounded forewings; the absence of setae on the veins and membrane of the forewing; the densely spaced surface spinules covering the whole wing membrane; the dense spots on the forewings which cover all cells and which are becoming more dense towards the wing apex where they partially fuse; the characteristic shape of the paramere which has a short and subsymmetrical apical expansion; the rounded apical dilatation of the distal segment of the aedeagus; and the long, apically straight female proctiger.

Figures

FIGURES 1‒5. 1. Colposcenia orientalis, Forewing. 2. Craspedolepta tadshikistanica, Forewing. 3. Cacopsylla paraspiculata sp. nov., Forewing. 4. Cacopsylla paraspiculata sp. n., Head. 5. Cacopsylla paraspiculata sp. nov., Male terminalia, in profile.

FIGURES 12‒17. Craspedolepta tadshikistanica: 12. Male terminalia. 13-14. Inner and outer surface of paramere, in profile. 15. Distal segment of aedeagus, in profile. 16. Female terminalia, in profile. 17. Valvulae, in profile.