Cavichiana caelivittata, Mejdalani & Quintas & Pecly & Froza & Carvalho & Silva, 2023

Mejdalani, Gabriel, Quintas, Victor, Pecly, Nathalia H., Froza, Joyce A., Carvalho, Stéphanie R. & Silva, Adriane P., 2023, A new species of Cavichiana from southeastern Brazil, with a key to the species of the genus and notes on the distribution of C. bromelicola (Insecta: Hemiptera: Cicadellidae), Zoologia (e 23017) 40, pp. 1-8 : 2-5

Cavichiana caelivittata sp. nov.

Figs 1–16

http://zoobank.org/ D32E4C94-2F55-404D-9598-D7FEE4F86E49

Description. Total length: male holotype 7.7 mm, male paratypes 7.3–7.4 mm (n = 2), female paratypes 7.5–7.8 mm (n = 2).

Male holotype. Body ( Figs 1, 2 ), in lateral view, distinctly flattened dorsoventrally in comparison with most sharpshooters. Head ( Fig. 2 ), in dorsal view, strongly produced anteriorly; median length of crown approximately equal to interocular width and 6/10 of transocular width; anterior margin narrowly rounded; with distinct and elevated carina at transition from crown to face; ocelli located distinctly before line between anterior eye angles, each closer to median line of crown than to adjacent eye angle; surface of crown distinctly depressed; eyes, in dorsal view, oblong; frontogenal suture extending onto crown and attaining ocellus. Antennal ledge, in dorsal view, not protuberant, its outer margin slightly rounded and carinate; in lateral view, with anterior margin approximately rectilinear and oblique. Face without pubescence; frons flattened medially, muscle impressions distinct; epistomal suture obsolete medially; clypeus flattened, its contour continuing profile of frons, apex convex.

Thorax ( Fig. 2 ) with pronotal width approximately equal to transocular width of head; lateral pronotal margins slightly convergent anteriorly; posterior margin concave, sinuous; central portion of disk of pronotum with transverse rugae, except anteriorly; dorsolateral carina complete, rectilinear, declivous anterad. Mesonotum with scutellum not distinctly striate. Forewing without distinct apical membrane; veins indistinct, not elevated; with four apical cells, base of fourth more proximal than base of third; three anteapical cells, their bases obscure. Hind wing with vein R2+3 incomplete. Hind leg with femoral setal formula 2.1.1; length of first tarsomere greater than combined length of second and third, with two parallel rows of distinct setae on plantar surface.

Male terminalia with pygofer ( Fig. 3 ), in lateral view, well produced posteriorly; lacking processes; posterior margin broadly rounded; ventral margin with basal emargination; macrosetae distributed mostly on posterior half of disk. Valve ( Fig. 4 ), in ventral view, subrectangular; anterior margin distinctly emarginate. Subgenital plate ( Fig. 4 ), in ventral view, subtriangular, distinctly narrowed on basal half, outer margin rounded at base; few uniseriate macrosetae distributed mostly on basal half; plates separated medially from each other throughout their length; in lateral view, not extending as far posteriorly as pygofer. Connective ( Fig. 5 ) poorly sclerotized; in dorsal view, Y-shaped; stalk slender. Style ( Figs 5, 6 ), in dorsal view, elongate, with distinct outer preapical projection; outer preapical area with few setae; apical portion digitiform, oblique, directed outwards. Aedeagus ( Figs 7, 8 ) symmetrical; shaft, in lateral view, expanded apically, with dorsoapical digitiform lobe directed posterad, without apical crown of spines; gonoduct distinct, curved ventrally at apical portion; gonopore located preapically. Paraphyses ( Figs 5, 9 ) symmetrical; stalk elongate, connected to stalk of connective; each ramus, in lateral view, strongly expanded dorsally at base and forming poorly sclerotized, slender elongate posterior process with curved distal portion.

Color ( Figs 1, 2 ). Dorsum dark brown to black with pair of broad conspicuous stripes, each one extending from antennal ledge over lateroposterior area of crown, lateral portion of pronotum, basal portion of clavus, and forming elongate arc on corium up to outer margin of first apical cell; this pair of stripes mostly whitish-blue except on crown and anterior portion of pronotum where dirty white hue predominates; inner margin of stripe with small emargination adjacent to ocellus. Crown with two pairs of small dirty white spots, one at apex and another at inner ocellar margins; eyes distinctly red. Forewing with transcommissural, elongate whitish-blue marking on clavus extending from median portion to apex; corium with subtriangular whitish-blue spot at apical portion, extending from costal margin to base of third apical cell. Face, lateral lobe of pronotum, and lateral and ventral areas of mesothorax mostly black; superior portion of frons with median dirty white spot; gena with bluish-white spot adjacent to lorum. Labium, labrum, and legs mostly brownish-yellow. Abdomen dark brown ventrally, posterior margin of sternites and laterotergites tinged with brownish-yellow; pygofer and subgenital plates dark brown, macrosetae yellowish-brown; posterior and ventral margins of pygofer lobes brownish-yellow.

Female paratypes. External morphology and color similar to the male holotype. Terminalia with sternite VII ( Figs 10, 11 ), in ventral view, broadly and deeply emarginate posteriorly. “Internal” sternite VIII, in dorsal view, without distinct sclerites. Pygofer ( Figs 10, 11 ), in lateral view, moderately produced posteriorly; posterior margin narrowly rounded; macrosetae distributed mostly on posterior half and extending anteriorly along ventral margin (those located along ventral margin larger than other ones). Valvifer I, in lateral view, subrectangular. Valvula I ( Fig. 12 ), in ventral view, with basal portion slightly expanded and directed outward; in lateral view, blade with apex ( Fig. 13 ) acute, spiniform; dorsal sculptured area extending from basal portion to apex, formed apically mostly by scale-like processes arranged in oblique lines and basally by more linear processes; ventral sculptured area restricted to apical portion, formed mostly by scale-like processes; ventral interlocking device elongate, restricted to basiventral area of blade. Valvula II ( Fig. 14 ), in lateral view, expanded beyond basal curvature, dorsal margin convex; apex obtuse; ventral preapical prominence distinct; dorsal margin with about 18 continuous teeth, most of them subtriangular, elongate and flat ( Fig. 15 ), basal teeth smaller and irregular; denticles distributed on teeth and on dorsal and ventral apical portions of blade, except on apex (dorsal dentate apical area longer than ventral area); valvula with ducts extending towards teeth and apex. Gonoplac ( Fig. 16 ) extending approximately as far posteriorly as pygofer; in lateral view, with basal half narrow and apical half distinctly expanded; apex obtuse; surface with tiny tegumentary processes (denticuli) on apex and extending anteriorly along ventral margin; few setae also present. Pygofer lobes dark brown with posterior and ventral margins usually brownish-yellow, macrosetae yellowish-brown; gonoplacs dark brown to black.

Type material. Atlantic Forest, southeastern Brazil, state of Rio de Janeiro. Male holotype, three female paratypes: “RJ [state of Rio de Janeiro] Nova Friburgo \ Estrada Pico do \ Caledônia \ 6/XII/2019 \ Mejdalani, Pecly, \ Quintas, Ferreira, Alves” ( MNRJ, one female at MELQ - ES- ALQENT001738) ; one male paratype, two female paratypes: “RJ Nova Friburgo \ Caminho para o Pico \ do Caledônia \ 22/VI/2019 \ Mejdalani, Pecly, \ Quintas, Ferreira” ( MNRJ) ; two female paratypes: “RJ Nova Friburgo \ Arredores Pico Caledônia \ 22/V/2022 \ Mejdalani, Pecly, \ Quintas, Oliveira, Alves” ( DZRJ, DZUP) ; one male paratype: “BR - RJ – Teresópolis \ PARNASO [Parque Nacional da Serra dos Órgãos] - Trilha \ P. [Pedra] do Sino \ 07-X-2021 \ N. H. Pecly col.” ( DZRJ) .

Etymology. The specific name (declinable adjective, feminine), caelivittata , of Latin derivation, refers to the conspicuous dorsal pair of whitish-blue longitudinal stripes.

Taxonomic notes. Cavichiana caelivittata sp. nov. can be readily distinguished from C. bromelicola and C. alpina by the coloration ( Figs 1, 2 ) and aedeagal morphology (specific diagnostic character states are provided in the key below). The depressed crown surface and the distinct carina located at the transition crown-face ( Fig. 2 ) are also diagnostic features of the new species. The large dorsal expansion at the bases of the paraphyses rami ( Fig. 9 ) of the new species is located in the same area of the dentiform projection of the two previously known species (see Mejdalani et al. 2014, Quintas et al. 2020), suggesting that the former is homologous to the latter; the presence of this structure is a diagnostic feature of Cavichiana . Therefore, we conclude that the new taxon has the four diagnostic features of the genus proposed by Quintas et al. (2020) and listed above in the introduction.

Figures

Figures 1–9. Cavichiana caelivittata sp. nov., male: (1) habitus, lateral view; (2) habitus, dorsal view (antennae and legs not depicted); (3) pygofer, lateral view; (4) valve and subgenital plate, ventral view; (5) connective, style, and paraphyses, dorsal view; (6) style, variation, dorsal view; (7) aedeagus and anal tube, lateral view; (8) aedeagus and anal tube, ventral view; (9) paraphyses, lateral view. Scale bars: 1 = 1 mm, 3 = 0.5 mm.

Figures 10–16. Cavichiana caelivittata sp. nov., female: (10) apical portion of abdomen, lateral view; (11) terminalia, ventral view; (12) valvula I, lateral view (base of ramus incomplete); (13) apex of valvula I at higher magnification, lateral view, showing dorsal and ventral sculptured areas; (14) valvulae II, lateral view (bases not depicted); (15) teeth of valvula II at higher magnification, lateral view, showing denticles; (16) gonoplac, lateral view. Scale bar: 10 = 1 mm.