Pomponia backanensis, Thai, Pham Hong & Yang, Jeng-Tze, 2009

Thai, Pham Hong & Yang, Jeng-Tze, 2009, A contribution to the Cicadidae fauna of Vietnam (Hemiptera: Auchenorrhyncha), with one new species and twenty new records, Zootaxa 2249, pp. 1-19 : 9

Pomponia backanensis sp. nov. ( Fig. 2 )

Diagnosis. Pomponia backanensis closely resembles Pomponia linearis ( Walker, 1850) and Pomponia piceata Distant, 1905 in the following characteristics: shapes of forewing apical cells; shape of dentate lateral margin of pronotal collar; shape of timbal cover; shape and coloration of abdomen; sharp pointed upper lobes of pygofer. The new species is distinguishable from all other species of the P. linearis species group by the different structure of the uncus of the male genitalia on which the two spines of each clasper are nearly equal in length, and in the shape of the male opercula which has the outer margin very narrowly bordered with black.

Description: Body covered with short golden hairs.

Head: triangular; fuscous with irregular greenish and brownish markings; postclypeus prominent swollen at middle; ventral part of head yellow with transverse stripe connecting both eyes through anterior frontoclypeus, and fuscous or black marking on posterior frontoclypeus; dorsal part of head with more or less distinct brown to dark brown median mark enclosing ocelli, and brown to dark brown fascia along posterior margin of head; postclypeus ochraceous with pale transverse fascia; anteclypeus yellowish; rostrum yellow with black-brown tip, almost extending to hind margin of sternite II.

Pronotum: fuscous with irregular greenish and brownish markings, and sparsely covered with white pollinosity; pronotal collar curved with greenish, dark brown fascia along anterior margins of these large brown pronotal marks; anterolateral margins of pronotal collar with acute small tooth, pair of triangular spots adjacent to surrounding fissure in front of lateral mesonotum.

Mesonotum: fuscous with irregular greenish and brownish markings, and sparsely covered with white pollinosity; middle fascia brown; a pair of very narrow bifurcate brown stripes, between submedian and lateral sigilla, extending from anterior mesonotal margin to one-third or one-fourth of mesonotum length; wide lateral fasciae brown to deep brown, reaching from anterior to posterior mesonotal margin.

Wings: slightly tinged with pale brown; areas along 1st, 2nd, and 3rd cross veins, basal segment of vein M1 and radial crossvein r, infuscated; widely spread or roundish infuscation on each apical portion of veins RA2, RP, M1, M2, M3, M4, and CuA1, forming a series along subapical margin of forewing.

Operculum: greenish olivaceous with various fuscous markings and sparsely covered with white pubescence; male opercula with outer margin very narrowly margined with black.

Abdomen: castaneous or dark ochreous, with caudal margin of each segment narrowly black; male abdomen mostly ochreous, sparsely covered with white pollinosity.

Male genitalia: pygofer oval in ventral view; basal pygofer lobes ( Fig. 2 c) large and oblique; distal shoulder developed into sharply pointed lobes; uncus ( Fig. 2 c, d) trapezoidal; claspers ( Fig. 2 d) with two spines protruding from below uncus, medial spine straight and equal in length to lateral spine.

Measurements: body length: 36.8–37.5mm; fore wing length: 45.6–46.8mm; head width: 9.8–10.2mm; head length at midline: 2.4–2.8mm; pronotum width: 12.1–12.4mm; pronotum length at midline: 5–5.2mm; mesonotum length (including cruciform elevation): 7.8–8.1mm; distance between eyes: 5.4–5.6mm; abdomen length: 20.1–21.7mm.

Holotype: male, Ba Be NP, Bac Kan, 200–400m, 6.vii.2002, coll. Hoang Vu Tru.

- Paratypes: 1 male, Ba Be NP, Bac Kan, 200–400m, 6.vii.2002, coll. Hoang Vu Tru; 2 male, Tam Dao NP, Vinh Phuc, 900m, 3.vii.2003, Hoang Vu Tru; 1 male, Dai Dinh, Vinh Phuc, 500m, 8.v.2004. The types are deposited in the collection of the Department of Insect Systematics, Institute of Ecology and Biological Resources, Hanoi, Vietnam.

Etymology. The species is name after the Bac Kan province where the type locality is situated.

Distribution. Vietnam (Bac Kan and Vinh Phuc provinces)

Figures

FIGURE 2. Pomponia backanensis sp. nov., a, dorsal view of male; b, ventral view of male; c. male genitalia in ventral view; d, male genitalia in lateral view.