Cicadatra tandojamensis, Ahmed & Akhter, 2013

Ahmed, Zubair & Akhter, Muhammad Atique, 2013, Two new species of the genus Cicadatra Kolenati (Hemiptera: Cicadidae) from Pakistan, Zootaxa 3750 (2), pp. 176-184 : 179-181

Cicadatra tandojamensis sp. n.

( Fig 2 )

Type material. Holotype ♂, Pakistan: Sindh Prov., Tando Jam , 12.VI.2010, Z. Ahmed and Ashraf ( NHMK) . Paratypes: 13 ♂ and 3 ♀, same data as holotype ( ZACP) .

Etymology. The species is named after the type locality.

Measurements. N= 14 males, mean (range). Length of body: 17.5 mm (16.5–19.0 mm); length of fore wing: 42.8 mm (44.0–50.0 mm); width of fore wing: 8.2 mm (7.5–8.8 mm); width of head including eyes: 5.8 mm (5.4– 6.0 mm); width of pronotum including suprahumeral plates: 7.0 mm (6.5–7.6 mm); width of mesonotum: 6.9 mm (6.7–7.2 mm).

N= 3 females, mean (range). Length of body: 19.0 mm (18.0 – 20.0 mm); length of fore wing: 44.4 mm (43.0 – 45.6 mm); width of fore wing: 7.7 mm (7.3 – 8.2 mm); width of head including eyes; 5.0 mm (4.8 – 5.2 mm); width of pronotum including suprahumeral plates: 5.8 mm (5.6 – 6.0 mm); width of mesonotum: 5.3 mm (5.0 – 5.6 mm).

Diagnosis. Cicadatra tandojamensis sp. n can be distinguished from Cicadatra ashrafi sp. n. by the smaller body size (17.5 mm vs. 20.4 mm), the slightly produced basal lobe of the pygofer, the aedeagus possesses three small and a long spine, oriented apically and laterally, the small meracanthus that is rounded anteriorly, the small timbal, and a timbal cover concealing less than half of the timbal cavity. It can be distinguished from the other species of Cicadatra as outlined in the diagnosis for C. ashrafi sp. n.

Description. Head. Black, ochraceous on supra-antennal plate. Eyes ochraceous tinged with black. Small ochraceous spot along medial margin of lateral ocellus and eye. Postclypeus bluntly produced anteriorly, centrally sulcate, transverse grooves marked with ochraceous, varying from piceous to ochraceous in paratypes. Anteclypeus marked medially with ochraceous and scarce pile laterally, dark ochraceous and dense pile in some paratypes. Rostrum piceous with ochraceous tip, just passing middle coxae. Dense short white pile posterior to eye and on ventral head.

Pronotum. Dark ochraceous to brown, medial black longitudinal fasciae on either side of midline. Two small posterior median fused ochraceous spots anterior to pronotal collar on either side of midline. Small transverse piceous mark in mid-lateral posterior ambient fissure, expanding onto disc in some paratypes. Pronotal collar ochraceous with black, lateral angle straight then angulate lateral margin, lateral angles ampliated with dull piceous mark.

Mesonotum. Black. Two parallel lines along parasidal sutures continuing to anterior arms of cruciform elevation, surrounding scutal depression posteriorly and expanding medially between scutal depression and parapsidal suture into a nearly squared ochraceous mark. Lateral margins with large ochraceous spot. Scutal depression black. Cruciform elevation black, centrally marked with ochraceous. Ventral thorax dull ochraceous to black covered in sparse white pile. Male operculum ( Fig 2e ) narrowed slightly towards apex, rounded, gradually oblique posteriorly, concave oval depression medially, dull ochraceous marked with dull fuscous covered with dense pile in the depression only, reaching posterior of sternite II. Female operculum ( Fig 2g ) obliquely straight laterally, depressed apically. Medial margin finely narrowed. Black spot sub-apically. Meracanthus narrowly triangular, castaneous with black base. Legs fuscous to ochraceous. Fore femora strongly marked with fuscous laterally, armed with three ochraceous spines with black tips. Primary spine longest and angled slightly, secondary spine of intermediate size and apical spine shortest. Tibial spurs and tibial comb ochraceous with black tips.

Wings. Fore wings and hind wings hyaline. Venation entirely ochraceous. Fore wings with eight apical cells. Dark infuscation on radial and radio-medial crossveins. Linear piceous mark in anterior basal cell. Basal membrane dull reddish. A small elongate narrow cell at apex of claval area. Hind wings with six apical cells, one paratype with five apical cells in one hind wing.

Abdomen. Male tergite 1, fuscous, posterior margins ochraceous. Male tergite 2 black medially, posterio-lateral margins dark ochraceous. Tergites 3 – 8 dorsally black, posterio-lateral margins dark ochraceous. Timbal cover dark ochraceous with margin narrowly black, castaneous in some paratypes, covering a small portion of the timbal. Timbal ( Fig 2f ) with eight long ribs. Sternites V,VI and VII dull black with margins ochraceous. Previous sternites dark ochraceous without pile.

Male genitalia. Pygofer ( Fig 2b ) with upper lobe flat, basal lobe ill defined; aedeagus, ( Fig 2c ) narrow at middle, two short apical spines and two lateral spines; claspers ( Fig 2d ) recurved, narrowing to rounded apex, not touching medially.

Female genitalia. Abdominal segment 9 castaneous, marked with fuscous, black dorsally and laterally at base and on tip of dorsal beak. A laterally slightly elongate notch medially in sternite VII ( Fig 2h ) with piceous black spot on either side of midline. Ovipositor piceous black, not extending to level of the dorsal beak.

Biological note. Specimens were collected on small herbs Alhaji maurorum Medikus ( Fabaceae ) and associated wild grass.

Figures

FIGURE 2b–h Cicadatra tandojamensis sp. n. (b–f): Holotype: b, pygofer lateral view; c, aedeagus lateral view; d, claspers; e, operculum; f, timbal and timbal cover. (g–h): Paratype female.: g, operculum; h, female terminalia, lateral view. Scale bar: b–g = 0.6mm; h = 1.5 mm.