Phatnoma natensis, Guilbert, Eric, 2007

Guilbert, Eric, 2007, Tingidae (Hemiptera: Heteroptera) from Laos: new species and new records, Zootaxa 1442, pp. 1-18 : 7-8

Phatnoma natensis sp. n.

(figs. 7, 8)

Material examined: 1 ɗ, 1 fifth instar, Phong Sali prov., Naten, 13.X.2004, Guilbert coll., MNHN.

Adult description: Body shiny and glabrous; hemelytra and pronotum irregularly clear brown to brown; principal and transversal veins on hemelytra, pronotal carinae and paranota margins and tip of cephalic spines whitish; head, antennae, legs and body beneath yellowish to brown. Body length, 3.80; width, 1.90.

Head long and narrow, punctate on top, armed with seven long spines, stout at base, directed forwards; tips of occipital pair of spines extending beyond base of frontal ones; frontal pair and median spine stouter than occipital spines; jugal pair shorter than the others; antenniferous processes long and spiny, reaching middle of length of first antennal segment; antennae long and slender, antennal segment measurements: I, 0.10; II, 0.07; III, 1.33; IV, 0.3; bucculae long, extending in front of apex of clypeus, closed in front, three areolae wide, rostrum long reaching second visible abdominal segment.

Pronotum wider than long, gibbose, tricarinate; carinae raised and uniseriate, areolae small; median carina continuing on collar as to form a crest slightly extending in front of anterior margin; collar three areolae wide; paranota wide, six areolae wide on anterior margin, eight areolae wide at widest part, a little erect, produced laterally and in front by an acute angle, anterior angles with a spine, margins between angles roundly excavated, reduced posteriorly; posterior process reduced to a very narrow area of a single row of tiny areolae between lateral carinae; scutellum visible, reduced to a small erect protuberance; peritreme of metathoracic scent gland large and round.

Hemelytra wide, all areolae round and of the same size; costal area wide, six-seven areolae wide, sligthly raised; subcostal area a little narrower than costal area, six areolae wide, divided in six or seven sub-areas by slightly raised transversal veins; discoidal area as wide as subcostal area, six areolae wide, divided in five subareas by slightly raised transversal veins; discoidal area nine areolae wide at widest part; RM and Cu veins erect with a row of subrectangular areolae; RM vein wider than Cu vein, with a wider black spot in the posterior two-third of the length, with small round and irregularly arranged areolae; hypocostal area mostly uniseriate, wider at base with three extra areolae in a second row.

Fifth instar description: body ovale, glabrous and shiny, covered with tiny star-like processes; withish to yellowish, two longitudinal bands on pro- and mesonotum, tip of hemelytral pads, center of abdomen, legs brown; thorax and abdomen beneath with redish spots. Body length, 2.9; width, 1.67.

Head long armed with seven spines, spines like in adult, long and slender, base stout, directed forwards, the jugal spines shorter than the others; antenniferous processes long and spiny; antennae long and slender, antennal segment measurements: I, 0.10; II, 0.07; III, 0.77; IV, 0.27; bucculae long and narrow, closed in front and extending in front of clypeus; rostrum reaching fourth visible abdominal sternite.

Pronotum wider than long, produced anteriorly, laterally and lateroposteriorly by acute angles ended by protuberance, anterior protuberance much spiny than lateral and lateroposterior ones, lateral margins roundly excavated between anterior and lateral angles; two short, spiny protuberances in medially near anterior and posterior margins of pronotum, these curved and directed forwards.

Meso- and metanotum with median short spiny protuberance on posterior margin; hemelytral pads with short, stout protuberance on posterior two-thirds of outer margin.

First, second, fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth abdominal terga with median short protuberance near posterior margin; protuberance on first and second terga reddish, somewhat spiny, curved, directed forwards; protuberances on fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth terga short, stout, erect, fifth reddish, sixth blackish and larger than others, somewhat globular, seventh and eighth whitish; fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth abdominal terga with short, stout protuberance on lateroposterior margin.

Etymology: The name of this species refers to the type locality.

Comments: This species is very similar to P. laciniatum Fieber but differs from it by its wider paranota (five to six areolae wide; four wide in P. laciniatum ), its wider costal area (seven areolae wide; five wide in P. laciniatum ). It differs also from P. takasago Takeya by its third antennal segment 4.4 times longer than fourth, whereas the third is six times longer than the fourth in P. takasago .Also, in P. laciniatum the third antennal segment is about 4.4 times longer than the fourth.

The fifth instar is known only for P. marmorata Champion and P. maynei Schouteden. They differ in several details. The median protuberance is absent on the metasternum and first abdominal tergum in P. m a r m o - rata; the median protuberances on the seventh and eighth terga are much shorter in P. m a y n e i; also the posterior protuberances on lateral margins of the terga and hemelytral pads are less distinctly developed than in P. m a r m o r a t a and natensis sp. n. Finally, P. natensis sp. n. has jugal spines much longer than does P. m a r - morata, and a little longer than those of P. m a y n e i.