Warlucephala, Fletcher, 2006

Fletcher, M. J., 2006, A New Genus, Warlucephala, for the Reception of Deltocephalus arunda Jacobi, 1909, and Two New Species (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae: Deltocephalinae), Records of the Australian Museum 58 (2), pp. 125-128 : 125-127

Genus Warlucephala n.gen.

Type species. Deltocephalus arunda Jacobi 1909: 343 .

Etymology. The generic name, which is feminine, combines flat plain (warlu: Nyungar language of northwestern Australia) (Thieburger & McGregor, 1994) with head (cephalus, Latin).

Diagnosis. Head. Head flat dorsally, convex on face with frontoclypeus large, anteclypeus parallel-sided or tapered to level with lora, then narrowed to apex. Vertex arrowshaped with longitudinal median furrow around distinct coronal suture which extends from base to around three quarters length of vertex. Vertex meeting face at acute angle, sometimes marginally carinate over median section. Tegmina. Tegmina fully brachypterous, semi-brachypterous or macropterous. Male genitalia. Pygofer extended posteriorly as rounded lobe bearing macrosetae. Subgenital plates narrow triangular to elongate, bearing row of macrosetae on outer margins. Parameres modified with apical process rounded, not pointed. Aedeagus simple tubular, without processes other than apical extension of various form beyond gonopore.

Distribution. Southern Western Australia and New South Wales.

Warlucephala arunda (Jacobi) , n.comb.

Figs. 1, 5 , 8–12

Deltocephalus arunda Jacobi 1909: 343 .

Types. Lectotype ♀ (here designated), Moora , Western Australia 8.viii.1905 (Berlin); paralectotype, ♀, same data as lectotype (?Hamburg).

Material examined. Lectotype and the following: Western Australia: 3 33, Perth , ii.1961, light trap ( AM).

Description. Length: Male 2.8–2.9 mm. Coloration: Pale yellow brown on vertex, thorax and abdomen. Face ( Fig. 5 ) dark brown with transverse pale striations on frontoclypeus, separated from vertex by two transverse dark brown lines which are slightly convex around dorsal edge of frontoclypeus. Tegmina translucent brown, paler along costal margin. Morphology: Anteclypeus broad at base, tapering unevenly towards apex, noticeably narrowing beyond lora which are widely separated from face margin. Vertex arrowshaped, flat to concave on disc with clearly distinct median carina reaching three quarters from base to apex. Pronotum short. Tegmen reaching to just short of base of tenth abdominal tergite, appendix absent. Male genitalia: Pygofer extended posteriorly and apically rounded, bearing group of macrosetae on posterior lobe. Subgenital plates ( Fig. 8 ) narrowly triangular, posteriorly extended to level with pygofer, apically bluntly pointed, each bearing 6–8 macrosetae evenly spaced along outer margin which is slightly concave. Paramere ( Fig. 9 ) short, apical process reduced, bluntly rounded apically, preapical shoulder rounded. Connective ( Fig. 10 ) fused with base of aedeagus, with lateral arms longer than main body. Aedeagus ( Figs. 11–12 ) tubular, lightly evenly curved dorsally with gonopore apical but with shaft extended to form short, straight, linear process directed posteriorly from ventral margin of gonopore.

Distribution. Western Australia.

Remarks. The presence of a paralectotype female in Hamburg has not been confirmed. A lectotype is designated to provide a reference for the species. The three males listed above were found in the J.W. Evans Collection and appear to have been collected by Evans, because the associated data labels appear to be in his handwriting.

Figures

Figs. 1–7. Habitus of (1) Warlucephala arunda, lectotype female; (2) W. reversa, paratype male; (3) W. abbreviata, holotype male; and (4) W. abbreviata, macropterous female paratype; scale lines = 1 mm. Facial views of heads of (5) Warlucephala arunda; (6) W. reversa; and (7) W. abbreviata; scale lines = 0.5 mm.

Figs. 8–12. Male genitalia of Warlucephala arunda: (8) subgenital plate; (9) paramere; (10) connective; (11) aedeagus, posteroventral view; (12) aedeagus, lateral view.