Taphura lanceola, Sanborn, 2017

Sanborn, Allen F., 2017, Generic redescription, seven new species and a key to the Taphura Stål, 1862 (Hemiptera: Cicadidae: Cicadetttinae: Taphurini), Zootaxa 4324 (3), pp. 451-481 : 471-473

Taphura lanceola n. sp.

( Fig. 6 )

Type maerial. Holotype: “ BRAZIL Rondonia / 7 km NW Costa / Marques 16-XI-1986 / R. Wilkerson ” one male ( FSCA).

Etymology. The species epithet is derived from lanceola (L. spear, diminutive) in reference to the spear-like appearance of the extensions of the male genitalia.

Description. Ground color tawny and green marked with piceous and ferruginous.

Head. Head wider than mesonotum, castaneous with transverse piceous fascia on posterior head between eyes surrounding lateral ocelli extending anteriorly along lateral portion of median ocellus and epicranial suture terminating anterior to median ocellus. Supra-antennal plate green. Ocelli rosaceous. Eyes golden. Head covered with short, silvery pile, longer and more dense posterior to eye. Ventral head piceous except castaneous anterior and lateral margin of lorum, covered with short and long silvery pile. Postclypeus with ten transverse grooves, piceous except greenish oval on ventral midline extending around apex, large green semicircular marks on lateral regions of ventral side and castaneous dorsal surface, lateral margin and margin with anteclypeus. Anteclypeus piceous. Postclypeus and anteclypeus with short and long silvery pile. Rostrum with tawny mentum, labium castaneous darkening to piceous tip with castaneous medial margins, not reaching hind coxae. Scape, pedicel and first flagellar segment piceous, tawny annulus on distal scape and pedicel, remaining antennal segments castaneous.

Thorax. Dorsal thorax tawny. Pronotum with green fascia on dorsal midline constricted to narrowest point posterior to medial paramedian fissure, greenish anterior margin, and pronotal collar. Piceous marks on either side of median green fascia not reaching anterior or posterior of mark, in medial terminus of paramedian fissure, anterior of lateral fissure connecting to lateral ambient fissure, and transverse fascia across the midline from lateral to terminus of lateral fissure, thickened and extending onto anterior margin of pronotal collar with anterior extensions on either side of medial green fascia. Mesonotum castaneous with piceous submedian and lateral portion of lateral sigillae, remaining lateral sigillae castaneous, castaneous mark disc posterior to submedian sigillae encompassing scutal depressions and region between anterior arms of cruciform elevation with short anterior extension along midline and across distal anterior portion of anterior arms. Elongated castaneous spot on lateral mesonotum. Wing groove and posterior metanotum green, remaining metanotum castaneous. Dorsal thorax covered with short silvery pile, longer pile between anterior arms and laterally between arms of cruciform elevation, on posterior mesonotum and along wing grooves. Ventral thoracic segments castaneous medially, green laterally. Ventral segments covered with short and long silvery pile.

Wings. Fore wings and hind wings hyaline, fore wing with eight apical cells, hind wing with six apical cells. Venation green proximally, becoming piceous distally, except piceous anal vein 2 + 3 and piceous mark along anterior basal cell. Infuscation on marginal area extending from terminus of radius anterior 1 around apex of fore wing to apical cell 8. Basal membrane grayish with white anterior base. Hind wing venation green proximally, piceous distally. Proximal vanal fold gray. Infuscation on distal apical cell 2 and wing margin posterior to anal cell 1.

Legs. Legs green and tawny marked with castaneous, coxae, trochanters and femora with castaneous marks on anterior and medial surfaces, tibiae and tarsi greenish proximally, proportion becoming greater in posterior legs, distal tibiae castaneous. Fore femora with castaneous lateral stripe anteriorly to four oblique spines, each spine becoming smaller distally and tertiary spine slightly curved. Pretarsal claws, tibial spurs and comb castaneous.

Operculum. Opercula green with castaneous marks medial margin that extends onto opercular extension and near lateral margin of base. Lateral margin rounded to sinuate posterior margin, rounded medial margin and curving anteromedial margin, reaching to abdominal sternite I not covering tympanal cavity. Meracathus green with piceous base, not reaching posterior margin of operculum. Long silvery pile on operculum surface and radiating from margin.

Abdomen. Abdominal tergites tawny with green posterior margin, transverse castaneous mark on anterolateral tergite 7 and across anterior tergite 8, auditory capsule piceous. Timbal with six ribs, whitish gray with castaneous spot on anterior margin. Sternites similarly colored except castaneous covers entire sternites VII–VIII. Sternites covered with long and short silvery pile.

Genitalia. Male pygofer tawny with small dorsal beak and piceous line posterior to small upper lobe of pygofer. Pygofer basal lobe split with dentate medial portion bent medially and almost touching along midline and small triangular lateral portion. Silvery pile on pygofer, longer around upper pygofer lobe and at base of bent extension of basal lobe. Anal styles piceous. Claspers dark castaneous at base becoming tawny along straight extension to castaneous pointed terminus, terminus bent at an approximate 45° angle when viewed from the side, angled toward midline in posterior view, left terminus broken in holotype. Additional thin, castaneous extension from base of clasper, arching across aedeagus with terminus bent laterally at approximate right angle. Aedeagus castaneous, tubular, the diameter of the base twice that of terminus.

Female is unknown.

Measurements (mm). N = 1 male. Length of body: 10.9; length of fore wing: 13.4; width of fore wing: 5.5; length of head: 1.6; width of head including eyes: 3.8; width of pronotum including suprahumeral plates: 3.8; width of mesonotum: 3.2.

Diagnosis. The male genitalia, particularly the shape of the claspers, quickly separate male specimens of T. lanceola n. sp. from other species of Taphura as each species has highly unique genitalia. All species except the small T. minusculus are generally similar in size. The lack of infuscation on the apex of the fore wings of T. maculata , T. misella , T. debruni , and T. demissa n. sp. differentiates them from this new species. The spots and Wshaped mark on the head quickly differentiate T. boulardi and T. egeri , respectively, from this new species. The abdominal tergites have a transverse piceous mark on the anterior side in T. attiguclava n. sp., T. charpentierae , T. nitida , and T. crispula n. sp. that is lacking in this new species. The small medial mark in the ambient fissure on the pronotum distinguishes T. dolabella n. sp. and T. hastifera . The supra-antennal plate of T. sauliensis joins the postclypeus anterior to the lateral curve rather than at the curve as in this new species. Finally, the fore wing cubitus anterior may arch to touch the median vein near the basal cell and the opercula are smaller and more rounded in T. cernuunca n. sp. but these veins are separated and the operculum is extended into a point medially in T. lanceola n. sp. The most similar species in general appearance is T. maccagnani n. sp. but the supra-antennal plate abuts the postclypeus at anterior to the lateral curve and the aedeagus has terminal spines and the claspers bend towards the midline at an approximate right angle before curving posteriorly to a pointed terminus in this new species.

Remarks. Even though the species is currently known only from a single individual, the structure of the genitalia of the holotype is significantly different from any other species of Taphura and supports the contention that it represents a new species. It is the only known species to possess the lanceolate extensions of the male genitalia.

Distribution. The species is currently known only from the holotype collected in Brazil.

Figures

FIGURE 6. Taphura lanceola n. sp.: A, holotype male habitus; B, holotype male dorsum; C, holotype male timbal cover; D, paratype male operculum; E, holotype male lateral view of genitalia; F, holotype male posterior view of genitalia. Scale bar: A, 2 cm; B, 2 mm; C, 0.5 mm; D – F, 1 mm.