Propetes triquetra (Fabricius, 1803)

Prando, Jádila Santos, Gonçalves, Clayton Corrêa & Takiya, Daniela Maeda, 2017, On the wasp-mimicking sharpshooter genus Propetes Walker, 1851 (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae: Cicadellinae): description of a new species, proposal of a new synonymy, and distributional notes, Zootaxa 4281 (1), pp. 165-175 : 168-170

Propetes triquetra (Fabricius, 1803)

( Figs 5–8 , 16–26 )

Length (mm). Males 9.4 – 15.0. Females 15.0 – 18.0.

External morphology. External morphological characters as in generic description ( Young 1968: 204‒205).

Male genitalia. Male genitalia characters as in redescriptions and illustrations by Schröder (1957) and Young (1968) ( Takiya et al. 2006).

Female genitalia. Abdominal sternite VII, in ventral view, subrectangular, approximately 1.5 times wider than long; lateral margins parallel; ventral surface without setae; posterior margin with prominent broad subquadrate median lobe, slightly longer than lateral lobes ( Fig. 19 ). Sternite VIII with two sclerotized regions ( Fig. 20 ). Pygofer, in lateral view, well produced posteriorly; lobe surface with few setae on ventral and posterior margins; posterior margin rounded ( Fig. 21 ). First valvifer, in lateral view, with anterior margin obliquely rectilinear; posterior margins almost acute ( Fig. 22 ). First valvula, in lateral view, with dorsal sculptured area present on apical three-fifths, formed mostly by scale-like processes arranged in oblique lines; ventral sculptured area restricted to apical portion, formed mostly by scale-like processes; preapical region with ventral margin with small denticles; apex acute ( Figs 22‒23 ). Second valvifer, in lateral view, higher than wide; group of setae present on median portion near posterior margin ( Fig. 25 ). Second valvula, in lateral view, regularly broadened beyond basal curvature; dorsal margin with about 45 separated teeth, each approximately subquadrate, becoming gradually smaller, angulate, and more closed spaced towards apex; preapical region with ventral margin with distinct protuberance; apices narrowly rounded ( Figs 25‒26 ). Third valvula, in lateral view, with basal half narrow and apical half distinctly expanded; apex rounded ( Fig. 24 ).

Notes. The description and photographs provided herein for the female of P. triquetra are based on the association of males and females from Santo Antonio do Tauá, Pará State, Brazil. This is the only locality represented among studied material where both males and females of Amazonian Propetes were collected. This particular female of P. triquetra (as well as, other females listed in the examined material below from Eastern Amazonia) agree with the external morphology of the holotype of P. compressa and lectotype of P. trimaculata , including the shape of the abdominal sternite VII. Dissections of the genitalia of these female specimens did not reveal any diagnostic difference to separate them in different species and, for this reason, the female genitalia of these primary types were spared from dissection. So it is most probable that no morphological differences are found in females of P. triquetra and P. sabakibara and some female specimens treated herein as P. triquetra could in fact be P. sakakibara . Nevertheless, until more Amazonian Propetes females are available for study and show reliable diagnostic characters to differentiate these two species, we prefer to consider all available females from Eastern Amazonia (Pará and Mato Grosso states, see discussion below on geographic distribution), including primary female types of P. compressa and P. trimaculata , as conspecific with P. triquetra males. Thus, under the Principle of Priority of the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature (ICZN 1999), the valid name for this species is P. triquetra .

Material examined. BRAZIL: 1 ♂ “BRASIL: GO[Tocantins]/ Ilha do Bananal / Rio Javaré [= Rio Javaés ], 200m / 14-19.ix.1985 / V.O. Becker col.”; DZRJ . 1 ♀ [lectotype of Propetes trimaculata ] “Cuyabá Matto [sic!] Grosso”, “Typus”, “ Propetes / trimaculata Schmidt / Edm. Schmidt / determ. 1928”, “Mus. Zool. Polonicum / Warszawa 12/45”, “Lecto- / typus”, MZPW. 1 ♀ “ BRASIL, PA, Medicilandia / Rod. Transamazonica/ 03°26’45”S – 52°56’12”W ”; “ 09.iv.2008. arm luz/ J.A. Rafael, F.F. Xavier F°”, INPA . 1 ♂ “ Santo Antonio do Tauá-PA/ Pará Brézil [= Brazil]/ X.1980 ”; “ P. Jauffret ”; MNHN . 1 ♀ “ Pará-Bresil [= Brazil],/ Santo Antonio do Tauá / 18.V.1982 / J. Jauffret leg.”; MNHN . 1 ♀ [holotype of Propetes compressa ] “ Type ”; “I. Propetes compressa ”; “ Pará ”; “294”; NHMUK . 1 ♀ “ Colônia Rio Branco / Obidos , Pará / Brasil IX-1953 / F.M. Oliveira ”; “ Coleção Campus Seabra ”; MNRJ . 1 ♂ “ Brasil Pará / Serra Norte / Caldeirão / 27-x-1984 / col. Noturna ”; “ Brasil Pará / Marcio Zanuto ”; MPEG . VENEZUELA: 1 ♂ “KM38. El Dorado-/ Santa Helena BO [Bolívar State]/ VENEZUELA / 2-IX-57 ”; “ G.J. Rosales / col.”; MIZA . 1 ♂ “KM107. El Dorado-/ Santa Helena BO/ VENEZUELA / 520m 13-VIII-57 ”; “ G.J. Rosales; F. Fernandes Y.”; MIZA . FRENCH GUIANA: 1 ♂ “ Guyane Mission / Balachowsky-Gruner / OCT- NOV.1969 ”; “ Carbet-Alice Oyapock [ Cayenne Arrondissement ]/ Guyane 8-NOV-1969 ”; “ Piège Lumineux ”; MNHN . 1 ♂ “ Ilê de Touenké / 19-21-XI-1975 ”; “ ITANI (GUYANES)/ Mission M. Boulard P. / Jauffret et P. Pompanom / Muséum PARIS ”; MNHN .

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 8. Dorsal and lateral habitus of Propetes species. 1 – 2, P. sakakibara sp. nov., male holotype. 3 – 4, P. sakakibara sp. nov., male paratype from Acre (Brazil). 5 – 6, P. triquetra, male from Bolívar (Venezuela). 7 – 8, P. triquetra, female from Pará (Santo Antonio do Tauá, Brazil). Scale bars = 2 mm.

FIGURES 9 – 18. Male genitalia of Propetes species. 9 – 13, P. sakakibara sp. nov., holotype. 9, pygofer, subgenital plates, valve and anal tube, lateral view. 10, subgenital plates and valve, ventral view. 11, connective and styles, dorsal view. 12, aedeagus, caudoventral view. 13, aedeagus, lateral view. 14 – 15, P. sakakibara sp. nov., male paratype from Acre (Brazil). 14, aedeagus, caudoventral view. 15, aedeagus, lateral view. 16 – 18, P. triquetra, male from Pará (Santo Antonio do Tauá, Brazil). 16, connective and styles, dorsal view. 17, aedeagus, caudoventral view. 18, aedeagus, lateral view. Scale bars = 1 mm. DRAP: Dorsal Rami of Atrial Process. VRAP: Ventral Ramus of Atrial Process.

FIGURES 19 – 26. Female genitalia of Propetes triquetra specimen from Pará (Santo Antonio do Tauá, Brazil). 19, abdominal sternite VII, ventral view. 20, sternite VIII, ventral view. 21, pygofer and anal tube, lateral view. 22, first valvifer and first valvula, lateral view. 23, detail of first valvula apex showing dorsal sculpturing and denticles on ventral margin. 24, second valvifer and second valvula, lateral view. 25, detail of second valvula showing teeth on dorsal margin. 26, third valvula, lateral view. Scale bars, figures 19 ‒ 22, 24, 26 = 1 mm; figures 23, 25 = 0.25 mm.