Herrera quadroacuminata, SANBORN, 2020

SANBORN, ALLEN F, 2020, Eight new species and three new records of Neotropical cicadas (Hemiptera: Cicadidae) from Venezuela, Journal of Insect Biodiversity 16 (1), pp. 6-37 : 31-33

Herrera quadroacuminata sp. nov. ( Fig. 8 )

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:C36716CE-7311-44D8-B724-9EEB2FD00AC7

Type material: Holotype. “ VENEZUELA: Ar. / PortachueloPass / June 16, 1967 / RW Poole, 1100m ” male ( CUIC). Paratype. Same data as holotype, one male (AFSC).

Etymology. The name is a combination of quadro – (L. quadro, quartet) and – acuminata (L., acuminatus, pointed, sharpened) in reference to the four points on the broad terminus of the basal pygofer lobe appendage in this species.

Remarks. This is the only known Venezuelan species in the genus and can be distinguished using the generic characters described above.

Description

Ground color greenish tawny marked with castaneous, posterior abdomen darker. Green may predominate in fresh specimens as there is some green on the lateral abdominal tergites.

Head. Head slightly wider than mesonotum, ground color with small castaneous marks lateral to lateral ocelli and on anterior frons on either side of midline, marks larger in paratype with additional marks on posteromedial side of lateral ocelli, piceous posterior to eye. Ocelli red. Eyes dark castaneous. Head covered with short silvery pile, longer silvery pile posterior to eye. Ventral head ground color except for majority of lorum that is dark castaneous posteromedially. Postclypeus centrally sulcate from anterior to posteroventral margin to around apex, with eleven transverse grooves, short silvery pile on lateral margin. Anteclypeus ground color, small castaneous fascia on either side of central carina in paratype. Long silvery pile on ventral head, very thick on lorum, ventroposterior postclypeus and anteclypeus. Mentum ground color, labium ground color with castaneous lateral fascia becoming piceous distally, terminating with castaneous tip, reaching to anterior or middle of hind coxae. Proximal and distal scape and proximal pedicel ground color, remaining antennal segments castaneous.

Thorax. Dorsal thorax ground color. Pronotum with castaneous mark in posterior paramedian fissure, within entire fissure in paratype, and in ambient fissure on midline, covered with sparse silvery pile. Pronotal collar ground color. Mesonotum ground color, castaneous marks on anterior medial and lateral sigillae, medial half of submedian sigillae and along parapsidal suture, scutal depressions, posterolateral curve, and anterior wing groove. Metanotum castaneous anterolaterally with ground color posterior. Short silvery pile on dorsum, longer silvery pile between anterior arms of cruciform elevation, lateral cruciform elevation and radiating from dorsoposterior metanotum, long silvery pile on posterior half of lateral mesothorax, posterior mesothorax, radiating from posterior wing groove, and on lateral metanotum. Ventral thoracic segments ground color except castaneous basisternum 2 and basisternum 3, reduced to castaneous spots in paratype, covered with long and short silvery pile.

Wings. Fore wings and hind wings hyaline, with eight and six apical cells respectively. Venation ground color, except piceous proximal and distal anal vein 2 + 3, pterostigma present. Basal membrane grayish with darker posterior margin, light infuscation on wing margin along apical cells. Hind wing venation ground color, piceous spot on base of anal vein 2. Anal cell 3 gray, anal cell 2 along proximal anal vein 3, anal cell 3 along anal vein 3 margined with gray.

Legs. Ground color except castaneous distal fore tibiae, tarsi of fore leg, proximal and distal tarsi of middle leg, and distal pretarsi of hind legs, and tips of pretarsal claws, short silvery pile on coxae, long silvery pile radiating from legs. Fore femora with proximal spine longest and most oblique, secondary spine angled less than primary spine and of intermediate length, tertiary spine angled greater than secondary spine curving to tip, spines ground color with castaneous tips. Tibial spurs and tibial combs ground color with castaneous tips. Meracanthus ochraceous with castaneous spot on medial base, broadly triangular, not reaching anteromedial opercular margin.

Opercula. Male operculum large for the genus, ochraceous covered with short silvery pile and radiating longer pile, small, rectangular lateral extension near lateral base, lateral margin smoothly curved to rounded posterior margin forming a roughly semicircular posterior, rounded medial margin, not meeting medially, with concave anteromedial margin to base, covering tympanum except anteromedially, reaching to anterior margin of sternite II.

Abdomen. Abdominal tergites ground color, darker dorsally and posteriorly, castaneous spot on lateral male tergite 1, castaneous anterior dorsolateral margin expanding on lateral timbal cavity margin on tergite 2, tergites covered with silvery pile, long silvery pile radiating from lateral tergites 6–8. Timbal completely exposed, timbal with 11 long ribs and ten intercalary ribs. Male sternite I castaneous with ochraceous lateral margin, sternite II dark castaneous except two short ground color segments on margin of posterior tympanal cavity, auditory capsule dark castaneous, sternites III–VIII ground color, darker medially, laterally and posteriorly, sternite VIII with transverse posterior margin, epipleurites darkened ground color, posteromedially lighter in paratype, sternites and epipleurites covered with short silvery pile and radiating long silvery pile.

Genitalia. Male pygofer darkened ground color except ground color lateral upper pygofer lobe, covered with short and long silvery pile. Dorsal beak narrow, angled ventrally. Pygofer upper lobe small, knob-like, bent mediad at base. Pygofer basal lobe extended, adpressed to pygofer, curving mediad, dense, long golden pile radiating from distal region. Uncus absent, claspers small meeting posterior to anal styles and recurving laterally forming a V-shaped notch. Basal lobe appendage flattened, broad at base curving at right angle to produce thin extension that expands into a leaflike terminus with two large and two short extensions, large and small extensions alternate from ventral to dorsal side. Aedeagus castaneous, tubular with a flap-like terminal membrane.

Female. Unknown.

Measurements (mm). N = two males, mean (range). Length of body: 16.35 (16.10–16.60); length of fore wing: 23.10 (22.80–23.40); width of fore wing: 7.70 (7.50–7.90); length of head: 2.58 (2.50–2.65); width of head including eyes: 5.80 (5.75–5.85); width of pronotum including suprahumeral plates: 6.18 (6.15–6.20); width of mesonotum: 5.48 (5.45–5.50).

Diagnosis. Herrera quadroacuminata sp. nov. can be distinguished from the majority of Herrera species by the opercula that cover the tympanal cavity along with the shape of the basal pygofer lobe appendage. Only H. melanomesocranon Sanborn, 2019a, H. phyllodes Sanborn, 2019a, H. cephalodigramma Sanborn, 2020, and H. polygramma Sanborn, 2020 have opercula that cover most or all of the tympanal cavity. The piceous dorsal head and the thin, tapering basal pygofer lobe appendage quickly distinguish H. melanomesocranon. Similarly, the piceous markings on the head, pronotum and mesonotum distinguish H. cephalodigramma and H. polygramma. The most similar species is H. phyllodes but it can be distinguished by the supra-antennal plate extending about half the length of the dorsal postclypeus, the lack of markings on the frons or lateral to the lateral ocelli, lack of marking in anterior mesonotal sigillae, ground color auditory capsule, and an basal pygofer lobe appendage that has two distal extensions, one that terminates in a single point and one that bifurcates to two points rather than the four points found in this new species.

Distribution. The new species is known only from the type locality in the state of Aragua in north-central Venezuela.

Figures

Figure 8. Herrera quadroacuminata sp. nov. A, holotype male habitus; B, holotype male dorsum; C, holotype male timbal; D, holotype male operculum; E, paratype male lateral view of genitalia; F, paratype male posterior view of genitalia. Scale bar: A, 2 cm; B, 5 mm; C, 2 mm; E–F, 1 mm.