Tectiforma, McKamey, 2023

McKamey, Stuart H., 2023, Three new monobasic genera and three new species of the New World treehopper tribe Acutalini (Hemiptera, Membracidae, Smiliinae) with a key to all genera, ZooKeys 1143, pp. 189-203 : 189

Tectiforma gen. nov.

Figs 32-38 , 39

Type species.

Tectiforma guayasensis sp. nov.

Diagnosis.

This is the only acutaline genus with the pronotum tectiform throughout.

Description.

Overall body slender (Fig. 34 ). Head. Vertex inclined slightly forward, aligned with steep pronotal metopidium (Fig. 32 ); head vertex uneven, slightly swollen just ventrolateral of ocellus, glabrous, dorsal margin weakly sinuate, not attaining dorsal margin of eye, which is elevated (Fig. 33 ), ventral margin including frontoclypeus evenly convex ventrally with and convex, narrow vertical carina, its sutures evenly arched to middle; ocelli slightly oblong, divergent dorsally, slightly closer to each other than from eye (Fig. 33 ). Pronotum. Elevated anteriorly (Fig. 32 ), lacking suprahumeral spines (Figs 33 , 34 ), laterally compressed and strongly tectiform from top of metopidium and posteriorly (Figs 32 , 33 ); metopidium in lateral view steeply inclined, gradually convex, then descending in straight line to apex; apex extends to mid-point between veins Cu and M3+4 (Fig. 32 ). Wings. Forewing (Fig. 39 , top) with 2 adjacent discoidal cells (R2+3 and M), 2 m-cu crossveins. Hind wing (Fig. 39 , bottom) with 1 r-m and 1 m-cu crossvein, with forked anal vein. Legs. Metathoracic tibia with cucullate setae row I double, row II and row III complete and single.

Distribution.

Neotropical.

Etymology.

The name is feminine and based on the strongly tectiform pronotum.

Notes.

The forewing venation, with two discoidal cells, is almost identical to that of Euritea , the only difference being that in Euritea , the two discoidal cells are not adjacent to each other. The dorsomedial carina of Cornutalis andinum Flórez-V (2017) and Ceresinoidea zacki are tectiform, but in the new genus Tectiforma the entire pronotum is tectiform, attaining a much greater height above the humeral angle, so these cannot be confused for one another even without considering differences in forewing venation.

Figures

Figure 39. Tectiforma guayasensis sp. nov. holotype, wings, showing the two discoidal cells in the forewing and the forked anal vein in the hind wing.

Figures 32 - 38. Tectiforma guayasensis, sp. nov. holotype 32 - 34 habitus view in lateral, anterior, and dorsal views, respectively 35 undissected pygofer and genitalia 36 subgenital plate and styles, ventral view 37 - 38 aedeagus in anterior and lateral views, respectively. aed, aedeagus; lp, lateral plate; sgp, subgenital plate.