Philagra fuscofasciata, Liang, 2022

Liang, Ai-Ping, 2022, Three new species of the genus Philagra Stål (Hemiptera: Cercopidea: Aphrophoridae) from China and Bangladesh, Zootaxa 5200 (2), pp. 169-180 : 175-176

Philagra fuscofasciata s p. nov.

( Figs 1B , 5–6 )

Diagnosis. This new species can be easily distinguished from other Philagra species by its relatively large size and robust body; elongate, broad and flat cephalic process without dorsal and ventral median carinae; presence of a central, longitudinal, fuscous fascia on the dorsum of the cephalic process, pronotum, scutellum and inner margin of forewings; forewings speckled with short and fine fuscous stripes, and corium with one distinct, nearly rectangular, fuscous marking before the middle ( Figs 1B , 5 ); and the structure of the male genitalia ( Fig. 6 ).

Description. Relatively large, robust species, body length: ♂ 17.6 mm, ♀ 19.8–19.9 mm, length of cephalic process: ♂ 4.3 mm, ♀ 4.8 mm ( Figs 1B , 5 ).

Body dark brown, strongly silverishly piolose, with a central, continuous, longitudinal, fuscous fascia on dorsum of cephalic process, pronotum, scutellum and inner margins of forewings ( Figs 1B , 5 ). Body beneath dark brown, lateral margin of cephalic process, frons and propleurae lacking yellowish V-shaped vitta in lateroventral view ( Fig. 5C ). Antennae brown, pedicel with apex suffused with fuscous; antennal ledges centrally yellowish in lateral view. Rostrum brown, with apical segment (excluding extreme base) fuscous. Pronotum with a very short and fine yellowish stripe on base, anterior lateral margin yellowish in lateral view. Thorax beneath brown. Scutellum with apex centrally yellowish. Forewing speckled with short and fine fuscous stripes; corium with one distinct, nearly rectangular, fuscous marking before middle ( Fig. 5C ). Legs brown, with tarsomere III much darker, claws blackish, tips of spines on lateral outer edge of hind tibia and tips of spines at end of hind tibia and metatarsomeres I and II, black. Abdomen with dorsum yellowish brown and sternum dark brown. Male genital capsule yellowish brown, subgenital plates suffused with brownish; anal segments and anal tube dark brown.

Cephalic process elongate, distinctly longer than pronotum, with extreme apex slightly expanded laterally and compressed dorsoventrally; relatively broad, flat and robust in dorsal view, relatively straight and gently extending anterodorsally in lateral view ( Figs 1B , 5 ), without dorsal and ventral median carina ( Fig. 5 ). Antenna with flagellum segmented by scar-shaped rings, with two peg-like basiconic sensilla and more than ten coeloconic sensilla on surface of expanded flagellar base. Legs relatively short and stout, apical tibial spines stout; metatarsomere II bilobed apically with outer lobe distinctly long, longer than inner lobe. Forewing strongly silverishly piolose.

Male genitalia with pygofer short and high, with posterior margin angularly extending posteriorly mesially in lateral view ( Fig. 6A ); anal tube slender in lateral view ( Figs 6A, 6B ). Subgenital plates elongate ( Figs 6A–D ), with outer margin sinuate in ventral view ( Fig. 6B ) and strongly excavated over apical one fourth leaving apical part of the plate rod-like; extreme apex bidentate ( Figs 6C, 6D ), curving dorsoanteriorly in ventrolateral view ( Fig. 6D ). Genital style ( Figs 6A, 6E, 6F, 6G ) relatively broad with extreme basal part slender and laminate; upper margin greatly excavated over apical one fourth leaving apical one fourth narrow and slender in lateral view, with extreme apex of apical slender part forked, with inner edge of apical part of style with a dorsally directed, laminate process in lateral view ( Figs 6E, 6F ). Aedeagal shaft ( Figs 6A, 6E–G ) tubular, slender, nearly straight, base expanded posteroventrally and nearly knob-like, with apical spines distinctly narrow, slender and acute; gonopore subapical dorsally.

Remarks. This new species is similar to P. subrecta Jacobi 1921 from China but can be distinguished from the latter by the much larger body, the presence of a central longitudinal fuscous fascia starting from apex of cephalic process, running along with median line of pronotum and scutellum, and ending at tip of inner margin of forewings ( Fig. 5 ); and the details of the male genitalia ( Fig. 6 ).

The unique female specimen collected from Mt. Emei in Sichuan Province, China, and tentatively included in this species, lacks the fuscous marking on the corium before the middle ( Fig. 1B ).

Distribution. Sothwestern China (Guizhou, Sichuan).

Etymology. The name of this new species is derived from the Latin words “ fuscus (dark brown)” and “ fascia (band)”, referring to the presence of a longitudinal fuscous fascia runnin from apex of the cephalic process to tip of the inner margin of forewings ( Figs 1B , 5 ).

Type specimens examined. Holotype ♂, CHINA: Guizhou Province: Jiangkou County, Taiping Town, Kaima village , 540 m, spreading, 27.8427º N, 108.7749º E, 2.viii.2014 (X.J. Peng et al.) ( TJNU) . Paratypes. CHINA: Guizhou Province: 2♀♀, same data as holotype ( TJNU) .

Other specimen examined. CHINA: Sichuan Province: 1♀, Mt. Emei, Jiulaodong , 1800–1900 m, 6.vii.1957 (F.X. Zhu) ( IZCAS) .

Figures

FIGURE 1. Dorsal habitus of Philagra species. A. Philagra bimaculata sp. nov., paratype male (China: Tibet). B. Philagra fuscofasciata sp. nov., female (China: Sichuan). C. Philagra straminea sp. nov., paratype male (China: Sichuan). Scale bar = 1 cm.

FIGURE 5. Philagra fuscofasciata sp. nov. Habitus.A. Holotype male, dorsal view. B. Paratype female, dorsal view. C. Paratype female, lateral view. Scale bar = 1 mm.

FIGURE 6. Philagra fuscofasciata sp. nov. Male genitalia.A. Genital capsule, lateral view. B. Genital capsule, ventral view. C. Genital capsule, dorsolateral view. D. Genital capsule, right lateroventral view. E. Genital styles and aedeagal shaft, left lateral view. F. Genital styles and aedeagal shaft, right lateral view. G. Aedeagal shaft and genital styles, posterior view. Scale bar = 1 mm.