Empoasca davidi, Southern, Phillip Sterling, 2010

Southern, Phillip Sterling, 2010, Eight new species of Empoasca (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae: Typhlocybinae: Empoascini) from Peru and Bolivia, Zootaxa 2524, pp. 1-23 : 17-19

Empoasca davidi n. sp.

Body (male): Length: 3.2–3.4 mm; crown length: 0.23–0.25 mm; crown projection: 0.08–0.13 mm; crown projecton ratio: 0.35–0.62; head length (including eyes): 0.43–0.48 mm; interoccular width: 0.40–0.41 mm; head width (including eyes): 0.76–0.79 mm; pronotum width: 0.73–0.79 mm; pronotum length: 0.40–0.43 mm; face length: 0.81–0.83 mm; hind tibia length: 1.35–1.44 mm; hind tarsus length: 0.50–0.54 mm; hind tarsomere I length: 0.25–0.33 mm; hind tarsomere I/hind tarsus ratio: 0.50–0.61. Crown patterned with brown and yellow ( Fig. 8 r); three yellow spots along anterior margin - medial and around each ocellus, narrow band of yellow along margin of each eye, yellow “V” shaped mark with base at center of posterior margin; crown slightly longer medially than next to eye, distinctly shorter than width between eyes; coronal suture dark, extending beyond mid-crown. Head including eyes slightly less wide or approximately as wide as pronotum. Eyes brown with yellow on medial and ventrolateral margins. Face ( Fig. 8 s) with diffuse pattern of brown and yellow, darkest along sutures and midline, clypellus brown except yellow apically; ocelli on margin about equidistant between eye and mid-line; rostrum not or barely reaching hind coxae. Pronotum ( Fig. 8 r) patterned along anterior margin, a large dark brown irregular spot bordered by yellow at each anterolateral angle may be partially hidden by eye. Forewing with basal two-thirds subhyaline, brownish, with diffuse darker markings - most notably near apex of claval suture and opposite this on costal margin; apical 1/3 hyaline, brownish; apical cell 2 petiolate, apical cell 4 distinctly tapered near base, MCu distinctly curved, ending near posterior end of apical margin, CuP distal segment subequal in length to segment of CuA between Cu stem and MP; punctations along veins absent or indistinct. Hind wing venation similar to that of E. fabae . Legs predominantly yellow, with brown on ventral surface of hind tibia and mid and hind femur; front femur row AV with 2–3 basal setae, AM1distinctly enlarged; middle femur with 1 dorsoapical macroseta; hind tibia row AV with 6 preapical setae. Abdominal segements brown with yellow along posterior and lateral margins (pattern obvious in cleared specimens as well). Genital capsule light brown with some areas yellow.

Pygofer in lateral view with posterior margin broadly rounded ( Fig. 8 a); 15–20 stout setae in group along posterodorsal margin; 2–3 filamentous setae on outer face; mesal face with well developed sensilla field. Pygofer process in lateral view simple ( Fig. 8 a), very slightly bowed ventrad, extending to or just beyond posterior margin of pygofer; in ventral view ( Fig. 8 b) straight through most of length, curved abruptly laterad near apex; apically slightly flattened and rounded. Plate in lateral view ( Fig. 8 a) with basolateral lamella well developed, curved only slightly upward apically, tapering to rounded apex; in ventral view ( Fig. 8 b) plates separate throughout, not fused basally; A-group setae (2) located near base of plate, longer but little thicker than B-group setae; B-group setae (15–20) uniseriate, extending from near A-group setae to apex of plate, in some specimens widely spaced in mid-range; C-group setae (15–21) roughly biseriate basally, becoming uniseriate apically, reaching apex of plate; D-group setae (18–25) sparse, roughly biseriate, little longer than C-group setae. Style in lateral view ( Fig. 8 a) with body bowed ventrad, dentifer bowed slightly dorsad or straight and directed caudad; in ventral view ( Fig. 8 g), bowed evenly mediad, dentifer not abruptly narrowed. with 4–5 low teeth; apex narrowly rounded or obliquely truncate depending on aspect. Anal hook in lateral view ( Figs. 8 a, 8j) large, at least 2/3 depth of pygofer, bifurcate in apical 1/5th; in caudoventral view ( Figs. 8 d1, 8d2) angled slightly mediad; bifurcation of hook obvious in both lateral and caudoventral views (lying neither wholly in sagital nor transverse plane), posteromedial ramus straight and conical, anterolateral ramus variably curved but generally foot-shaped. Aedeagus in lateral view ( Fig. 8 c) with short preatrium bowed caudad, atrium bowed cephalad; shaft much longer that preatrium, diverging from line of atrial complex ca. 60º, apically expanded dorsally and ventrally to form two rami, dorsal ramus broad and straight, ventral ramus narrower and curved; gonoduct follows ventral ramus; dorsal margin of shaft with two rows of low teeth directed dorsad and slightly laterad; ventral margin of shaft with a short central spine diverging slightly from margin just basad of point of expansion. In caudo-ventral view ( Fig. 8 d1) preatrium abruptly widened from narrow base to nearly width of atrium, shaft gradually tapered, ventral ramus broader than dorsal ramus and membranous around gonopore, dorsal ramus very strongly compressed and blade-like; shaft in cross-section compressed, well sclerotized dorsally. In dorsal view, teeth along margins of shaft form two rows converging posteriorly ( Fig. 8 v). Connective ( Fig.8 e) well sclerotized on anterior margin, wider than long, posterior notch broad. Dorsum of genital capsule ( Fig. 8 k) with anterior margin well sclerotized; broad bridge; transverse bar well sclerotized; horns well scleotized, broadly separate.

First sternal complex ( Fig. 8 m) with broad medial notch. Second sternal apodemes ( Fig.8 n) parallelsided, relatively broad (0.35–0.38 mm) and long (0.53–0.58 mm, reaching 5.2–6.1); parallel to near apices which may diverge slightly; apices generally truncate. Second tergal apodeme a low wall expanded ventrad on lateral ends. Other tergal apodemes not significantly developed. Sternum of 8th abdominal segment ( Fig. 8 u) with posterior margin relatively straight, shallow medial notch in some specimens; with pair of small sublateral setae.

Holotype male: BOLIVIA Cochabamba / Villa Tunari, Hotel los Tucanes / 16º 58.302’S 65º 23.793’W / 320m 5-IX-2000 M.Hauser, S. Gamari, D.Yates // PSS RESEARCH / 09-167-4 // HOLOTYPE / Empoasca / davidi n. sp. / Southern & Dietrich ( INHS). Paratypes: 9 males, same collection data as holotype (INHS— 6 specimens, NCSU— 3 specimens).

Etymology: This specific name, davidi , is a masculine noun in the genitive case. The species is named in honor and in memory of the precise and prolific leafhopper taxonomist Dr. David A. Young.

Diagnosis: This species resembles Empoasca parvicornis Southern , Empoasca plex Southern , and Empoasca rex Southern in having low teeth along the dorsal margin of the aedeagal shaft, the shaft compressed and broad in lateral view, relatively long pygofer processes flattened apically, subgenital plates curved only gradually upward and not expanded apically, pygofer broadly rounded on posterior margin and relatively large, parallel second sternal apodemes. It further resembles E. parvicornis and E. plex in having the anal hooks bifurcate. However, none of these species has the shaft of the aedeagus broadly expanded apically into a distinct “T” shape and the bifurcation of the hooks in E. parvicornis and E. plex is much deeper and more clearly transverse than in E. davidi . In Southern’s (1982) key to Empoasca of eastern Peru, this species keys (roughly) to Empoasca vargasi Southern. E. davidi differs from E. vargasi in the shape of the aedeagal shaft (which in vargasi is not expanded apically in lateral view) and in the nature of the bifurcation of the anal hook.

Figures

FIGURE 8. Empoasca davidi n. sp. a. genital capsule, lateral view; b. genital capsule, ventral view; c. aedeagus, lateral view; d 1. aedeagus, right anal hook and dorsal aedeagal support, posteroventral view; d 2. right anal hook, posteroventral view, showing variation in anterior ramus; e. connective, ventral view; g. style, ventral view; j. anal hook, lateral view; k. pattern of sclerotization of dorsal surface of genital capsule, dorsal view; m. first sternal complex, anterior view; n. base of abdomen and second sternal apodemes, ventral view; r. head and thorax, dorsal view; s. face, anteroventral view; u. sternum of eighth abdominal segment, ventral view; v. shaft of aedeagus, dorsal view.