Warlucephala abbreviata, Fletcher, 2006

Fletcher, M. J., 2006, A New Genus, Warlucephala, for the Reception of Deltocephalus arunda Jacobi, 1909, and Two New Species (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae: Deltocephalinae), Records of the Australian Museum 58 (2), pp. 125-128 : 127-128

Warlucephala abbreviata n.sp.

Figs. 3, 4, 7 , 18–22

Type material. HOLOTYPE: 3, Albany , Western Australia, x.1966, J.W. & F. Evans, AM K204211 . PARATYPES: Western Australia: 12 specimens, same data as holotype : 1♀ mounted with holotype; 1♀ and 1, sex unknown (abdomen missing), mounted together; 13 (head missing) and 1♀, mounted together; 1♀ (mounted with tarsal remnants of second specimen which is not included in type series); 4♀♀ mounted individually (all in AM K204212 – K204218 , seven registration numbers for 10 specimens, some doublemounted); 13 , 1♀ mounted individually ( ASCU) .

Description. Size. Brachypterous male ( Fig. 3 ) (n=2) 3.2– 3.4, brachypterous female (n=7) 4.0– 4.3 mm, macropterous female ( Fig. 4 ) (n=2) 4.2 mm. Coloration: Pale coffee brown. Face ( Fig. 7 ) slightly darker toward margin with vertex, with faint pale lateral striping and short median pale band. Margin between face and vertex marked with cream band bordered on both sides with dark brown, this band convex laterally to reveal narrowly part of frontoclypeus when viewed dorsally. Vertex pale coffee with pale cream median stripe which continues less distinctly onto pronotum which also bears vague stripes laterally parallel to median. Tegmina pale translucent testaceous in brachypters, darker in cells of macropter. Morphology: Anteclypeus tapering base to apex, more strongly narrowed beyond lora which are widely separated from face margin. Vertex triangular, slightly convex, longer than wide between eyes, shagreen. pronotum short, obscurely transversely wrinkled. Tegmina short quadrate in brachypters, reaching to apex of abdomen in macropter which has appendix extending around apex of tegmen, apical cells long so that preapical cells are situated at around midlength of tegmen. First preapical cell short, rounded, third closed basally. Male genitalia: Pygofer of medium length, apically extended with rounded lobe bearing numerous macrosetae. Subgenital plates ( Fig. 18 ) triangular, not nearly reaching as far posteriorly as pygofer with evenly spaced short macrosetae on concave outer margins. Parameres ( Fig. 19 ) dark, short, broad, flattened, apically truncate to excavate. Connective ( Fig. 20 ) with arms longer than main body. Aedeagus ( Figs. 21, 22 ) with shaft evenly curved dorsally, tapered base to apex but slightly expanded apically with flange around gonopore.

Distribution. South Western Australia.

Etymology. The specific name refers to the strongly brachypterous tegmina found in most specimens.

Remarks. This species is more highly decorated than the other described species and is immediately recognisable by the markings on the vertex. The presence in the type series of a macropterous female indicates that polymorphism might also be a feature of other species of the genus.

Figures

Figs. 1–7. Habitus of (1) Warlucephala arunda, lectotype female; (2) W. reversa, paratype male; (3) W. abbreviata, holotype male; and (4) W. abbreviata, macropterous female paratype; scale lines = 1 mm. Facial views of heads of (5) Warlucephala arunda; (6) W. reversa; and (7) W. abbreviata; scale lines = 0.5 mm.

Figs. 18–22. Male genitalia of Warlucephala abbreviata: (18) subgenital plate; (19) paramere; (20) connective; (21) aedeagus, posteroventral view; (22) aedeagus, lateral view.