Ambonga Melichar

Andrew Hamilton, K. G., 2014, The old-world Zygonini tr. nov. (Hemiptera, Cercopoidea, Clastopteridae), with new taxa from the related Machaerotinae, Zootaxa 3768 (4), pp. 437-459 : 446

Ambonga Melichar , redefined

Type-species: Ambonga apicenotata Melichar, 1915 .

Diagnosis. Crown produced, one-half to three-quarters as long as wide, tylus about as long on midline as crown, its posterior boundary marked by sutures extending forward and inward until closer together than ocelli, then ending or transversely joined by a fold; antennal ledge not prominent; antenna with postpedicel withdrawn into tip of pedicel, bearing arista on anterodorsal edge and 2 collections of sensilla behind it, in groups of 1–3 short sensilla of which 1–2 are coeloconic sensilla and 1 is a slightly larger basiconic sensillum, plus a prominent pit of varying size containing one or several sensilla on opposite side from arista ( Figs 28–29 ); rostrum extending beyond mesotrochanters but not beyond hind coxae; head much narrower (0.6–0.7 ×) than pronotum, lateral margins of pronotum almost half as long (0.4×) as interocular distance; pronotum punctured, with obscure median ridge; scutellum weakly sulcate. Tegmina punctate, opaque except sometimes near tip, veins carinate apically, forming 3 anteapical cells of which central one is smallest, nearly square, half as long as outer anteapical cell, and one-third as long as inner one, usually closed basally by crossvein ( Fig. 3 A). Hind wings each with 1–2 hooks on costal margin plus 1–2 at tip of triangular process. Hind tibia short and broad, with a single lateral spine located near midlength; 2nd tarsomere shorter than apical tarsomere and almost half length of basitarsomere; tibial pectens each with 7–10 spines, those of basitarsomere with 8 spines, of second tarsomere with 6 spines covered by long setae. Ovipositor 2nd valvulae 1.4–1.6 mm long, straight, tapered to pointed tip ( Fig. 17H ). Male unknown.

Included species. The type-species from Madagascar and a closely allied new species, described from the same type locality. Both species are described to help differentiate them from each other.

Remarks. Melichar (1915) considered Ambonga to be most closely related to Pisidice Jacobi (Cercopinae) even though he described its closest relative, Pseudomachaerota , in the same paper.

The antenna of the two species differ in the number and shape of the basiconic sensillum and position of the coeloconic sensilla. The location of the outermost group of sensilla, near the base of the postpedicel, is otherwise only known in Machaerota , but other critical characters (e.g., venation of the wings) show that Ambonga is a distant relative of Pseudomachaerota .

Figures

FIGURES 18 – 32. Antennae of Clastopteridae: Clastopterinae (18 – 20) and Machaerotinae: Hindolini (21 – 23), Machaerotini (24 – 25) and Zygonini (26 – 32, boxed set). A, lateral aspect of head; B, detail of antennal and antenna ledge; C, tip of antenna, showing postpedicel; D, detail of postpedicel showing detail of pits, revealing 4 enclosed coeloconic sensilla in communal pits. 18, Clastoptera; 19, Sepullia; 20, Grellaphia; 21, Chaetophyes; 22, Hindola; 23, Allox; 24, Blastocaena; 25, Irridiculum; 26, Pseudomachaerota cucullata; 27, Zygon, with detail showing basiconic sensilla (b) and coeloconic sensilla (c) of various types (shown in greater detail in Fig. 38); 28, Ambonga lanceolata (Zygonini); 29, Ambonga apicenotata syntype with insert showing sensilla at base of arista; 30, Pseudoclastoptera irrubesco sp. nov., holotype; 31 – 32, Pseudoclastoptera invidia sp. nov., male holotype (32) and unassociated female (31).

FIGURES 1 – 4. New species of Zygonini, lateral aspect (A), dorsolateral aspect with pin erased (B), facial aspect (C) and hind legs (D). 1, Zygon desegregatum, male (A) and female (B) paratypes; 2, Pseudomachaerota cucullata, holotype; 3, Ambonga lanceolata, holotype; 4, Pseudoclastoptera irrubesco, holotype. Figs 1 and 3 A – B to same scale; Figs 2 and 4 A – B slightly larger; Figs C and D largest. Scale line: 1 mm.

FIGURES 17 A – R. Ovipositor shapes in 17 genera and subgenera of Clastopteridae: Zygonini (A, G – J, Q), Machaerotinae (B – D, K, R) and Clastopterinae (E, F, L – Q). A, Zygon desegregatum, paratype; B, Irridiculum deformatum, holotype; C, Allox transfigurata, paratype; D, Taiorhina geisha Schumacher; E, Grellaphia costalis Schmidt; F, Beesoniella sylvestris Lallemand; G, Pseudomachaerota olivacea, holotype; H, Ambonga lanceolata; J, Hemizygon saturnus (as in Ambonga apicenotata); K. Machaeropsis dramatica; L, Tremapterus (Nyanja) bimaculata Synave, holotype; M, Tremapterus (Abbalomba) typica Distant; N, Tremapterus (Patriziana) janus Linnavuori; O, Tremapterus (s. s.) rufus (Thunberg); P, Sepullia fuscolimbata Lallemand; Q, Pseudoclastoptera irrubesco; R, Machaerota sp. Scale line: 1 mm.