Abana rufifrons, Sauceda-V & Malenovský & Takiya, 2025

Sauceda-V, Jefferson, Malenovský, Igor & Takiya, Daniela M., 2025, Species delimitation and taxonomic revision of Abana Distant, 1908 (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae: Proconiini): Intraspecific color variation and pseudocryptic diversity in Andean sharpshooters, Zootaxa 5596 (1), pp. 1-60 : 34-35

Abana rufifrons Sauceda-V & Takiya, sp. nov.

( Figs. 17, 18)

Diagnosis. Body coloration ( Figs. 17A, B, 18A, B) mostly dark castaneous to dark brown; anterior portion of crown ( Figs. 17A, 18A) and dorsal portion of frons ( Figs. 17B, 18B) rufous; crown with contrasting dark maculae posteriorly and frons with contrasting dark maculae inferiorly; pronotum ( Figs. 17A, 18A) brown to dark brown, except for an anterior broad darker marginal stripe; forewing ( Fig. 17A, B, 18A, B) coloration not sexually dimorphic. Crown anterior margin ( Fig. 17A) subtriangular to triangular; anterior portion ( Fig. 17B), in lateral view, straight, not inflated; disk with a distinct depression; M-shaped elevation bordering posterior margin inconspicuous. Connective ( Fig. 17E) with arms almost parallel; base of arms with a V-shaped dorsal rim. Style ( Fig. 17E) with apodeme wide and long, as long as apophysis length; inner lobe rounded; apical portion approximately 1.4 times longer than wide; extending beyond connective apex. Aedeagal shaft ( Fig. 17F–H) with preapical dorsal spiniform process sometimes with a small dentiform process at base posteriorly; anterodorsal projections wide and short. Dorsal connective ( Fig. 17H–J) sclerotized; submedian acute process conspicuous.

Description. Total length: male (n = 1) 19.3 mm, female (n = 1) 20.5 mm.

External structures. Crown ( Figs. 17A, 18A) M-shaped elevation bordering posterior margin inconspicuous. Ocelli closer to adjacent eye angle than to crown midline. Frons evenly convex medially. Pronotum ( Figs. 17A, 18A) surface without pubescence. Hind legs with femoral setal formula 2:0:0. Other characters as in A. dives .

Coloration. Body coloration ( Figs. 17A, B, 18A, B) mostly dark castaneous to dark brown. Crown ( Figs. 17A, 18A) rufous, except for two triangular black areas on posterior portion, extending from antennal ledges to midline of crown on posterior margin. Frons ( Figs. 17B, 18B) with upper two-thirds rufous, continuing rufous area of crown; ventral third brown, as well as clypeus. Gena ( Figs. 17B, 18B) black on dorsal half and dark brown on ventral half, continuing dark area of crown to frons and clypeus. Thorax ( Figs. 17A, B, 18A, B) almost completely to completely castaneous, in some specimens with some small and inconspicuous yellow areas on pleurites. Pronotum ( Figs. 17A, 18A) brown to dark brown, except for a broad anterior darker marginal stripe. Forewing ( Figs. 17A, B, 18A, B) castaneous to dark brown. Fore- and middle legs ( Figs. 17A, B, 18B) with femora, tibiae, and tarsi yellow, with dark brown areas at basal and apical portions. Hind leg ( Figs. 17A, B, 18B) dark brown, with an apical yellow area on femur. Abdomen completely dark.

Male terminalia. Pygofer ( Fig. 17C), in lateral view, with a distinct median concavity on ventral margin; preapical region convex ventrally. Subgenital plates ( Fig. 17C), in lateral view, almost extending to pygofer apex. Connective ( Fig. 17E) with arms almost parallel; base of arms with a V-shaped dorsal rim. Style ( Fig. 17E) with apodeme wide and long, as long as apophysis length; angle formed between preapical lobe and apical portion acute; apical portion approximately 1.4 times longer than wide; extending beyond connective apex. Aedeagal shaft ( Fig. 17F), in lateral view, with preapical dorsal spiniform process almost attaining dorsal margin of lateral projections, base of this process with a small dentiform process sometimes present posteriorly. Dorsal connective ( Fig. 17F–H) sclerotized; submedian acute process conspicuous. Other characters as in A. dives .

Female terminalia. Second valvula ( Fig. 18G), in lateral view, with 89 separate teeth on dorsal margin. Gonoplac ( Fig. 18I) apex subtriangular. Other characters as in A. dives .

Distribution. Panama ( Bocas del Toro and Coclé provinces) ( Fig. 30).

Material examined. Type material: Holotype, ♂: PANAMA: Coclé: N of El Copé , 08.66819N, 80.59268W, 790 m a.s.l., 2005-viii-17, Mercury vapor light, J.N. Zahniser ( USNM) . Paratypes: PANAMA: Bocas del Toro: 2 ♂♂, 16 rd km N Lago Fortuna, “Willie Mazu” tourista spot, 08.793°N, 082.193°W, 507 m a.s.l., 2005-viii-19-20 , S.H.

McKamey ( USNM). Coclé: 1 ♂, same data as holotype ( DZRJ) . 1 ♀, same data, except: DNA voucher Entomologia DZRJ ENT6429 ( DZRJ) . 3 ♂♂, 2 ♀♀, same data, except: 08.688N, 080.593W, 2005-viii-18, S.H. McKamey ( USNM) ; 1 ♂, same data, except: DNA voucher Entomologia DZRJ ENT6584 ( USNM). Other specimens (based on photographs of habitus): PANAMA: Bocas del Toro : 1 ♂, Changuinola-1, 1980-i-16–17, M. Estrebi ( STRI) . Coclé: 1 ♀, El Copé, 1980-xi-03, J. Jaen ( STRI) .

Etymology. The specific epithet ‘ rufifrons ’ comes from the Latin rűfus (“red”) + frôns (“forehead, front”), referring to the rufous color present on the anterior part of the head of this species. The species name should be treated as a noun in apposition.

Remarks. This species resembles A. tissa mainly by the general brown to dark brown coloration of the body ( Figs. 17A, B, 20A, B) and A. gigas also by the brown coloration of the body and the yellow coloration of the fore- and middle legs ( Figs. 10D, 17B), but the former can be clearly distinguished from both species by the rufous coloration of the anterior region of head ( Fig. 17A, B) and the dark stripe along the anterior margin of the pronotum ( Fig. 17A).