Balacha caledonia, Mejdalani & Silva & Froza & Carvalho & Pecly & Quintas, 2024

Mejdalani, Gabriel, Silva, Adriane Pereira, Froza, Joyce Adriana, Carvalho, Stéphanie Riehl, Pecly, Nathalia Hiluy & Quintas, Victor Cordeiro, 2024, A new species of the sharpshooter genus Balacha from an alpine field in southeastern Brazil (Insecta: Hemiptera: Cicadellidae: Cicadellini), Revista Brasileira de Entomologia (e 20240008) 68 (2), pp. 1-7 : 2-5

publication ID	https://doi.org/ 10.1590/1806-9665-RBENT-2024-0008
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/090287EB-FF83-BF04-FCF8-06EAC325FE68
treatment provided by	Felipe
scientific name	Balacha caledonia
status	sp. nov.

Treatment

Balacha caledonia View in CoL sp. nov. ( Figs. 1-3 View Figure 1 View Figure 2 View Figure 3 )

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:76E543D0-06E6-42B4-AEFB-7FF2335424FF

Total length. Male holotype 8.2 mm; female paratypes 8.5-8.8 mm (n = 3).

Head ( Figs. 1 View Figure 1 a-c). Crown, in dorsal view, well produced anteriorly, its median length approximately 6/10 of interocular width and 4/10 of transocular width; surface smooth, glabrous, with transverse concavity at interocellar area; anterior margin rounded; without carina at transition from crown to face. Ocelli located on imaginary transverse line between anterior angles of compound eyes, each ocellus equidistant from median line of crown and adjacent anterior eye angle. Coronal suture distinct. Frontogenal suture distinct, extending onto crown to near ocellus. Temporal suture indistinct. Antennal ledge, in dorsal view, slightly protuberant; in lateral view, not carinate dorsally and with anterior margin oblique and convex. Face with frons flattened medially; texture of disc finely granular; muscle impressions distinct. Epistomal suture obsolete. Clypeus robust, contour of its inferior portion, in lateral view, forming distinct angle with superior portion; apex convex.

Thorax ( Figs. 1a, b View Figure 1 ). Pronotum, in dorsal view, with width slightly smaller than transocular width of head; lateral margins parallel; posterior margin distinctly concave medially; dorsolateral carina complete, rectilinear, slightly declivous anterad; disc glabrous, its posterior half distinctly rugose medially. Mesonotum, in dorsal view, with scutellum finely transversely striated. Forewing without well-defined apical membrane;texture coriaceous and smooth;venation elevated and mostly distinct; without anteapical plexus of veins; with three closed anteapical cells, their bases located more proximally than claval apex; with four apical cells, base of fourth more proximal than base of third. Hind wing with vein R2+3 incomplete. Hind leg with femoral apical setal formula 2:1:1; first tarsomere longer than combined length of two more distal tarsomeres, its plantar surface with two parallel rows of small setae.

Coloration ( Figs. 1 View Figure 1 a-c, 3a, b). Ground color of anterior dorsum dark brown to black.Crown with four orange maculae along posterior margin; antennal ledge tinged with orange. Pronotum with distinct, medially constricted orange transverse stripe. Forewing dark brown to black; with four contrasting yellow markings: (1) basalmost one forming slightly curved stripe over base of corium and clavus, (2) second one from claval sulcus to outer margin of first discal cell, oblique, directed anteriorly, (3) third one forming transcommissural stripe originating at apex of clavus and almost reaching costal margin, (4) fourth one a spot located close to base of fourth apical cell, distinctly smaller than the others. Ground color of face and lateral and ventral areas of thorax dark brown to black; frons with orange stripe along frontogenal suture; clypeus with pair of large lateral orange areas connected to frontal stripe;

lorum orange; gena with few small orange or brown markings; labium dark brown to black; additional small irregular orange spots may also be present on face. Legs dark brown to black; setal rows of hind tibia (AD, PD, AV, PV) contrasting brown. Abdomen dark brown to black; posterior portions of sternites and laterotergites orange.

Male terminalia. Pygofer ( Figs. 1d, e View Figure 1 ), in lateral view, well produced posteriorly; without processes; posterior margin mostly truncate; surface with macrosetae distributed mainly on posterior half; in ventral view, ventral margin with distinct emargination on median portion. Valve ( Fig. 1f View Figure 1 ), in ventral view, subrectangular, short, slightly constricted medially. Subgenital plate ( Fig.1f View Figure 1 ), in ventral view, triangular, narrowing gradually toward apex; with few macrosetae located close to outer margin; microsetae also present; plates linked basally to each other and to valve by large membranous area; in lateral view, plate extending almost as far posteriorly as pygofer apex. Connective ( Fig. 1g View Figure 1 ), in dorsal view, T-shaped; stem narrow and elongate, with median keel. Style ( Fig. 1g View Figure 1 ), in dorsal view, very elongate, extending much farther posteriorly than connective; without preapical lobe; apical portion digitiform, curved outward; apex obtuse. Aedeagus ( Fig. 1h View Figure 1 ) symmetrical; shaft, in lateral view, elongate, tubular, arcuate dorsally, not curved at its base; without processes; basal half with dorsal lobe; apical portion without ventral lobe; gonopore located apically; ejaculatory bulb strongly developed in comparison with size of shaft. Paraphyses ( Fig. 1i View Figure 1 ), in dorsal view, with stalk elongate, triangular, connected to stem of connective; rami very elongate, slightly convergent apically; each ramus with basal portion directed anteriorly, then with sharp turn posteriorly, apex acute.

Female terminalia.Sternite VII ( Fig.2a View Figure 2 ), in ventral view, with posterior margin sinuous, including deep median emargination. “Internal” sternite VIII ( Fig.2b View Figure 2 ), in dorsal view, with pair of distinct ovoid sclerites connected to each other by transverse bar.Pygofer ( Fig.2c View Figure 2 ), in lateral view, moderately produced posteriorly; posterior margin triangularly produced; apex obtuse; macrosetae distributed mostly on posterior half and extending anteriorly along ventral margin.Valvifer I ( Fig.2d View Figure 2 ), in lateral view,expanded posteriorly; posterior margin with small dentiform projection. Valvula I ( Figs. 2e, f View Figure 2 ), in ventral view, with basal portion broadened; blade, in lateral view, approximately rectilinear beyond basal curvature; apical portion with ventral and dorsal margins serrated; apex acute; ventral interlocking device located on basiventral half of blade; dorsal sculptured area extending from basal portion to apex of blade, formed mostly by scale-like processes arranged in oblique lines; ventral sculptured area restricted to apical portion, formed by scale-like processes; basal portion of valvula with scattered setae/pores also extending posteriorly along area below ramus. Valvula II ( Figs. 2g, h View Figure 2 ), in lateral view, expanded beyond basal curvature; dorsal margin regularly convex; blade with about 25 continuous, sclerotized subtriangular teeth, those at ascending basal portion small, followed by about eight elongate ones (with flat, low posterior area) and then becoming smaller, at descending portion, toward apex; denticles distributed on teeth and on dorsal and ventral apical portions of valvula, except on apex (dorsal and ventral dentate apical areas with similar sizes); ventral margin of blade approximately rectilinear; basidorsal hyaline area distinct; preapical prominence small but distinct; apex obtuse; blade with ducts extending toward teeth and apex. Gonoplac extending slightly beyond pygofer apex; in lateral view, with basal half narrow and apical half distinctly expanded; apex obtuse; surface with denticuli and few setae distributed on apical portion and extending anteriorly along ventral margin (apical setae distinctly larger than more basal ones).

Etymology.The specific epithet, caledonia , refers to the type locality of the new taxon (Pico do Caledônia, municipality of Nova Friburgo, state of Rio de Janeiro, southeastern Brazil). It is a noun in apposition.

Known host plant: Eryngium sp. ( Apiaceae ).

Type material. Southeastern Brazil, state of Rio de Janeiro. Male holotype: “RJ [state of Rio de Janeiro] Nova Friburgo \ Arredores [do] Pico [do] Caledônia [2,257m a.s.l.] \ 22/V/2022 \ Mejdalani, Pecly, \ Quintas, Oliveira, Alves” ( MNRJ-ENT3-2394 ). Paratypes: four females, same data as the holotype ( DZUP, MELQ-ESALQENT001775 , MNRJ-ENT3-2393 , 2396 ); one female: “ RJ Nova Friburgo \ Pico do Caledônia \ 22/ VI /2019 \ Mejdalani, Pecly, Quintas , Ferreira ( MNRJ-ENT3-1860 ) .