Tacora saturata Young, 1977

Mejdalani, Gabriel, Silva, Roberta Santos & Garcia, Claudia, 2011, Descriptions of a new Brazilian Tacora species and the female of Tacora saturata, and a key to the species of the genus (Insecta, Hemiptera, Cicadellidae, Cicadellini), ZooKeys 160, pp. 59-71 : 65-68

Tacora saturata Young, 1977 Figs 1b45

Tacora saturata Young, 1977: 316, figure 258 (crown, pronotum, and male genitalia).

Description of the female.

Length 13 mm from apex of head to apex of forewings at rest [male with about same length]; median length of crown approximately 9/10 interocular width and 1/2 transocular width. Head and thorax (Fig. 4a) much as in the above-described male holotype of Tacora johanni sp. n. Forewings extending well beyond apex of ovipositor.

Color (Fig. 1b) of anterior dorsum orange; pronotum with transverse, submarginal brown stripe on posterior portion, this stripe broader medially; mesonotum with pair of large brown maculae laterobasally. Forewings (Fig. 4b) with corium mostly translucent orange, costal margin dark brown; in rest position with transcommissural, brown W-shaped figure in basal half of clavi with anterior angles enclosing large, bright yellow maculae that extend to wing bases; large, bright yellow rounded transcommissural macula located just behind W-shaped figure, followed by transverse, oblique brown stripe extending over corium and reaching costal margin; apical portion of clavus red, with or without pair of small orange spots adjacent to claval sulcus just behind transverse brown stripe; distal half of corium with red stripe in inner anteapical cell (along outer margin of inner apical cell) and then descending across bases of apical cells.

Genitalia with abdominal sternite VII (Fig. 4c) broad, lateral margins convergent posteriorly, posterior margin broadly convex. Internal sternite VIII without distinct, well-defined sclerotized areas. Pygofer (Fig. 4d), in lateral view, well produced posteriorly, strongly narrowed towards apex; posterior margin very narrow, subacute; macrosetae located mostly on distal third, a few extending anteriorly along ventral margin. Valvifers I (Fig. 5a), in lateral view, of quadrate form, except for distinct lobe on posteroventral portion. Valvulae I, in ventral view, distinctly expanded basally; in lateral view (Fig. 5a), valvulae with broad basal lobe, blade distinctly expanded in distal half in comparison with basal half; dorsal sculptured area (mostly scale-like processes, except for linear processes basally, Fig. 5b, c) extending from basal portion of blade to apex, ventral sculptured area (scale-like processes, Fig. 5d) restricted to apical portion of blade; basal portion of blade with group of distinct setae located below ramus; apex of blade forming distinct dentiform projection (Fig. 5a); ventral interlocking device distinct, elongate, restricted to basal half of blade, located along ventral blade margin but with distal portion directed dorsally. Valvulae II (Fig. 5e), in lateral view, with dorsal margin regularly convex beyond basal curvature; without preapical prominence; apex obtuse; ventral outline of apical portion slightly concave; about 63 teeth (Fig. 5e, f, g, h), mostly subtriangular or subrectangular, distributed on dorsal portion of blade, with clear space between them; denticles (Fig. 5g) on posterior portions of teeth and on inferior half of apical portion; blade with numerous curved ducts (Fig. 5f, g) extending to teeth or terminating below the latter, ducts also extending towards apex (most teeth receive a single duct, others two or none). Gonoplacs, in lateral view, extending posteriorly slightly beyond pygofer apex; basal half with ventral margin convex and dorsal margin concave, the latter abruptly expanded towards distal half; ventral margin of distal half concave; apex of blade rounded; apical portion with few small setae and tiny tegumentary processes, the latter extending anteriorly along ventral margin.

Material examined.

One male and one female, "Venezuela, T. F \ Amazonas Dpt \ Rio Negro"; "Rio Baria \ 140m. \ 0°55'N, 66°10'W "; "C. Padilla \ col. \ 28-II-84" (MIZA); one male, same as preceding, excepting “12-II-84” (MIZA); one male, same as preceding, excepting “7-III-84” (MIZA); one male, same as preceding, excepting “4-III-84” (MNRJ); one female, same as preceding, excepting “20-II-84” (MIZA); one male and one female, same as preceding, excepting "L. J. Joly \ A. Chacon \ 4 –11-II-84” (MIZA); one male, same as preceding, excepting "Rio Mawari- \ numa 140m"; "3-III-84 \ C. Padilla \ col." (MIZA); one female, "Venezuela T. F. \ Amazonas. \ 25-XI-4-XII-1984"; "Rio Baria \ 140m. \ 0°55'N, 66°10'W "; "E. Osuna \ A. Chacón” (MNRJ); three males and one female, "VENEZUELA: Amazonas \ Cerro Unturan Camp, 65°14'W \ 01°33N, 1100m. 11 –15/III/89”; "Phipps-FUDECI Exped. \ by Amer. Mus. Nat. Hist. \ D. A. Grimaldi, coll." (AMNH); one female, "Venezuela - Boli- \ var Rio Caura. \ 26-IV-1984"; "Salto Pará” [06°12'N, 64°28'W]; "B. Bechyne. \ leg." (MIZA).

Remarks.

Young (1977) provided a detailed description of the male of Tacora saturata . Our identification is based on his description. The male genitalia and color pattern (male and female) of our Venezuelan specimens agree with the features and illustrations given by him. He recorded Tacora saturata from Colombia and Brazil. This species is the only one in the genus in which the transverse pronotal stripe is submarginal (Figs 1b, 4a).