Scoposcartula tentaculata Rodrigues, Mejdalani & Carvalho, 2010

Rodrigues, L. G. N., Mejdalani, G. & Carvalho, R. A., 2010, A new species of Scoposcartula (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae: Cicadellini) with phylogenetic and biogeographic comments on the genus, Zootaxa 2511, pp. 59-68 : 60-65

Scoposcartula tentaculata Rodrigues, Mejdalani & Carvalho sp. nov.

(Figs. 1–12)

Length. Males, 10.9–11.2 mm (holotype, 11.2 mm); females, 11.1–12.0 mm.

Male holotype. Head (Fig. 1), in dorsal view, deltoid, moderately produced; median length of crown almost one-half interocular width and about one-third transocular width; without carina at transition from crown to face; ocelli (Fig. 1) located well behind imaginary line between anterior eye angles, each ocellus distinctly closer to adjacent inner margin of eye than to median line of crown; surface of crown (Fig. 1) convex with shallow fovea between eye and ocellus; without sculpturing or setae; posterior coronal margin, in lateral view, elevated in relation to anterior pronotal margin (posterior region of head, in dorsal view, forming distinct declivity between crown and pronotum); frontogenal sutures (Fig. 1) extending onto crown and attaining ocelli; antennal ledges (Fig. 1), in dorsal view, not protuberant, strongly declivous in lateral view. Frons (Fig. 2) convex in anterior view; muscle impressions distinct; epistomal suture (Fig. 2) distinct and complete; clypeus, in lateral view, with basal third continuing profile of frons, apical two-thirds more nearly horizontal.

Thorax (Fig. 1) with pronotal width about equal to transocular width; lateral margins slightly convergent anteriorly, in dorsal view; dorsopleural carinae incomplete; posterior margin of pronotum rectilinear; disk striate on median portion, without sculpturing or setae. Mesonotum with scutellum (Fig. 1) inconspicuously striate. Forewings (Fig. 3) with texture coriaceous, without distinct membrane; veins not very distinct; with three closed anteapical cells and with four apical cells, base of fourth more proximal than base of third. Hindlegs with femoral setal formula 2:1:1; length of first tarsomere greater than combined length of two distal ones.

Colour. Anterior dorsum (crown, pronotum and mesonotum; Fig. 1) black, with pair of spots on antennal ledges and pair of maculae on anterolateral margins of pronotum, brownish-white; declivity between crown and pronotum with inconspicuous brown marks; apical portion of scutellum brown. Forewings (Fig. 3) black at base; with large red area on corium and clavus extending from basal portion to about apex of clavus, posterior portion of red area of irregular shape; costal margin, claval sulcus and basal portions of veins marked with black; region behind red area (about apical half of wing) mostly dark brown. Face (Fig. 2), in anterior view, mostly black with dark brown areas on clypeus, lora and genae; with pair of brownish-white stripes along frontogenal sutures. Thorax, in lateral view, dark brown to black with few white marks suffused with brown. Legs mostly brown with dispersed light brown and dark brown areas.

Genitalia. Pygofer (Fig. 4), in lateral view, well produced, without processes; posterior margin convex; macrosetae located on posterior half; with few microsetae on basal portion; basiventral portion, in ventral view, with triangular lobe directed inward. Subgenital plates (Fig. 5), in ventral view, triangular, narrowed on apical half, not extending posteriorly as far as pygofer apex; with uniseriate macrosetae on lateral margins. Styles (Fig. 6), in dorsal view, extending almost as far posteriorly as connective; with well developed lateral lobe; apex acute, curved outwards. Connective (Fig. 6), in dorsal view, T-shaped; stalk longer than arms. Paraphysis (Fig. 6), in dorsal view, tentacle-like, articulated with stalk of connective; not branched; extending posteriorly beyond apex of subgenital plates; flattened at apex. Aedeagus (Fig. 7), in lateral view, symmetrical, small, bearing ventral process at base; shaft harpoon-like, with apical and preapical dentiform processes dorsally.

Female. Colour similar to that of the holotype. Forewings, in rest position, exceeding apex of ovipositor. Genitalia: sternite VII (Fig. 9), in ventral view, with posterior margin almost rectilinear, bearing small triangular projection at middle; surface punctate medially just before apex and striate before punctate area. Pygofer (Fig. 8), in lateral view, well produced posteriorly, dorsomedian portion with elongate curved sclerotised line (Fig. 8, Scl); macrosetae extending posteriorly along ventral margin, concentrated on apical portion of disk (Figs. 8, 9). Sternite VIII (Fig. 10), in dorsal view, semicircular, narrowed lateroposteriorly; anterior margin with lateral portions rounded; with pair of sclerotised folds internally; posterior margin concave. Bases of first valvulae, in ventral view, with subtriangular prevalvifer area (Fig. 11, Pva); first valvulae (Fig. 11), in dorsal view, with lobe on basal portion directed inward (Fig. 11, Lbp). Second valvulae (Fig. 12), in lateral view, with blade regularly convex beyond basal curvature; with subtriangular teeth from base to apex, most teeth with two tips (bicuspidate) and with flat posterior area; denticles on teeth and on dorsal and ventral margins of blade apical region; blade narrowly rounded at apex; preapical prominence distinct.

Etymology. The specific epithet, tentaculata , which means tentacle bearer, refers to the very elongate paraphysis (Fig. 6) that is a diagnostic feature of the new taxon.

Type material ( MNRJ). State of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Holotype: male, “ RPPN El Nagual – Santo Aleixo\ – Magé [ Municipality ] – RJ\ 25–27/VI/2008 \ L. G. Rodrigues & A. Carpi col.” Paratypes: one female, “PARNASO [Parque Nacional da Serra dos Órgãos]/RJ/Brasil\ VIII/2007 \ Lab. Ecologia de Insetos/\ UFRJ col.”; “Guapi [Guapimirim Municipality] 3”; one female, same data as preceding, excepting “ X/2007 ” and “Guapi 2”; one male, same as preceding, excepting “XIII [XII?]/2007” and “Guapi 2”; one female, same as preceding, excepting “ II/2008 ” and “Guapi 2”; one female, “PARNASO/Guapimirim\ RJ/ Brasil 23/11/2006 \ Lab. Ecologia de\ insetos – UFRJ”; “Guapimirim 5”; one male, same as preceding, excepting “Teresópolis”, “ VI/2007 ” and “Guapi (7)”.