Tenuacia DeLong, 1977

Gonçalves, Clayton Corrêa, Prando, Jádila Santos & Domahovski, Alexandre Cruz, 2025, Review of the genus Tenuacia DeLong (Insecta: Hemiptera: Cicadellidae: Gyponini), including two new species and Rubacea DeLong raised to generic status, Zootaxa 5604 (3), pp. 361-372 : 367-369

Tenuacia DeLong, 1977

( Figs 22–37 )

Type-species: Tenuacia (Tenuacia) macera DeLong, 1977 .

Diagnosis. Medium-sized leafhoppers. Crown ( Figs 22 , 25 ) without distinct macula; moderately produced, median length as long than length next to eyes; anterior margin rounded and slightly projected over anterior margin of eye; surface with fine transverse parallel striae. Ocelli ( Figs 22 , 25 ) equidistant from midline and inner margin of the eyes and equidistant from anterior and posterior margins of crown. Crown-face transition ( Figs 23 , 26 ) distinct and thin, with two distinct carinae. Frontogenal sutures ( Fig. 27 ) distant from eye margins by a little more than the diameter of the antennal scape. Antennal ledge ( Fig. 27 ) carinate, obliquely ascending and adjacent to anterior margin of crown. Clypeus ( Fig. 27 ) slightly expanded apically. Forewing ( Fig. 28 ) pale brown with several small dark brown mottled maculae; appendix developed. Male pygofer ( Figs 30–32 ) short, with distinct long ventrocaudal process. Subgenital plate ( Figs 30, 33 ) longer than pygofer in lateral view; outer lateral margin with several long hair-like setae. Connective ( Fig. 34 ) V or D-shaped in dorsal view. Style ( Figs 34, 35 ) with outer lateral lobe developed in dorsal view; blade with ventral margin serrated, apex rounded with subapical tooth on dorsal margin. Aedeagus ( Figs 36, 37 ) with dorsal apodeme well developed with a pair of apodemal processes strongly expanded caudally; shaft with a pair of subapical processes.

Coloration. Background yellow ( Figs 22, 23 , 25, 26 ). Crown ( Figs 22 , 25 ) without distinct maculae. Face ( Fig. 27 ) light brown, with black areas on gena, bellow the eye. Pronotum ( Figs 22 , 25 ) with or without dark irregular maculae on anterior third; proepimeron black ( Fig. 26 ) or dark brown with a black transverse band bellow dorsopleural carina ( Fig. 23 ). Mesonotum ( Figs 22 , 25 ) yellow with dark basilateral angles. Forewing ( Figs 22, 23 , 25, 26, 28 ) pale brown hyaline with dark brown small mottled maculae distributed throughout the wing, clavus with larger yellow areas; costal area with yellow spots on basal half. Legs ( Figs 23 , 26 ) yellow with black portions.

Description. Head in dorsal view ( Figs 22 , 25 ) with transocular width about four-fifths of pronotum humeral width; crown moderately produced, median length about three-fifths of interocular width, anterior and posterior margins parallel, median length as long than length next to eyes, anterior margin rounded and slightly projected over anterior margin of eye, surface with fine transverse parallel striae; coronal suture distinct and long, almost reaching the anterior margin of crown; ocelli large, equidistant between midline and inner margin of the eyes and equidistant between anterior and posterior margins of crown. Head in lateral view ( Figs 23 , 26 ) with crown-face transition distinct, thin, with two distinct carinae; clypeus not inflated. Head in ventral view ( Fig. 27 ) with face approximately as wide as high; frons approximately 1.3x higher than wide, texture shagreen, surface just below crown-face transition excavated; frontogenal suture distant from eye margin by a little larger than diameter of antennal scape, reaching to antennal ledges; antennal ledges carinated and horizontal, slightly advancing over frons; gena with ventrolateral margin straight; maxillary plate produced ventrally, almost reaching clypeus apex; clypeus higher than wide, lateral margins diverging to apex, apical margin emarginated. Pronotum, in dorsal view ( Figs 22 , 25 ), with transverse striae on disc and posterior third; anterior margin rounded; lateral margins convergent anterad, slightly longer than eye length; posterior margin slightly excavated; in lateral view ( Figs 23 , 26 ), moderately declivous anteriorly, continuous with head declivity. Mesonotum ( Figs 22 , 25 ) slightly wider than long. Scutellum ( Figs 23 , 26 ) not inflated. Forewing ( Fig. 28 ) with crossvein m-cu1 just after the bifurcation of the R+M veins, crossvein m-cu2 anterior to crossvein r-m1; appendix developed, as wide as the maximum width of the first apical cell; apex rounded. Profemur, elongated, 4x longer than high; AD, AM, and PD rows reduced and poorly defined, except for apical setae AD 1, AM 1 and PD 1 respectively; AV row reduced and poorly defined; PV row formed by 6–7 longer setae, extending from base to apex. Protibia, in cross-section, semi-rectangular, with longitudinal carina adjacent to PD row; AV row formed by long setae, gradually increasing in thickness and length towards apex; dorsal rows with AD 1 and PD 1 setae developed; AD formed by many small undifferentiated setae; PD row with 5 long setae and intercalary small undifferentiated setae; PV row with small undifferentiated setae. Hind leg with femoral setal formula 2:2:1; tibial rows PD, AD, and AV with 23–25, 12, and 15 macrosetae, respectively; AD row without intercalary setae between macrosetae; first tarsomere inner row with 6–8 small, non cucullate setae on plantar surface, outer row absent; apex with 3 platellae; second tarsomere pecten with 2 platellae; first and second tarsomeres flanked by 2 tapered lateral setae on inner and 1 on external corner.

Male terminalia. Sternite VIII ( Fig. 29 ) approximately as wide as long in ventral view, lateral margins straight, posterior margin emarginated. Pygofer ( Figs 30–32 ) in lateral view short; with distinct long ventrocaudal process, directed inwards; several macrosetae distributed over entire apical third; apex rounded.Anal tube slightly sclerotized. Valve wider than long; thickening of the integument only at anterior margin; posterior margin excavated medially. Subgenital plate ( Figs 30, 33 ) longer than pygofer in lateral view; outer lateral margin with several long hair-like setae. Connective ( Fig. 34 ) V or D-shaped in dorsal view, stem undeveloped, arms broad. Style, in dorsal view ( Fig 34 ), with outer lateral lobe moderately developed and rounded; blade long and slightly compressed laterally in lateral view ( Fig 35 ), ventral margin serrated, apex rounded with subapical tooth on dorsal margin. Aedeagus ( Figs 36, 37 ) in lateral view with preatrium short; atrium produced ventrocaudally; dorsal apodeme well developed with a pair of processes strongly expanded caudally; shaft tubular, elongated and slender, directed dorsally, with a paired subapical processes.

Distribution. Belize, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Panama.

Remarks. Tenuacia resembles the genus Dumorpha DeLong & Freytag, 1975 which is distributed in Venezuela, Belize, Panama and Brazil. However, the only Brazilian records are based on a female paratype of Dumorpha dedeca DeLong & Freytag, 1975 from Pernambuco, on the Northeast portion of the country. Considering this suspicious distribution and the fact that no other specimens of Dumorpha are known in from the Brazilian collections, this identification may be erroneous or a mislabeled specimen.

Species of Tenuacia and Dumorpha share the following characteristics: crown moderately produced with fine transverse striae, anterior margin rounded and expanded over the eyes; ocelli large; crown-face transition distinct and thin; forewing with dark mottled maculae; subgenital plate with hair-like setae; and aedeagus with processes on the dorsal apodeme.

However, Tenuacia differs from Dumorpha by the position of the ocelli: while in Tenuacia the ocelli are equidistant from the midline and the lateral margin of eyes and from the anterior and posterior margins of crown ( Figs 22 , 25 ), in Dumorpha the ocelli are closer to eyes and closer to anterior margin of crown. Furthermore, the crown-face transition in Tenuacia has two distinct carinae and is thin, almost foliaceus ( Figs 23 , 26 ), whereas in Dumorpha there are 3–4 carinae and the transition is thicker; in Tenuacia the forewing has a wide appendix ( Fig. 28 ), but in Dumorpha the appendix is narrower; the male pygofer of Tenuacia bears a distinct ventrocaudal process ( Figs 30–32 ), while in Dumorpha the pygofer generally does not have processes, or if present, it is small and dorsoapical; and finally, in Tenuacia the processes of the dorsal apodeme are strongly expanded caudally ( Fig. 36 ), whereas in Dumorpha the processes of the dorsal apodeme are slender.

Species of Tenuacia DeLong, 1977

Tenuacia macera DeLong, 1977: 88 . Belize (Toledo), Costa Rica (San José), Panama (Cólon, Darién, Panama Oeste).

Tenuacia quetzali sp. nov. Guatemala (Baja Verapaz).

Figures

FIGURES 13–24. 13–21, Rubacea rubera (DeLong, 1977) comb. nov., male holotype (OSU). 13, habitus, dorsal view. 14, habitus, lateral view. 15, labels. 16, aedeagus, lateral view. 17, aedeagus, posterior view. 18, enlarged view of the apical portion. 19–21, Rubacea rubera (DeLong, 1977) comb. nov., male specimen from Cuzco, Peru (DZUP), 19, aedeagus, lateral view. 20, aedeagus, posterior view. 21, enlarged view of the apical portion. 22–24, Tenuacia macera DeLong, 1977, male paratype (OSU). 22, habitus, dorsal view. 23, habitus, lateral view. 24, labels. Scale bars = 2 mm.

FIGURES 25–37. Tenuacia quetzali sp. nov., male holotype. 25, habitus, dorsal view. 26, habitus, lateral view. 27, head, ventral view. 28, forewing. 29, sternite VIII, ventral view. 30, pygofer, valve, subgenital plate and anal tube, lateral view. 31, right pygofer lobe, dorsal view. 32, left pygofer lobe, caudal view. 33, subgenital plate, ventral view. 34, connective and style, dorsal view. 35, style, lateral view. 36, aedeagus, lateral view. 37, aedeagus, caudal view. Scale bars: 13, 14, 16 = 2 mm; 15 = 1 mm; 17–19, 21–25 = 0.5 mm. 20 = 0.3 mm.