Rubacea 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 : 362-366

Rubacea DeLong, 1977 stat. nov.

( Figs 1–21)

Type-species: Tenuacia (Rubacea) rubera DeLong, 1977 .

Diagnosis. Medium-sized leafhoppers. Head ( Figs 1, 13) with two pairs of dark maculae on crown; crown slightly produced, median length slightly longer than length next to eyes; anterior margin rounded and slightly projected over anterior margin of eye; surface with fine transverse parallel striae. Ocelli ( Figs 1, 13) closer to midline and equidistant between anterior and posterior margins of crown, or slightly closer to the posterior margin. Crown-face transition ( Figs 2, 14) distinct and thin, with two distinct carinae. Frontogenal sutures ( Fig. 3) distant from eye margins by slightly more than the diameter of the antennal scape. Antennal ledge ( Fig. 3) carinate, obliquely descending. Clypeus ( Fig. 3) with parallel lateral margins. Forewing ( Figs 1, 4, 13) yellow with several dark brown mottled maculae; appendix reduced. Male pygofer ( Fig. 6) subtriangular, long and slender, with an inner short slender basidorsal process. Subgenital plate ( Figs 6, 8) with dorsal surface and outer lateral margin with dense patch of long hair-like setae. Connective ( Fig. 9) Y-shaped. Style ( Figs 9, 10) with outer lobe developed; blade long and tubular, ventral margin smooth with a small subapical tooth. Aedeagus ( Figs 11, 12, 16–21) with dorsal apodeme well developed, laterally expanded, without processes; shaft with a pair of subapical asymmetrical processes.

Coloration. Background yellow ( Figs 1, 2, 13, 14). Crown ( Figs 1, 13) with two pairs of dark maculae: a larger pair, anterior to ocelli and adjacent to anterior margin of crown, and a smaller pair, posterior to ocelli and very close to posterior margin of crown; with a small subtriangular dark macula at apex of crown. Face ( Fig. 3) mostly black, with some yellow areas. Pronotum ( Figs 1, 13) with dark irregular maculae on anterior third; proepimeron mostly black ( Fig. 2) or yellow with a black transverse band bellow the dorsopleural carina ( Fig. 14). Mesonotum ( Figs 1, 13) yellow with brown basilateral angles. Forewing ( Figs 1, 2, 4, 13, 14) pale yellow hyaline with dark brown mottled maculae distributed throughout the wing, consisting of numerous small spots or lines, some resembling crossveins, and larger dark areas, with larger yellow areas on the clavus and basal half of costal region. Legs ( Figs 2, 14) yellow with black portions.

Description. Head, in dorsal view ( Figs 1, 13), with transocular width about four-fifths of pronotum humeral width; crown slightly produced, median length about half interocular width, anterior and posterior margins almost parallel, median length slightly longer 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 anterior margin of crown; ocelli large, closer to midline than to inner margin of eyes and equidistant between anterior and posterior margins of crown, or slightly closer to posterior margin. Head, in lateral view ( Figs 2, 14), with crown-face transition distinct, thin, with two distinct carinae; clypeus slightly inflated. Head, in ventral view ( Fig. 3), with face slightly wider than high; frons approximately 1.1x higher than wide, texture shagreen or slightly striated, surface below crown-face transition slightly excavated; frontogenal suture distant from eye margin slightly more than the diameter of antennal scape, reaching antennal ledges but not exceeding them; antennal ledges carinate and oblique, slightly extended over frons by a short distance; gena with ventrolateral margin straight; maxillary plate produced ventrally, almost reaching the clypeus apex; clypeus higher than wide, lateral margins straight and parallel, apical margin slightly emarginate medially. Pronotum, in dorsal view ( Figs 1, 13), 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 2, 14), moderately declivous anteriorly, continuous with head declivity. Mesonotum ( Figs 1, 13), slightly wider than long. Scutellum ( Figs 2, 14) not inflated. Forewing ( Fig. 4) with crossvein m-cu1 just distad of R+M bifurcation, crossvein m-cu2 basad of crossvein r-m1; appendix narrow; 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 and PV rows formed by 6–7 setae; AV row extending from base to beginning of IC row, PV row with longer setae than the AV, extending from base to apex. Protibia, in cross-section, more or less cylindrical, 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 3 ( R. indivisa sp. nov.) or 7–8 ( R. rubera ) long setae and intercalary small undifferentiated setae; PV row with 3 setae on apical half and small undifferentiated setae. Hind leg with femoral setal formula 2:2:1; tibial rows PD, AD, and AV with 23, 12, and 12–13 macrosetae, respectively; AD row without intercalary setae between macrosetae; PV row with setae of apical half formed by sequence of 1 slightly thicker and 5–6 thinner setae, ending with a thick seta; 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. 5), in ventral view, strongly convex; approximately as wide as long, lateral margins rounded; posterior margin slightly emarginated. Pygofer ( Figs 6, 7) subtriangular in lateral view, slender and long, tapering towards the apex; with inner basidorsal process short and slender; numerous macrosetae distributed over the entire apical half; apex rounded. Anal tube membranous. Valve wider than long; integument thickened only at anterior margin. Subgenital plate ( Figs 6, 8) long, reaching the median third of pygofer in lateral view; dorsal surface and outer lateral margin densely covered by numerous long hair-like setae. Connective ( Fig. 9) Y-shaped in dorsal view, stem developed, arms broad. Style, in dorsal view ( Fig 9), with outer lobe moderately developed and subquadrate; in lateral view ( Fig 10), blade long and tubular, ventral margin smooth with a small subapical tooth, apex directed dorsally. Aedeagus ( Figs 11, 12, 16–21) with preatrium short; dorsal apodeme well developed and laterally expanded, without processes; shaft tubular, elongated and slender, directed dorsally, with a pair of subapical asymmetrical processes; apex membranous.

Distribution. Peru.

Remarks. DeLong (1977) described and illustrated the holotype of Tenuacia (Rubacea) rubera as if it had a symmetrical aedeagus ( DeLong 1977: 89, fig. 10). However, we examined the aedeagus of the holotype and found that it is asymmetrical, with the right process short and unbranched ( Figs 16–18). We also examined the aedeagus of two more specimens from Cuzco, Peru, which are identical to the holotype ( Figs 19–21). In our opinion, DeLong interpreted this asymmetry as a malformation of the specimen, and provided an illustration of what he imagined the normal condition of the aedeagus would be, without communicating this fact.

The subgenera Rubacea and Tenuacia share some characteristics, including: dorsal coloration with few symmetrical dark spots on a yellow background on the head and pronotum, and forewing with numerous small dark spots or lines (some resembling crossveins) and larger dark areas ( Figs 26, 27, 35, 36); crown with anterior margin rounded and slightly projected over anterior margin of eye ( Figs 1, 25); ocelli equidistant from anterior and posterior margins of crown ( Figs 1, 25); crown-face transition distinct and thin ( Figs 2, 26); frons excavated below crown-face transition ( Figs 3, 27); subgenital plates with dense patches of hair-like setae ( Figs 8, 21); and aedeagus with asymmetrical subapical processes ( Figs 12, 18, 21, 37).

However, the pattern of male genitalia is completely different between these taxa. In Rubacea the pygofer is long and narrow with an inner slender basidorsal process ( Fig. 6), while in Tenuacia the pygofer is short with a robust ventrocaudal process ( Figs 30–32); Rubacea has a Y-shaped connective ( Fig. 9), whereas in Tenuacia it is Vshaped ( Fig. 34); the style in Rubacea has a preapical tooth on the ventral margin and apex narrow ( Fig. 10), while in Tenuacia the ventral margin lacks a preapical tooth and the apex is enlarged ( Fig. 35); and lastly, the aedeagus in Rubacea lacks apodemal processes ( Fig. 11), whereas in Tenuacia the paired apodemal processes are conspicuous ( Fig. 36). In addition to the characteristics of the male genitalia, Rubacea differs from Tenuacia by the shorter crown with median length about half the interocular width ( Figs 1, 13), while in Tenuacia the median length is about three-fifths of the interocular width ( Figs 22, 25); the antennal ledges are obliquely descending in Rucabea ( Fig. 3), but obliquely ascending and adjacent to anterior margin of crown in Tenuacia ( Fig. 27); and, in Rubacea , the forewing has an unusually narrow appendix ( Fig. 4), while Tenuacia has a broad appendix ( Fig. 28).

Furthermore, there is a significant contrast in the geographical distribution of Rubacea and Tenuacia species. The species of Rubacea are only recorded from the highlands of Peru, while Tenuacia species are found in the moist rainforest of Mesoamerica ( Fig. 38). Given this distribution and the clear morphological difference between the species of Rubacea and Tenuacia , we propose here to elevate Rubacea to the generic rank.

In addition to Tenuacia , Rubacea shares several similarities with Coarctana Domahovski & Cavichioli, 2023 , including the crown with a pair of pos-ocellar maculae and fine transverse striae; anterior margin of crown slightly projected over the anterior margin of eyes; ocelli equidistant between the anterior and posterior margins of crown (although in some Coarctana species, the ocelli are slightly closer to the anterior margin); crown-face transition distinct and thin; antennal ledges carinate and obliquely descending; forewings with mottled maculae (absent in some Coarctana species) and with appendix reduced; male pygofer with a short basidorsal process; subgenital plates with long hair-like setae; and aedeagus with processes on apical portion of the shaft. However, Rubacea differs from Coarctana by having a shorter crown, ocelli closer to the median line (closer to the inner margin of the eyes in Coarctana ), crown-face transition with two carinae (3–6 carinae in Coarctana ), metatibia without intercalary setae on AD row (present in Coarctana ), connective with developed stem (stem usually reduced in Coarctana ); and aedeagus without apodemal processes (present in Coarctana ).

Species of Rubacea DeLong, 1977 stat. nov.

Rubacea indivisa sp. nov.: Peru (Cusco, Pasco) .

Rubacea rubera ( DeLong, 1977) comb. nov.: 90. Peru (Cusco, Huánuco) .