Melanastera ingariko, Serbina & Malenovský & Queiroz & Burckhardt, 2025

Serbina, Liliya Š., Malenovský, Igor, Queiroz, Dalva L. & Burckhardt, Daniel, 2025, Jumping plant-lice of the tribe Paurocephalini (Hemiptera: Psylloidea: Liviidae) in Brazil, Zootaxa 5585 (1), pp. 1-164 : 86-87

38 Melanastera ingariko sp. nov.

( Figs 11I , 18C , 30G–L )

Type material. Holotype ♂: Brazil: RORAIMA: Uiramutã, Caramambatai , N5.1333 /1466, W60.5850 /5916, 970– 1200 m, 7–14.iv.2015, Miconia chrysophylla (D. Burckhardt & D.L. Queiroz) #161(9) ( UFPR; dry).

Paratypes. Brazil: RORAIMA: 9 ♂, 21 ♀, 8 immatures, 2 skins, same as holotype but ( MMBC, NHMB, UFPR; dry, slide, 70% ethanol; NMB-PSYLL0007894, NMB-PSYLL0007977, NMB-PSYLL0007902 [LSMeling-14], NMB-PSYLL0007904 [LSMeling-14], NMB-PSYLL0007905 [LSMeling-14], NMB-PSYLL0007906 [LSMeling- 14], NMB-PSYLL0007907 [LSMeling-14], NMB-PSYLL0007909 [LSMeling-14], NMB-PSYLL0007910, NMB-PSYLL0007911, NMB-PSYLL0007912) .

Description. Adult. Coloration. Straw-coloured; head and thorax with dark brown dots. Antenna pale yellow, scape and pedicel brownish, apices of segments 3–8 and entire segments 9–10 brown. Mesopraescutum with two brown patches at fore margin; mesoscutum with four broad, brown longitudinal stripes, often margined by brown dots, and one or two median rows of dots. Forewing ( Fig. 18C ) pale ochreous with sparse irregular brown dots becoming darker and denser towards wing apex; apices of pterostigma and veins Rs, M 1+2, M 3+4, Cu 1a and Cu 1b dark brown. Metacoxa brown, femora with dark patches, pro- and mesotarsi brown. Abdomen yellow to brown, darker ventrally. Terminalia yellow to brown, female terminalia with darker apex. Abdominal tergites partly, sternites entirely dark brown. Male subgenital plate ventrally and female proctiger in distal third, dark brown.

Structure. Forewing ( Fig. 18C ) oval, widest in the middle, unevenly rounded apically; wing apex situated in cell r 2 near M 1+2 apex; C+Sc relatively evenly curved; pterostigma weakly widening to apical third; Rs almost straight in basal two thirds, weakly curved to fore margin apically; M longer than M 1+2 and M 3+4; Cu 1a irregularly curved, ending at M fork; surface spinules present in all cells, leaving narrow spinule-free stripes along the veins in apical part, forming hexagons of a single row of spinules, spinules absent from base of cell c+sc. Hindwing with 6 ungrouped costal setae. Metatibia bearing 7 grouped apical spurs, arranged as 3–4 + 3–4, anteriorly separated by 3–4 bristles.

Terminalia ( Fig. 30G–L ). Male. Proctiger relatively robust; densely covered with long setae in apical two thirds. Subgenital plate ovoid; dorsal margin strongly curved in apical third; posterior margin weakly convex; sparsely covered with long setae. Paramere, in lateral view, irregularly acuminate; apex narrow, subacute, weakly sclerotised, directed upwards and slightly inwards; in dorsal view, apex narrow, subacute, directed inwards, lacking a distinct sclerotised tooth; both outer and inner faces with dense, moderately long setae; posterior margin with long setae. Proximal segment of the aedeagus apically strongly subdivided. Distal segment of aedeagus straight in basal two thirds, strongly sclerotised dorsally; ventral process situated slightly distal of the middle of the segment, strongly sclerotised, short, simple, forming obtuse lobe directed apicad, in lateral view, in continuation of the basal part of the segment, in dorsal view, widened to apex which is irregularly truncate; apical dilation large, in lateral view, vaguely bean-shaped, constricted medially, broadly and unevenly rounded apically, in dorsal view, apical dilation oblong-obovate, widest in apical quarter, irregularly rounded apically; sclerotised end tube inserted at midlength of apical dilation, short and sinuate.—Female terminalia cuneate. Dorsal margin of proctiger, in lateral view, sinuate, apex upturned, pointed; in dorsal view, apex subacute; circumanal ring, in dorsal view, vaguely cruciform. Subgenital plate, in lateral view, irregularly narrowing to apex, pointed; in ventral view, apex blunt.

Fifth instar immature. Coloration. Yellow; cephalothoracic sclerite, antenna, wing pads, legs and caudal plate brown.

Structure. Eye with one moderately long simple ocular seta dorsally. Antennal segments with following numbers of pointed sectasetae: 1(0), 2(1), 3(0), 4(2), 5(0), 6(2), 7(1), 8(1), 9(0), 10(0). Forewing pad with 5– 6 marginal pointed sectasetae, lacking sectasetae dorsally; hindwing pad with two large and one small marginal pointed sectasetae. Metatibiotarsus short; tarsal arolium broadly triangular apically, 1.2–1.5 times longer than claws. Abdomen with three lateral pointed sectasetae anterior to caudal plate. Caudal plate with anterior margin remote from anterior margin of extra pore fields; with 5–6 (2 + 3–4) pointed sectasetae on either side laterally, and three pointed sectasetae subapically, on either side of circumanal ring dorsally. Extra pore field small, forming continuous outer bands, consisting of small oval patches; outer band short medially, end pointing outwards. Circumanal ring small.

Host plant. Miconia chrysophylla (Rich.) Urb. ( Melastomataceae ).

Distribution. Brazil (RR).

Derivation of name. Dedicated to the Ingarikó people, inhabiting the area where the species was collected. A noun in apposition.

Comments. Melanastera ingariko sp. nov. resembles M. brevicauda sp. nov. in the following characters: the acuminate paramere; the short ventral process of the distal aedeagal segment forming an obtuse lobe which is, in lateral view, in continuation of the basal part of the segment; the strongly sinuate dorsal margin of the female proctiger with an upturned apex. Melanastera ingariko differs from M. brevicauda in the following characters: forewing membrane with indistinct hexagons of a single row of surface spinules (versus distinct hexagons of a double row of spinules); the more massive male proctiger; the paramere which is narrower in apical half; the distal aedeagal segment with a wider apical dilation, and the sclerotised end tube inserted at midlength (versus subapically) of apical dilation; the shape of the female subgenital plate, in lateral view, with narrower, slightly upturned apex, in ventral view, with narrowly rounded apex, FP/SP <2.0 (versus> 2.0).

Figures

FIGURE 11. Melanastera spp., head, dorsal view. A, M. dimorpha sp. nov., ♀; B, M. cabucu sp. nov.; C, M. itatiaia sp. nov.; D, M. pusilliflorae sp. nov.; E, M. goldenbergi sp. nov.; F, M. clavata sp. nov.; G, M. tibialis sp. nov.; H, M. pleromatos sp. nov.; I, M. ingariko sp. nov.; J, M. brasiliensis sp. nov.

FIGURE 18. Melanastera spp., forewing. A, M. tibialis sp. nov.; B, M. pleromatos sp. nov.; C, M. ingariko sp. nov.; D, M. brasiliensis sp. nov.; E, M. caramambatai sp. nov.; F, M. acuminata sp. nov.; G, M. melanocephala sp. nov.; H, M. brevicauda sp. nov.; I, M. michali sp. nov.; J, M. duckei sp. nov. Scale bars: 0.2 mm.

FIGURE 30. Melanastera pleromatos sp. nov. A, ♂ terminalia, lateral view; B, paramere, inner face, lateral view; C, distal segment of aedeagus, lateral view; D, distal segment of aedeagus, dorsal view; E, paramere, dorsal view; F, ♀ terminalia, lateral view.—M. ingariko sp. nov. G, ♂ terminalia, lateral view; H, paramere, inner face, lateral view; I, distal segment of aedeagus, lateral view; J, distal segment of aedeagus, dorsal view; K, paramere, dorsal view; L, ♀ terminalia, lateral view.—M. brasiliensis sp. nov. M, ♂ terminalia, lateral view; N, paramere, inner face, lateral view; O, distal segment of aedeagus, lateral view; P, distal segment of aedeagus, dorsal view; Q, paramere, dorsal view; R, ♀ terminalia, lateral view.—M. caramambatai sp. nov. S, ♂ terminalia, lateral view; T, paramere, inner face, lateral view; U, distal segment of aedeagus, lateral view; V, distal segment of aedeagus, dorsal view; W, paramere, dorsal view; X, ♀ terminalia, lateral view. Scale bars: 0.1 mm.