Nivalios punctatus, Zhang, Ya-Lin, Peng, Ling-Fei & Wang, Ying-Lun, 2011

Zhang, Ya-Lin, Peng, Ling-Fei & Wang, Ying-Lun, 2011, Nivalios gen. nov. (Hemiptera: Fulgoromorpha: Flatidae), first record of the tribe Nephesini from China, Zootaxa 2882, pp. 19-26 : 21-24

Nivalios punctatus sp. n.

( Figs. 1–22 )

Color. Generally light brown to pale grey; eyes fuscous; antennal segment II with darker dot at upper apex ( Fig. 2 ); mesonotum ( Fig. 2 ) dark brown with three lines light brown; legs with femora pale brown, tibia and tarsus a bit darker; tegmina ( Figs. 1 , 5 ) marked with dark and pale patches; hindwings pale grey.

Morphology. Body length 9.9–10.4 mm. Head ( Figs. 2 , 7 ) short, narrower than pronotum, anterior margin truncate; lateral margins ridged. Frons ( Fig. 3 ) convex, wider than long, lateral margins strongly carinate, with median longitudinal carina about 2/3 length of frons, dorsal margin rounded onto dorsum of head, replacing vertex, transverse intergenal carina delimited posterior margin of frons. Vertex ( Figs. 2 , 7 ) remnants triangular, concealed beneath anterior margin of pronotum. Clypeus ( Fig. 3 ) elongate triangular, convex medially. Labrum (Lab) ( Fig.

16) elongate conical. Rostrum ( Figs. 3 , 16 ) long, extended to meta-trochanter, armed with many external sensilla. Antennal segment I ring-like, segment II about three times longer than segment I ( Fig. 6 ). Pronotum ( Figs. 2 , 6, 7 ) broad, longest in midline, with anterior margin convex and posterior margin concave; postocular eminence (POE) small, conical. Mesonotum ( Figs. 2 , 7 ) smooth, slightly wider than long, with three longitudinal lines or lines obscure. Metatibia ( Fig. 4 ) with five spines apically, metatarsal basal segment with eight or nine spines apically. Tegmina ( Figs. 1 , 5 ) length 8.8–9.4 mm, width between costal margin and apex of clavus 4.6–4.8 mm; costal margin evenly convex, rounded to apical margin till apex of clavus; postclaval sutural margin convex, with one subapical line; costal membrane about 1.8 times wider than costal cell at bulla; Sc and R united from base to form a stem, R, M and Cu forked before midlength of tegmen, Y-stem of anal veins short; 4 large black spots placed in permanent position: uppermost one near basal costal cell, central spot at bifurcation of vein M, lower one in the basal 1A cell, lowermost and largest one near apex of clavus.

Male genitalia. Pygofer ( Fig. 8 ) ring-like, in lateral view slightly hemispherical, with anterior margin evenly concave, posterior margin strongly arched. Genital styles ( Fig. 8 ) triangular, with strong process at dorsocaudal portion. Anal segment ( Figs. 8, 9 ) in lateral view elongate triangular, in dorsal view apical side wider than basal side, lateral margins straight and apical margin concaved medially. Phallus ( Figs. 8, 10 ) simple, phallobase tubular, with pair of recurved slender processes, which teethed apically and reaching base of phallobase; theca surrounded by phallobase, only apex outside.

Female genitalia. Anal segment ( Figs. 11, 15 ) shuttle-like in lateral view, oval in dorsal view, apical margin and basal margin slightly concave, anal style finger-like. Valvulae I ( Figs. 11, 12, 14 ) long and sword-like, outer surface armed with ten teeth near apex and apical margin. Valvulae II ( Fig. 11 ) small and short. Valvulae III ( Figs. 11, 13 ) large, rectangular, basal margin truncate, ventral and dorsal margins sinuate, apical margin with eight large teeth.

Ultrastructure. Rostrum ( Fig. 16 ) hold maxillae (Ma) and mandibles (Md); maxillae ( Figs. 17 , 22 ) locked with each other by three locks (dorsal, middle and ventral locks), dorsal lock ( Fig. 22 ) with four straight processes (A, A’, B, B’); middle lock ( Fig. 22 ) with one T-shaped process (C) and two hooked processes (C1’, C2’); ventral lock ( Fig. 22 ) with only two straight processes (D, D’); food canal (FC) centered ( Figs. 17 , 22 ), salivary canal (SC) much smaller than food canal ( Figs. 17 , 22 ); mandibles ( Figs. 17 , 22 ) rounded, ventral sides inflated and dorsal sides thin. Apex of antennal segment II strongly wrinkled and almost with all sensilla, upper apex abundantly covered with about 74 sensilla trichodea (SeT) which are slightly curved at apex, lower apex with about 15 sensory plaque organs (SPO) flower-like, flank smooth with a few sensilla chaetica (SeC) ( Figs. 18, 19 ). Clavus of tegmen with lots of wax gland-plates ( Figs. 20, 21 ); gland-plates usually 50–150μm in length and 25–100μm in width, depending on number of wax pores; each gland-plate consisting of 8–35 pores, a sensory hair in the side portion rounded by pores which symmetrically arranged in two moniliform lines, inner pores usually 8–10μm in diameter and outer pores about 4–6μm in diameter.

Type material. Holotype, ♂: Jiangyong County, Hunan Province, China, 29.v.1981, Lou ( NWAFU) ; Allotype, ♀: Jiangyong County, Hunan Province, China, 12.v.1981, Lou ( NWAFU) ; Paratypes, 1♀, Tianpingshan Mountain , Longsheng County, Guangxi Province, China, 3.vi.1963, Wang Shuyong ( IZCAS) ; 2♂♂, Tianpingshan Mountain , Longsheng County, Guangxi Province, China, 9.vi.1963, Wang Shuyong ( IZCAS) ; 1♂, Hongmaochong , Longsheng County, Guangxi Province, China, 900 m, 11.vi.1963, Wang Shuyong ( IZCAS) ; 1♂, 1♀, Huaping , Longsheng County, Guangxi Province, China, 11.vi.1963, Liu Sikong ( IZCAS) ; 1♂, Tianpingshan Mountain , Longsheng County, Guangxi Province, China, 740 m, 17.vi.1963, Wang Shuyong ( IZCAS) ; 1♂, 1♀, Baiyan , Longsheng County, Guangxi Province, China, 1150 m, 18.vi.1963, Wang hunguang ( IZCAS) ; 1♂, Sanmen , Longsheng County, Guangxi Province, China, 300 m, 26.vi.1963, Wang Shuyong ( IZCAS) ; 1♂, 1♀, Huangshuang , Suining County, Hunan Province, China, 7.viii.1980, Zhang Xiankai ( NWAFU) ; 2♀♀, Jiangyong County, Hunan Province, China, 18.vi.1981, Lou ( NWAFU) ; 2♂♂, Dayaoshan Mountain , Jinxiu County, Guangxi Province, China, 14.vi.1982, Yang Jikun & Li Fasheng ( CAU) ; 1♂, Tianpingshan Mountain , Longsheng County, Guangxi Province, China, 680 m, 22.vi.1982, Yang Jikun ( CAU) ; 1♂, Cujiang , Longsheng County, Guangxi Province, China, 800 m, 24.vi.1982, Yang Jikun ( CAU) ; 1♀, Hongtan , Longsheng County, Guangxi Province, China, 26.vi.1982, Wang Xinli ( CAU) ; 1♂, Langping , Tianlin County, Guangxi Province, China, 29.v.1982, Yang Jikun ( CAU) ; 1♀, Tianpingshan Mountain , Longsheng County, Guangxi Province, China, 24.vi.1982, Wang Xinli ( CAU) ; 2♂♂, Nanling Mountain , Shaoguan City, Guangdong Province, China, 7.v.2007, Tan Jiangli ( NWAFU) .

Distribution. China (Guangdong, Guangxi, Hunan).

Etymology. The specific epithet is derived from the Latin word “ punctum ”, referring to the spots on the tegmina.

Figures

FIGURE 22. Nivalios punctatus sp. n. 22, Cross-section through the subapical rostral segment, scale bar, 5 μm. (LMd: left mandible; LMa: left maxilla; RMd: right mandible; RMa: right maxilla).

FIGURES 1 – 4. Nivalios punctatus sp. n. 1, Body, lateral view; 2, Head and thorax, dorsal view; 3, Face; 4, Terminal part of hind leg.

FIGURES 5 – 10. Nivalios punctatus sp. n. 5, tegmen, scale bar, 1 mm; 6, Head and thorax, lateral view, scale bar, 1 mm; 7, Head and thorax, dorsal view, scale bar, 1 mm; 8, Male genitalia, lateral view, scale bar, 0.5 mm; 9, Male anal segment, dorsal view, scale bar, 0.5 mm; 10, Phallus, lateral view, scale bar, 0.5 mm.

FIGURES 11 – 15. Nivalios punctatus sp. n. 11, Female genitalia, lateral, scale bar, 0.5 mm; 12, Female Valvulae I apex, lateral, scale bar, 0.5 mm; 13, Female Valvulae III, lateral, scale bar, 0.5 mm; 14, Female genitalia, ventral, scale bar, 0.5 mm; 15, Female anal segment, dorsal, scale bar, 0.5 mm.

FIGURES 16 – 19. SEMs of Nivalios punctatus sp. n. 16, Cross-section through the subapical rostral segment; 17, Maxillae and mandibles; 18, Antennal segment II, apical; 19, Antennal segment II, lateral. (LMd: left mandible; LMa: left maxilla; RMd: right mandible; RMa: right maxilla; FC: food canal; SC: salivary canal; SeC: sensilla chaetica; SeT: sensilla trichodea; SPO: sensory plaque organs).

FIGURES 20 – 21. SEMs of Nivalios punctatus sp. n. 20, wax glands on clavus of tegmen; 21, Single gland-plate.