Pariaconus molokaiensis (Crawford, 1927) Crawford, 1927

Percy, Diana M., 2017, Making the most of your host: the Metrosideros-feeding psyllids (Hemiptera, Psylloidea) of the Hawaiian Islands, ZooKeys 649, pp. 1-163 : 74

Pariaconus molokaiensis (Crawford, 1927) comb. n. Figures 36, 51I

Trioza molokaiensis Crawford, 1927: 423

Adult colour.

General body colour green, or yellow-green to yellow-brown. Females often appear to have a dark abdomen due to darkly pigmented egg load. Fore wing membrane clear.

Adult structure.

Fore wing apex rounded; spinules distributed in all cells, except few or none in r1; medium-short setae on margins and veins (Fig. 36 A–B). Antennae long (av. length 1.34; ratio AL:HW av. 2.12); genal processes medium-long to long (ratio VL:GP av. 1.26), and acute apically; medium-long setae on vertex and thorax; distal proboscis segment short (length 0.11); hind tibia length subequal to head width (ratio HW:HT av. 0.94) (Fig. 36 C–I). Male terminalia (Fig. 36 J–N): paramere longer than proctiger (ratio MP:PL av. 0.86), broad at the base and more or less parallel-sided before tapering to apex with anteriorly directed hook; distal aedeagus segment shorter than paramere (ratio PL:AEL av. 1.12) with base rounded, not inflated, and a large shallow hooked apex (ratio AEL:AELH av. 2.16). Female terminalia (Fig. 36 O–P, S): proctiger long, dorsal surface slightly to moderately convex, apex bluntly acute, anal ring extremely short (ratio FP:RL av. 6.39); subgenital plate with slight to moderate medial bulge ventrally, acute apically; ovipositor apex lacking serrations, valvulae dorsalis not strongly convex dorsally.

Egg.

Short, broad, pigmented brown to dark brown (except tip of pedicel and tail) with surface microsculpturing, medium-long pedicel with slightly inflated tip, tail short (Fig. 36 Q–R).

Immature.

Unknown.

Host plant notes.

Collected from glabrous and pubescent morphotypes.

Island.

Molokai.

Distribution notes.

Kamakou Preserve (this study), Kamiloloa, Kawela ( Crawford 1927).

Biology.

Unknown, but morphology suggests it may gall stems/buds and may have made the bud gall in Fig. 51I.

Comments.

Two forms are recognized (Fig. 36): form molokaiensis (based on the type has longer genal processes, more slender paramere, and shorter female terminalia), and form laka (with shorter genal processes, broader paramere, and longer female terminalia). Although there are parallels in characteristics and extent of variation to those observed on Oahu for Pariaconus oahuensis , the degree of variation is not as pronounced in Pariaconus molokaiensis .

Type material.

Holotype, female (dry mounted, BPBM). See Table 2 for details of type and other material examined for this study.