Psalmocharias akesensis, Wang, Xu, He, Zhiqiang & Wei, Cong, 2017

Wang, Xu, He, Zhiqiang & Wei, Cong, 2017, A new cicada species of Psalmocharias Kirkaldy feeding on an Ephedra plant from China (Hemiptera: Cicadidae), Zootaxa 4290 (2), pp. 367-372 : 369

Psalmocharias akesensis sp. nov.

Figs 1–3

Type material. Holotype: ♂ ( NWAFU), China: Wensu County, Akesu City , Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, 17.V.2016, coll. Tiansheng Zhu & Ping Zhang . Paratypes: 37♂♂, 11♀ ( NWAFU), same data as the holotype .

Measurements of types (16♂♂, 5♀; in mm). Body length: ♂ 23.1–26.4, ♀ 23.5–25.8; fore wing length: ♂ 25.0–29.7, ♀ 25.7–28.9; fore wing width: ♂ 10.2–11.6, ♀ 10.9–11.8; ♂ width of head including eyes: ♂ 6.0–7.2, ♀ 6.8–7.5; pronotum width (including pronotal collar): ♂ 8.3–10.3, ♀ 10.4–11.4; mesonotum width: ♂ 6.8–8.0, ♀ 8.1–8.5; expanse of forewings: ♂ 54.9–64.0; ♀ 58.5–63.3.

Etymology. The species name is derived from the type locality.

Description of male. Head ( Fig. 1 A–C) narrower than mesonotum. Generally black with longitudinal central yellow fascia and two pairs of irregularly shaped yellow fasciae on posterior margins of head. Eyes dark brown, ocelli red. Supra-antennal plates yellow. Postclypeus black, with series of transverse fasciae yellow. Anteclypeus black. Rostrum yellow, with black apex extending to mid trochanter. Genae yellow, with dense, long silvery hairs. Distance between lateral ocellus and corresponding eye about as long as distance between lateral ocelli.

Thorax ( Fig. 1 A–C). Pronotum yellow, distinctly longer than head; inner area mostly yellow, with black longitudinal fasciae on either side of midline which are dilated anteriorly; two small posterior median fused black spots anterior to pronotal collar. Fissures light brown. Pronotal collar yellow with black markings along anterolateral margins. Mesonotum yellow with following black markings: pair of large fasciae on parapsidal sutures; pair of medial fascia surrounding scutal depression; pair of longitudinal fasciae along lateral sigilla. Cruciform elevation yellow. Thoracic sternites yellow, covered with dense golden hairs.

Legs ( Fig. 1 E). Yellow with black patches. Fore femur with three spines; primary spine pointed apically and oblique to femur; secondary spine large, erected and pointed; subapical spine shorter than secondary spine and pointed.

Wings ( Fig. 1 A, B). Hyaline, with 8 and 6 apical cells on fore wing and hind wing, respectively; veins yellow to ochraceous. Fore wing and hind wing with distinct, continuous infuscations on basal veins of apical cells 1–3, respectively.

Abdomen ( Fig. 1 A, B, D). Covered with silvery hairs. Tergites II and III black; tergites IV–VIII yellow with black markings medially. Timbal covers yellow to ochraceous, short and incomplete, with white short pile; timbals with eight long ribs and seven intercalary ribs. Opercula yellow, rounded, strongly oblique posteriorly, just extending beyond posterior margin of sternite II. Abdominal sternites ochraceous with yellow posterior margins, and covered with dense silvery hairs.

Genitalia ( Fig. 1 F–I). Pygofer rounded in ventral view. Dorsal beak long, pointed apically. Upper lobes moderately developed, rounded. Basal lobes undeveloped. Median uncal lobe short and rectangular, with apex truncated. Claspers deeply divided into two arms, recurving to sharp point apically. Aedeagus cylindrical, apex membranous, with two long straight spines and three short curved spines.

Description of female ( Fig. 2 ). Opercula scarcely developed. Abdominal segment VII with posterior margin incised at middle. Abdominal segment IX yellow, with black marking in lateral view. Ovipositor sheath black, not extending beyond dorsal beak. Other characteristics similar to male.

Host plant. Ephedra intermedia Schrenk ex Mey.

Distribution. China (Xinjiang).

Remarks. Intraspecific variability of P. akesensis sp. nov. mainly occurs on markings on mesonotum of males. Two pairs of black fasciae on anterior margins and posterior margins of mesonotum are transitional (small-sized– medium-sized–large-sized) ( Fig. 3 ). This new species is similar to P. querula , but can be distinguished by the following characters: abdominal sternites ochraceous with yellow posterior margins (abdominal sternites black with reddish brown posterior margins in P. querula ); male median uncal lobe short, lesser than 1/3 length of pygofer (male median uncal lobe long, about as long as 1/3 length of pygofer in P. querula ); aedeagus with two long straight spines and three short spines apically (aedeagus with seven spines apically in P. querula ).

Adults of this new species are emerged in the middle of May at densities as great as 50–100 individuals/plant ( Fig. 4 ). It is a truly amazing cicada , because it was found exclusively feeding on the medicinal plant Ephedra intermedia . Plants of this genus are important natural herbs and well known for containing various medicinally active alkaloids (notably ephedrine) which stimulate the central nervous system, influence muscle contraction of animals, and are widely used in preparations for the treatment of some diseases ( Miao et al., 2011). Herbivorous insects have coexisted with higher plants for 250 million years (Brattsten, 1986). Plants produce many allelochemicals, such as alkaloids, terpenes, and phenols, for defense against insects ( Fraenkel, 1959). These chemicals are often appreciably toxic and have favored the evolution of counteradaptions in plant-feeding insects, including behavioral adaptations, modified physiological processes, and biochemical mechanisms ( Fraenkel, 1959). Insects often rely on a complex of general-purpose defensive enzymes to overcome the potential toxicity of the plants they eat (Brattsten et al., 1986). To our knowledge, insects that feed on Ephedra plants are extremely few, except for the cicada Subpsaltria yangi Chen and the aphid Ephedraphis gobica Szelegiewicz to date ( Luo & Wei, 2015a; Luo & Wei, 2015b; Qiao & Zhang, 2002). The discovery of P. akesensis sp. nov. feeding on Ephedra intermedia provides important experiment materials for future studies of detoxification mechanism in insects and for the protection of this important medicinal plant.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Psalmocharias akesensis sp. nov. (male, holotype). A. habitus, dorsal view; B. habitus, ventral view; C. head and thorax, dorsal view; D. abdomen, ventral view; E. left foreleg, showing the spines on fore femur; F. male pygofer, ventral view G. male pygofer, lateral view; H. aedeagus with apex enlarged showing the spines, lateral view; I. clasper, ventral view.

FIGURE 2. Psalmocharias akesensis sp. nov. (female, paratype). A. habitus, dorsal view; B. habitus, ventral view; C. female terminalia, lateral view; D. female terminalia, ventral view.

FIGURE 3. Psalmocharias akesensis sp. nov. (male). A, B & C. head and thorax, dorsal view, showing intraspecific variability on mesonotum.

FIGURE 4. Host plant and habitat of Psalmocharias akesensis sp. nov. A. host plant with cicadas feeding on the twigs; B. habitat; C. a cicada perching on the host plant.