Pseudochoutagus curvativus, Che, Yanli, Zhang, Yalin & Wang, Yinglun, 2011

Che, Yanli, Zhang, Yalin & Wang, Yinglun, 2011, A new genus of the tribe Issini Spinola (Hemiptera: Fulgoroidea: Issidae) from China, Zootaxa 3060, pp. 62-66 : 63-66

Pseudochoutagus curvativus sp. nov.

Figs. 1–3 , 8–17 .

Description. Length, male (including tegmen): 10.4 mm, length of tegmen: 6.9 mm; female (including tegmen): 11.3 mm, length of tegmen: 7.2 mm.

General color in fresh specimens brown suffused with testaceous (older specimens pale yellow) ( Fig. 1 ). Vertex brown with testaceous spots. Eyes dark brown. Frons brown with apex dark brown ( Fig. 2 ). Pronotum and mesoscutellum brown with some testaceous maculae on disc ( Fig. 1 ). Tegmen brown with veins testaceous ( Figs 1, 3 ); wing dark brown ( Fig. 1 ). Legs brown, hind femora and base of hind tibia dark brown ( Fig. 3 ). Abdomen brown with disc dark brown, apex reddish-brown.

Head very long, tapering to apex; apex of vertex upturned in lateral view ( Fig. 3 ). Vertex more or less triangular with median carina, narrow with disc slightly convex, 3.3× longer in midline than width at apex ( Fig. 1 ). Frons smooth, with median carina apparent only along one third of midline; disc elevated, widest near eyes, 1.8× wider at widest part than at base, and midlength 2.9× longer than greatest width ( Fig. 2 ). Frontoclypeal suture arched ( Fig. 2 ). Clypeus small with median carina; clypeus and the base of frons at same plane in lateral view ( Fig. 2 ). Pedicel of antenna large and nearly tubular, with many scattered sensilla ( Fig. 8 ). Pronotum wide with anterior margin distinctly convex and hind margin nearly straight, disc with many irregular pale ivory tubercles ( Fig. 1 ). Mesoscutellum nearly triangular, disc with two dark spots, 1.9× wider at widest part than medial length ( Fig. 1 ). Tegmen nearly elliptical; veins elevated, longitudinal veins with many short cross veins, 2.4× longer than widest part; Sc long, reaching past the middle, M2 branched, Cu not forked, an extra vein arising after apex of clavus nearly parallel to Cu ( Figs 1 , 9 ). Wing large with two lobes, veins reticulate, 0.95× length of tegmen ( Fig. 10 ). Hind tibia with two lateral teeth near apex ( Fig. 3 ). Spinal formula of hind leg 7–11–2.

Male genitalia: Anal segment moderately large, mushroom-shaped, longer than medial width in dorsal view ( Fig. 12 ); lateral margin strongly convex, apical margin slightly concave with angles obtuse; ventral margin a little convex in lateral view ( Fig. 11 ). Anal tube situated basally ( Fig. 12 ). Pygofer slightly longer ventrally than dorsally in profile; dorsocaudal angle distinctly produced and tapered basally ( Fig. 11 ). Connective fused with aedeagus. Aedeagus curved downward medially near apex ( Figs 13, 14 ). Aedeagus somewhat U-shaped, symmetrical, with two moderately long, spiniform processes and lateral, ventral and dorsal lobes ( Figs 13, 14 ); dorsal lobe bifurcate with apical margin rounded, convex in middle in dorsal view, apex tapering, enveloping lateral lobes and ventral lobe downwards; lateral lobes branched with apex slender and obtuse in lateral view ( Fig. 13 ); ventral lobe not divided, apical margin a little concave, apex obtuse in ventral view ( Fig. 14 ). Genital styles moderately long with process in lateral view; apex of process tapering and hooked ( Fig. 11 ).

Female genitalia: Anal segment in dorsal view ( Fig. 16 ) distinctly longer than maximum width, with lateral margins nearly straight, and apical margin convex; in lateral view ( Fig. 15 ) relatively narrow basally with apex slightly curved downward and rounded, dorsal margin sinuate; apex rounded with ventral margin nearly straight. Ovipositor ( Fig. 15 ) with first valvula curved dorsally, with three nearly parallel teeth. Third valvula stout, strongly convex, nearly triangular, with apical margin tumid and polished. Pregenital sternite with apical margin distinctly convex ( Fig. 17 ).

Material examined. Holotype 3 ( NWAFU), China, Hainan Prov., Mt. Jianfengling, 20 April 1983, coll. Gu Maobin.

Paratypes: 13 ( NWAFU), China, Hainan Prov., Mt. Tongguling, 26 April 2008, coll. Men Qiulei; 1Ƥ (SWU), Hainan Prov., Qiongzhong County, Fushan, 31 July 2007, coll. Wu Xiaofan.

Remarks. This species superficially resembles Choutagus longicephalus Zhang, Wang and Che, 2006 ( Figs 4– 7 ) (Hemisphaeriinae), but can be distinguished from the latter by: 1) tegmen with claval suture; 2) the wing is bisected into two lobes; 3) the apex of vertex upcurved in lateral view; 4) vertex, frons and clypeus without lateral carinae, and pronotum and mesoscutellum without median or lateral carinae.

Pseudochoutagus curvativus sp. nov. is related to Thabena retracta ( Walker, 1857) (Issini) , but the main differences are: 1) vertex with apex upcurved in lateral view (nearly horizontal in Thabena retracta ); 2) disc of pronotum with many irregular pale ivory tubercles (without tubercles in Thabena retracta ); 3) spiniform processes of aedeagus smooth and not bearing denticles on external margins (bearing denticles in Thabena retracta ).

Pseudochoutagus curvativus sp. nov. is also closely related to Mycterodus cuniceps Melichar, 1906 (Issini) based on the long vertex. It differs from Mycterodus cuniceps in the following: 1) vertex 3.3× longer in midline than width at apex and not wrinkled transversely (3× longer in midline than width at apex and wrinkled transversely in Mycterodus cuniceps ); 2) with hind wing ( Mycterodus cuniceps lacking hind wing); 3) pronotum without central carination (present in Mycterodus cuniceps ).

Etymology. The specific epithet is derived from Latin “ curvativus ”, referring to the apex of vertex upcurved in lateral view.

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 7. Pseudochoutagus curvativus sp. nov., male: 1. holotype, dorsal view; 2. same, head, ventral view; 3. same, lateral view; Choutagus longicephalus Zhang, Wang and Che, male: 4. holotype, dorsal view; 5. same, head, ventral view; 6. same, lateral view; 7. tegmen.

FIGURES 8 – 17. Pseudochoutagus curvativus sp. nov. 8. antenna (scape, pedicel and part of flagellum); 9. tegmen; 10. wing; 11. male genitalia, left side; 12. male anal segment, dorsal view; 13. aedeagus, lateral view; 14. apex of aedeagus, ventral view; 15. female genitalia, left side; 16. female anal segment, dorsal view; 17. pregenital sternite, ventral view. Scale bars = 1.0 mm (Figs 9 – 10), 0.5 mm (Figs 8, 11 – 17)