Falcatpsalta, Owen & Moulds, 2016

Owen, Christopher L. & Moulds, Max S., 2016, Systematics and Phylogeny of the Australian Cicada Genus Pauropsalta Goding and Froggatt, 1904 and Allied Genera (Hemiptera: Cicadidae: Cicadettini), Records of the Australian Museum 68 (4), pp. 117-200 : 188-189

Genus Falcatpsalta n.gen.

Falcatpsalta Owen et al., 2015: 259 , 260, 262, 271, 273, 274, nomen nudum.

Type species. Pauropsalta aquilus Ewart, 1989 .

Included species. aquilus Ewart, 1989 .

Etymology. From the Latin falcatus meaning furnished with sickles, sickle shaped, and referring to the unique shape of the upper pygofer lobes, and from psalta, derived from psaltria meaning a female harpist.

Diagnosis

Head including eyes about as wide as mesonotum, sometimes a little narrower, sometimes a little wider; supraantennal plate meeting or nearly meeting eye; postclypeus broadly rounded transversely across ventral midline, in lateral profile angulate between “top” and “sides”, in dorsal view tending angular in outline but nevertheless confluent with anterior margin of head.

Thorax. Pronotal collar width at dorsal midline much less than diameter of eyes; paranota confluent with adjoining pronotal sclerites, no mid lateral tooth; cruciform elevation with its dome wider than long; epimeral lobe not reaching operculum.

Fore leg femoral primary spine erect.

Wings. Hyaline. Fore wings with 8 apical cells; subapical cells absent; ulnar cell 3 angled to radial cell; basal cell long and narrow; costal vein (C) clearly higher than R+Sc; costa parallel-sided to node; pterostigma present; vein CuA only weakly bowed so that cubital cell no wider than medial cell; veins M and CuA completely fused as one before reaching basal cell; vein RA 1 aligned closely with Sc for its length and not diverging in subapical region; vein CuA 1 divided by crossvein m-cu so that proximal portion shortest; veins CuP and 1A fused in part; infuscation absent; wing outer margin developed for its total length, never reduced to be contiguous with ambient vein. Hind wings with 6 apical cells; infuscation at distal end of vein 2A spread on wing margin; width of 1st cubital cell at distal end at least twice that of 2nd cubital cell; anal lobe broad with vein 3A curved, long, separated from wing margin; veins RP and M fused basally.

Male opercula more or less reaching margin of tympanal cavity, directed towards distomedial margin of tympanal cavity, apically broadly rounded, clearly not meeting, clearly raised above level of tympanal cavity on its outer half or so. Male abdomen in cross-section with sides of tergites straight or weakly convex, epipleurites reflexed ventrally from junction with tergites; tergites 2–7 all similar in size (2 and 3 not considerably larger); sternites III–VII in crosssection convex.

Timbals. Timbal covers absent; timbal ribs irregular in size and spaced with prominent intermediate short ribs; basal dome very large; timbals not extended below wing bases.

Male genitalia. Pygofer with distal shoulders not developed; upper pygofer lobe shape in lateral view with basal portion of dorsal margin strongly angled to axis of pygofer, very broad basally and tapering to a broad apex; pygofer basal lobe flap-like, sometimes turned inwards; pygofer secondary basal lobe tending fold-like, in lateral view broadly angled and moderately projecting, in ventral view broad and rounded, outer face rounded; dorsal beak present and a part of chitinized pygofer. Uncus in dorsal view broadly rounded, flat or depressed along dorsal midline. Claspers with extreme basal region concave, not developed forward, in lateral view long, projecting outward far beyond margin of pygofer, cavernous below for most of length. Aedeagus with basal plate in dorsal view tending Y-shaped and weakly depressed on dorsal midline, lateral view undulated with basal portion directed forwards away from thecal shaft; ventral rib completely fused with basal plate; junction between theca and basal plate with a functional “hinge” that is small and substantially compressed between theca and basal plate in lateral view; thecal shaft straight or curved in a gentle arc; pseudoparameres present, dorsal of theca and arising independently at the base; endotheca exposed, ridged, much of surface weakly sclerotized and in part translucent; thecal apex entirely chitinized, parallel-sided in apical region; endothecal ventral support absent; thecal subapical cerci absent; flabellum absent; conjunctival claws absent; vesica retractable, vesical opening apical on theca.

Distinguishing features

Falcatpsalta can be separated from all other genera by the combination of the following attributes: fore wing veins M and CuA with their stems meeting the basal cell completely fused as one; male pygofer upper lobe long and well developed with the apex terminating in a spike; pygofer secondary basal lobe tending fold-like, in lateral view moderately projecting with its margin broadly angled, in ventral view broad and rounded; an exposed endotheca that has its surface weakly sclerotized and in part translucent.