Cuernavaca Kirkaldy, 1913

Lenicov, Ana María Marino de Remes, Hernádez, María Cristina, Sosa, Alejandro Joaquín & Oleiro, Marina Inés, 2020, The genus Cuernavaca (Hemiptera: Dictyopharidae), associated with Pontederiaceae in South America, with redescription and new records of C. inexacta (Walker), Papéis Avulsos de Zoologia 60, pp. 1-9 : 2-3

Cuernavaca Kirkaldy, 1913

Morphological and phylogenetic studies given by Emeljanov, 2011 and Song et al., 2018, respectively, show that Cuernavaca and Taosa are closely related. Cuernavaca may be separated from the latter by the following characters: head relatively short, frons broad not visible in dorsal view, tegmina membranous with a second rank of postnodal closed cell on membrane; female with ovipositor elongate, anterior connective lamina of gonapophysis VIII with 12 or more small, longitudinally arranged teeth, gonoplacs extremely elongate and narrow with with a bunch of long setae near apex on ventral lobe.

The three species presently included in this genus can be distinguished by the following key.

Key to species of Cuernavaca (Modified from Remes Lenicov & Hernández, 2010: 334)

1. Uniformly green with a pair of small dark spots on each side of mesonotum; male with gonostyles shorter than anal segment, suboval; females with strongly elongated anal segment, 5 times its width; long and straight gonapophyses VIII with a row of strong bifurcate teeth on dorsal margin ( Remes Lenicov & Hernández,2010: Figs.1-3 , p.335-337)................................. C.longula (Remes Lenicov)

— Green with orange to dark brown marks on basal frons; male with gonostyles equal to longer than anal segment,elongate;females with relatively short anal segment 1.5 times its width; short and sinuate gonapophyses VIII, not surpassing anal segment, with conical dorsal teeth in two rows...............................................................................2

2. Frons with broad longitudinal orange band on submedian carinae in basal half; vertex longer that broad across base;gonostyles elongate, gradually narrowing to the obtusely pointed apex, dorsal margin angular on basal half, upper tooth longer than the basal tooth, with straightly forward position; endosomal processes of phalobase lanceolate and apically acute ( Fig. 1E ); gonapophyses VIII with two subparallel and subequal row of acute teeth( Fig.1F ).......................... .............................................................................. C.inexacta (Walker)

— Frons with longitudinal orange band, blackish at base; vertex broader than long across base; gonostyles elongate, dorsal margin concavely sloping toward apex,ending in a small blunt lobe;upper tooth curved forward;endosomal processes of phalobase regularly slender tapering toward apex; gonapophyses VIII with two unequal rows of teeth ( Fennah,1945: pl.12,p.293, 297)......................... C.herbida (Walker)

Plant associations

Cuernavaca inexacta : There were records of potential host plants (sugarcane, water hyacinth) but the specimens’ identification was not clearly stated ( Bennett & Zwolfer, 1968; Center et al., 2002; Crutwell, 1973; Fennah, 1945). In our studies, it was found on P.crassipes , P.cordata , P. rotundifolia and P. subovata , which represent new host records.

Cuernavaca longula : It was described as the first Dictyopharinae species associated to P. crassipes from Argentina and studied as a candidate of biocontrol of this weed because of its narrow host range in the Pontederia spp. (Pontederiaceae) ( Hernández et al., 2011a; Remes Lenicov & Hernández, 2010).

Cuernavaca herbida : The only known host plant association is with Liberian coffee in Trinidad ( Fennah, 1945).

Field observations

Representatives of the genus collected on P.crassipes in several sites in Peru and Argentina, show that C. inexacta and C. longula occupy similar ecological habitats, although C. inexacta was more abundant in the wetlands of the Peruvian Amazon than in the Paraná-Paraguay fluvial wetlands system. The Argentine wetlands drain into the Rio de La Plata river basin that is the southern border of the native range of the Pontederiaceae species and also of the Cuernavaca species.

Figures

Figure 1. Cuernavaca inexacta (Walker) (MLPA) Male: (A) habitus,dorsolateral view; (E) genito-anal segments,left lateral view. Female: (B) habitus, dorsolateral view; (C) ventral view; (D) apex of hind leg (post tibial apical teeth and tarsi); (F) genito-anal segments, left lateral view;(G) genito-anal segments,ventral view. Scale bars:A-D:5 mm;E:0.5 mm;F-G:1 mm.

Figure 2. Dictyophara inexacta Walker (BMNH) Holotype female: (A) habitus, dorsal view; (B) genito-anal segments, left lateral view. Taosa paraherbida Muir (BMNH),Paratype female:(C) habitus,dorsal viewand their labels;(D) genito-analsegments,left lateral view.Taosa inexacta (Walker) (BMNH),Female:(E)habitus, dorsal view and their labels;(F) genito-anal segments,left lateral view;Taosa paraherbida Muir (BMNH),Male: (G) habitus,dorsal view and their labels,(H) genital segment,left lateral view.Scale bars:A,C,E,G:5 mm;B,D,F: 1 mm;H: 0.5 mm.

Figure 3. Distribution map of Cuernavaca species based on records from the literature and examined specimens.Localities are listed in the corresponding document;new distributional records are marked with an asterisk (*).