Pyrgauchenia colorata Distant

Stegmann, U. E., Webb, M. D. & Linsenmair, K. E., 2002, New species, synonymies and life-histories in the South-East Asian treehopper genus Pyrgauchenia Breddin (Auchenorrhyncha: Membracidae: Centrotinae), Journal of Natural History 36 (3), pp. 279-303 : 288-295

Pyrgauchenia colorata Distant

( ®gures 1I±K, 3, 4) Pyrgauchenia colorata Distant, 1915: 326 ±327. Lectotype, designated by Broom ®eld 1971. Sabah ( BMNH), examined.

Pyrgauchenia angulata Funkhouser, 1932: 114 . Holotype. Sabah (BMNH), examined, syn. nov.

Pyrgauchenia brunnea Funkhouser, 1932: 113 . Holotype. Sabah (BMNH), examined, syn. nov.

Diagnosis

Anterior process very slender in both sexes, in males bent backwards with distal lobes angulate, in females without distal lobes; male styles similar to P. tristaniopsis , but diOEering in the aedeagus. Females of this species resemble those of P. fulmeki , P. foersteri and P. recurva in their strongly recurved anterior process but clearly diOEer in several other characters (see under`Additional species examined’).

Description

Length: 5.8±6.0 mm (®ve specimens) (mean 5.9 mm), 6.0 ± 6.9 mm (12 specimens) (mean 6.3 mm). Length of anterior process from humeral angle to point A:

4.1±5.0 mm (mean 4.5 mm).

Colour. Male: uniformly light to dark brown, base of posterior process and tibiae yellow to ocracheous, hyaline spot near tip of clavus. Female: same as male but a hyaline band runs across the tegmina.

Pronotum. Male: anterior process strongly bent posteriorly and narrow in lateral aspect; point A not or weakly produced (®gures 3A, B, E); lateral carina in the middle or near to anterior margin (®gure 3E); distal end of anterior process at less than 45ss, i.e. mostly horizontal (®gure 3A, B, E); mesal margins of distal lobes sometimes overlapping (®gure 3D); subapical node low (®gure 3A, B). Female: anterior process strongly and variably bent ventro-posteriorly and narrow in lateral aspect (®gure 3C, F±I); point A not or weakly pointed (®gure 3I); lateral carina near posterior margin or in the middle (®gure 3I); distal end of anterior process angulate and more or less vertical relative to longitudinal body axis (®gure 3G±I); its tip always simple (®gure 3J); subapical node about 1.4 mm, i.e. much higher than broad (®gure 3F±I).

Genitalia. Male: shaft of aedeagus robust, its margins slightly incurved above and below gonopore in posterior view (®gure 4A); posterior margin above and below gonopore, strongly convex in lateral view (®gure 4C); anterior surface of the aedeagus densely covered with cuticular hooks (®gure 4C); gonopore in apical view distinct but sometimes small (®gure 4B); style apical process elongate (®gure 4D), its apex bent ventrally, sometimes medio-ventrally (®gure 4D, E), and tapering to a subacute tip (®gure 4D, E).

Distribution Mt Kinabalu (Sabah, Malaysia).

Type material examined

Pyrgauchenia colorata Distant , described from three females from`Borneo; Mt. Kina Balu (J. C. Moulton)’; LECTOTYPE ,, BMNH (labels:`Type’,`Lecto-/type’,`Mt. Kinabalu./ 3000 ft. / Sep 1913 ’,` Sarawak /Museum./1914-253’,`63’,` Pyrgauchenia colorata /[?] ... Dist.’,`Lectotype ... [W]/ Pyrgauchenia /colorata/Dist./P. S. Broom®eld, 1969’), length: 6 mm, height of dorsal node: 1.4 mm; PARALECTOTYPES, 2, BMNH (labels:`Para-/lecto-/type’,`Mt. Kinabalu./ 3000 ft. / Sep 1913 ’,` Sarawak /Museum./1914-253 ’,`Para-lectotyp e/ Pyrgauchenia /colorata/Dist./P. S. Broom®eld, 1969’), length: 6.0 mm, height of dorsal node: 1.4 mm.

Pyrgauchenia angulata Funkhouser , described from ten females from`Mt. Kinabalu, B. N. Borneo. Kiau, 3,000 ft. ’; HOLOTYPE ,, Malaysia, Sabah, BMNH (labels:`Type’,`Brit. Mus. /1933-360 ’,`B.N. Borneo. / Mt. Kinabalu. / Kiau, 3,000 ft. /7:4:1929/[back side] M. Pendlebury /coll./FMS Museums. ’,`Holotype / Pyrgauchenia angulata / W. D. Funkhouser’), length: 6.3 mm, anterior and posterior processes broken oOE ; PARATYPES, 4 (from 24 labelled` Paratype’ , otherwise like holotype P. angulata ) ( BMNH), length: 6.5±6.9 mm, height of dorsal node: 1.4±1.5 mm .

Pyrgauchenia brunnea Funkhouser , described from 27 males from`Mt. Kinabalu, B. N. Borneo. Kiau, 3,000 ft. ’; HOLOTYPE ,, Malaysia, Sabah, BMNH (labels:`Type’,`Brit. Mus. /1933-360’,`B. N. Borneo. / Mt. Kinabalu. / Kiau, 3,000 ft. / 7:4:1929/[back side] M. Pendlebury /coll./FMS Museums. ’,`Holotype / Pyrgauchenia brunnea / W. D. Funkhouser’), length: 6.0 mm, anterior process broken oOE ; PARATYPES, 3 (from 24 labelled` Paratype’ , otherwise like holotype P. brunnea ) ( BMNH), length: 5.9±6.0 mm, length of anterior process: 4.6±5 mm .

Other material. 3 ( BMNH), 2 ( DEI), length: 5.8±6.0 mm (mean 5.9 mm), length of anterior process: 4.1±4.8 mm (mean 4.4 mm). 2 ( BMNH), 2 ( DEI), length: 6.0± 6.4 mm (mean 6.3 mm). All, Borneo (Sabah), Sayap Ranger Station of Kinabalu Park (6ss10¾N, 116ss35¾E), 1000 m, leg. U. E. Stegmann, 9 December 1998 .

Remarks

We synonymize P. angulata Funkhouser with P. colorata Distant because we can ®nd no diOEerence between the type specimens of these two species apart from a lighter coloration of some P. angulata specimens. More speci®cally, body size and height of the subapical node is the same; the (proximal part of the) anterior pronotal process of the one P. colorata specimen in which it is still intact is bent backwards just as in P. angulata ; the second valvulae and other parts of the genitalia cannot be distinguished consistently; all specimens have a hyaline band on the tegmina; and all specimens are from the same locality (Kiau village). P. colorata was described from three females with their`anterior pronotal process elevated and recurved (its apex mutilated in the three specimens now before me)’ ( Distant, 1915: 162). Males of P. colorata remained unknown as did the shape of the intact anterior process. Also, P. angulata was originally described only from females. We do not know why Funkhouser (1932) described some females as the new species P. angulata despite the similarities to P. colorata ; he gave no comparisons with P. colorata or other Pyrgauchenia species. Also, in the following note of caution, Funkhouser (1932) suggested that P. colorata (his P. angulata ) and P. brunnea might be opposite sexes of one biological species:`Another fact which at once attracts attention is that of two of the species here described [ P. brunnea and P. angulata ], one is represented by a series of twenty-seven males only and the other by a series of ten females only, all thirty-seven specimens collected at the same locality on the same dates, as evidenced by the specimen labels. This of course at once suggests that the two series represent the two sexes of the same species, yet in general appearance and contour they are so entirely dissimilar that such a conclusion seems hardly tenable. None of the insects were taken in cop and we have no data on their life-histories ... Since we have no breeding work or ®eld observations to guide us in the matter, we are here describing the two forms as distinct and await further information or more material to justify or disprove our conclusions.’

Our collection data indicate, indeed, that P. colorata Distant are the females and P. brunnea Funkhouser are the males of one biological species. At Sayap, the ®rst author found aggregation s of adult treehoppers, whose females could not be distinguished from P. colorata , and whose males could not be distinguished from P. brunnea except for their darker coloration. The soft pronota of some adults and the predominantly ®nal instar nymphs indicated that the aggregations were eclosing oOEspring cohorts of one species. The fact that the ®nal instar nymphs were as sexually dimorphic in their pronotum as the adults supports this conclusion: (1) nymphal females had a node on the posterior process of the pronotum (®gure 1I), while it was lacking in nymphal males (®gure 1J; only adult females had a high subapical node); (2) the spatulate margin was present only in nymphal males (®gure 1J), but not in nymphal females (®gure 1I; only adult males had distal lobes). For the above reasons, we consider that P. angulata Funkhouser , P. brunnea Funkhouser and P. colorata Distant are all synonyms with P. colorata as the senior name.

The specimen labels show that at both of the locations on Mt Kinabalu where this species was found (Sayap, Kiau) it occurred at similar altitudes (900 m, 1000 m). At Sayap, we found aggregations on several twigs of one Tristaniopsis clementis (Merr.) Wilson & Waterhouse ( Myrtaceae ) specimen growing at the roadside; they were visited by a Camponotus sp. Eggs were deposited as in P. biuni and at least ®ve females were seen sitting on egg clutches.

Pyrgauchenia pendleburyi Stegmann & Webb sp. nov. (®gures 1L, M, 5)

Diagnosis

Anterior process slender with comparatively small distal lobes in both sexes; male genitalia are similar to P. biuni with a larger gonopore in apical view.

Description

Length:, 6.5±7.0 mm (six specimens) (mean 6.8 mm);, 6.7±7.4 mm (nine specimens) (mean 7.0 mm). Length of anterior process: 3.8±4.5 mm (mean 4.2 mm);, 3.2±4.5 mm (mean 3.9 mm).

Colour. Male and female same as P. biuni , but no spotted forms and more conspicuous yellow-ochraceous carinae on anterior process (®gure 5A, B).

Pronotum. Male: anterior process strongly tapered from base to apex, moderately bent posteriorly, sometimes straight (®gure 5A); point A not or weakly pointed (®gure 5C); lateral carinae in the middle or near to anterior margin (®gure 5C); distal end of anterior process at about 45ss (®gure 5A, C); distal lobes small, mesal margins either overlapping (®gure 5D) or not produced and far apart; subapical node distinct, slightly broader than high (®gure 5A). Female: same as male except for a higher subapical node (®gure 5B) and smaller lobes (®gure 5E).

Genitalia. Male: similar to biuni but with larger gonopore in apical view (®gure 5H).

Distribution Peninsular Malaysia.

Material examined

HOLOTYPE ,, Malaysia, Pahang, Genting Highlands (3ss22¾N, 101ss44¾E), leg. U. E. Stegmann, 5 May 1996 ( BMNH) . PARATYPES, 2, 3, same data as holotype ; 1, 1, same data as holotype except, 15 January 1997 and 11 May 1996, respectively; 2, 3, Malaysia, Cameron Highlands (4ss30¾N, 101ss23¾E), leg. U. E. Stegmann, 22 May 1996 (all BMNH, DEI); 1 Malaysia, Pahang, BMNH (labels:`Malay Penins:/ Pahang, F.M.S./ Fraser’s Hill 4200 ft. / 18.6.1931 [reverse side:] H. M. Pendlebury /F.M.S./ Museums. ’,` Pyrgauchenia /recurva/ Funkh. / Det / W D Funkhouser. ’,`Ex F.M.S. / Museum. / B.M. 1955-354’); 1 Malaysia, Pahang, BMNH (labels:`Malaya / Frasers Hill / July 1933./ N.C.E. Miller’); 2 Malaysia, Pahang, BMNH (labels:`Malay Penin:/ Cameron Highlands /28.IX.194 4 [reverse side:] Dr. R. Pakahashi ’,`Ex F.M.S. / Museum. / B.M. 1955-354’). Fraser’ s Hill: 3ss43¾N, 101ss45¾E .

Remarks

All stages of the life cycle were found on the following host-plants growing along roadsides: Acalypha wilkesiana Muell. Arg. (Euphorbiaceae) , Uncaria sp. , Piper aduncum Linn. (Piperaceae) , Ficus sp. (Moraceae) , Saurauia sp. (Actinidiaceae) . This species was always found at higher altitudes of lowland rainforests and in lower montane rainforests of Peninsular Malaysia. We collected it in the Genting Highlands from 1200 to 1420 m and in the Cameron Highlands at about 1450 m (both Pahang); Pendlebury and Miller found specimens at Fraser’s Hill (Pahang) which is at about 1300 m. In the Genting Highlands we also searched at higher (1730 m: no known host-plants) and lower elevations (620 m and below: A. wilkesiana , Saurauia sp. , P. aduncum ), but never found P. pendleburyi , indicating an altitudinal distribution that is, at least at its lower end, independent of known host-plant availability. Nymphs and adults were regularly found together with two ant morpho-species: Myrmicaria spp. (Myrmicinae) . Eggs are like P. biuni and located at the underside of internodia and petioles. At least 16 females were seen sitting on egg clutches. Only once was a female, similar in shape to the curvata-morph of P. tristaniopsis , found.

This species is named after Henry Maurice Pendlebury (1893±1945), Director of the Federated Malay States Museums, whose eOEorts resulted in an outstanding collection of South-East Asian insects and who collected specimens of this species for the ®rst time during one of his expeditions in 1931.