Bitara augusta, Stroiński & Szwedo, 2021

Stroiński, Adam & Szwedo, Jacek, 2021, Bitara gen. nov. of Tropiduchidae (Hemiptera: Fulgoromorpha) east of Wallace line, Zootaxa 5057 (1), pp. 127-139 : 129-137

Bitara augusta sp. nov.

( Figs 1–46 )

Diagnosis. Tegmen with cells C1 and C3 of similar length, terminal MP 2 single. Metatibia with 3 lateral spines (including genual one) and row of 6 apical teeth (4+2) forming irregular line without diastema. Process of right lobe of pygofer, arcuately curved, tapering caudad. Spines of endosoma of different sizes; one oriented caudad, ventral one oriented cephalad; dorsal one the shortest, oriented dorsocephalad.

Description. Measurements: Total length 1.03–1.16 cm. Head. Vertex: proportion A/B = 1.64–1.81. Frons: proportion C/E = 0.42–0.45; proportion D/E = 0.53–0.58. Thorax. Pronotum: proportion F/B = 0.64–0.68. Mesonotum: proportion G/F+B = 2.22–2.40, proportion G/F = 5.45–5.90, proportion G/H = 1.09–1.18. Tegmina: proportion I/J = 2.41–2.64.

Coloration ( Figs 1–5 ). General colour ochraceous, speckled with lighter and darker irregular markings. Anterior and lateral margins of vertex mahogany-red; disc of vertex lighter straw-coloured. Frons ochraceous, with lighter speckles, median carina coloured as background, lateral carinations mahogany-brown. Postclypeus and anteclypeus ochraceous.Anterolateral and posterior margin of pronotum mahogany-reddish, disc of pronotum strawcolored. Mesonotum with lateral carinae mahogany-reddish, disc light straw-coloured, lateral margins ochraceous, speckled. Tegulae ochraceous. Tegmen transparent, membranous, venation ochraceous. Legs uniformly coloured, ochraceous.

Head ( Figs 1–13 ). Head with compound eyes narrower than pronotum. Vertex anteriorly projected, much wider than long, chevron-like in dorsal view, anterior margin angulately rounded, posterior margin deeply arcuately incised, lateral margins slightly diverging posteriad, all margins elevated, median carina almost reaching anterior margin; disc of vertex flat. Frons twice as long as broad in middle, roughly quadrate except abruptly narrowing in ventral fourth; lateral margins of frons thickened, carinate, median carina simple. Frontoclypeal suture broadly angulate. Clypeus with median longitudinal eminence. Rostrum reaching hind coxae bases; apical segment longer than broad, shorter than subapical segment. Callus small, posteriad of compound eye ( Fig. 5 ). Ocelli small, below midpoint on compound eye. Antenna with scape very short, pedicel elongated, cylindrical (about as long as wide), with plate organs present on leading surface, tip of pedicel and ventral surface, trichoid sensilla type 1 and type 2 present: plate organs of crenelated type surrounded by a ring of elevated spines, higher than sensorial crests of the plate organ of pedicel.

Thorax ( Figs 1–7, 11 , 14–17 ). Pronotum short, approximately crescent-shaped in dorsal view; anterior margin roundly produced anteriad between compound eyes; tricarinate, disc not elevated, delimited by lateral carinae, lateral carinae distinctly elevated, median one not so, not reaching anterior margin; posterior margin carinate; sideways T-shaped lateral carina between eye and tegula (base toward tegula).

Mesonotum longer than broad, on same plane as vertex and pronotum, flat; conspicuously tricarinate, lateral carinae anteriorly curved to reach median carina, posteriorly parallel, reaching posterior margin; median carina approximately reaching mesoscutellar suture. Mesoscutellar suture straight; posterior margin of mesoscutellum acute. Tegula not carinate.

Procoxa shorter than profemur, subquadrate, with margins slightly carinate, smooth. Profemur slightly shorter than protibia, subquadrate in cross-section with rows of setae along. Protibia subquadrate in cross-section; short decumbent setae along margins. Protarsus shorter than half of protibia length, basiprotarsomere scaphoid, apical protarsomere longer than combined length of basiprotarsomere and midprotarsomere.

Mesocoxa slightly shorter than mesofemur, subquadrate, with margins smooth. Mesofemur subquadrate in crosssection, shorter than mesotibia, short, decumbent setae along margins. Mesotibia subquadrate in cross-section, with rows of setae along, slightly longer than protibia; Mesotarsus shorter than half of mesotibia length, basimesotarsomere scaphoid, apical mesotarsomere longer than combined length of basiprotarsomere and midprotarsomere.

Metacoxa with coxal process widely triangular, very wide at base, spinose at apex. Metatibia distinctly longer than metafemur, not widened apically, with 3 lateral spines and row of 6 apical teeth (4+2) forming irregular line, without diastema: both lateral teeth same size; 4 internal spines different - two lateral internal teeth same size and same as lateral teeth; pair of middle teeth same size and distinctly shorter than others. Basimetatarsomere about as long as cumulative length of mid- and apical metatarsomeres, with apical row of 6 teeth; all teeth almost same size (see also Wang et al. 2017 Fig. 7F ).

Wings as in Oechalinella (for veins and cells nomenclature see Wang et al. 2017, Figs. 3E, 4D ). Tegmen hyperpterous, long and narrow, membranous, without granulation, with three defined transverse lines formed by veins and veinlets (proximal to distal): nodal, first and second postnodal lines. Costal area present, narrower than costal cell, nearly reaching the level of tip of clavus, with sparse cross veins. Costal cell extending beyond midlength the length of tegmen and without transverse veinlets. Stems ScP+R and MP leaving basal cell with a short common stalk; stem ScP+R forked basad of tegmen midlength; branch ScP+RA separated from RP before nodal line. ScP+RA 1 forked before at nodal line, slightly basad of apex of costal area; first fork of RP distinctly apicad of nodal line, at level of first postnodal line. Stem MP forking first at level of nodal line; stalk MP 1+2 markedly longer than stalk MP 3+4; MP 1+2 forked at level of first postnodal line; stalk MP 3+4 forked at level of nodal line. Stem CuA forked basad of ScP+R fork, proximad of tegmen midlength, distad of claval veins junction. Postnodal and subapical row of cells of similar length. Clavus closed (i.e., with CuP reaching margin and claval veins reaching margin), with apical tip acute, basad of end of costal area; claval veins Pcu and A 1 fused basad of half of CuP. Posterocubital cell, postcubital cell and anal cell without transverse veinlets.

Hind wings hyaline, elongate, slightly shorter than tegmen, with costal cell widened at base, with anal lobe wide. Stems ScP+R, MP and CuA, fused at base. Stem ScP+R forked at level of wing coupling apparatus (see Wang et al. 2017, Figs 4E & 5D ), at level of CuA 1 branching; branch ScP+RA with single or two terminals, reaching margin well basad of apex of wing; branch RP with three terminals reaching margin at apical angle of wing. Stem MP not forked before rp-mp and mp-cua veinlets, three terminals MP 1, MP 2 and MP 3+4 reaching margin forked well apicad. Stem CuA forked slightly basad of stem ScP+R forking, branch CuA 1 forked again basad of mpcua veinlet; terminals CuA 1a, CuA 1b and CuA 2 forked apically, reaching margin with five-six terminals. Stem CuP single. Stem Pcu distinctly curved before apex, fused for a distance with branching of A 1, A 2 single. Stems CuA and CuP connected more distad. Veinlets rp-mp slightly apicad of mp-cua at about same level, apicad of CuA 2 forking, cua-cup more basal, apicad of CuA forking.

Male terminalia ( Figs 18–29 ). Pygofer asymmetrical, roughly triangular in lateral view, upper margin declivous, lower margin straight; with posterodorsal elongate process on right side, left side without process; dorsal margin not excavate at level of anal tube base; ventral margin deeply, arcuately excavate. Gonostyli asymmetrical, medially fused into a plate, convex medially in ventral plane, in lateral view left gonostylus elongate, with subapical triangular process, dorsal edge with an oblique hook-like process at about half of gonostylus length, directed cephalad; in lateral view right gonostylus subtriangular, caudodorsal margin arcuate, dorsal margin without hook. Phallic complex straight caudad; periandrium tubular, short, membranous, endosoma bulbous, spiniferous, with three asymmetric distinct spines. Anal tube elongate, tubular, reaching almost to apex of gonostyli; with ventrocaudal, triangular expansion, epiproct and paraproct of similar size.

Female terminalia ( Figs 30–46 ). Pregenital sternite narrow, posterior margin medially deeply concave, with median sclerotised process; anal tube distinctly shorter than gonoplac, tubular; gonoplac unilobate, with row of distinct teeth on posterior margin; bases of gonapophyses VIII asymmetrical—left gonapophysis base lobate, with hook-like process; right base of gonapophysis lobate, smooth; gonapophysis VIII with teeth on apical portion of dorsal margin, ventral margin arcuate, with three apical teeth; endogonocoxal process sabre-like, as long as gonapophysis VIII.

Type material. Holotype, male: [D.N. Guinea 150. / Standlager a. Aprilfluss / 183, 12.-14.IX.1912 / Kais. Augustafl. Exp. / Bürgers S.G.] ( MNHU) . Paratypes, 2 males, 1 female: [D.N. Guinea 150. / Standlager a. Aprilfluss / 183, 12.-14.IX.1912 / Kais. Augustafl. Exp. / Bürgers S.G.] —male ( MNHU); [D.N. Guinea / Regenberg 550 m / 8.-15. V.13 / Kais. Augustafl. Exp. / Bürgers S.G.], [331 / 9.X.13.] —male ( MIZ); [D. N. Guinea / Standlager b. Malu / 12.–13.III.1912 / Dr. Bürgers S.G.] —female ( MNHU) .

Distribution. New Guinea, Papua New Guinea, Madang Province.

Figures

FIGURES 1–5. Bitara augusta gen. et sp. nov., paratype, female. (1) habitus, lateral view; (2) same, dorsal view; (3) anterior part of body, dorsal view; (4) head, frontal view; (anterior part of body, lateral view.

FIGURES 6–11. Bitara augusta gen. et sp. nov., paratype, female, SEM micrographs. (6–7) anterior part of body: (6) dorsal view, (7) lateral view; (80) head, frontal view; (9) upper part of frons, frontal view; (10 median carina of frons, frontal view; (11) lateral part of head and pronotum, lateral view.

FIGURES 12–17. Bitara augusta gen. et sp. nov., paratype, female, SEM micrographs. (12) Antennal, lateral view; (13) antennal plate organs; (14–17) tegmen: (14) apical part, (15) basal part, (16) end of clavus and CuA veins, (17) end of costal membrane and ScRA veins.

FIGURES 18–23. Bitara augusta gen. et sp. nov., holotype, male, SEM micrographs. (18), abdomen, left side, lateral view; (19) terminalia, left side, lateral view; (20) abdomen, right side, lateral view; (21) terminalia, right side lateral view; (22) abdomen, ventral view; (23) genital capsule, ventral view.

FIGURES 24–29. Bitara augusta gen. et sp. nov., holotype, male. (24–25) terminalia: (24) left side, (25) right side; (26–27) gonostyli: (26) left side, lateral view, (27) dorsal view; (28–29) phallic complex: (28) lateral view, (29) apical part, ventral view.

FIGURES 30–35. Bitara augusta gen. et sp. nov., holotype (male) and paratype (female), SEM micrographs. (30–31) male. (30) abdomen, dorsal view; (31) terminalia, dorsal view. (32–35) female. (32) terminalia, lateral view; (33) end of gonoplac, dorsal view; (34) abdomen, dorsal view; (35) terminalia, dorsal view.

FIGURES 36–39. Bitara augusta gen. et sp. nov., paratype, female, SEM micrographs. (36–39) terminalia, ventral view.

FIGURES 40–46. Bitara augusta gen. et sp. nov., paratype, female. (40) pregenital sternite (right side), flattened; (41) anal tube, dorsal view; (gonoplac, lateral view; (43–44) gonapophysis VIII and endogonocoxal process, lateral view: (43) left, (44) right; (45–46) gonapophysis IX and gonospiculum bridge: (45) dorsal view, (46) lateral view.