Platypleura elizabethae, Lee, 2009

Lee, Young June, 2009, A checklist of Cicadidae (Insecta: Hemiptera) in Palawan with five new species, Journal of Natural History 43 (41 - 42), pp. 2617-2639 : 2618-2620

2. Platypleura elizabethae sp. nov.

( Figures 1 , 2 )

Type material

Holotype: male ( Figure 1 ), central Palawan, 15 km west of Bacungan, Takawayan , 150 m, 09°54′ N, 118°38′ E, 18 March 2006, J.H. Lourens ( IRSN) . Paratypes: one male, central Palawan, 5 km east of Napsan , primary forest clearing, 09°42.256′ N, 118°31.034′ E, 1–2 December 2007, J.H. Lourens ( IRSN) ; one male, central Palawan, west Victoria range, 10 km east of Napsan , 300 m, 09°50′ N, 118°35′ E, 16 March 2005, J.H. Lourens ( IRSN) .

Etymology

The species is named for a colleague of the author, Mrs Elizabeth Wade, who has helped the author in various ways.

Measurements of types (three males)

Length of body: 18.5 (17.9–18.9); length of forewing: 25.9 (25.1–26.9); width of forewing: 9.6 (9.3–10.1); width of head including eyes: 8.4 (8.3–8.7); width of pronotum: 10.4 (10.0–11.0); width of mesonotum: 8.0 (7.8–8.2); wingspan: 60.8 (59.2–63.1).

Diagnosis

At first glance, this species looks like Pycna coelestia Distant in the coloration of the fore- and hindwings. However, Pycna coelestia is distinguished from this species by some features including the following: distance between compound eyes narrow; lateral pronotal collar much more developed; forewing vein R + Sc not distinctly concave as in this species; enough to be placed in a different genus. In Platypleura , this species is not equivalent to any of its congeners in the coloration of the fore- and hindwings as stated in the description below.

Description of male ( Figure 1 )

Ratio of body length to head width about 2.19 (2.16–2.25). Head castaneous with the following black markings: a median longitudinal fascia, widened subanteriorly to enclose median ocellus, with its posterior end reaching posterior margin of head; a pair of spots enclosing lateral ocelli and obliquely extending anteriad; a pair of longitudinal fasciae between lateral ocelli and compound eyes; a pair of small spots on posterolateral corners of head; a pair of transverse narrow fasciae between postclypeus and compound eyes; and a pair of, sometimes indistinct, narrow fascia along compound eyes. Distance between lateral ocelli and compound eyes slightly narrower than twice distance between two lateral ocelli. Postclypeus not swollen. Antenna mostly dark brown except fuscous pedicel. Ventral part of head castaneous to ochraceous with black markings. Postclypeus with a medial longitudinal fascia and three to five fasciae along transverse grooves anteriorly. Anteclypeus without marking. Rostrum black apically; slightly passing medial part of posterior margin of opercula. Lorum with a small patch on inner corner of posterior part. Gena with a transverse fascia between postclypeus and posterior part of compound eye.

Pronotum brown to ochraceous. Inner area of pronotum with the following fuscous markings: a medial longitudinal narrow fascia much broadened at posterior end (not seen in a paratype); a pair of small spots on anterior part of paramedian fissures; a pair of fasciae along (often about anterior half of) lateral fissures; a pair of curved fasciae along lateral margins of inner area; and sometimes (in a paratype) a pair of longitudinal fasciae extending posteriad from median parts of paramedian fissures. Pronotal collar with darkened or fuscous lateral parts. Lateral pronotal collar broadly developed and roundly angular with an angle of 100–120°.

Mesonotum castaneous with the following black markings: a median longitudinal fascia broadened to extend laterad at posterior end or anterior margin of cruciform elevation; a pair of small roundish spots enclosing scutal depressions; a pair of semicircular large spots on submedian sigilla; and a pair of longitudinal broad fasciae on lateral sigilla, with their anterior ends reaching anterior margin of mesonotum. Cruciform elevation ochraceous to reddish ochraceous. Ventral part of thorax ochraceous with patches on basisterna 2 and 3, episternum 3 and epimeral lobe.

Legs ochraceous to reddish brown. Fore-femur with fuscous primary and secondary spines and fuscous patches anteriorly and posteriorly. Fore- and mid-tarsi mostly dark brown. Hind metatarsus and mesotarsus mostly dark brown. Fore-, mid- and hind pretarsal claws mostly dark brown to fuscous.

Forewing with outwardly curved outer wing margin. Venation reddish ochraceous to reddish orange, but vein R + Sc mixed with reddish ochraceous and light green. Forewing furnished with fuscous and whitish ochraceous cloudy markings on about basal half; hyaline on about apical half with cloudy spots on and around the bases of apical cells 1–4 and irregular groups of fuscous spots arranged along apical margins of longitudinal veins. Basal membrane dark grey. Hindwing fuscous except outer marginal area and small apical portion of each of apical cells 1–6. Anal cell 2 grey on about basal half to two-thirds. Hindwing jugum whitish grey.

Operculum mostly fuscous except greenish ochraceous margins; semicircular, transversely wide; short, scarcely reaching posterior margin of sternite II. Two opercula slightly overlapping medially.

Abdomen obconical, short, shorter than distance from head to cruciform elevation; mostly black with reddish ochraceous to ochraceous caudal margin on each of tergites 3–7. Tergite 8 fuscous on about anterior one-third and ochraceous on about posterior two-thirds. Timbal cover fuscous with ochraceous anterior margin; semicircular, wider than long. Timbal concealed by timbal cover in dorsal and lateral views. Ventral part of abdomen mostly fuscous to black with ochraceous to greenish ochraceous caudal margin on each of sternites III–VI. Sternite VII fuscous on about anterior one-third and ochraceous on about posterior two-thirds. Sternite VIII greyish ochraceous.

Male genitalia ( Figure 2 ): pygofer ellipsoidal with acuminate apex (wide dorsal beak) in ventral view. Uncus simple, rather slender, not bifurcate, with apical margin rounded. Aedeagus cylindrical, not tapering down to apex. Upper lobe of pygofer small, with recurved rounded apex. Basal lobe of pygofer not prominent but globose.

Distribution

Philippines (Palawan).

Figures

Figure 1. Platypleura elizabethae Lee, sp. nov., holotype, male, Palawan, 2006 (IRSN). (A) Dorsal view; (B) ventral view.

Figure 2. Male pygofer of Platypleura elizabethae Lee, sp. nov. (A) Ventral view; (B) lateral view.