Taphura attiguclava, Sanborn, 2017

Sanborn, Allen F., 2017, Generic redescription, seven new species and a key to the Taphura Stål, 1862 (Hemiptera: Cicadidae: Cicadetttinae: Taphurini), Zootaxa 4324 (3), pp. 451-481 : 453-455

Taphura attiguclava n. sp.

( Fig. 1 )

Taphura hastifera (non Walker) Pogue 1996: 317, Table 2.

Type maerial. Holotype. “ PERU: Madre de Dios / Tambopata Res. Zone / Tambopata Research / Cntr on Rio Tambopata // S13 0 8.305 W69 36.502 / 622 ft (3–7)- X-2004 / CRBartlett” one male ( UDCC). Paratypes. Same data as holotype, two males and three females ( UDCC), two males and three females ( AFSC); “ PERU: Madre de Dios / nr Puerto Maldonado / Posadas Amazonas // S12 48.115 W69 18.019 / 609ft (30-IX)–(3-X)-2004 / C R Bartlett ” five males and four females ( UDCC), two males and one female ( AFSC); “ PERU: Madre de Dios / nr Puerto Maldonado / Posadas Amazonas / lodge Rio Tambopata // S12 48.115 W69 18.019 / 609ft (7–10)- X-2004 / C R Bartlett ” two males and one female ( UDCC), two males and one female ( AFSC); “ PERU: Madre de Dios / Tambopata Res. Zone / Tambopata Research / Cntr on Rio Tambopata // S13 0 8.305 W69 36.502 / 622 ft (7–10)- X- 2004 / C R Bartlett ” one male ( AFSC); “ PERU: Madre de Dios / nr Puerto Maldonado / Explorer’s Inn // 22 Aug 1985 / J. F. Cornell ” one male ( UDCC); “ PERU Madre de Dios / Rio Tambopata Res. / 30 km(air) SW Puerto / Maldonado 290m 20–31 / - X-1982 R. Wilkerson” one female (FSCA).

Etymology. The species epithet is a combination of attiguus (L. touching, bordering) and clavus (L. claw) in reference to the claw-like extensions of the male genitalia that are next to one another rather than separated as in T. hastifera .

Description. Ground color castaneous marked with piceous, tawny, and green.

Head. Head wider than mesonotum, castaneous with transverse piceous fascia between eyes surrounding lateral ocelli extending anteriorly along lateral portion of median ocellus and epicranial suture to middle of median ocellus, incomplete between lateral ocelli and eyes and posteriorly on epicranial suture in holotype but complete in some paratypes. Anterior supra-antennal plate green in some paratypes. Ocelli golden edged with rosaceous. Eyes golden. Head covered with short, silvery pile, longer and more dense posterior to eye. Ventral head castaneous with piceous medial to eye and on central lorum, covered with short and long silvery pile. Ventral head almost completely piceous in some paratypes. Postclypeus with ten transverse grooves, castaneous with piceous on ventral midline splitting on either side of ovoid apex and angled mark on dorsal surface forming a castaneous triangle on dorsal midline. Anteclypeus piceous. Postclypeus and anteclypeus with short and long silvery pile. Rostrum with ochraceous mentum, labium castaneous becoming darker to piceous tip, reaching to posterior or middle trochanters. Scape and pedicel castaneous with tawny annulus distally, remaining antennal segments castaneous.

Thorax. Dorsal thorax castaneous. Pronotum with green fascia on dorsal midline constricted to narrowest point posterior to medial paramedian fissure, greenish anterior margin, and pronotal collar. Piceous marks along mediolateral portion of green midline fascia, and three transverse marks in ambient fissure, one across midline and one on each dorsolateral surface. Castaneous spots on the anterior pronotal collar lateral angle. Mesonotum castaneous with piceous submedian sigillae, small piceous mark on anterolateral portion of lateral sigillae, transverse piceous mark across midline encompassing scutal depressions and region between anterior arms of cruciform elevation with a small anterior extension on midline. Cruciform elevation and wing groove greenish. Piceous on posterior half of lateral mesonotum. Metanotum castaneous with tawny lateral margin. Dorsal thorax covered with short silvery pile, longer pile between anterior arms and laterally between arms of cruciform elevation, on posterior mesonotum and along wing grooves. Ventral thoracic segments piceous medially, castaneous laterally, with green on posterior katepisternum 2 and lateral anepimeron 2, lateral sternites green in some paratypes. Ventral segments covered with short and long silvery pile.

Wings. Fore wings and hind wings hyaline, fore wing with eight apical cells, hind wing with six apical cells. Venation greenish-ochraceous proximally, becoming piceous distally, except piceous anal vein 2 + 3 and small, linear piceous mark along anterior basal cell, basal venation may be green in fresh specimens. Infuscation on marginal area extending from terminus of radius anterior 1 around apex of fore wing to apical cell 3. Basal membrane dark gray. Hind wing venation greenish-ochraceous proximally, piceous distally. Proximal vanal fold gray. Infuscation on proximal anal cell 3, distal apical cell 2 along the distal third of anal vein 2, and on the wing margin posterior to anal cell 1.

Legs. Legs greenish tawny striped with castaneous, coxae, trochanters and femora with castaneous marks on anterior and medial surfaces, tibiae and tarsi greenish proximally, proportion becoming greater in posterior legs, distal tibiae dark castaneous in fore and middle tibiae. Fore femora with castaneous lateral stripe anterior to four oblique spines, each spine becoming smaller and more angled distally. Pretarsal claws, tibial spurs and comb castaneous.

Operculum. Opercula green with small piceous mark on medial margin and piceous mark near lateral margin of base. Lateral margin rounded to sinuate posterior margin, rounded medial margin and curving anteromedial margin, posterior margin reaching to abdominal sternite II and not covering tympanal cavity, extending medially to middle of meracanthus. Meracathus green with piceous spot on medial base, extending beyond the posterior margin of the operculum. Female operculum green with notched lateral margin, semicircular posterior margin, terminating medially in a transverse rounded extension at lateral meracanthus reaching to middle of tympanal cavity. Female meracanthus as in male. Long silvery pile on operculum surface and radiating from margin.

Abdomen. Abdomen castaneous with piceous mark posterior auditory capsule, anterolateral tergites 6–7 and transversely across anterior tergite 8, and green along posterior tergite margins covered with short silvery pile. Female paratypes with transverse piceous fascia across anterior midline on tergites 3–6 and laterally on tergites 5– 8. Timbal with five ribs, whitish gray with piceous spot on anterior margin. Sternites similarly colored except for tranverse piceous fascia on sternites IV–VI and the piceous majority of sternite VII, sternite VIII dark castaneous. Sternites covered with long and short silvery pile. Female sternites piceous with green posterior margin. Female sternite VII with a wide, single notch, posterior margin approximately semicircular with small pointed extension on midline. Abdominal segment 9 castaneous striped with piceous on dorsolateral surface and along ventral midline. Dorsal beak dark castaneous, short, barely extending to level of the piceous anal styles, anal styles surrounded with green at base. Dorsal beak slightly angled dorsally when viewed from the side.

Genitalia. Male pygofer castaneous with short, piceous dorsal beak and piceous along medial margin of pygofer basal lobe. Pygofer basal lobe bent medially, flattened with rounded apex that extends beyond midline so the lobes overlap, basal lobes not overlapping in some paratypes and extending posteriorly rather than bending towards the midline in another. Sparse silvery pile on pygofer, longer and more dense lateral to pygofer upper lobe and lateral to base of claspers, golden pile radiating towards claspers from extension of basal lobe. Anal styles dark castaneous. Claspers dark castaneous with green margin around anal styles, adjoining at base along midline, diverging towards claw-shaped terminus, terminus semicircular when viewed from the posterior, median terminus with recurved point, lateral terminus rounded. Aedeagus castaneous, tubular.

Female gonapophyses IX castaneous, gonapophyses X and gonocoxites IX darker covered with radiating golden pile. Ovipositor sheath extending well beyond dorsal beak.

Measurements (mm). N = 13 males or 14 females, mean (range). Length of body: male 12.64 (12.1–13.2), female 15.89 (14.2–16.8); length of fore wing: male 16.42 (15.3–17.3), female 17.84 (17.0–18.5); width of fore wing: male 6.39 (5.8–6.8), female 6.57 (6.2–7.2); length of head: male 1.79 (1.7–1.9), female 1.94 (1.8–2.1); width of head including eyes: male 4.38 (4.2–4.6), female 4.64 (4.4–4.8); width of pronotum including suprahumeral plates: male 4.38 (4.2–4.5), female 4.59 (4.3–4.9); width of mesonotum: male 3.76 (3.4–4.0), female 4.09 (3.8– 4.4).

Diagnosis. The male genitalia, particularly the shape of the claspers, quickly separate male specimens of T. attiguclava n. sp. from other species of Taphura as each species has highly unique genitalia. All species except the small T. minusculus are generally similar in size. The lack of infuscation on the apex of the fore wings of T. maculata , T. misella , T. debruni , and T. demissa n. sp. differentiates them from this new species. The spots and Wshaped mark on the head quickly differentiate T. boulardi and T. egeri , respectively, from this new species. The abdominal tergites lack a transverse piceous mark on the anterior side in T. cernuunca n. sp., T. dolabella n. sp., T. hastifera , T. lanceola n. sp., T. maccagnani n. sp., and T. sauliensis . The frons is angled to the postclypeus in T. attiguclava n. sp., but forms an approximate right angle in T. crispula n. sp. The radius and subcostal vein is piceous from the base to one-third the distance of the radial cell in T. charpentierae but there is only a small linear piceous mark in the proximal basal cell of this new species. Finally, T. nitida lacks the spots on the anterior pronotal collar lateral angle.

Remarks. The specimens identified in Pogue (1996) as T. hastifera are considered to be T. attiguclava n. sp. because the Pakitza location is almost identical to a locality for part of the type series and the other locality (Manu) is about 238 km distant within the same river system of specimens in the type series. All specimens collected by Pogue (1996) were obtained over a time period including the collection dates of the type series. These data suggest they are the same species as T. attiguclava n. sp.

The claspers of T. attiguclava n. sp. are reminiscent of those seen in T. hastifera . However, the claspers in T. attiguclava n. sp. adjoin at the base and only diverge distally while the claspers are not adjoining along the midline in T. hastifera .

Distribution. The species is currently only known from the two localities in Peru where the type series was collected and the one additional locality (Pakitza) identified in Pogue (1996). Taphura nitida was collected in the same localities as the type series.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Taphura attiguclava n. sp.: A, holotype male and paratype female habitus; B, holotype male dorsum; C, holotype male timbal cover; D, paratype male operculum; E, paratype female operculum; F, holotype male lateral view of genitalia; G, holotype male posterior view of genitalia; H, paratype female lateral view of genitalia; I, paratype female ventral view of genitalia. Scale bar: A, 2 cm; B, 2 mm; C, 0.5 mm; D – G, 1 mm; H – I, 2 mm.