Cicadettini Buckton, 1889

Ewart, A. & Popple, L. W., 2013, New species of Drymopsalta Heath Cicadas (Cicadidae: Cicadettinae: Cicadettini) from Queensland and Northern Territory, Australia, with overview of genus, Zootaxa 3620 (1), pp. 1-42 : 4

Tribe Cicadettini Buckton, 1889

Diagnosis of Drymopsalta (slightly extended after Moulds, 2012): Small cicadas, body length male <12 mm, female <15 mm; width of head, including compound eyes, wider than pronotum across lateral margins, and as wide as pronotal collar across lateral angles; width of pronotum across lateral margins as wide as abdomen across auditory capsules, and slightly wider than mesonotum between fore wings; pronotum in dorsal view parallel-sided. Metanotum visible at dorsal midline. Male abdomen slender and evenly tapered distally in dorsal and lateral views, widest across auditory capsules; epipleurites reflexed to ventral surface; tergite 1 narrow along dorsal midline; sternites rounded and usually not all visible in lateral view, especially sternites VI and VII; abdominal venter with a darker medial fascia; sternite II with a black medial depression, the black extending slightly beyond the depression. Compound eyes clearly separated from pronotum along their outer ventral margins; distance between lateral ocelli approximately equal to distance between lateral ocellus and compound eyes; ventral margins of pronotum without lateral tooth; rostrum extending to posterior margins of mid coxae; cruciform elevation wider than long.

Fore wing hyaline and relatively narrow with length/width ratios of 2.6–3.5; fore wing slightly longer than body; pterostigma reddish-brown and relatively prominent; costal vein with marked anterior curvature between proximal join with thorax and node; relatively equal in width with minor but distinct thickening proximally to and adjacent to node; costal vein exhibits a very narrow sclerotised area along anterior margin, much thinner than costal vein thickness; costal and R+Sc veins fused, but clearly visible, with costal vein higher than R+Sc; forewings with 8 apical cells of similar length to ulnar cells (some shorter and longer); subapical cells absent; ulnar cell 3 angled to radial cell; basal cell relatively long and narrow; CuA and M veins fused before reaching basal cell so that length of the proximal section (vein M+CuA) of inner margin of radial cell is similar to, or slightly shorter than length of second section (vein M); the three distal vein sections of M that form the remaining inner margin of radial cell are unequal in length, but not strongly different; medial and cubital cell of similar size; radial cell typically shorter than distance from its apex to wing tip; veins CuP and 1A fused in part; distance between cross veins r and r-m approximately equal to, or slightly greater than distance between r-m and m; wing margin relatively evenly developed for its whole length; infuscation absent; cubital and medial cells of roughly similar size; basal membrane off-white to brownish, opaque.

Hind wings hyaline with 5 or 6 apical cells; weak brown infuscation within anal cell 3; no infuscation on ambient vein; anal lobes broader than cubital cell 1; width of 1st cubital cell at distal end more than twice that of 2nd cubital cell; anal lobe moderately broad with vein 3A curved, separate from wing margin; veins RP and M fused basally. Fore femora with 3 prominent erect spines. Opercula broadly rhombohedral in shape, and usually somewhat acutely rounded distally (between medial and distal margins); distal and medial margins relatively straight, in some with weak convex curvature; meracanthus spike well developed; opercula developed asymmetrically around meracanthus; not completely reaching margin of tympanal cavity, but directed towards distomedial margin of cavity; male opercula with well separated inner margins; broad elongated dome extending from near distal margin into basal area.

Timbals with 4 long ribs; rib 4 shorter than ribs 1 to 3; ribs 1 to 3 fused ventrally, but all 4 long ribs fused dorsally with well developed basal spur; 3 intercalary ribs short and generally thin; dome on timbal plate elongated with parallel shallow grooves and ridges running across dome; basal dome prominent; anterior part of timbals mostly occupied by ribs.

Pygofer in ventral view widest across upper lobes, with weak tapering towards base; broadly sub-rectangular in ventral view; upper lobes flat, moderately developed, set well away from dorsal beak, subacutely rounded in lateral view; basal lobes undivided, broadly rounded and slightly obscured behind pygofer margin in lateral view, but clearly visible in dorsal view; dorsal beak conspicuous, extended, and acutely terminated as an apical spine, part of chitinized pygofer; median uncal lobe small, broadly duck-bill shaped; claspers prominent, narrow and erect, extended outside pygofer in lateral view, thickened and rounded apically, the outer face with an overhanging lip, restraining aedeagus; distally the claspers are approximately parallel to each other; aedeagus trifid with dorsal pseudoparameres which may be longer or shorter than endotheca, unfused, in dorsal view gently diverging, sclerotised ventral support; basal plate undulated in lateral view, broadly Y-shaped, apically broadened with ‘ears’, and with functional membraneous hinge.