Pseudochoutagus trungi, Constant & Pham, 2024

Constant, Jérôme & Pham, Hong Thai, 2024, Issid planthoppers from Bach Ma and Phong Dien in Central Vietnam. I. Tribe Parahiraciini (Hemiptera: Fulgoromorpha: Issidae), European Journal of Taxonomy 975, pp. 1-64 : 48-53

Pseudochoutagus trungi sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:03D78B1D-CBE7-44E5-8612-5655B6C7710B

Figs 1 , 28–31

Diagnosis

Pseudochoutagus trungi sp. nov. can be recognized by:

(1) the variegated brown general colour of the insect, with distinctly darker, black-brown frons ( Fig. 28A–C );

(2) the robust cephalic process, with vertex about 1.9 times as long in midline as wide ( Fig. 29A ).

Differential diagnosis

The closest species is P. rubens (see illustrations in Constant 2021: fig. 5) which differs by a much longer cephalic process, with vertex 2.7 times as long in midline, as wide (1.9 times in P. trungi sp. nov.) and frons 2.9 times as long in midline as wide (2.1 times in P. trungi ), and by the frons not distinctly darker than the sides of head and vertex.

Etymology

The species epithet is a patronym dedicated to Trung Vu Thanh who found the first specimen of this species in the field during our 2023 expedition.

Type material

Holotype

VIETNAM • ♀ ( Figs 28–30 ); Th ừa Thiên-Huế Province, Phong Dien District; 16°30′27″ N, 107°16′05″ E; 23 May 2023; 350–400 m a.s.l.; V. T. Trung leg.; VNMN.

Paratypes

VIETNAM • 2 ♀♀; same data as for holotype; J. Constant and L. Semeraro leg.; I.G.: 34.640; RBINS .

Description

MEASUREMENTS AND RATIOS. LT: ♀ (n = 3): 8.5 mm; LT/BB = 2.22; LTg/BTg = 2.15; LW/BW = 1.57; BV/ LV = 0.53; LF/BF = 2.10.

HEAD ( Fig. 29A–D ). Strongly elongated anteriorly in cephalic process; vertex variegated brown; distinctly longer in midline than broad before eyes (about 1.9 times), widening from base to anterior margin of eyes, tapering beyond eyes to narrowly rounded apex, median and lateral carinae distinct; posterior margin moderately incurved. Side of head yellow-brown but coloured as vertex on sides of cephalic process. Frons entirely blackish brown, distinctly darker than sides of head and vertex; lateral carinae reaching apex, median carina distinct in distal half; elongate, widest slightly anterior to eyes, roundly tapering towards clypeal suture; clypeal suture rounded. Clypeus black-brown, weakly elevated medially in distal portion. Labium brown with last segment longer than broad, and shorter than penultimate. Antennae dark brown; scape short, ring-shaped; pedicel bulbous.

THORAX ( Fig. 29A–D ). Pronotum coloured as vertex; nearly ⅔ of length of mesonotum in midline; anterior margin weakly carinate, sinuate and moderately protruding anteriorly between eyes, with peridiscal carinae indistinct; posterior margin nearly straight; median carina obsolete; weak impressed point on each side of median line; weak, blunt tubercles along anterior and posterior margins; paranotal lobes (lateral view) moderately broad, turning dark brown in lower portion, under level of eye and with posteroventral angle rather narrowly rounded. Mesonotum coloured like vertex with longitudinal carinae very weak and blunt; two weakly impressed points on disc; tip of scutellum pale yellow. Tegulae dark brown.

TEGMINA ( FigS 28A–C , 31C–F ). Dark brown, washed with olivaceous in basal portion, black transverse band just beyond midlength, at about basal ⅓, transverse band of white wax, apical ⅓ covered in white wax, basal ⅓ with scattered small points of white wax; veins concolourous except in black band, where red; subcoriaceous with longitudinal veins distinct and with dense reticulum of veinlets; shape elongate and convex with sides broadly rounded, widest at basal ⅓, about 2.5 times as long as broad; narrowly rounded apically. Postclaval margin nearly straight, very weakly rounded on distal half, and notched at apex of clavus. Clavus closed, reaching about ⅔ of tegmen. Venation: ScP+R forking close to base after short common stem, ScP+RA and RP unforked, running more or less parallel to costal margin in a large basal portion; MP forked slightly before basal ⅓, resulting veins unforked, running more or less parallel; CuA weakly diverging from claval joint; Pcu and A 1 fused at distal ¼ of clavus, resulting Pcu+A 1 reaching claval joint before apex of clavus; dense reticulum of veinlets, especially after basal ⅓.

HIND WINGS ( Fig. 29E ). Black-brown, slightly paler along costal margin in basal half; venation concolourous; wing broader than tegmen and deeply bilobed at CuP; costal margin sinuate; CuP-Pcu-A 1 lobe broadly rounded along postclaval margin and about 1.3 times as wide as Sc-R-MP-CuA lobe, both about the same length and apically rounded; A 2 lobe moderately reduced and narrow. Venation: longitudinal veins ScP-R-MP-Cu well distinct; Pcu and A 1 separated; numerous cross-veins; A 2 rather weak.

LEGS ( Fig. 28A–E ). Moderately elongate, slender; brown with apex of pro- and mesotibiae, posterobasal portion of metafemora and basal half of first segment of metatarsi, yellowish; femora wider than corresponding tibiae; metatibiae with two lateral spines in distal half and seven apical spines. Metatibiotarsal formula: (2) 7 / 9 / 2.

ABDOMEN ( Fig. 28B ). Yellowish brown with dark brown median marking.

FEMALE TERMINALIA. Hind margin of sternum VII with massive, long, apically rounded median process (St VII – Fig. 30 ).

Biology

Pseudochoutagus trungi sp. nov. was collected in May in a marshy microhabitat ( Fig. 31A ) by sweeping the lower vegetation (mostly ferns and palms) ( Fig. 31B ), in moist evergreen tropical forest at about 350 m in altitude. The variegated brown colour of adult specimens ( Fig. 27C–F ) probably helps their camouflage on their host plants.

Distribution

Vietnam: Thừa Thiên-Huế Province, Phong Dien district ( Fig. 1 ).

Figures

Fig. 1. Map of the sampled localities in Thừa Thiên-Huế Province, Vietnam.

Fig. 28. Pseudochoutagus trungi sp. nov., holotype ♀ (VNMN). A. Habitus, dorsal view. B. Habitus, ventral view. C. Habitus, lateral view. D. Right hind leg, ventral view. E. Metatarsus and apex of metatibia, ventral view.

Fig. 29. Pseudochoutagus trungi sp. nov., holotype ♀ (VNMN). A. Head and thorax, dorsal view. B. Frons, perpendicular view. C. Head and thorax, lateral view. D. Head and thorax, anterolateral view. E. Right hind wing.

Fig. 30. Pseudochoutagus trungi sp. nov., holotype ♀ (VNMN). Terminalia, ventral view. Abbreviation: see Material and methods.

Fig. 31. Pseudochoutagus trungi sp. nov. in Phong Dien District, 17 May 2023.A–B. Habitat.C–F. Live specimen (photographed in cage).

Fig. 27. Pseudochoutagus lindae sp. nov. in Bach Ma National Park, Yes Hue Eco, 17 May 2023. A. Habitat. B. Host plant. C–E. Live specimen.