Psalmocharias balochii Ahmed & Sanborn

Ahmed, Zubair & Sanborn, Allen F., 2010, The cicada fauna of Pakistan including the description of four new species (Hemiptera: Cicadoidea: Cicadidae), Zootaxa 2516, pp. 27-48 : 28-30

Psalmocharias balochii Ahmed & Sanborn , sp. n.

(figs. 1–5)

Etymology.— The species is named for the language of Baluchistan where the species was first collected. Type Material.— Holotype male “ PAKISTAN: Baluchistan: Qallat Dist; Mangochar, 14.VI.2005 ” (NHMK). Paratypes: 12 3 and 6 Ƥ same data as holotype (11 3 and 5 Ƥ ZACP, 1 3 and 1 Ƥ AFSC). Description

Head (fig. 1). Reddish ochraceous. Postclypeus globosely produced anteriorly, centrally sulcate, transverse grooves marked with ochraceous, varying from dark piceous marks in posterior to medial grooves to being absent in some paratypes. Anteclypeus marked medially with piceous. Eyes olivaceous green. Narrow transverse fascia at posteriolateral margin of vertex piceous, missing or reduced to spot in some paratypes. Small piceous spot lateral to lateral ocellus in some paratypes. Small piceous spot along medial margin of lateral ocellus in some paratypes. Rostrum with piceous tip, reaching to middle coxae. Dense long white pile posterior to eye and on ventral head. Shorter white pile along frontoclypeal suture.

Pronotum (fig. 1). Reddish ochraceous without median longitudinal fasciae. Two small posterior median fused piceous spots anterior to pronotal collar, unfused in some paratypes. Fissures dull reddish. Some paratypes with triangular piceous mark on either side of midline posterior to head. Small transverse piceous mark in mid-lateral posterior ambient fissure in some paratypes. Pronotal collar dull reddish to reddish ochraceous, lateral margins obliquely angulate, lateral angles ampliated; piceous spot or transverse linear mark across lateral margin of pronotal collar in some paratypes.

Mesonotum (fig. 1). Reddish ochraceous with four obconical spots, median pair shortest, lateral pair broad and oblong, with irregular reticulate piceous markings. Scutal depression piceous. Cruciform elevation reddish ochraceous with triangular piceous marks on either side of midline between anterior arms, piceous laterally between arms in some paratypes. Ventral thorax reddish ochraceous covered in thick white pile. Piceous marks on episternum 2, katepisternum 2, anepimeron 2, and/or episternum 3 in some paratypes. Male operculum narrowed toward apex, rounded, strongly oblique posteriorly, concave depression apically, dark reddish ochraceous covered with thick white pile, not reaching posterior of sternite II. Female operculum rounded laterally and posteriorly, medial margin pointed. Piceous spot on lateral base of operculum in some female paratypes. Meracanthus broadly triangular, with white pile at base, a piceous base in some paratypes. Legs reddish ochraceous. Fore femora strongly marked with piceous dorsolaterally, armed with three castaneous spines with piceous tips; primary spine longest and angled; secondary spine of intermediate size and apical spine shortest, both upright. Linear marks to varying degrees on fore coxae, trochanters, and femora of paratypes. Tibial spurs and tibial comb dark castaneous with piceous tips.

Wings (fig. 1). Fore wings and hind wings hyaline. Venation reddish ochraceous proximally becoming piceous distally. Fore wing with eight apical cells; linear piceous mark in anterior basal cell; costal membrane reddish ochraceous; radial and radiomedial crossveins heavily infuscated, lighter infuscation on proximal radius anterior 2 and median crossveins; small elongate narrow cell at apex of claval area. Hind wing with six apical cells; heavy infuscation on radius and radiomedial crossveins and radius posterior between them; infuscation may extend onto radius anterior and proximal median vein 1; graying on either side of anal veins 2 and 3.

Abdomen (figs. 1–2). Male tergite 1 dark ochraceous. Male tergites 2–8 and female tergites piceous with posterior margins dark ochraceous with proportion of ochraceous coloration increasing in posterior segments. Timbal cover ochraceous, incomplete, semicircular. Timbal (fig. 2) with eight complete and seven intercalary ribs. Sternites dark ochraceous with margins of sternites IV, V and VI piceous covered with sparse hairs. Markings variable from missing or restricted to epipleurites in some paratypes to large areas of sternites and epipleurites being piceous in other paratypes.

Male genitalia (figs. 3–5). Pygofer (fig. 3) with long, apically rounded dorsal beak, apex pointed in some paratypes. Basal lobe well defined with rounded terminus. Median uncus lobe short, recurved to anal tube. Claspers (fig. 4) expanded in middle, recurving to sharp point. Aedeagus (fig. 5) cylindrical, apically membranous with one long straight, one long curved and one short curved spines.

Female genitalia. Abdominal segment 9 dark ochraceous marked with piceous dorsally and laterally at base and on tip of dorsal beak. Sternite VII with dark castaneous spot on either side of midline. Ovipositor dark castaneous with piceous tip extending to level of the dorsal beak.

Measurements.— N = 11 males or 6 females, mean (range). Length of body: male 31.14 (29.0–34.0), female 30.58 (26.0–33.5); length of fore wing: male 37.0 (31.0–40.0), female 37.67 (34.0–40.0); width of fore wing: male 12.68 (12.0–14.0), female 13.0 (11.0–15.0); length between frontoclypeal suture and posterior head: male 2.0 (2.0–2.0), female 2.0 (2.0–2.0); width of head including eyes: male 8.0 (8.0–8.0), female 8.07 (8.0–8.4); width of pronotum including suprahumeral plates: male 11.77 (11.0–12.5), female 12.07 (10.0–13.5); width of mesonotum: male 10.50 (10.0–11.0), female 10.88 (9.0–12.0).

Biological note.— All specimens were collected on an unknown but specific tree.

Diagnosis.— Psalmocharias balochii is most similar to P. querula (Pallas) . The new species is larger (about 31 mm male body length) than P. querula (about 28 mm male body length). The ground color of P. querula is more tawny while P. b a l o c h i i is more orange. The vertex of P. querula is primarily covered with a large fuscous and piceous marking while the vertex of P. b a l o c h i i has only small spots lateral to the lateral ocelli. The band on the posterior abdominal segments expands anteriorly along the midline on tergites 1–3 in P. balochii but is very thin in P. q u e r u l a. There is a point between the upper and basal pygofer lobes in P. balochii but the region lacks a point in P. querula .