Antillotolania myricae McKamey & Brodbeck

McKamey, Stuart H. & Brodbeck, Brent V., 2013, Immature Stages and Hosts of Two Plesiomorphic, Antillean Genera of Membracidae (Hemiptera) and a new species of Antillotolania from Puerto Rico, ZooKeys 301, pp. 1-12 : 2-6

Antillotolania myricae McKamey & Brodbeck sp. n. Figs 1-17, 28-31

Description.

Dimensions (mm): Length with forewings in repose female 6.2, male 5.8, width between humeral angles female 1.8, male 1.6. Head and thorax densely pilose. Head quadrate in anterior view, in dorsal view with two subtriangular projections, longitudinally carinate behind eyes. Forewing (Fig. 9) M and Cu fused at base, 3 m-cu crossveins, 2 r-m veins, R branched into R1-3 and R4+5 basad of fork of vein M. Hindwing (Fig. 10) with 1 r-m crossvein and 1 m-cu crossvein, cubital vein un-branched, anal vein branched. Pro- and mesothoracic legs lacking cucullate setae. Metathoracic tibia with cucullate setae in rows I, II, and III as follows: ca. 20 in row I along entire length; ca. 10 in row III throughout distal half; and fewer than 10, larger cucullate setae in row II irregularly spaced in conjunction with darkly pigmented sections of tibiae (pale row II edge densely pilose but setae without cucullate bases). Abdomen lacking abdominal lamellae, vestiture (see Dietrich 1989) consisting of microtrichia (Fig. 17), as in Microcentrus Stål.

Male (Figs 4-8): Pronotum with small shelf like suprahumeral developments, little more than carinae that do not extend from the pronotal surface (Fig. 4-6). Pygofer and subgenital plates bare, not setose, lacking projections. Styles with base long and subparallel, acute apices recurved laterally (Fig. 7). Aedeagus asymmetrical in dorsal view, lobe of apex curving to the right (Fig. 7); shaft sinuate, directed dorsally then posteriorly, apex expanded (Fig. 8).

Female (Figs 1-3): Resembling male but pronotum with prominent suprahumeral horns, subtriangular, projecting dorsolaterally (Figs 1, 28).

Nymph (Figs 11-16): Fifth instar length 6.2 mm. Densely pilose and dorsoventrally compressed throughout. Head with subtriangular projections directed anteriorly as in adult, in anterior view ventral margin carinate, excavated, with ventrolateral lobes, in lateral view posterolaterally emarginate. Thoracic nota lacking scoli. Forewing ventrally emarginate. Abdominal terga IV-VII with large lateral lamellae directed posterolaterally, smaller on IV and subequal on V-VIII; tergum IX fused ventrally, forming 'anal tube’, length subequal to remaining terga combined in last instar, as long as remainder of abdomen and thorax combined in earlier instars. Terga III-VIII with 2 pairs of enlarged chalazae, the first near mid line and the second between the first and the abdominal lamellae. Tergum IX slightly wider at base, otherwise parallel-sided, completely fused ventrally. Nascent genitalia barely exceeding posterior limit of tergum VIII lamellae (Fig. 15).

Material examined.

Holotype male (USNM), Puerto Rico, municipio Maricao, km 63.1 rt. 120, ca. 4 air km S Maricao. 18° 08.429N; 66° 58.322W, 777m, 2 May 2005. S. McKamey & B. V. Brodbeck. Paratypes (USNM, NCSU): 3 females, 11 nymphs, same locality as holotype. 3 early instar, mun. Patillas-San Lorenzo, km 5 rt.7740 nr. jxn. rt. 181, 18.10002°N; 66.01812°W, 664 m, 27 Feb 2007, S. McKamey & L.L. Deitz. 2 males, 2 females, 3 nymphs, mun. Guayama, km. 0.7 rt. 742 off rt. 7741 nr. El Chino, ca. 6 air km N Guayama, 18.05422°N; 66.10001°W, 632 m, 27 Feb 2007, S. McKamey & L.L. Deitz. 2 females, 1 nymph, mun. Cayey, rt. 7737, 1.5 air km SE Cayey, 18.08516°N; 66.17194°W, 730 m, 27 Feb 2007, S. McKamey & L.L. Deitz. 1 male, 2 nymph, mun. Cayey, rt. 184 just S jxn. 173, nr. Carite Recreational Area, 18.13181°N; 66.07427°W, 497 m, 2 March 2007, S. McKamey.

Host.

All specimens collected from Myrica splendens (Sw.) DC., Myrtaceae , a weedy species of the West Indies, Mexico, Central and South America.

Habitat.

Moist highlands of Puerto Rico.

Remarks.

Based on our series of 11 adults and over 20 immatures, the venation and nymphal characters coded ambiguously in phylogenetic estimates of the family have been determined, as discussed below. No adults of the new species were obtained from rearing, but both adults and nymphs were repeatedly obtained from the same host at the same time, at a variety of localities, without finding any other membracids. Note that the male of Antillotolania extrema , if discovered, may have smaller suprahumeral horns, as evidenced by the strong sexual dimorphism exhibited by the new species. The first couplet in the key provided by Cryan and Bartlett (2002) divides species by the presence or absence of developed suprahumeral horns, hence the males and females of the new species would key out separately. The following table enables identification of adults of all species in the genus.

Characters and states:

1. Suprahumeral horns present only as carinae (0) or projecting from adjacent pronotal surface (1).

2. Forewing vein R4+5 fused with R1 basad (0) or distad (1) of fork of vein M.

3. Forewing crossvein m-cu3 originating basad (0) or distad (1) of fork of vein M.

4. Forewing vein A1 smoothly merging with claval vein (0) or bent at a right angle and perpendicularly connecting to clavela vein (1).

5. Metathoracic tibia with cucullate setae in rows I, II, and III (0) or row II only (1).