Hecalocorica Nielson

Zahniser, James N., 2021, Revision of the New World leafhopper tribe Faltalini (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae: Deltocephalinae) and the evolution of brachyptery, Zootaxa 4954 (1), pp. 1-160 : 65-70

Hecalocorica Nielson

Type species: Hecalocorica bidentata Nielson, 1996 ; designated.

Hecalocorica Nielson, 1996: 125 [original description, illustration, morphology]; Zanol, 2006: 98 [catalogue]; Zahniser & Dietrich, 2010: 508 [classification]; Zahniser & Dietrich, 2013: 85 [classification]; Zahniser, 2007 [online catalogue]; Freytag & Gaiani, 2017 [online catalogue]

Diagnosis. Hecalocorica can be distinguished from other genera of the tribe by the macropterous males and females, its large size, the ocelli distant from the eyes, crown and pronotum completely densely shagreen, anterior part of head strongly depressed and foliaceous, lateral margin of pronotum longer than greatest width of eye, ovipositor not greatly exceeding pygofer apex, and first valvula dorsal sculpturing granulose.

Body. Male, 9.5–10.5 mm. Female, 12.0– 12.5 mm. Body length 4.4x greatest width of pronotum (male), 5.7x (female). Crown sharply angled to face; anterior margin of head foliaceous. Crown length (males and females) 0.5x interocular width; texture completely densely shagreen; distinctly impressed forming a rim along anterior margin between ocelli. Ocelli on anterior margin slightly dorsad; about 1/3 distance from eye to apex of crown. Frontoclypeus densely shagreen; impressed near anterior margin of head. Antennal sockets near lower corners of eyes. Pronotum large, subquadrate; lateral margin long, carinate; texture densely shagreen with transverse furrows. Scutellum texture densely shagreen, posterad of suture with transverse furrows. Protrochanter with several long fine setae; without stout apical AV seta. Profemur with row AV with 2–3 irregular rows of long macrosetae along basal 2/3; with 1–2 irregular rows of long PV macrosetae; intercalary row with 5–7 fine setae; AV1 present; AM1 present; dorsally with apical pair of macrosetae. Protibia rows AD and PD each with 11–12 macrosetae; dorsal margins quadrately angled; dorsal surface sulcate. Mesofemur row AV with 10–12 relatively long thick setae. Mesotibia rows AD and PD each with 11 to12 macrosetae; dorsal margins quadrately angled; dorsal surface sulcate. Metafemur apical macrosetae 2+2+1. Metatibia distinctly bowed in dorsal view. Metatarsomere I longer than II+III combined; not expanded toward apex; plantar surface row AV with scattered bunch of short stout setae basally and with 2–3 short stout setae more apically, row PV with regular line of 7–8 short stout setae; apex with row of 4–5 platellae, flanked on anterior side with tapered seta. Macropterous. Forewing somewhat lanceolate in shape; appendix narrow; without r-m2 crossvein, creating open outer anteapical cell.

Color. Mostly yellowish to tawny with some small brown markings. Forewing veins whitish; wing cells with brownish shadows along veins.

Male. Pygofer incised dorsally to near midlength; ventral margin thick, produced apically into two spinelike processes; with ~15 macrosetae dorsoapically. Subgenital plates long, triangular; uniseriate laterally; apices curled dorsad; dorsal side with conspicuously produced lobe at base, extending dorsad. Valve broad, more or less triangular; lateral margins quadrate. Connective Y-shaped; stem longer than anterior arms. Styles not broadly bilobed at base; with lateral lobe extending anterad; without distinct preapical lobe; apophysis relatively thick, apex truncate. Aedeagus laterally compressed; broad in lateral view; with ventral process arising from base bifurcate apically; fused to connective. Phragma mostly membranous; with small sclerotized tab ventrolaterad of anal tube. Segment X membranous.

Female. Pygofer with numerous macrosetae ventrally. Ovipositor not extending far beyond pygofer apex. Sternite VII width less than 2x greatest length. Sternite VIII mostly membranous. First valvula relatively straight in lateral view; dorsal sculpturing pattern granulose, submarginal with distinct unsculptured band on dorsal margin; VSA present, distinctly delimited, sculpturing granulose, dorsal margin angled toward apex. Second valvula expanded toward apex; dorsal margin depressed before apex; without dorsal teeth. Gonoplac with two rows of short setae ventrally and at apex.

Distribution. Costa Rica.

Remarks. Hecalocorica possesses unusual leg chaetotaxy in nymphs and adults, a distinctly quadrate shape of the tibiae, and nymph with numerous setae dorsally on the abdomen and other setae over the body. The nymph appears to have debris or soil smeared over its integument. It is possible that the nymph actively spreads this debris which may account for the unusual chaetotaxy characters, and would represent a modification of the typical behavior of leafhoppers which distribute brochosomes over their bodies using the distinct rows of leg setae ( Rakitov, 2009). However, it is also possible that the apparent debris is an artefact of how the specimens were collected and could represent a reaction with wax or integumental coating with the collecting fluid, e.g. ethanol (Rakitov, pers. comm.).

Hecalocorica was resolved with strong support as sister to a clade including Hecullus , Acrolithus , and the Faltala group genera ( Fig. 91 ). In this position, it retains the plesiomorphic condition of macroptery in males and females. The habitat where specimens have been collected appears to be cloud forest.

Included species:

Figures

FIGUIRE 91. Strict consensus tree from MP analysis of 51 morphological characters. Numbers below branches are MP bootstrap scores. The plesiomorphic condition is macroptery for both males and females (Hecalocorica bidentata ♂ shown in up- per left). Key stepwise transitions leading to brachyptery occur on clades A (char. 20; forewing of Hecullus bracteatus ♀ and hindwing of Acrolithus brevis ♀ shown), B (char. 22; Acrolithus brevis ♂ shown), and C (chars. 20 & 22; Dietrichana pampas ♀ shown).