Austrimonus curvatus, Fletcher & Dai, 2018

Fletcher, Murray J. & Dai, Wu, 2018, A new genus Austrimonus for Eutettix melaleucae Kirkaldy (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae: Deltocephalinae: Opsiini) and nine new species, Zootaxa 4387 (2), pp. 310-330 : 314-317

Austrimonus curvatus sp.nov.

zoobank.org:act:9D042A95-5480-4326-82AB-DBF7AF08ECD7 (Figs 9–10, 25)

Types. Holotype, male, Yam Island , 22.iii.1985, J.W. Turner, at light (QM, ex QDPI, T207233) . Paratypes. QUEENSLAND. 8 males, same data as holotype (5 in QDPI, 2 in ASCU) ; 1 male, Statton River , nr Inkerman Homestead, 29.vii.1982, J.F. Donaldson & J.W. Turner, at light ( QDPI) ; 2 males, Walker Creek , N. of Normanton, 30.vii.1982, J.F. Donaldson & J.W. Turner, at light ( QDPI) .

Description. Face of head sordid yellow or brownish with lateral pale markings. Vertex and pronotum (Fig. 10) pale cream testaceous with faint brown markings, scutellum with lateral angles pale orange or pale brown. Tegmen (Fig. 9) whitish translucent with brown markings throughout, becoming darker towards apex where veins are highlighted in brown; pale patch on costal margin at about midlength.

FIGURES 1–10. 1–2. A. melaleucae . 1. habitus, 2. dorsal view, 3–4. A. apicalis . 3. habitus, 4. dorsal view, 5–6. A. koebelei . 5. habitus, 6. dorsal view, 7–8. A. litorus . 7. habitus, 8. dorsal view, 9–10. A. curvatus . 9. habitus, 10. dorsal view.

FIGURES 11–20. 11–12. A. flagellatus , 11. habitus, 12. dorsal view, 13–14. A. luteus . 13. habitus, 14. dorsal view, 15–16. A. clavatus . 16. habitus, 16. dorsal view, 17–18. A. bidentatus . 17. habitus, 18. dorsal view, 19–20. A. biapicalis . 19. habitus, 20. dorsal view.

Genitalia. Male: Subgenital plates ( Fig. 25B ) narrow triangular, apically tapered without distinct apical lobe. Parameres ( Fig. 25E ) with preapical lobe small, rounded; apical process curved laterally with slight angle on internal margin. Connective ( Fig. 25E ) long with stem much longer than arms. Aedeagus, in posterior view ( Fig. 25C ), with shafts divergent, bearing elongate, apically acute process apparently at midlength; in lateral view ( Fig. 25D ), aedeagal shafts strongly curved anteriorly with basal process fused to posterior margin of shaft to about midlength and then diverging to form elongate acute process curved anteriorly. Basal apodeme ( Fig. 25D ) long, tapered to blunt apex, extended at right angles to base of shaft. Female: unknown.

Etymology. The species name reflects the strongly curved aedeagal shafts in lateral view.

Comments. The apparent lack of an apical finger-like lobe on the subgenital plates is similar to M. litorus from mainland Queensland in which the subgenital plates are also tapering apically without a clearly differentiated apical process. The structure of the aedeagus of M. curvatus also shows similarity with that of M. litorus from which it differs in the degree of curvature of the aedeagus in lateral view.

Figures

FIGURE 25. A. curvatus, male genitalia. A. terminalia, lateral view, B. subgenital plates and pregenital sternite, ventral view, C. aedeagus, posteroventral view, D. aedeagus, lateral view, E. connective and paramere, ventral view.