Neoaliturus carbonarius Mityaev, 1971

Tishechkin, Dmitri Yu., 2021, Review of the Neoaliturus fenestratus (Herrich-Schäffer, 1834) species group (Homoptera: Auchenorrhyncha: Cicadellidae: Deltocephalinae: Opsiini) from Russia, Kazakhstan, and Central Asia, Zootaxa 5039 (2), pp. 201-221 : 209

4. Neoaliturus carbonarius Mityaev, 1971

Figs. 18–24 , 82–93, 171–178

Description. Black, shiny, forewings with numerous light spots and light apical parts; head, pro-, and mesonotum usually with small yellow spots ( Figs. 18–24 ). In females, forewings often semitransparent ( Figs. 23–24 ).

Penis in posterior view with wide basal part tapered just before bifurcation (Figs. 82–85). In lateral view, basal part wide, stems form an angle of about 30 degrees or less with main part (Figs. 86–89). Pygofer appendage long, smoothly curved (Figs. 90–93).

Body length (including tegmina): ♂, 3.1–3.3 mm; ♀, 3.4–3.8 mm.

Differs from most other species by wide basal part of penis. Similar in this trait to N. translucens sp. n., but differs from it by darker coloration. Males with wide penis also occasionally found in N. dubovskii sp. n., but in this species penis stems are distinctly narrower.

Hosts. Collected from Artemisia subg. Seriphidium and from Acroptylon repens (Asteraceae) in a dry gorge with steppe vegetation in the same sample with N. dubovskii sp. n., from A.? scoparia (subg. Dracunculus ) in sandy steppe, and on tall mesophytic vegetation on the mountain slope in the same sample with N. fenestratus .

Calling signal. Signals of males from the following localities were investigated.

1. Southern Kazakhstan, ca. 30 km north of Almaty, Karaoy Village, sandy steppe on the bank of the Kaskelen River , 13. VI. 2017, signals of three males recorded at 25 oC .

2. Southern Kazakhstan, Zailiyskiy Alatau Mtn. Range, ca. 60 km east of Almaty, environs of Tauturgen Village , mountain slope, 29. VI. 2019, signals of two males recorded at 33 oC .

3. Southern Kazakhstan, ca. 130 km northeast of Almaty, 25 km southwest of Saryozek by the road to Kapchagay , Arkharly Pass , mountain steppe, 16. VI. 2017, signals of three males recorded at 29–30 oC .

4. Southeastern Kazakhstan, southwestern part of Tarbagatay Mtn. Range, 20 km east of Taskesken Village, 21. VI. 2017, signals of one male recorded at 30 oC .

The calling signal consists of short repeated phrases ( Figs. 171–174 ). Each phrase consists of 3–12 syllables following each other with a period of 150–200 ms ( Figs. 175–178 ). Syllables are similar in pattern to syllables of the second type in N. albilacustris and consist of 4–7 discrete pulses increasing in amplitude towards the end of a syllable.

Distribution. Rather common in Southern and Eastern Kazakhstan. According to Mityaev (2002), this species is also widespread in Northern Kazakhstan.

Remark. Identification of this species is based on the drawings in the original description ( Mityaev, 1971) and on investigation of specimens identified by Prof. I.D. Mityaev.

Figures

FIGURES 1–24. Neoaliturus spp., dorsal view. 1–8―N. fenestratus, 9–11―N. hui, 12–17―N. albilacustris sp. n., 18–24― N. carbonarius. 1–4, 9, 12–15, 18–20―males, 5–7, 10, 16–17, 21–24―females. 8―after Herrich-Schäffer, 1834, 11―after Chang, 1938.

FIGURES 171–186. Neoaliturus spp., calling signal oscillograms. 171–178―N. carbonarius, 179–186―N. guttulatus. Faster oscillograms of the parts of signals indicated as “175–178” and “183–186”are given under the same numbers.