Nesophrosyne makaihe Bennett

Bennett, Gordon M & O’Grady, Patrick M, 2011, Review of the native Hawaiian leafhopper genus Nesophrosyne (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae: Deltocephalinae) with description of eight new species associated with Broussaisia arguta (Hydrangeaceae), Zootaxa 2805, pp. 1-25 : 11-14

Nesophrosyne makaihe Bennett sp. nov.

( Fig. 5 a–g)

Diagnosis. Length: male = 3.74mm, female = 4.97mm. A dark species, with a prominent saddle mark resembling a spear point, pointed anterad. Crown produced and bluntly rounded. Pygofer with a pointed apex at 2/3 height from base. Aedeagus with long apical processes, recurving anterolaterally 1/4 length of aedeagal arms. Endemic to O’ahu, Wai’anae Mountain Range.

Description. Dorsum: Dark species with prominent pale-yellow markings, extending from clavus through mesonotum ( Fig. 5 a). Crown and pronotum dark; lighter forms with pale light brown blotches between ocelli. Mesonotum mesially pale; mesonotal triangles dark, extending to lateral margins. Scutellum pale. Forewing predominantly dark with cells and veins obfuscate in dark pigmentation; costal cells along posterior half clear, divided by a darkly pigmented R1 vein; outer anteapical cells present, triangular. Clavus with large conspicuous saddle mark, widest at base and tapering anteriorally, resembling a spear point.

Venter: Face with well-formed grill pattern on clypeus, divided by central dark latitudinal line, posterior half entirely dark; clypellus, lorum, and gena dark. Abdominal segments predominately dark with thin pale line along each posterior margin; pleurites partially dark on anterior half. Legs almost entirely pale; hind femora dark anteroventrad; hind tarsal segments dark at joints.

Genitalia: Pygofer ( Fig. 5 b) produced and pointed, rising at 2/3 height from base; ventral lobe produced with long flat edge, angled posteroventrad, giving rise sharply to apex; posterior-dorsal edge rising form apex rounded; posterior edge flat; 11 macrosete. Aedeagus ( Fig. 5 c,f,g) with aedeagal arms widely splayed, rising above central apodeme; gonopore preapical; apical processes long approximately 1/4 length of aedeagus, distad of gonopore, tapering before hooking anterolaterally. Style ( Fig. 5 e) large; posterior processes short; preapical lobe flat and angular with microsete. Connective ( Fig. 5 d) short; posterior edge notched; anterior appendages splayed widely.

Distribution. USA: Hawaiian Islands, O’ahu, Western Wai’anae Mountain Range, ~ 1220m, wet forest

Measurements. Body length (n=8): Male (n=8) = 3.74mm (3.60mm – 3.90mm); Female (n=10) = 4.97mm (4.80mm – 5.10mm). Genitalia (n=6): Pygofer = 0.48mm (0.47mm – 0.50mm); Style = 0.38mm (0.37mm – 0.39mm); Connective = 0.28mm (0.27mm – 0.29mm); Aedeagus lateral length = 0.26mm (0.24mm – 0.27mm); Aedeagus posterior height = 0.25mm (0.23mm – 0.27mm).

Material examined. Type material: Holotype: 1 male, Hawaiian Islands, O’ahu, Wai’anae Mountains, Mt. Ka’ala, Summit Bog Boardwalk, N21 o 30.504, W158 o 0 8.865, Elevation: 1210m, 29Aug2009. Host Plant: Broussaisia arguta . Coll. G.M. Bennett, K. Magnacca, and D.A. Polhemus. Deposited in the BPBM, Honolulu, Hawai’i. Type #: 17302. Additional material: 22 males, 12 females, Hawaiian Islands, O’ahu, Wai’anae Mountains, Mt. Ka’ala, Summit Bog Boardwalk, N21 o 30.504, W158 o 0 8.865, Elevation: 1210m, 26May2007, 27July2009, and 29Aug2009. Host Plant: Broussaisia arguta . Coll. G.M. Bennett, K. Magnacca, and D.A. Polhemus. Deposited in the BPBM, Honolulu, Hawai’i. 21 males, 7 females, Hawaiian Islands, O’ahu, Wai’anae Mountains, Mt. Ka’ala, Summit Bog Boardwalk, N21o 40’40” W158o 08’48”, Elevation: 1220m, 6May2000. Host Plant: Broussaisia arguta . Coll. D.A. Polhemus. Deposited in D.A. Polhemus’s personal collection at the Smithsonian, Washington D.C.

Etymology. Makaihe is a Hawaiian phrase for spear tip: Maka is the noun for point or tip of blade, and Ihe is the noun for spear. The name was chosen to describe the resemblance of the claval saddle mark to that of a spear point.

Discussion. A single species is described for the Nesophrosyne occurring on Broussaisia arguta on O’ahu. Three specimens of a morphologically similar population from the Ko’olau Range on East O’ahu were examined (provided by D. Polhemus). The male specimens are dorsally paler than the N. makaihe (West O’ahu); the genitalia were not examined due to limited sample size. Eastern O’ahu populations may represent a potential sibling species system as seen on Maui and Hawai’i ( Fig. 3 ). Due to the difficulty of collecting species from B. arguta on the eastern side of O’ahu, we are unable to make an adequate comparison of the two populations here.

Phylogenetic evidence places N. makaihe in a clade with the kanawao species group, with low support. Nesophrosyne makaihe is placed sister to a clade associated with the host plant genus Myrsine (Myrsinaceae) , containing two species found on East Maui and Hawai’i island (COII % divergence avg. = 16.03%). Both taxa occur in high elevation (~ 914.4m) rainforest.

Further gene and taxonomic sampling are required to resolve this relationship. Nesophrosyne makaihe ’s internal genitalia is considerably different, further confusing inference of relationships to other species associated with B. arguta .

Nesophrosyne magnaccai Bennett sp. nov. ( Fig. 6 a–g)

Diagnosis. Length: male = 4.7mm, female = 5.60mm. Brown species with conspicuous dark colored veins; without saddle mark or pale colored claval veins. Crown produced, bluntly rounded. Pygofer appearing triangular, with sharply produced apex rising at mid-length. Aedeagal arms widely splayed, appearing relatively compressed in ventral view; gonopore preapical, with apical processes recurving anterolaterad 1/5 length of aedeagal arms. Endemic to Moloka’i.

Description. Dorsum Brownish species with forewing veins conspicuous ( Fig. 6 a). Crown predominately dark with thin pale line extending along posterior margin, triangular pale region emerging at apex. Pronotum almost entirely dark except for lateral edges, which are marked with two lateral pale spots on margins. Mesonotum dark. Scutellum central region variably dark, lateral margins pale. Forewing veins dark and conspicuous, including clavus; cells clear tinged with brown; central anteapical cell infused with dark pigmentation at ends; discal cells dark; lacking any pale coloration common in Nesophrosyne ; outer anteapical cell present, triangular.

Venter: Face with clypeus, clypellus, lorum dark; gena dark with lateral margins pale. Abdominal segments almost entirely dark with thin pale line along each posterior margin; pleurites dark with posterior edge variably pale. Forelegs pale, base of sete dark; middle femora and tibia dark at joints; hind femora and tibia mostly dark with pale macrosete.

Genitalia: Pygofer ( Fig. 6 b) triangular, sharply produced at mid-height from base; dorsal and ventral edges narrowing straight to apex; ventral lobe produced; 11 macrosete. Aedeagus ( Fig. 6 f,c,g) comparatively compressed in posterior view, rising nearly above of central apodeme; aedeagal arms splayed widely; gonopore preapical; apical processes extending just above gonopore, hooking approximately 1/5 the length of aedeagal arms. Style ( Fig. 6 e) preapical lobe sloping, forming an oblique angular edge, with microsete. Connective ( Fig. 6 d) with posterior edge notched and wider than anterior arms; anterior arms thick, moderately splayed.

Distribution. USA: Hawaiian Islands, Moloka’i Eastern Mountain Range,> 1340m, wet forest.

Measurements. Body length (n=4): Male (n=4) = 4.70mm (4.46mm – 4.80mm); Female (n=1) = 5.60mm. Genitalia (n=3): Pygofer = 0.60mm (0.59mm – 0.62mm); Style = 0.46mm (0.45mm – 0.47mm); Connective = 0.32mm (0.32mm – 0.33mm); Aedeagus lateral length = 0.39mm (0.38mm – 0.39mm); Aedeagus posterior height = 0.13mm (0.13mm – 0.14mm).

Material examined. Type material: Holotype: 1 male, Hawaiian Islands, Moloka’i, Kamakou Preserve, Pu’u Kolekole, N21 o 0 6.436 W156 o 54.141, Elevation: 1340m, 19Feb2007. Host Plant: Broussaisia arguta . Coll. K. Magnacca. Deposited in the BPBM, Honolulu, Hawai’i. Type #: 17303. Additional material: 3 males, 1 female, same as holotype. Deposited in the BPBM, Honolulu, Hawai’i.

Etymology. This species is named after its collector Dr. Karl Magnacca (Hawaiian Entomologist, University of Hawai’i, Hilo) for his contributions to this project and for his extensive, and helpful guidance in the field.

Discussion. A single Nesophrosyne species associated with Broussaisia arguta is described from Moloka’i. Similarly to N. heopoko , the Moloka’i species is morphologically distinct from the other species described here. Current phylogenetic evidence provides weak support for an independent shift to B. arguta . N. magnaccai is placed sister to N. sp.4 and N. oblique (data not shown), which are associated with the host plant genera Lobelia (Campanulaceae) and Myrsine (Myrsinaceae) , respectively. Both sister taxa occur in on East Maui in high elevation (~ 914.4m) rainforest. COII percent divergence between N. magnaccai and N. sp.4 avg. = 15.68%, and N. magnaccai and N. obliqua = 15.67%.

Figures

FIGURE 3. Partitioned Maximum Likelihood phylogeny of Nesophrosyne (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae) species reconstructed in RAxML-VI-HPC v 7.2.5 under a GTR + I + Γ likelihood model with 100 bootstrap partitions. Gene partitions are according to the mitochondrial genome (COII, 16 s) and nuclear genome (H 3, Wingless). Subsections A & B highlight species relationships of newly described species occurring on the host plant Broussaisia arguta. A) Silhouette of full Maximum Likelihood phylogeny results. B) Nesophrosyne heopoko’s associated with other species on Kaua’i. C) Relationships of the species within the kanawao species group on Maui and Hawai’i. The numbers above branches are bootstrap support values.

FIGURE 5. Nesophrosyne makaihe endemic to O’ahu, Wai’anae Range: a. dorsum; b. male pygofer; c. aedeagus ventral view; d. connective; e. style; f. aedeagus posterior view; and, g. aedeagus lateral view.

FIGURE 6. Nesophrosyne magnaccai endemic to Moloka’i: a. dorsum; b. male pygofer; c. aedeagus ventral view; d. connective; e. style; f. aedeagus posterior view; and, g. aedeagus lateral view.