Olonia nobilis ( Stål, 1863 ) Constant, 2018

Constant, Jérôme, 2018, Revision of the Eurybrachidae XIV. The Australian genera Olonia Stål, 1862 and Stalobrachys gen. nov. (Hemiptera: Fulgoromorpha), European Journal of Taxonomy 486, pp. 1-97 : 57-63

Olonia nobilis ( Stål, 1863) comb. nov.

Figs 3 , 35–39

Lyncilia nobilis Stål, 1863: 248 (described).

Lyncilia nobilis – Kirkaldy 1906: 448 (mentioned as unknown to the author in a work on Australian Auchenorrhyncha ). — Metcalf 1956: 68 (catalogued).

Platybrachys nobilis – Fennah 1964: 160 (transferred to Platybrachys Stål, 1959 ; nomen implicitum).

Note

Fennah (1964) synonymized Lyncilia Stål, 1863 with Platybrachys Stål, 1859 but failed to formally propose the new combination Platybrachys nobilis ( Stål, 1863) for the single species contained in that genus. The latter combination is here treated as a nomen implicitum. Examination of the holotype and recent additional material of Lyncilia nobilis revealed that the species actually belongs to the genus Olonia .

Diagnosis

This species can be recognized by the following combination of characters:

(1) hind wings with large conspicuous orange marking ( Figs 36E , 38E ) and with narrow apical white border in females ( Fig. 38E )

(2) pro- and mesofemora and -tibiae largely black-brown ( Figs 36A–D , 38A–D )

(3) anal tube of male acuminate apically and narrowing basally to level of epiproct ( Fig. 37B )

(4) centroventral part of gonostyli with long and narrow process curved ventrointernally ( Fig. 37A, C )

(5) laterodorsal part of gonostyli with long and narrow process curved ventrally ( Fig. 37A, C–D )

(6) rather large size: 9–11 mm

Material examined

Holotype

AUSTRALIA • ♀; Queensland, Lizard Island; [14°40′08″ S, 145°27′34″ E]; “Lizard Inseln”, “Type”, “ Lyncilia nobilis Stål , ♀, Edm. Schmidt determ. 1907”, “Mus. Zool. Polonicum Warszawa 12/45”; ZMPA ( Fig. 35 ).

Other material

AUSTRALIA • 1 ♂; NE Queensland, Lizard Island ; 5 Jul. 1987; J. Grimshaw leg.; QDPI • 2 ♀♀; collection data as for preceding; on track to airstrip; 8 Jul. 1987; QDPI • 1 ♀; collection data as for preceding; 3 Jul. 1987; hand collected near research station; QDPI • 1 ♀; same collection data as for preceding; RBINS • 1 ♂, 1 ♀; Lizard Island ; 15 Nov. 1974; M.S. and B.J. Moulds leg.; AMS .

Material examined from photographs

AUSTRALIA • 2 ♀♀; Lizard Island, Casuarina Beach ; 1 Mar. 2016; A. Hoggett leg.; on Ipomoea pescaprae .

Description

MEASUREMENTS AND RATIOS. LT: ♂ (n = 2): 9.0 mm; ♀ (n = 5): 10.5 mm (10.2–10.8); BV/LV = 4.4; BF/LF = 1.76; LP+LM/BT = 0.68; Ltg/BTg = 2.2–2.4; LW/BW = 1.72.

Male

HEAD ( Fig. 36A–D ). Vertex concave, with anterior and posterior margins parallel, curved; brown variegated with yellowish. Frons reddish black-brown, slightly rugulose. Clypeus elongate, dark reddish brown. Genae black-brown with yellowish markings around eyes and along anterior margin. Labium black-brown, reaching metacoxae. Antennae dark brown; scape short, ring-shaped; pedicel subcylindrical, slightly narrowing towards apex.

THORAX ( Fig. 36A–D ). Pronotum brown variegated with yellowish and blackish; slightly transversely wrinkled posteriorly; obsolete median carina and 2 small impressed points on disc. Lateral fields of prothorax dark brown. Mesonotum dark brown variegated with reddish and blackish, with median yellowish spot along anterior margin and at apex of scutellum; slightly transversely wrinkled; median and peridiscal carinae weakly marked; median carina stopping before scutellum; slight impression before scutellum. Red ventrally. Tegulae brown.

TEGMINA ( Fig. 36A, C ). Brown with costal margin along posterior half and apical margin after nodal line, bordered with black; small reddish to yellowish spots; conspicuous transverse, white marking along costal margin at half length; small white marking on vein A1 at half length of clavus; triangular white marking on costal margin on nodal line; white spot at apicosutural angle. Maximum breadth at basal third; costal margin sinuate; apical margin obliquely rounded.

POSTERIOR WINGS ( Fig. 36E ). Bright orange with apical ½ black; basal ¼ between anal fold and vein MP, anal area and border along sutural margin brown; transverse, broad, white marking at apicocostal angle, extending on 2 cells. Margin of anal area straight; sutural margin with 2 clefts, cubital one slightly marked.

LEGS ( Fig. 36A–D ). Pro- and mesocoxae black-brown. Pro- and mesofemora black-brown. Pro- and mesotibiae black-brown with 3 obsolete ring-shaped reddish to yellowish markings, larger one near apex, more developed on mesotibiae. Pro- and mesotarsi dark brown, with basal half of third tarsomere paler. Metacoxae reddish brown; metafemora reddish with apex dark brown. Metatibiae brown, with 3 lateral spines yellowish basally and 8 apical, black-brown spines. Metatarsi dark brown, with a ventral row of 6 black spines on first tarsomere.

ABDOMEN. Bright red with genital segments black-brown.

MALE GENITALIA ( Fig. 37 ). Posterior margin of pygofer in lateral view strongly sinuate, strongly roundly projecting at dorsal ½, narrow ventrally ( Fig. 37A, C ). Anal tube subovate, 2.1 times as long as broad, laterally emarginate at level of epiproct, curved ventrally in lateral view; lateral margins slightly curved ventrally on apical ¾; narrowing and acuminate apically ( Fig. 37A–B ). Gonostyli fused basally and projecting posteroventrally ( Fig. 37A, C ). Centroventral part elongate and narrow, diverging at base, then curved centroventrally, crossing near apex ( Fig. 37A, C ). Laterodorsal part of gonostyli elongate and narrow, progressively slightly curved posteroventrally, ventrally surpassing level of centroventral part; lateral process elongate, projecting lateroventrally and slightly concave dorsally; slightly longer than spoon-shaped process ( Fig. 37A, C–D ). Dorsal portion of phallobase with short and strong hooked process on each side, abruptly curved dorsally ( Fig. 37E–F ). Ventral portion of phallobase forming elongate process along each side of phallus, not merging apically ( Fig. 37E–F ). Phallus dorsoventrally flattened, obovate ( Fig. 37E–F ).

Female

Similar to male, but tegmina without white spot along costal margin on nodal line and at apicosutural angle, replaced by narrow white border along apical margin; posterior wings brown with apical ¼ black, large central bright orange marking extending from anal fold to vein ScP+R, and apical margin narrowly bordered with white along 5–6 cells ( Fig. 38 ).

Distribution and biology

This species has only been recorded from Lizard Island, a small 10 km 2 island where it seems to be restricted, off the eastern coast of Cape York Peninsula ( Fig. 3 ) in the Cape York Peninsula Tropical Savanna bioregion. The specimens were found in March, July and November, at low altitude according to the available data (the island culminates at 359 m a.s.l.). Several specimens were observed on stems of Ipomoea pes-caprae but not on those of I. macrantha Roem. & Schult. (A. Hoggett pers. com.) ( Fig. 39 ).

Figures

Fig. 3. Olonia spp. and Stalobrachys alboapicata gen. et comb. nov. (Jacobi, 1928), distribution maps. A. Topographic map. B. Bioregion map.

Fig. 35. Olonia nobilis (Stål, 1863) comb. nov., holotype, ♀. A. Habitus, dorsal view. B. Habitus, lateral view. C. Habitus, normal view of frons. D. Habitus, ventral view. E. Labels.

Fig. 36. Olonia nobilis (Stål, 1863) comb. nov., ♂. A. Habitus, dorsal view. B. Habitus, ventral view. C. Habitus, lateral view. D. Habitus, normal view of frons. E. Posterior wing.

Fig. 37. Olonia nobilis (Stål, 1863) comb. nov., ♂, genitalia. A. Pygofer, anal tube and gonostyli, left lateral view. B. Anal tube, dorsal view. C. Pygofer and gonostyli, ventral view. D. Laterodorsal part of left gonostylus, dorsal view. E. Aedeagus, left lateral view. F. Aedeagus, dorsal view. Abbreviations: An = anal tube; G = gonostyli; Py = pygofer.

Fig. 38. Olonia nobilis (Stål, 1863) comb. nov., ♀. A. Habitus, dorsal view. B. Habitus, ventral view. C. Habitus, lateral view. D. Habitus, normal view of frons. E. Posterior wing.

Fig. 39. Olonia nobilis (Stål, 1863) comb. nov. in nature, Lizard Island, Casuarina Beach, 1 Mar. 2016. A–B. Female on Ipomoea pes-caprae. C. Two females on Ipomoea pes-caprae. D. Habitat. Photographs by A. Hoggett.