Pseudochoutagus lindae, Constant & Pham, 2024

Constant, Jérôme & Pham, Hong Thai, 2024, Issid planthoppers from Bach Ma and Phong Dien in Central Vietnam. I. Tribe Parahiraciini (Hemiptera: Fulgoromorpha: Issidae), European Journal of Taxonomy 975, pp. 1-64 : 42-48

Pseudochoutagus lindae sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:F1161917-6FB3-44BC-AB0E-D9BF58C41568

Figs 1 , 24–27

Diagnosis

Pseudochoutagus lindae sp. nov. can be recognized by:

(1) the mostly bright green colour of the insect ( Figs 24A–C , 27C–E );

(2) the yellow-brown colour of the hind wings ( Fig. 25E ).

Differential diagnosis

The species can be diferentiated from all other species of Pseudochoutagus by the green colour of the tegmina, dark brown to dark reddish brown in the other species. It resembles superficially Laohiracia acuta (see illustrations in Constant 2021; Constant & Pham 2023), which shares a green colour of the body and an elongate cephalic process but differs by the cephalic process slightly upcurved distally (straight in Laohiracia ) and with very weak dorsal and ventral median carinae (carinae very distinct at least on distal half in Laohiracia ), the anterior margin of pronotum sinuate but not strongly projecting anteriorly, the hind wings are less reticulate with vein Pcu weakly curved and well distinct (dense network of cross-veins and vein Pcu rather strongly curved at basal ⅓ and poorly distinct after nodal line in Laohiracia ).

Etymology

The species epithet is dedicated to JC’s wonderful partner Linda Semeraro who found all the specimens of the type series in Bach Ma National Park during our 2023 expedition.

Type material

Holotype

VIETNAM • ♂ (dissected – Figs 24–26 ); Th ừa Thiên-Huế Province , Bach Ma National Park, YesHue Eco; 16°13′05″ N, 107°43′27″ E; 17 May 2023; 200–300 m a.s.l.; J. Constant and L. Semeraro leg.; VNMN.

Paratypes

VIETNAM • 1 ♀; same data as for holotype; VNMN • 1 ♂, 1 ♀; same data as for holotype; I.G.: 34.640; RBINS .

Description

MEASUREMENTS AND RATIOS. LT: ♂ (n = 2): 10.1 mm, ♀ (n = 2): 11.6 mm (11.4–11.8); LT/BB = 3.02; LTg/ BTg = 2.6; LW/BW = 1.87; BV/LV = 0.35; LF/BF = 3.15.

HEAD ( Fig. 25A–D ). Strongly elongated anteriorly in cephalic process; vertex olivaceous green, usually getting slightly darker towards apex; distinctly longer in midline than broad before eyes (nearly 2.9 times), widening from base to anterior margin of eyes, tapering beyond eyes to midlength, then with sides parallel to rounded apex, median carina weakly distinct, lateral carinae distinct; posterior margin moderately incurved. Side of head brown, darker than vertex anteriorly on cephalic process, yellowish under eye to clypeal suture. Frons yellowish in basal portion then turning dark brown from middle of eyes towards apex, with yellow area extended anteriorly in middle; lateral carinae reaching apex, median carina distinct in distal half; elongate, widest slightly anterior to eyes, roundly tapering towards clypeal suture; clypeal suture rounded. Clypeus black-brown with base shortly yellow, weakly elevated medially in distal portion. Labium brown with last segment longer than broad, and shorter than penultimate. Antennae dark brown; scape short, ring-shaped; pedicel bulbous.

THORAX ( Fig. 25A–D ). Pronotum yellowish brown; about ⅔ of length of mesonotum in midline; anterior margin weakly carinate, sinuate and moderately protruding anteriorly between eyes, with peridiscal carinae weakly distinct; posterior margin nearly straight; no median carina but with impressed point on each side of median line; weak, blunt tubercles along anterior and posterior margins; paranotal lobes (lateral view) moderately broad, turning dark brown in lower portion, under level of eye and with posteroventral angle rather acutely rounded. Mesonotum yellowish brown with longitudinal carinae obsolete; two black-brown impressed points on disc and smaller black-brown point near anterolateral angle. Tegulae yellowish brown.

TEGMINA ( Figs 24A–C , 27C–E ). Green (tending to fade to yellow in collection specimens), narrowly washed with brown along apical margin; subcoriaceous with longitudinal veins distinct and with dense reticulum of veinlets; shape elongate and convex with sides broadly rounded, widest at basal ⅓, about 2.7 times as long as broad; narrowly rounded apically. Postclaval margin nearly straight, very weakly rounded on distal half, and notched at apex of clavus. Clavus closed, reaching about ⅔ of tegmen. Venation: ScP+R forking close to base after short common stem, ScP+RA and RP running more or less parallel to costal margin; MP forked slightly before basal ⅓, resulting veins running more or less parallel; CuA weakly diverging from claval joint and forked before apex of latter; Pcu and A 1 fused at distal ¼ of clavus, resulting Pcu+A 1 reaching claval joint before apex of clavus; dense reticulum of veinlets, espcially beyond basal ⅓.

HIND WINGS ( Fig. 26E ). Yellow-brown turning to dark brown along margin in distal portion of lobe Sc-R-MP-CuA and narrowly along margin in distal portion of lobe CuP-Pcu-A 1, A 2 lobe brown; venation concolourous; wing slightly broader than tegmen and deeply bilobed at CuP; costal margin moderately sinuate; CuP-Pcu-A 1 lobe broadly rounded along postclaval margin and about 1.2 times as wide as Sc-R-MP-CuA lobe, both about the same length and apically rounded; A 2 lobe moderately reduced and narrow. Venation: longitudinal veins ScP-R-MP-Cu well distinct; Pcu and A 1 separated; numerous cross-veins; A

2

distinct, well developed.

LEGS ( Fig. 24A–E ). Moderately elongate, slender; femora brown, darker in basal portion, wider than corresponding tibiae; tibiae paler than corresponding femora, yellow-brown; pro- and meso tarsi black; metatibiae with 2 lateral spines in distal half and 7 apical spines. Metatibiotarsal formula: (2) 7 / 9 / 2.

ABDOMEN ( Fig. 24B ). Yellowish brown, middle portion of basal segments dark brown.

MALE TERMINALIA. Pygofer (Py – Fig. 26A–D ) about 2.3 times as high as long in lateral view, with anterior and posterior margins subparallel, sinuate; posterior margin with posterodorsal angle nearly right and dorsal margin straight; in dorsal view, posterior margin very deeply and abruptly excavate. Gonostyli (G – Fig. 26A–B, D ) (in lateral view) longer than high (without dorsal capitulum), tapering posteriorly in a distinct lobe narrowly rounded apically, and concave; capitulum (ca) with wide neck, curved laterad and directed posterodorsad, with distal portion obliquely flattened, and with outer margin under lateral laminate projection, strongly concave in caudal view. Aedeagus ( Fig. 26 E–L ) mostly symmetrical, except for lateroventral processes (lvp), rather strongly curved dorsad (in lateral view), longer and wider than ventral lobe of periandrium, and with pair of posterolateral pointed processes directed cephalad; pair of elongate lateroventral processes (lvp) directed mesocephalad at about half length, more or less regularly tapering to narrowly pointed apex not reaching base of aedeagus and twisted near base, right process more or less straight, left process moderately curved mesad, and both curved mesad at distal ¾; ventral lobe of periandrium (vl) evenly widening posterior to medioventral processes, with apical margin rounded with small round projection in middle; dorsal lobe (dl) with median ridge in distal portion, sinuate in lateral view. Connective (co) elongate, weakly curved, with massive tectiductus (te). Anal tube (An – Fig. 26A–D ) dorsoventrally flattened, in dorsal view spatulate with apical margin roundly emarginate; basal portion narrow, widening to strong sinuation at level of anal opening; distal portion weakly tapering to lateroposterior rounded angles; in lateral view, strongly curved near base, then gently curved posteroventrad; anal opening at about midlength.

FEMALE TERMINALIA. Hind margin of sternum VII (St VII – Fig. 25F ) with massive, widely spatulate, apically weakly concave median process.

Biology

Pseudochoutagus lindae sp. nov. was collected in May in a marshy microhabitat ( Fig. 27A ) along a stream by sweeping a fern ( Fig. 27B ), in moist evergreen tropical forest at about 250 m in altitude. The green colour of adult specimens ( Fig. 27C–E ) probably helps their camouflage on their host plants.

Distribution

Vietnam: Thừa Thiên-Huế Province, Bach Ma National Park ( Fig. 1 ).

Figures

Fig. 1. Map of the sampled localities in Thừa Thiên-Huế Province, Vietnam.

Fig. 24. Pseudochoutagus lindae sp. nov., dissected holotype, ♂ (VNMN). A. Habitus, dorsal view. B. Habitus, ventral view. C. Habitus, lateral view. D. Right hind leg, ventral view. E. Metatarsus and apex of metatibia, ventral view.

Fig. 25. Pseudochoutagus lindae sp. nov. A–E. Holotype ♂ (VNMN). A. Head and thorax, dorsal view. B. Frons, perpendicular view. C. Head and thorax, lateral view. D. Head and thorax, anterolateral view. E. Right hind wing. F. Paratype ♀ (RBINS), terminalia, ventral view. Abbreviation: see Material and methods.

Fig. 26. Pseudochoutagus lindae sp. nov., holotype, ♂ (VNMN). A–D. Pygofer, anal tube and gonostyli. A. Left lateral view. B. Posterolateral view. C. Dorsal view. D. Caudal view. E–L. Aedeagus. E. Left lateral view. F. Left laterodorsal view. G. Left lateroventral view. H. Dorsal view. I. Anterodorsal view. J. Ventral view.K. Posteroventral view.L. Anteroventral view.Abbreviations: see Material and methods.

Fig. 27. Pseudochoutagus lindae sp. nov. in Bach Ma National Park, Yes Hue Eco, 17 May 2023. A. Habitat. B. Host plant. C–E. Live specimen.