Pseudophacopteron kala, Malenovský & Burckhardt & Tamesse, 2007

Malenovský, Igor, Burckhardt, Daniel & Tamesse, Joseph L., 2007, Jumping plant-lice of the family Phacopteronidae (Hemiptera: Psylloidea) from Cameroon, Journal of Natural History 41 (29 - 32), pp. 1875-1927 : 1911-1912

Pseudophacopteron kala sp. n.

(Figures 1D, 5B, 6B, 7B, 8B, 9C, 10B, 11B, 13B)

Description

Adult. Colour (alcohol-preserved specimens): body brown to dark brown. Vertex with a pale ochreous midline. Mesopraescutum with a narrow pale ochreous triangle in the middle. Mesoscutellum light ochreous. Antenna off-white, segments 4–8 dark brown or black in apical half, segments 9–10 entirely black, terminal setae white. Legs dirty pale yellow, metacoxae with dark brown markings, profemur and mesofemur dark brown near apex and base, metafemur almost entirely dark brown, only lighter apically, tibia dark brown basally. Fore wing membrane clear, transparent, with extended dark brown pattern consisting of bands along the entire length of the veins R, R1, M+Cu1, M, and M1+2, large patches around Cu1a, Cu1b, and the apical part of Rs, and a small patch around the apex of M3+4; a light brown infuscation on the fore wing base ( Figure 6B ). Veins dark brown, only the outer half of wing margin off-white, anal vein off-white with two black or dark brown spots. Hind wing clear, transparent, veins C+Sc and A dark brown. Abdomen brown.

Morphology: head, in dorsal view, slightly wider than mesonotum, subcylindrical; in frontal view distinctly dorso-ventrally flattened (Figure 1D). Vertex with fine microsculpture in front, smooth and shiny dorsally, about twice as wide as long along midline, rounded down in front. Median ridge on vertex raised, distinct, narrow. Vertex on either side of the median ridge flat in front, not bulging; posterior margin concave. Lateral ocelli lying in the same plane as vertex. Coronal suture reduced throughout. Occiput broadly triangular. Preoccipital sclerite relatively broad; eyes prominent, slightly stalked, in frontal view subangular. Genae indistinctly swollen. Tubercle below torulus small, rudimentary, pointed, forming an acute angle. Frons narrow, parallel-sided. Clypeus narrowly pyriform. Antenna relatively long, slender, segments subcylindrical, weakly widening to apex; a single subapical rhinarium on each of segments 4–9; terminal setae subequal, the longer seta approximately as long as segments 9 and 10 together ( Figure 5B ). Fore wing moderately elongate, outer anterior margin more or less evenly curved, apex truncate. Surface spinules present in apical part of cell r2 and cells cu1 and cu2 ( Figure 7B ). Costal break in apical sixth of C+Sc. Hind legs long and slender. Meracanthus short, acute, pointed. Metafemur constricted medially. Metatibia bearing an open crown of eight or nine stout, unsclerotized apical spurs, and a few (one to five) similar spurs laterally. Metabasitarsus bearing two black sclerotized spurs. Male terminalia as in Figure 8B . Proctiger relatively long, slightly narrowing to apex. Subgenital plate, in profile, as long as high, dorsal margin straight. Paramere, in profile, relatively long, parallel-sided, in the middle slightly bent anteriad, apex broadly rounded; in posterior view, inner margin and outer margins parallel-sided; inner surface, covered in fine setae and three or four stouter setae subapically, apex forming small sclerotized tooth ( Figure 9C ). Basal segment of aedeagus stout; apical segment with elongate, apically hooked head, narrow at apex, its dorsal margin slightly angular basally; sclerotized end tube of ductus ejaculatorius relatively long, sinuate ( Figure 10B ). Female terminalia as in Figure 11B . Proctiger relatively long, with dorsal margin weakly concave, apical process long, narrowing to apex; circumanal ring in anterior half with one row of pores, in posterior half with two rows of pores, pores of outer row contiguous. Subgenital plate, in profile, relatively long, dorsal margin slightly concave, ventral margin straight; apex narrowly triangular, truncate; in ventral view, parallel-sided basally, from the middle abruptly narrowing into apical process, apex relatively broad, truncate, with a small indentation ( Figure 13B ). Dorsal valvula lacking lateral teeth, ventral valvula with a few indistinct lateral teeth at apex. Measurements and ratios in Tables I–III.

Fifth instar larva, host plant, and biology

Unknown.

Distribution

Cameroon.

Material examined

Holotype: ♀, Cameroon: Centre Province, 15 km W Yaounde´, Mt Kala , 3 ° 509N, 11 ° 219E, 800–1100 m, 17 November 2002, degraded primary forest (J. L. Tamesse). Dry-mounted ( NHMB) . Paratype: Cameroon: 1 „, same data as holotype. Slide-mounted ( NHMB) .

Etymology

Named after the type locality, Mt Kala near Yaounde´ .

Comments

P. kala sp. n. is similar to P. nothospondiadis sp. n. in size, the brown patches on apices of the fore wing veins and on the touching point of veins Rs and M1+2, the elongate fore wing with outer anterior margin more or less evenly curved, the distribution of surface spinules on the fore wing membrane, the vertex concave at posterior margin and flat in front, not bulging on sides of a relatively sharp and narrow median ridge, the antenna, the apical hooked dilation of the distal segment of aedeagus, the relatively long female proctiger and subgenital plate, and the dorsal and ventral valvulae lacking distinct teeth at apex. P. kala differs from P. nothospondiadis in the more expanded dark pattern on the fore wing, the dorsoventrally flattened subcylindrical head, the longer paramere, the longer distal segment of aedaegus with a narrower apical dilation, and the shape of female subgenital plate.

Figures

Figure 5. Pseudophacopteron spp. (A) P. cuniculus; (B) P. kala; (C) P. nothospondiadis; (D) P. pusillum; (E) P. eastopi; (F) P. fuscivenosum; (G) P. electum; (H) P. morion; (I) P. lecaniodisci. (A–I) Antennal segments 9 and 10.

Figure 6. Pseudophacopteron spp. (A) P. cuniculus; (B) P. kala; (C) P. nothospondiadis; (D) P. fuscivenosum; (E) P. electum; (F) P. morion; (G) P. lecaniodisci; (H) P. pusillum; (I) P. eastopi. (A–I) Fore wing pattern. Scale bars: 0.4 mm (A, B, E); 0.3 mm (C, D, G, H); 0.2 mm (F, I).

Figure 7. Pseudophacopteron spp. (A) P. cuniculus; (B) P. kala; (C) P. nothospondiadis; (D) P. fuscivenosum; (E) P. electum; (F) P. morion; (G) P. lecaniodisci; (H) P. pusillum; (I) P. eastopi. (A–I) Fore wings, distribution of surface spinules (delimited by dashed lines).

Figure 8. Pseudophacopteron spp. (A) P. cuniculus; (B) P. kala; (C) P. nothospondiadis; (D) P. fuscivenosum; (E) P. electum; (F) P. morion; (G) P. lecaniodisci; (H) P. pusillum; (I) P. eastopi. (A–I) Male terminalia, in profile. Scale bars: a (A); b (B–E, G–I); c (F).

Figure 9. Pseudophacopteron spp. (A, B) P. cuniculus; (C) P. kala; (D) P. nothospondiadis; (E) P. fuscivenosum; (F) P. electum; (G) P. morion; (H) P. lecaniodisci; (I) P. pusillum; (J) P. eastopi. (A) Paramere, in posterior view; (B–J) paramere, in profile, inner surface. Scale bars: a (A, B); b (C–E, H–J); c (F); d (G).

Figure 10. Pseudophacopteron spp. (A) P. cuniculus; (B) P. kala; (C) P. nothospondiadis; (D) P. fuscivenosum; (E) P. electum; (F) P. morion; (G) P. lecaniodisci; (H) P. pusillum; (I) P. eastopi. (A–I) Distal segment of aedeagus, in profile. Scale bars: a (A–E, G–I); b (F).

Figure 11. Pseudophacopteron spp. (A) P. cuniculus; (B) P. kala; (C) P. nothospondiadis. (A–C) Female terminalia, in profile. Scale bars: a (A); b (B, C).

Figure 13. Pseudophacopteron spp. (A) P. cuniculus; (B) P. kala; (C) P. nothospondiadis; (D) P. fuscivenosum; (E) P. electum; (F) P. morion; (G) P. lecaniodisci; (H) P. pusillum; (I) P. eastopi. (A–I) Female subgenital plate, in ventral view.