Ackbaria, Campodonico & Zahniser & Usda-Aphis-Ppq-Php, 2017

Campodonico, Juan F., Zahniser, James N. & Usda-Aphis-Ppq-Php, 2017, A new genus and species of grass specialist short-winged leafhopper from Chile and Argentina (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae: Deltocephalinae: Faltalini), Acta Entomologica Musei Nationalis Pragae (Acta. Ent. Mus. Natl. Pragae) 57 (2), pp. 381-390 : 382-385

Ackbaria gen. nov.

( Figs 1–33 )

Type species. Ackbaria vermiformis sp. nov., here designated.

Diagnosis. Brachypterous. Body distinctly narrow, strongly dorsoventrally flattened. Forewings without reticulate venation. Male pygofer with ventroapical tooth; pygofer side with 10–15 macrosetae dorsoapically. Female pygofer with numerous macrosetae. Subgenital plates narrow with single row of macrosetae.

Description. Body ( Figs 1–3 ) dorsoventrally flattened, narrow, more than 4 times as long as wide.

Coloration ( Figs 1–4 ). Dorsal side of head ( Figs 1–2 ) and thorax mostly concolorous, yellowish to creamy white, sometimes with faint longitudinal brown markings; dorsal side of abdomen ( Figs 1–2 ) similarly colored, but with faint markings loosely resembling longitudinal lines, each segment with a small dark dot near lateral margin on both sides. Eyes greenish in color. Face and anterior margin of head ( Fig. 4 ) with transverse brown bands; in darkly pigmented specimens, brown coloration occupying anterior half of face, continuing beneath eye to proepimeron. Proepimeron ( Fig. 3 ) always with a dark longitudinal mark. Ventrally, brown coloration continuing near lateral margins along and beside laterotergites; abdominal segments sometimes with brownish markings medially.

Head ( Figs 1–4 , 26–29 , 33 ) wider than pronotum. Anterior margin keeled, sometimes forming faint carina, acutely angled to face. Crown ( Figs 1–3 ) with apex rounded; strongly produced, median length 2.5–3 times length of median margin of eye; maximum width at level of anterior margin of eyes; texture shagreen near anterior margin and next to eyes, discal region texture shiny, with shallow irregular rugae. Ocelli ( Figs 3 , 29 , 33 ) on anterior margin of head, reduced, positioned near midlength from eyes to apex of head, slightly closer to eye than head apex. Frontoclypeus ( Figs 4 , 26 ) with lateral margins nearly straight. Anteclypeus ( Figs 4 , 26 ) subrectangular. Rostrum ( Fig. 26 ) short. Gena margin ( Fig. 4 ) with small, distinct insinuation below eye, more broadly insinuated below. Antennal bases ( Figs 4 , 33 ) situated near middle of eye. Fine erect seta ( Fig. 27 ) below antennal base present. Texture of face shagreen near upper margins ( Fig. 29 ), changing to smooth, shiny, and with irregular rugae centrally and posteroventrally ( Figs 28–29 , 33 ).

Thorax ( Figs 1–3 ). Pronotum ( Figs 1–2 ) wider than long; anterior margin smoothly rounded; posterior margin concave; anteriorly, texture shagreen to rugose and shiny; posteriorly, texture transversely striate; lateral margins carinate. Mesonotum ( Figs 1–2 ) wider than long; apex acute; texture shagreen; only faint carina separating scutellum.

Wings ( Figs 1–3 ). Forewings ( Figs 1–3 ) short, truncate; coriaceous; tightly associated with each other; venation unappreciable; texture slightly rugose; inconspicuously longitudinally striated at apex; not surpassing abdominal tergite III. Hindwings vestigial.

Legs ( Figs 24–26 ) short, compact. Protrochanter ( Fig. 24 ) with stout apical seta. Profemur ( Fig. 24 ) row AV with about 5 to 6 thick setae, moderately long; intercalary row with about 4 to 6 fine setae; AV1 present; AM1 present, situated just below mid-height of femur; dorsally with pair of apical setae. Protibia ( Fig. 26 ) row AD with 4 setae, the most proximal of which smaller than rest; row PD with 4 setae. Mesotrochanter with stout apical seta. Mesofemur row AV with several widely spaced stout setae, apical seta present. Mesotibia dorsal setae 4+4. Metafemur apical setae 2+2+1. Metatibia row PD macrosetae alternating short and long; row AD macrosetae with 2–4 small intercalary setae; row AV with macrosetae occupying apical 4/5 of tibia. Metatarsomere I ( Fig. 25 ) short, expanded apically; with 5 apical platellae, flanked on each side with normal, tapered seta.

Male abdomen ( Figs 5–12 , 20–22 , 30–32 ). Apodemes of sternite I ( Figs 20–21 ) distinct, directed caudad. Apodemes of sternite II ( Fig. 22 ) short, directed caudad. Pygofer ( Figs 6–7, 11 , 30–32 ) subrectangular in lateral view, subtriangular in dorsal view, bearing a group of 10–15 macrosetae on dorsoapical quarter; membranous ventrolateral cleft present, continuing as an inflection line along pygofer side and terminating at ventroapical tooth; dorsoapical margin strongly sclerotized, with or without tooth or irregular teeth; anteroventral corner with distinct notch, allowing for insertion of valve. Segment X ( Fig. 11 ) short, membranous, withdrawn into pygofer. Valve ( Fig. 12 ) lateral margin long, not pointed; wrapping dorsally and inserting into pygofer notch; articulated with pygofer. Subgenital plates ( Figs 12 , 30–32 ) triangular, longer than wide; lateral margin concave; with macrosetae uniseriate laterally, or uniseriate medially and with or without few extra scattered macrosetae. Connective ( Fig. 5 ) “Y” shaped, arms divergent. Aedeagus ( Figs 8–10 ) simple; articulated with connective; dorsal side of aedeagal base attached membranously to pair of inner lobes bearing setae and sclerotized phragma, connecting to inner membranous tissue of pygofer and segment X.

Female abdomen ( Figs 13–19, 23 ). Pygofer ( Fig. 13 ) bearing many macrosetae along ventral 3/4 and apex. Segment X short, withdrawn into pygofer. Ovipositor not protruding far beyond pygofer. First valvulae ( Figs 14–16 ) with two granulose sculptured areas, dorsal sculptured area distinctly longer than anteroventral sculptured area. Second valvulae ( Figs 17–18 ) with dorsal margin entire, without teeth. Gonoplac ( Fig. 23 ) with several macrosetae ventrally.

Etymology. This genus is named after Admiral Gial Ackbar (a fictional character in the Star Wars film series). The Latinized word is feminine in gender.

Notes. Two other species of the genus are known from Argentina and will be described separately. Morphological variation within the genus was described taking these other species into account.

Figures

Figs 1–12. Ackbaria vermiformis sp. nov. 1 – female, dorsal view; 2 – male, dorsal view; 3 – female, lateral view; 4 – face; 5 – connective and style, ventral view; 6 – male pygofer, lateral view (Argentina, PN Lihuel Calel); 7 – same (Chile); 8 – aedeagus, lateral view (Chile); 9 – same (Argentina, PN Lihuel Calel); 10 – same, caudal view; 11 – male pygofer, dorsal view; 12 – valve and subgenital plates, ventral view. Scale bars: 1 mm.

Figs 13–23. Ackbaria vermiformis sp. nov.13 – female pygofer, lateral view; 14 – detail of first valvula dorsal sculpturing; 15 – first valvula apex; 16 – first valvula; 17 – second valvulae; 18 – second valvulae apices; 19 – female sternite VII; 20 – male apodeme of abdominal sternite I, ventral view; 21 – same, anterior view; 22 – male apodeme of abdominal sternite II, ventral view; 23 – gonoplac.

Figs 24–25.Ackbaria vermiformis sp. nov., SEM micrographs.24 – profemur and protrochanter, anteroventral view; 25 – metatarsomere I, ventrolateral view.

Figs 26–29. Ackbaria vermiformis sp. nov., SEM micrographs. 26 – face and anterior legs, ventral view; 27 – detail of face, outlined in 27; 28 – frontoclypeus, anterolateral view; 29 – face, anterior margin of head, and ocellus, anteroventral view.

Figs 30–33. Ackbaria vermiformis sp. nov., SEM micrographs. 30 – male genital capsule, lateral view; 31 – same, ventral view; 32 – same, ventrolateral view; 33 – face, ventrolateral view.