Yoyetta landsboroughi ( Distant 1882 )

Emery, Nathan J., Emery, David L. & Popple, Lindsay W., 2015, A redescription of Yoyetta landsboroughi (Distant) and Y. tristrigata (Goding and Froggatt) (Hemiptera: Cicadidae) and description of four new related species, Zootaxa 3948 (3), pp. 301-341 : 305-312

Yoyetta landsboroughi ( Distant 1882)

( Figures 1–5 )

Melampsalta landsboroughi Distant, 1882: 131 –132, Figs 14, 14 a, 14b (female), Plate VII; Goding and Froggatt, 1904: 639; Greenup, 1966: 23.

Melampsalta toowoombae ; Distant, 1915: 15 –53; Greenup, 1966: 23. N. syn.

Cicadetta landsboroughi ; Moulds, 1990: 11, 151, 153–154, 165, Plate 17, Fig 4 , Fig 4 a; Coombs, 1996: 56 –58; Moulds and Cowan, 2002: 29; Williams, 2002: 156 –157; Emery et al., 2005: 101 –102, 104–108, Tables 1–3; Shiyake, 2007: 8, 104, 106, Fig 182.

Cicadetta toowoombae ; Moulds, 1990: 144; Moulds and Cowan, 2002: 33; Sanborn, 1999: 52 .

Yoyetta landsboroughi ; Moulds, 2012: 24, 74, 237; Sanborn, 2014: 555.

Yoyetta toowoombae ; Moulds, 2012: 24, 75, 237; Sanborn, 2014: 556.

Distant (1882) described Melampsalta landsboroughi based on a female specimen. There is a single female specimen bearing a type label in the BMNH. This specimen also has another label with the locality ‘Bagot’, which is a suburb of Darwin (Northern Territory). Distant (1882) named the type locality as ‘Sydney’ in the original description, which suggests that either the wrong specimen has been labelled as the type or the type itself has been mislabelled. The specimen does appear to match the female illustrated in Distant (1882). Furthermore, there have been no other Yoyetta specimens collected from the Top End of the Northern Territory. Therefore, we presume that the female specimen is indeed the original type and that the locality label is erroneous. Irrespective of this anomaly, the type locality takes precedence over the label on the specimen.

Comparison of the type females of Y. landsboroughi and Y. toowoombae (both in the BMNH) and their original descriptions, as well as male specimens from the relevant type localities, has revealed these taxa to be conspecific. The placement of Y. toowoombae under synonymy extends the continuous distribution of Y. landsboroughi from southern Victoria and subcoastal New South Wales north to Toowoomba in southern Queensland, thus forming a typical warm temperate distribution.

Material examined. NEW SOUTH WALES: 1♀ ‘ Australia, Bagot / Distant Coll. 1911—383 / landsboroughi Dist. / Type’ ( BMNH); 2♂ Cic. landsboroughi, Luddenham Rd, St Marys N.S.W. , 4.xi.1997, D. Emery; 1♀ same data as previous, 22.x.1998; 1♂ Wallgrove Rd, Eastern Creek N.S.W., 28.x.1998, D. Emery; 2♀ Mulgoa Rd, Mulgoa, 4.xi.1998, D. Emery; 1♀ Liverpool, 12.xi, 1899, W. W. Froggatt collection; 11♂ Chiswick Expt. Stn N.S.W., 23.xi.1965, R. J. Roberts; 1♀ Chester Hill, xi.1927, M. Fuller; 3♂ Lookout, Armidale N.S.W., 16.xii.1992, A. I. Knight; 1♀ Australia N.S.W., Sydney: Box Hill, 26.xi.1994, A. Sundholm, to mv lights after rain on hot day; 3♂ Armidale N.S.W., 2.xii.1962, C. W. Frazier, University of New England coll. Donated 1983; 1♂ same data as previous, 4.xii.1962; 1♂ 1♀ Dapto N.S.W., 11.x.1912, W. W. Froggatt collection (all ANIC); 2♂ 1♀ Nr Cutlers Pass, Williams River, NSW, 30.x.26, A. Musgrave, T.G. Campbell (307044, -047, -048); 2♂ Sutton Forest, NSW, 12.xii., S. Alexander (307043,-045); 1♂ 5♀ Allyn River, NSW, 23–30.x.26, H.J. Carter; 1♂ Taree, NSW, 22.xi.29 (307041); 1♂ Kyogle, NSW, 20.x.26 (307049); 1♂ Glossidia, NSW, 22.x.94, S. Boe (307008) (all AM); 2♂ Woodenbong N.S.W., 5.xi.1958, E. M. Exley (both UQIC); 3♂ 1♀ Luddenham Rd., St.Marys, NSW, 33° 50.05S 150° 45.17E; 15.xi.1991, D. Emery; 1♂ 2♀ Luddenham Rd., St.Marys, NSW, 33° 50.05S 150° 45.17E; 7.xi.1994, D. Emery; 1♂ Wallgrove Rd., Eastern Creek, NSW, 3.xi.1998, D. Emery; 24♂ 10♀ Barton St., Pokolbin, NSW, 9.xi.1998, D. Emery; 3♂ Luddenham Rd., St.Marys, NSW, 33° 50.05S 150° 45.17E; 31.x.2010, D. Emery; 1♂ Littlefields Rd, Mulgoa, NSW, 33° 50.32S 150° 40.35E, 24.x.2012, D. Emery; 20♂ 22♀ "Rosscrae", Mulgoa NSW, 33° 39.40S 150° 59.11E, 20.x.2013, N.&D. Emery & N. Himsley (all DE); 1♂ Eastern Ck NSW, 3.xii.1998, D. Emery, 478-0007; 1♂ St Marys NSW, 22.x.1998, D. Emery, 478-0002; 1♀ St Marys NSW, 22.x.1998, D. Emery, 478-0003; 1♀ St Mary's NSW, 22.x.1998, D. Emery, 478-0004; 1♂ St Mary's NSW, 22.x. 1998, D. Emery, 478- 0001; 1♀ St Marys NSW, 25.x.1998, D. Emery, 478-0005; 1♂ St Marys NSW, 4.xi.1997, D. Emery, 478-0006; 1♂ Mulgoa, 10.x.2010, D. Emery, 478-0012; 1♂ Mulgoa, 10.x.2010, D. Emery, 478-0013 (all LWP). QUEENSLAND: 1♀ T[oowoom]ba Q, 1908, Hamlyn-Harris, Melampsalta toowombae , type ( BMNH); 2♀ T[oowoom]ba Q, 1908, Hamlyn-Harris, Melampsalta toowombae , cotype (both QM); 1♀ Moogerah Dam, hatching on grass, 16.x.1977 (AE); 1♂ 27°33S 151°59E, Prince Henry Heights, 620m, Toowoomba, Q., 20.x.1986, I. F. B. Common ( ANIC). AUSTRALIAN CAPITAL TERRITORY: 1♂ Canberra A.C.T., 25.xi.1957, E. F. Riek ( ANIC). VICTORIA: 3♂ Victoria, Canterbury, French, W. W. Froggatt collection ( ANIC); 1♂ Morwell, Vic., 2.i.1972 (QM); 1♀ Diggers Rest, Vic., 28.ii.1906, R.S. (307079); 1♂ Lilydale, Vic., 1907 (307076) (both H. Ashton coll., (AM).

Description. Male ( Figure 1 A–B). Head approximately as wide as mesonotum; mainly black, with longitudinal dorsal spot on anterior midline, dull in some specimens; central ochraceous triangular spot with apex immediately posterior to ocelli; ocelli pink to red; postclypeus black, sometimes with central narrow longitudinal ochraceous line along front, laterally orange with black transverse grooves; anteclypeus shiny black; rostrum ochraceous anteriorly, extending into black posteriorly and reaching posterior edge of hind coxae; eyes grey-black; antennae black, supra-antennal plates black with central ochraceous spot.

Thorax mainly black. Pronotum variably dark brown to dark orange-brown, with a brown to orange-brown central fascia, tapering proximally and distally, not reaching posterior margin, and with black coloration along and surrounding paramedian and lateral fissures and the central fascia; pronotal collar shiny black with posterior and sometimes lateral margins tending orange-brown. Mesonotum black; cruciform elevation black with adjacent lateral depressions contrastingly orange; fore wing basal membranes orange, parapsidal sutures brown; metanotum orange, often black medially and along posterior margin.

Legs. Coxae with outer side dark ochraceous to dull orange-brown, inner side orange-brown to brown, tending dark brown on margins; fore femora orange-brown with dark brown to brown longitudinal fasciae; mid and hind femora dull orange-brown, paler on inner side; fore and mid tibiae orange-brown, mottled in some specimens; hind tibiae orange-brown to pale brown; spines on fore and mid legs dark brown to black, ochraceous on hind legs; tarsi orange-brown at base, becoming darker towards claws.

Wings with fore wing costal veins orange-brown, becoming darker distally from the node, basal membranes orange; other veins black, with eight apical cells; hind wing with six apical cells, plaga brown centrally, orange on margins.

Opercula following body axis ventrolaterally, broadly sickle-shaped, slightly depressed centrally, ochraceous; clearly separated. Meracanthus small, narrow, black at base with edges and tip ochraceous, pointed, overlapping approximately half of opercula.

Timbals ( Figure 2 A) with five distinct long ribs; long ribs 1–3 extending across membrane; long rib 4 narrowed and indistinct centrally, appearing discontinuous; long rib 5 comparatively shorter, extending ventrally across of the timbal membrane; all long ribs fused dorsally along basal spur; large dome on posterior timbal plates extending over half width of timbal; apodeme pit oval-shaped and conspicuous.

Abdomen with tergites 1 to 6 orange with distinct black, median marking; tergites 7–8 black. Sternite I–II black anteriorly, orange posteriorly, including surface of tympanal cavity; sternites III–VII orange, with sternite VII possessing a diffuse black spot on the median posterior; sternite VIII dark brown to brown, paler on median ventral area, with silver-white pubescence. Spiracles ochraceous.

Genitalia ( Figure 3 ). Pygofer, including upper and basal lobes, dark brown to black; dorsal beak brown. Uncus orange-brown; in lateral view beak-like and stumpy; lobes in ventral view bulbous, with rounded lateral termination; claspers clearly divided, with apices gradually tapering laterally. Aedeagus with pseudoparameres not extending as far as theca; theca strongly recurved ventrally at 180° towards apex, with transparent flanges along margin of recurvature, these smooth dorsally, finely serrated ventrally,> 3x width of theca; apex transparent, sclerotised, spine- like, without ornamentation.

Female ( Figure 1 C–D). Head similar to male; predominantly black, with longitudinal dorsal spot on anterior midline; central ochraceous triangular spot with apex immediately posterior to ocelli; postclypeus mainly black with central narrow longitudinal ochraceous line, orange laterally with black transverse grooves; anteclypeus shiny black; rostrum ochraceous anteriorly, extending into black posteriorly, with length reaching posterior edge of hind coxae; eyes grey-black; antennae black, supra-antennal plates black with central ochraceous spot.

Thorax similar to male; mainly black. Pronotum variably dark brown to black, with a brown to orange-brown central fascia, tapering distally, not reaching posterior margin, and with black coloration along and surrounding paramedian and lateral fissures and the central fascia; pronotal collar shiny black sometimes with posterior and lateral margins tending dark ochraceous. Mesonotum identical to male.

Abdomen similar to male; tergite 8 black anteriorly and along dorsal midline, orange over remainder. Abdominal sternite I mainly black, sternites II to VII as is male; abdominal segment 9 black with orange triangular fascia along dorsal midline, apex extending almost to dorsal beak, black laterally with contrasting orange spot. Ovipositor dark brown, black at apex, barely extending beyond apex of abdomen. Anal styles orange, ovipositor sheath black.

Measurements (in mm; range with mean in parentheses: 12 males, 12 females). Body length: male 13.3–15.8 (14.9); female 12.8–18.3 (16.0). Fore wing length: male 16.8–19.0 (18.3); female 17.9–21.8 (19.8). Head width: male 3.3–4.6 (4.1); female 3.9–4.9 (4.5). Pronotum width: male 3.3–3.8 (3.7); female 3.6–4.1 (4.0). Abdomen width: male 3.7–4.2 (3.9); female 3.7–5.0 (4.5)

Distinguishing features. Yoyetta landsboroughi can be distinguished from Y. aaede (Walker) , Y. abdominalis (Distant) and Y. denisoni (Distant) by possessing fore wings with length of <22 mm. It differs from Y. hunterorum (Moulds) and Y. incepta (Walker) by the predominately orange colouration of the tergites. It can be differentiated from Y. celis (Moulds) , Y. cumberlandi sp. nov. and Y. repetens sp. nov. by having a head width of <5 mm. Males and females can be distinguished from Y. nigrimontana sp.nov. by having brown to orange-brown rather than dark ochraceous to black fore and mid tibiae. Males can be distinguished from Y. fluviatilis sp. nov., and Y. tristrigata (Goding and Froggatt) using the following combination of characters: (1) compound eyes dull grey to black, (2) timbal long rib 4 appearing discontinuous (dorsal and ventral areas joined only by a very narrow medial area), (3) theca with transparent serrated flanges extending up to 3x its width, and (4) apical spine of theca, including base, without ornamentation. Females can be distinguished from Y. tristrigata by having a fore wing length of <22 mm. They can be distinguished from paler individuals of Y. fluviatilis (northern New South Wales and Queensland) by the extensively black (rather than brown) colouration of the thorax. It is not possible to differentiate reliably between females of the darkest specimens of Y. fluviatilis (which occur south from Gilgandra in New South Wales) and females of Y. landsboroughi . However, notably, live females of Y. fluviatilis consistently have red eyes, which can aid in identification; however this attribute does not always preserve authentically in dried material.

Distribution, habitat and behaviour. From Toowoomba in Queensland, south along the Great Dividing Range and adjacent subcoastal areas through central eastern New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory to eastern Victoria where it extends west to the Greater Melbourne area (Diggers Rest) ( Figure 4 ). Adults emerge on grass and congregate on the trunks of eucalypts and artificial structures, such as wooden fence posts and power poles. Populations are relatively sparse apart from during very large emergences in some seasons when masses of cicadas emerge. In Western Sydney, over the past 30 years these large emergences have occurred in 1991, 1994, 1998 (Sydney and Pokolbin), 2003, 2007 and 2013 ( Emery et al. 2005, D. Emery pers. obs.). In central New South Wales, emergences occur consistently from the second half of October and populations only persist for around one month, with the latest records of occurrence being in mid-December. The emergence period appears to be later in Victoria with records being mainly for December and January. Solitary males have rarely been encountered calling in the field or in captivity and the single recording that has been obtained was made of an individual that formed part of a large aggregation. Males have only been observed calling whilst stationary, although they might continue to call when flying briefly between singing stations.

Calling song. The call of this species consists of simple, repetitive, short phrases ( Figure 5 ). Each phrase comprises 4–5 syllables (each syllable being 2 milli-seconds (ms) duration, two pulses, all statistics n = 1 recording) that lasts for 10 ms duration. The syllables are each separated by a brief period of silence ranging from 13 to 22 ms duration. Another period of silence occurs at the end of each phrase and lasts between 300 and 1300 ms duration.

The single recording indicates a highest amplitude frequency plateau between 14 and>24 kHz, and a dominant frequency of 21 kHz ( Figure 5 ). Notably, this frequency is slightly beyond the limits of the recording equipment used to capture the song, so the true dominant frequency and upper limit of the frequency plateau may be higher than indicated here. Some minor components of the song extend down to 12 kHz and below.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Yoyetta landsboroughi (Distant) (A) male, St. Marys (33 ° 50 ’ S 150 ° 45 ’ E), dorsal habitus, body length (BL) 14.9 mm; (B) male, ventral habitus; (C) female, St. Marys, dorsal habitus, BL 14.0 mm; (D), female, ventral habitus.

FIGURE 2. Photos of male left timbals, with dorsal edge at left and posterior margin at bottom: (A) Yoyetta landsboroughi (Distant), St. Marys (33 ° 50 ’ S 150 ° 45 ’ E); (B) Yoyetta fluviatilis sp. nov., Roma (26 ° 33 ’ S 148 ° 47 ’ E); (C) Yoyetta nigrimontana sp. nov., Canberra (35 ° 16 ’ S 149 ° 06 ’ E); (D) Yoyetta tristrigata (Goding & Froggatt), Mt. Molloy (16 ° 40 ’ S 145 ° 19 ’ E); (E) Yoyetta repetens sp. nov., St. Marys (33 ° 50 ’ S 150 ° 45 ’ E); (F) Yoyetta cumberlandi sp nov., Prospect (33 ° 48 ’ S 150 ° 54 ’ E). Scale bars represent 1 mm.

FIGURE 3. Yoyetta landsboroughi (Distant): illustration of male pygofer and internal genitalia; (a), viewed laterally from the left; (b), viewed ventrally; (c), aedeagus; and, (d), apex of theca. Characters include: aed, aedeagus; bpl, basal lobe of pygofer; cl, clasper; db, dorsal beak; ps, pseudoparameres; th, theca; upl, upper lobe of pygofer. Specimen from St Marys, New South Wales (33 ° 50 ’ S 150 ° 45 ’ E).

FIGURE 4. Map of central and eastern mainland Australia showing the geographical distribution of Y. landsboroughi (Distant) (open triangles), Y. fluviatilis sp. nov. (closed circles), Y. nigrimontana sp. nov. (open squares), and Y. tristrigata (Goding & Froggatt) (open circles).

FIGURE 5. Male calling song structure of Yoyetta landsboroughi (Distant) illustrated in waveform plot form. Each lower plot is expanded from the one above, to illustrate the finer temporal structure of each song comparison. The spectrogram at the bottom of the figure displays song frequency. This specimen was recorded in the field by at Mulgoa (33 ° 39 ’ S 150 ° 59 ’ E) by NJE using RS 1 (see Materials and Methods).

FIGURE 14. Yoyetta tristrigata (Distant): illustration of male pygofer and internal genitalia; (a), viewed laterally from the left; (b), viewed ventrally; (c), aedeagus; and, (d), apex of theca. Characters as depicted in Figure 3. Specimen from Rifle Creek, Queensland (16 ° 40 ' S 145 ° 20 ' E).