Cleotyche (Cleotyche) christinae, Constant & Semeraro & Moir, 2022

Constant, Jérôme, Semeraro, Linda & Moir, Melinda L., 2022, Australian Cleotychini planthoppers: review of the genus Cleotyche Emeljanov, 1997 with three new species (Hemiptera: Fulgoromorpha: Dictyopharidae), European Journal of Taxonomy 836, pp. 66-95 : 71-77

Cleotyche (Cleotyche) christinae sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:48303424-4988-454D-AA85-51B82488FEE5

Figs 2–6 , Table 1

Diagnosis

The species can be separated from the other species of Cleotyche (Cleotyche) by the combination of the following characters:

1. Profemora slender, 3.78 × as long as broad, and slightly narrower than tibiae ( Figs 2A , 3A ). 2. Vertex rather short, 1.56 × as long as broad ( Figs 2F , 3F ).

3. Vertex and anterior portion of pronotum dark brown ( Figs 2F , 3F ).

Differential diagnosis

This species differs from the three other species by the relatively slender profemora (profemora 3.78 × as long as broad vs max. 3.16 × in other species).

The most similar species is C. (Cleotyche) montana sp. nov. which additionally differs from C. (Cleotyche) christinae sp. nov. by character 2 (vertex 2.10 × as long as broad vs 1.56 × in C. (Cleotyche) christinae sp. nov.).

Etymology

The species epithet refers to Dr Christine Lambkin (QM) in acknowledgement for all her proactive support of the authors’ research projects in Queensland.

Type material

Holotype AUSTRALIA • ♂; [Queensland]; Cania Gorge N.P. ; 24°43′14″ S, 150°59′21″ E; 13 Dec. 2019; sweeping [grasses]; J. Constant, F. Martoni, M. Moir and L. Semeraro leg.; “ Australia Qld, Cania Gorge N.P. , 24°43′14″S 150°59′21″E, 13.xii.2019, sweeping, leg. J. Constant, F. Martoni, M. Moir & L. Semeraro ”; QM.

Paratype AUSTRALIA • 1 ♀; same collection data as for holotype; QM .

Description

MEASUREMENTS AND RATIOS. LT: ♂ (n = 1): 3.50 mm; ♀ (n = 1): 4.85. LTg/BTg = 1.39; LV/BV = 1.56; LF/BF = 3.12; LPf/BPf = 3.78; LPt/BPt = 3.34.

HEAD ( Figs 2F–H , 3F–H ). Yellow-brown with vertex dark brown and clypeus black; labium yellow brown with distal part of terminal segment black. Vertex elongate, 1.56 × as long as broad, roundly pointed anteriorly, with complete median carina and with lateral margins slightly carinate and parallel; posterior margin roundly incurved. Frons elongate, straight in lateral view, with sides subparallel, 3.12 × as long as broad, anteriorly rounded in perpendicular view, with three carinae, one median and one along each lateral margin, all extending to apex of clypeus; two weak, short carinae between median and sublateral carinae extending from dorsal margin along 1 /5 of the way along the frons. Clypeus elongate and narrow, triangular. Eyes rather large, moderately protruding laterally. Antennae with scape short and cylindrical; pedicel short, inflated, barrel-shaped and with large sensory plates on ventral portion. Ocelli absent. Labium elongate and narrow, reaching posterior trochanters and with apical segment elongate, about half as long as penultimate one.

THORAX ( Figs 2E–H , 3E–H ). Pronotum brown with posterior half whitish extending in a whitish band along posterior margin of paranotal lobes; mesonotum dark brown, darker than anterior portion of pronotum; thoracic sternites dark brown. Pronotum smooth with anterior margin strongly bisinuate, roundly projecting anteriorly behind vertex and roundly emarginate behind eyes, and posterior margin weakly incurved; median longitudinal carina and two lateral carinae on disc merging anteriorly along anterior margin; lateral carina behind eye; paranotal lobe broad, angularly rounded posteroventrally. Mesonotum very short, about ⅔ as long as pronotum, smooth with three very weakly marked obsolete carinae prolongating pronotal ones. Tegulae absent.

TEGMINA ( Figs 2A, C, F, H , 3A, C, F, H ). Brown with rather broad white band along posterior margin, covering about 1 /5 of tegmina length; slightly elongate in dorsal view, 1.39 × as long as broad, slightly broadening from base to apex, truncate apically, convex, smooth; no trace of venation.

LEGS ( Figs 2A–D, I , 3A–D ). Brown with pro- and mesocoxae and trochanters black; profemora paler than protibiae; apical pale yellowish interrupted ring on pro- and mesofemora; protibiae with basal pale yellow marking dorsally and ventrally; protarsi white; apex of metafemora and base of metatibiae darker; metatarsi brown with basal ⅔ of first metatarsomere and most of third one, whitish. Profemora and protibiae moderately foliaceous, rather slender, 3.78 and 3.34 × as long as broad, respectively; protibiae 1.15 × as broad as profemora; profemora with anterior margin straight and posterior margin broadly rounded, with 12–14 small teeth; protibiae with margins broadly rounded and external margin roundly truncate apically; median and posterior legs elongate and slender; metatibiae broadening towards apex, with one ventrolateral spine at distal 3 /5 and 6 apical spines; first and second metatarsomeres with strong spine at each side and apical row of 12 platellae ventrally. Metatibiotarsal formula: (2) 6 (2-4)/2/2.

ABDOMEN ( Figs 2A–D , 3A–D ). Black with median yellowish marking on dorsal surface of last segment in male ( Fig. 2A ), on two last segments in female ( Fig. 3A ); small yellowish marking on anal tube at base of anal column. Abdomen dorsoventrally flattened and smooth.

MALE TERMINALIA ( Fig. 4 ). Pygofer (Py) ( Fig. 4A–E ) narrow in lateral view, 2.5 × as high as long at mid-height, suboval and about 1.4 × as wide as high in posterior view; anterior and posterior margins rounded in lateral view; posterior margin deeply notched in dorsal and ventral view, with V-shaped notch dorsally and U-shaped notch ventrally. Gonostyli (G) ( Fig. 4A–E ) rather compact, 1.63 × as long as high in lateral view, 3.4 × as long as wide at base in ventral view, slightly surpassing anal tube; dorsal margin smoothly sinuate in lateral view; posteroventral margin strongly rounded in lateral view; strong basidorsal lateral hook (lh) curved lateroventrad, with dorsal margin rounded in caudal view. Aedeagus (ae) ( Fig. 4F–J ) elongate and narrow in dorsal view, with 2 pairs of membranous processes, each bearing an anteapical lateral sclerotized spine (sp); phallobase (phb) with 2 elongate, narrow, straight, sclerotized dorsal processes (dpp); connective (cv) elongate and narrow. Anal tube (An) ( Fig. 4A–E ) in dorsal view obovate, 1.45 × as long as wide, widest at basal 2 /5, with apical margin rounded and with anal opening at basal 36% of length; ventral margin sinuate with posterior half regularly roundly concave before 2 strong apicolateral teeth (alt); teeth with posterior margin slightly concave in lateral view, rather narrow and slightly diverging in caudal view; length of teeth along posterior margin in lateral view equals ⅓ of length of anal tube.

Biology

The specimens were collected by sweeping grass in an open area in the valley of Three Moon Creek ( Fig. 5 ).

Distribution

Australia, SE Queensland, Cania Gorge National Park ( Fig. 6 ).

Figures

Fig. 2. Cleotyche (Cleotyche) christinae sp. nov., ♂, holotype (QM). A. Habitus dorsal view.B. Habitus, ventral view. C. Habitus, lateral view. D. Habitus, perpendicular view of frons. E. Habitus, anterolateral view. F. Head and thorax, dorsal view. G. Frons, perpendicular view. H. Head and thorax, lateral view. I. Distal portion of posterior leg, ventral view.

Fig. 3. Cleotyche (Cleotyche) christinae sp. nov., ♀, paratype (QM). A. Habitus dorsal view.B. Habitus, ventral view. C. Habitus, lateral view. D. Habitus, perpendicular view of frons. E. Habitus, anterolateral view. F. Head and thorax, dorsal view. G. Frons, perpendicular view. H. Head and thorax, lateral view.

Fig. 4. Cleotyche (Cleotyche) christinae sp. nov., ♂, holotype (QM). A–E. Pygofer, anal tube and gonostyli. A. Left lateral view. B. Caudal view. C. Dorsal view. D. Ventral view. E. Laterocaudal view. F–J. Aedeagus. F. Left lateral view. G. Caudal view. H. Dorsolateral view. I. Dorsal view. J. Ventral view. Abbreviations:ae = aedeagus; alt = apicolateral tooth of anal tube; An = anal tube; cv = connective; dpp = dorsal process of phallobase; G = gonostylus; lh = lateral hook of gonostylus; phb = phallobase; Py = pygofer; sp = spine of aedeagus.

Fig. 5. Habitat of Cleotyche (Cleotyche) christinae sp. nov. in Cania Gorge National Park, 13 Dec. 2019.

Fig. 6. The distribution of described species of Cleotychini in Australia.