Melanastera caramambatai, Serbina & Malenovský & Queiroz & Burckhardt, 2025

Serbina, Liliya Š., Malenovský, Igor, Queiroz, Dalva L. & Burckhardt, Daniel, 2025, Jumping plant-lice of the tribe Paurocephalini (Hemiptera: Psylloidea: Liviidae) in Brazil, Zootaxa 5585 (1), pp. 1-164 : 89-90

40 Melanastera caramambatai sp. nov.

( Figs 1C , 12A , 18E , 30S–X )

Type material. Holotype ♂: Brazil: RORAIMA: Uiramutã, Caramambatai , N5.1333 /1466, W60.5850 /5916, 970– 1200 m, 7–14.iv.2015, Miconia aff. neourceolata (D. Burckhardt & D.L. Queiroz) #161(19) ( UFPR; dry).

Paratypes. Brazil: RORAIMA: 3 ♂, 8 ♀, 23 immatures, same as holotype but ( NHMB; dry, slide, 70% ethanol; NMB-PSYLL0007988, NMB-PSYLL0007937 [LSMelcar-24], NMB-PSYLL0007938, NMB-PSYLL0007939 [LSMelcar-24], NMB-PSYLL0007940, NMB-PSYLL0007941) .

Material not included in type series. Brazil: RORAIMA: 5 immature, 3 skins, Uiramutã, Caramambatai , N5.1333 /1466, W60.5850 /5916, 970– 1200 m, 7–14.iv.2015, cf. Virola (D. Burckhardt & D.L. Queiroz) #161(16) ( NHMB; slide, 70% ethanol; NMB-PSYLL0008203, NMB-PSYLL0008098) .

Description. Adult. Coloration. Straw-coloured. Antenna brown, scape and pedicel yellow, segment 3 yellow at base. Mesoscutum with four indistinct broad and one narrow medial brown longitudinal stripes. Forewing ( Fig. 18E ) yellow with indistinct sparse brown dots mostly in apical two thirds of wing; apices of pterostigma and veins Rs, M 1+2, M 3+4, Cu 1a and Cu 1b brown. Legs yellow.

Structure. Metapostnotum lacking a distinct longitudinal keel. Forewing ( Fig. 18E ) obovoid, widest in apical third, broadly and evenly rounded apically; wing apex situated in cell r 2 close to apex of M 1+2; C+Sc hardly curved; pterostigma in the middle much narrower than cell r 1, hardly narrowing apical quarter; Rs almost straight in basal two thirds, weakly curved to fore margin apically; M longer than M 1+2 and M 3+4; Cu 1a irregularly curved, ending proximal of M fork; surface spinules present in all cells, leaving very narrow or no spinule-free stripes along the veins, forming small hexagons of a single row of spinules. Hindwing with 6–7 ungrouped costal setae. Metatibia bearing 6–9 grouped apical spurs, arranged as 3–4 + 3–5, anteriorly separated by 4–5 bristles.

Terminalia ( Fig. 30S–X ). Male. Proctiger long, hardly produced posteriorly; densely covered with moderately long setae in apical two thirds. Subgenital plate subtriangular; dorsal margin strongly curved; posterior margin weakly curved; with moderately long setae in ventral half. Paramere, in lateral view, acuminate, weakly curved backwards; apex, in lateral view, blunt, directed upwards, in dorsal view, apex blunt, directed inwards, upwards and slightly anteriad, lacking distinct sclerotised tooth; outer face with dense, long setae in apical half; inner face with dense, short to moderately long setae; posterior margin with long setae. Proximal segment of aedeagus with apical part moderately subdivided. Distal segment of aedeagus almost straight in basal half and with dorsal margin weakly sinuate; ventral process situated slightly distal of the middle of the segment, short, in lateral view, narrow, simple, tubular, lacking lateral lobes, in dorsal view, ventral process relatively short and distinctly broader than apical dilation, with convex lateral margins, slightly produced medio-apically; apical dilation, in lateral view, moderately broad, slightly narrowing to evenly rounded apex, dorsal part of apical dilation membranous, hardly produced at base, in dorsal view, apical dilation oblong-obovate; sclerotised end tube short and sinuate.—Female terminalia cuneate; relatively densely covered with setae. Dorsal margin of proctiger, in lateral view, straight, apex pointed; in dorsal view, apex blunt; circumanal ring, in dorsal view, vaguely cruciform. Subgenital plate, in lateral view, irregularly narrowing to pointed apex; in dorsal view, apex blunt.

Fifth instar immature. Coloration. Entirely pale yellow; antenna gradually becoming darker towards apex, caudal plate pale brown.

Structure. Body densely covered with minute narrowly lanceolate setae. Eye with one moderately long simple ocular seta dorsally. Antennal segments with following numbers of pointed sectasetae: 1(0), 2(1), 3(0), 4(2), 5(0), 6(2), 7(1), 8(2), 9(0), 10(0). Forewing pad with four marginal and one dorsal pointed sectasetae; hindwing pad with two marginal and one dorsal pointed sectasetae. Tarsal arolium narrowly fan-shaped apically, slightly longer or about as long as claws. Abdominal tergites anterior to caudal plate with three rows of 4, 2 and 5 pointed sectasetae dorsally, respectively. Caudal plate dorsally with one row of five pointed sectasetae along anterior margin, two rows each of four pointed sectesetae submedially, and with two groups of six pointed sectasetae on either side subapically, anterior to circumanal ring. Extra pore fields forming continuous outer and inner bands, consisting of large oval patches; outer band relatively short medially, end pointing backwards. Circumanal ring moderately elongate.

Host plant and biology. Miconia aff. neourceolata Michelang. ( Melastomataceae ). Immatures develop on the shoots and axils of young leaves; they are conspicuous by the white wax they secrete ( Fig. 1C ). Some younger instars [DB-DLQ#161(16)] collected on? Virola sp. ( Myristicaceae ) may not be conspecific with the specimens collected on Miconia .

Distribution. Brazil (RR).

Derivation of name. Named after the type locality, Caramambatai , near Mt Roraima in north Brazil .

Comments. Melanastera caramambatai sp. nov. is characterised within the ingariko -group by the brown (versus yellow with dark segmental tips) antennal flagellum, the obovate (versus oval) forewing shape and the absence (versus presence) of a distinct longitudinal keel on the metaposnotum.

The sample DB-DLQ#161(16) is not included in the type series. It is only provisionally referred to this species as it contains only young instars collected on? Virola sp. ( Myristicaceae ).

Figures

FIGURE 1. Habitats of Paurocephalini in Brazil.A, Atlantic forest in Rio de Janeiro; B, Cerrado in Minas Gerais; C, immatures of Melanastera caramambatai sp. nov. covered with waxy secretions on Miconia aff. neourceolata; D, immatures of M. burchellii sp. nov. on infrutescences of Miconia burchellii, visible only through their waxy secretions (arrow); E, adults and immatures of M. atlantica sp. nov. on Miconia cf. petropolitana; F, immatures of M. melanocephala sp. nov. covered with waxy secretions on infrutescences on Miconia albicans.

FIGURE 12. Melanastera spp., head, dorsal view.A, M. caramambatai sp. nov.; B, M.acuminata sp. nov.; C, M.melanocephala sp. nov.; D, M. brevicauda sp. nov.; E, M. michali sp. nov.; F, M. duckei sp. nov.; G, M. burchellii sp. nov.; H, M. barretoi sp. nov.; I, M. sericeae sp. nov.; J, M. tristis sp. nov.; K, M. discoloris sp. nov.; L, M. truncata sp. nov.

FIGURE 18. Melanastera spp., forewing. A, M. tibialis sp. nov.; B, M. pleromatos sp. nov.; C, M. ingariko sp. nov.; D, M. brasiliensis sp. nov.; E, M. caramambatai sp. nov.; F, M. acuminata sp. nov.; G, M. melanocephala sp. nov.; H, M. brevicauda sp. nov.; I, M. michali sp. nov.; J, M. duckei sp. nov. Scale bars: 0.2 mm.

FIGURE 30. Melanastera pleromatos sp. nov. A, ♂ terminalia, lateral view; B, paramere, inner face, lateral view; C, distal segment of aedeagus, lateral view; D, distal segment of aedeagus, dorsal view; E, paramere, dorsal view; F, ♀ terminalia, lateral view.—M. ingariko sp. nov. G, ♂ terminalia, lateral view; H, paramere, inner face, lateral view; I, distal segment of aedeagus, lateral view; J, distal segment of aedeagus, dorsal view; K, paramere, dorsal view; L, ♀ terminalia, lateral view.—M. brasiliensis sp. nov. M, ♂ terminalia, lateral view; N, paramere, inner face, lateral view; O, distal segment of aedeagus, lateral view; P, distal segment of aedeagus, dorsal view; Q, paramere, dorsal view; R, ♀ terminalia, lateral view.—M. caramambatai sp. nov. S, ♂ terminalia, lateral view; T, paramere, inner face, lateral view; U, distal segment of aedeagus, lateral view; V, distal segment of aedeagus, dorsal view; W, paramere, dorsal view; X, ♀ terminalia, lateral view. Scale bars: 0.1 mm.