Melanastera pusilliflorae, 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 : 79-80

33 Melanastera pusilliflorae sp. nov.

( Figs 11D , 17H , 29A–F )

Type material. Holotype ♂: Brazil: MINAS GERAIS: Viçosa, Universidade Federal Viçosa, UFV, campus Belvedere , S20.7566, W42.8600, 700 m, 8.vii.2012, Miconia pusilliflora (D. Burckhardt & D.L. Queiroz) #33(1) ( UFPR; dry).

Paratypes. Brazil: MINAS GERAIS: 7 ♂, 14 ♀, 3 immatures, 3 skins, same as holotype but ( MMBC, NHMB, UFPR; dry, slide, 70% ethanol; NMB-PSYLL0008056, NMB-PSYLL0008054, NMB-PSYLL0008070 [LSMelpus- 2], NMB-PSYLL0008071[LSMelpus-2],NMB-PSYLL0008069[LSMelpus-2],NMB-PSYLL0008068[LSMelpus- 2], NMB-PSYLL0008072, NMB-PSYLL0008073, NMB-PSYLL0008074, NMB-PSYLL0008047) .— PARANÁ: 4 immatures, Londrina, Parque Estadual Mata dos Godoy , S23.4428, W51.2423, 630 m, 12‒14.viii.2019, Miconia pusilliflora (D. Burckhardt & D.L. Queiroz) #343(15) ( NHMB; slide, 70% ethanol; NMB-PSYLL0008048, NMB-PSYLL0008075) .

Description. Adult. Coloration. Sexually dimorphic. Male dark brown. Antenna yellow, segments 1–2 partially brown, segments 4–9 with brown apices, segment 10 entirely brown. Forewing ( Fig. 17H ) with amber-coloured veins, irregular, sparse brown dots, absent from wing base; apices of pterostigma and veins Rs, M 1+2, M 3+4, Cu 1a and Cu 1b brown. Legs straw-coloured, femora with brown dots. Abdominal tergites and terminalia straw-coloured and brown. Female as male but head and thorax with brown or reddish brown pattern. Forewing with brown dots also present in basal part of wing. Abdominal tergites dark brown.

Structure. Forewing ( Fig. 17H ) oviform, broadest in the middle, broadly and evenly rounded apically; wing apex situated in cell r 2 close to apex of M 1+2; C+Sc weakly curved in distal third; pterostigma distinctly narrower in the middle than cell r 1, widening to the middle; Rs relatively straight in basal two thirds, distinctly curved to fore margin apically; M longer than M 1+2 and M 3+4; Cu 1a irregularly curved, ending slightly proximal of M fork; surface spinules present in all cells, covering the entire membrane up to the veins, forming hexagons of a double row of spinules, spinules absent from base of cell c+sc. Hindwing with 5–6 grouped or ungrouped (3–4 + 3–4) costal setae. Metatibia bearing 7–9 grouped apical spurs, arranged as 3–4 + 4–5, anteriorly separated by ca. 3 bristles.

Terminalia ( Fig. 29A–F ). Male. Proctiger weakly produced posteriorly; densely covered with long setae in apical two thirds. Subgenital plate large, in lateral view, subglobular; dorsal and posterior margins almost straight; with densely spaced long setae. Paramere, in lateral view, evenly lanceolate, broadest medially; apex, in lateral view, blunt, directed upwards, in dorsal view, apex narrow, subacute, directed upwards and slightly inwards, lacking distinct sclerotised tooth; outer face with short setae in apical two thirds; inner face with dense, moderately long setae; posterior margin with long setae. Proximal segment of aedeagus with apical part moderately subdivided. Distal segment of aedeagus in basal half with weakly sinuate dorsal margin; ventral process situated slightly distal of the middle of the segment, in lateral view, ventral process moderately long, narrow, simple, lamellar, lacking lateral lobes, in dorsal view, ventral process lanceolate, broadest in the middle, slightly narrower than apical dilation; apical dilation, in lateral and dorsal views, relatively narrow, subparallel-sided, with broadly rounded apex, dorsal part of apical dilation membranous and expanded at base; sclerotised end tube moderately long and slightly curved.— Female terminalia cuneate; densely covered with setae. Dorsal margin of proctiger, in lateral view, slightly convex distal to circumanal ring, apex almost straight, blunt; in dorsal view, apex blunt; circumanal ring, in dorsal view, cruciform. Subgenital plate, in lateral view, abruptly narrowing to apex in apical half, pointed apically; in ventral view, apex truncate.

Fifth instar immature. Coloration. Light; cephalothoracic sclerite, antenna, wing pads, legs and caudal plate dark brown.

Structure. Eye with one short 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 2–3 marginal pointed sectasetae; hindwing pad with one marginal pointed sectaseta. Metatibiotarsus long; tarsal arolium narrowly fan-shaped apically, 1.5 times as long as claws. Abdomen lacking larger setae dorsally, with one lateral pointed sectaseta on each side anterior to caudal plate. Caudal plate with anterior margin very close to anterior margin of extra pore fields; with four pointed sectasetae on either side laterally and two pointed sectasetae near circumanal ring on either side dorsally. Extra pore fields forming continuous outer and inner bands, consisting of relatively small oval patches; outer band long medially, end pointing outwards. Circumanal ring large.

Host plant. Miconia pusilliflora (DC.) Naudin ( Melastomataceae ).

Distribution. Brazil (MG, PR).

Derivation of name. Named after its host, M. pusilliflora .

Comments. Melanastera pusilliflorae sp. nov. resembles M. itatiaia sp. nov., from which it can be separated as indicated under the latter species.

Figures

FIGURE 11. Melanastera spp., head, dorsal view. A, M. dimorpha sp. nov., ♀; B, M. cabucu sp. nov.; C, M. itatiaia sp. nov.; D, M. pusilliflorae sp. nov.; E, M. goldenbergi sp. nov.; F, M. clavata sp. nov.; G, M. tibialis sp. nov.; H, M. pleromatos sp. nov.; I, M. ingariko sp. nov.; J, M. brasiliensis sp. nov.

FIGURE 17. Melanastera spp., forewing. A, M. trematos sp. nov.; B, M. virolae sp. nov.; C, M. inconspicuae sp. nov.; D, M. dimorpha sp. nov., ♂; E, M. dimorpha sp. nov., ♀; F, M. cabucu sp. nov.; G, M. itatiaia sp. nov.; H, M. pusilliflorae sp. nov.; I, M. goldenbergi sp. nov.; J, M. clavata sp. nov. Scale bars: 0.2 mm.

FIGURE 29. Melanastera pusilliflorae 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. goldenbergi 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. clavata 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. tibialis 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.