Melanastera discoloris, 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 : 102-103

50 Melanastera discoloris sp. nov.

( Figs 4A , 12K , 19E , 33H–M )

Type material. Holotype ♂: Brazil: PARANÁ: Londrina, Parque Estadual Mata dos Godoy , S23.4428, W51.2423, 630 m, 12‒14.viii.2019, Miconia discolor (D. Burckhardt & D.L. Queiroz) #343(3) ( UFPR; dry).

Paratypes. Brazil: PARANÁ: 9 ♂, 15 ♀, 3 immatures, 1 skin, same as holotype but ( NHMB; dry, slide, 70% ethanol; NMB-PSYLL0007828, NMB-PSYLL0007989–NMB-PSYLL0007992, NMB-PSYLL0007849, NMB-PSYLL0007850 [LSMeldis-116], NMB-PSYLL0007851 [LSMeldis-116], NMB-PSYLL0007852 [LSMeldis-116], NMB-PSYLL0007853 [LSMeldis-116]) ; 3 ♂, 6 ♀, same but Miconia buddlejoides (D. Burckhardt & D.L. Queiroz) #343(2) ( MMBC, NHMB; 70% ethanol; NMB-PSYLL0007827) .

Description. Adult. Coloration. Straw-coloured, head and thorax with dark brown dots. Antennal segments 4, 6 and 8 apically and segments 9–10 entirely dark brown. Mesopraescutum with two orange patches at the fore margin; mesoscutum with four broad orange longitudinal stripes margined by brown dots, and one median row of dots. Forewing ( Fig. 19E ) straw-coloured with dark irregularly spaced brown dots, few or absent from cell c+sc; base and apex of pterostigma, and apices of veins Rs, M 1+2, M 3+4, Cu 1a and Cu 1b dark brown. Femora with dark brown patches. Female proctiger brown apically.

Structure. Forewing ( Fig. 19E ) obovate, widest in apical third, broadly rounded apically; wing apex situated in cell r 2 near apex of M 1+2; C+Sc curved in distal third; pterostigma slightly narrower than r 1 cell in the middle, weakly widening to middle; Rs weakly convex in basal two thirds, strongly curved to fore margin apically; M longer than M 1+2 and M 3+4; Cu 1a irregularly convex, ending at M fork; surface spinules present in all cells, leaving very narrow spinule-free stripes along the veins, forming hexagons of a double row of spinules, spinules sparse at base of cell c+sc. Hindwing with 4 + 2–3 grouped costal setae. Metatibia bearing 6–7 grouped apical spurs, arranged as 3 + 3–4, anteriorly separated by 5 bristles.

Terminalia ( Fig. 33H–M ). Male. Proctiger weakly produced posteriorly; densely covered with moderately long setae in apical two thirds. Subgenital plate subglobular; dorsal margin strongly curved; posterior margin convex; with moderately long setae. Paramere, in lateral view, irregularly lanceolate, posterior margin slightly indented in the middle; apex, in lateral view, blunt, directed upwards; in dorsal view, paramere apex subacute, directed inwards, lacking sclerotised tooth; outer and inner faces with dense, moderately long setae; posterior margin with long setae. Proximal segment of aedeagus with apical part moderately subdivided. Distal segment of aedeagus with slightly convex ventral margin and slightly sinuate dorsal margin in basal half; ventral process situated slightly proximad of the middle of segment, in lateral view, ventral process clavate with lateral lobes, in dorsal view, ventral process much broader than apical dilation, with a subtriangular lobe on either side, apex blunt, lying in the same plane as lateral lobes; apical dilation, in lateral view, broad, slightly widening towards broadly rounded apex, broadest near apex, dorsal part of apical dilation forming membranous lobe at base, in dorsal view, apical dilation narrow and long, subparallel-sided, blunt apically; sclerotised end tube short and weakly curved.—Female terminalia cuneate; densely covered with setae. Dorsal margin of proctiger, in lateral view, weakly sinuate, apex pointed, upturned; in dorsal view, apex blunt; circumanal ring, in dorsal view, distinctly cruciform. Subgenital plate, in lateral view, abruptly narrowing to apex in apical half, apex pointed, strongly upturned; in ventral view, apex blunt or truncate.

Fifth instar immature. Coloration. Brownish yellow; cephalothoracic sclerite, antenna, wing-pads, legs and caudal plate brown.

Structure. Eye with one small simple ocular seta dorsally. Forewing pad with five marginal pointed sectasetae; hindwing pad with two marginal pointed sectasetae; both pads lacking sectasetae dorsally. Tarsal arolium broadly triangular apically, 1.4 times as long as claws Abdomen with one pointed sectaseta on either side laterally anterior to caudal plate. Caudal plate with anterior margin relatively remote from anterior margin of extra pore fields; with five (2 + 3) pointed sectasetae on small tubercles on either side laterally, and two pointed sectasetae subapically, on either side of circumanal ring dorsally. Extra pore fields forming continuous outer and inner bands, consisting of large and small oval and elongate patches; outer band long medially, end pointing outwards. Circumanal ring large.

Host plants. Miconia discolor DC. ( Melastomataceae ); adults were also collected on M. buddlejoides Triana , which is a possible host.

Distribution. Brazil (PR).

Derivation of name. Named after one of its hosts, M. discolor .

Comments. Melanastera discoloris sp. nov. resembles M. stanopekari sp. nov. in the posteriorly indented paramere. It differs from the latter species in the sparser brown dots on the forewing and in the details of the male and female terminalia.

Figures

FIGURE 4. Morphology and measurements of female terminalia of Melanastera and Klyveria spp. A, M. discoloris sp. nov.; B, M. michali sp. nov.; C, K. flaviae sp. nov. For abbreviations see Table 1.

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 19. Melanastera spp., forewing. A, M. burchellii sp. nov.; B, M. barretoi sp. nov.; C, M. sericeae sp. nov.; D, M. tristis sp. nov.; E, M. discoloris sp. nov.; F, M. truncata sp. nov.; G, M. atlantica sp. nov.; H, M. stanopekari sp. nov.; I, M. sellowianae sp. nov.; J, M. simillima sp. nov. Scale bars: 0.2 mm.

FIGURE 33. Melanastera tristis sp. nov. A, ♂ terminalia, lateral view; B, paramere, inner face, lateral view; C, paramere, dorsal view; D, distal segment of aedeagus, lateral view; E–F, distal segment of aedeagus, dorsal view; G, ♀ terminalia, lateral view.—M. discoloris sp. nov. H, ♂ terminalia, lateral view; I, paramere, inner face, lateral view; J, distal segment of aedeagus, lateral view; K, distal segment of aedeagus, dorsal view; L, paramere, dorsal view; M, ♀ terminalia, lateral view.—M. truncata sp. nov. N, ♂ terminalia, lateral view; O, paramere, inner face, lateral view; P, distal segment of aedeagus, lateral view; Q, distal segment of aedeagus, dorsal view; R, paramere, dorsal view; S, ♀ terminalia, lateral view.—M. atlantica sp. nov. T, ♂ terminalia, lateral view; U, paramere, inner face, lateral view; V, distal segment of aedeagus, lateral view; W, distal segment of aedeagus, dorsal view; X, paramere, dorsal view; Y, ♀ terminalia, lateral view. Scale bars: 0.1 mm.