Haemopsalta flammeata, Owen & Moulds, 2016

Owen, Christopher L. & Moulds, Max S., 2016, Systematics and Phylogeny of the Australian Cicada Genus Pauropsalta Goding and Froggatt, 1904 and Allied Genera (Hemiptera: Cicadidae: Cicadettini), Records of the Australian Museum 68 (4), pp. 117-200 : 178-180

Haemopsalta flammeata n.sp.

Fig. 35 , Pl. 1

Haemopsalta flammeata Owen et al., 2015: 261 , nomen nudum.

Types. Holotype male (molecular voucher 09.AU.QL.EXP.02) Expedition Rg., on Dawson Hwy, 24°38.658'S 149°1.292'E, 437 m, 7.i.2009, Hill, Marshall, Moulds, Owen ( AM) . Paratypes — QUEENSLAND: 1♂, 1♀, Blackdown Tableland, Expedition Range , 8,9. ix.1974, 7,8. i.1976, G. Daniels ( AE) . 1♂, 1♀, Expedition Rg., on Dawson Hwy , 24°38.658'S 149°1.292'E, 437 m, 7.i.2009, Hill, Marshall, Moulds, Owen ( LP) . 2♂♂ (one genitalia prep. PAU 255 and molecular voucher 09.AU.QL.EXP.10), 2♀♀, Expedition Rg., on Dawson Hwy , 24°38.658'S 149°1.292'E, 437 m, 7.i.2009, Hill, Marshall, Moulds, Owen ; 2♂♂ (genitalia prep.PAU 246 and 2 molecular vouchers 08.AU.QL.BDL.11, 08.AU.QL.BDL.05; GenBank accessions: KM377195 , KM377364 , KM377436 ), Blackdown Tablelands N.P., 23°44.897'S 149°2.692'E, 936 m, 25.xii.2008, Hill, Marshall, Moulds, Owen ; 1♂, Blackdown Tableland , Expedition Rg., 17.i.1987, M.S. & B.J. Moulds ; 1♂, 1♀, same locality, 29.ix.1971, 23.xii.1972, M.S. Moulds ; 1♀, same locality, 5–7.xii.1979, G. Daniels, M.A. Schneider ; 2♂♂, 1♀, same locality, 8,9. ix.1974, 7,8. i.1976, G. Daniels ( MSM) . 1♂, 1♀, Expedition Rg., on Dawson Hwy , 24°38.658'S 149°1.292'E, 437 m, 7.i.2009, Hill, Marshall, Moulds, Owen ( QM) .

Distribution ( Fig. 35 ). Known only from the vicinity of Expedition Range, central eastern Queensland, especially from the Blackdown Tableland.Adults have been taken from early November to mid January.

Habitat. Sclerophyll forest where adults live high in eucalypt trees.

Description

Male (Pl. 1). Head wider than lateral margins of pronotal collar; dominantly black usually with muddy yellow spot at posterior midline. Postclypeus black with light brownish red markings; usually a brownish red spot on midline around most anterior portion; posterior and lateral margins brownish red; transverse ridges and central groove distinct. Anteclypeus jet black. Rostrum brown tending black distally, reaching to or almost to apices of hind coxae.Antennae black tending white distally. Supra-antennal plates black and edged brownish red to varying degrees.

Thorax. Pronotum black, usually with brownish red markings; anterior edged pale brownish red to varying degrees; fascia along midline brownish red, extending from near head towards or to pronotal collar, sometimes expanded a little against pronotal collar; pronotal collar between lateral angles brownish red with a black spot at anterior midline, sometimes lateral angles partly black, lateral margin of pronotal collar not ampliate. Mesonotum primarily black with brownish red markings; a brownish red marking on either side following parapsidal suture and extending to or near anterior arms of the cruciform elevation, these markings often projecting inwards to varying extent around mid length and sometimes almost meeting; lower lateral area usually with a brownish red streak; scutal depressions occasionally visible as black dots; cruciform elevation brownish red with black between arms to varying extent, anterior arms with black band subapically. Metanotum black at hind wing base, remainder brownish red to pale brown, sometimes black near dorsal midline.

Legs. Fore legs black and brownish red; mostly brownish red on exterior and anterior sides, usually with a black to muddy red fascia along the exterior length of femora, sometimes a brownish red fascia along lateral interior of femora; femora with spines black, sometimes reddish brown; tibiae and tarsi black to muddy red; pretarsal claws black. Mid and hind legs mostly black and brownish red; coxae with proximal margin edged pale brownish red; femora with black interior and brownish red exterior; tibiae and tarsi reddish brown. Meracanthus mostly pale yellow to pale brownish red with a black base.

Wings hyaline. Fore wing with fused stem of veins M and CuA complete, the veins fused as one; venation brownish red becoming black distally; very small infuscation distally on clavus; basal membrane grey to black. Hind wing with 6 apical cells; venation black except for pale yellowish brown 2A and 3A; plaga muddy white to grey to pale brown; black infuscation on wing margin at distal end of vein 2A.

Opercula for the most part not reaching distal margin of tympanal cavity; widely separated; flat other than a low rounded swelling of epimeron 3; pale yellow to yellowish brown with black epimeron 3 swelling.

Timbals grey to muddy white in colour; four long ribs spanning the width of timbal membrane and sometimes one shorter anterior rib terminating before lower end of adjacent intercalary rib.

Abdomen. Tending triangular in cross section with epipleurites reflexed inwards from junction with tergites. Tergites black with brownish red to yellowish red markings. Tergite 1 black except for extreme yellowish lateral tips; tergites 2–7 black with posterior margin brownish red edged yellow to varying degrees, sometimes heaviest on lateral sides; tergite 8 black with posterior margin yellowish red to varying degrees. Sternite I muddy yellow with black basally; sternite II black with lateral posterior margin yellow and red to varying extent; sternites III–VI brownish red with posterior margin muddy yellow; sternite VII brownish red or black with apex and lateral margins brownish red; sternite VIII brownish red with black basally to varying extent.

Genitalia ( Fig. 35 ). Pygofer upper lobe large, in later view slightly longer than wide, terminally asymmetrically dilated, slightly more concave along the lower margin, somewhat hooked in general appearance; pygofer basal lobe peg-like, knobbed, capitate; pygofer secondary basal lobe barely projecting in lateral view, in ventral view broad and evenly rounded. Median lobe of uncus wider than long with a broad rounded apex. Claspers claw-like, concave below, apices tending truncate in dorsal view. Aedeagus with pseudoparameres longer than endotheca, slender, flattened in cross section, lying immediately above endotheca in lateral view, in dorsal view parallel to each other but distally curved outwards. Endotheca gently curved, parallel sided, circular in cross-section, apex slightly sloping backwards ventrally, without ornamentation.

Female (Pl. 1). Similar to male. Abdominal segment 9 brown, anterior margin edged black, a black fascia along midline extending from anterior margin to, or almost to, caudal beak, a black spot on each lateral side subapically. Ovipositor sheath long, extending some 1.0– 1.5 mm beyond apex of abdomen; dark brown to black.

Measurements. Range and mean (in mm) for 8♂♂ and 4♀♀; includes smallest and largest of available specimens.

Length of body: male 15.0–18.0 (17.2); female 16.6–19.0 (17.9). Length of fore wing: male 19.6–22.1 (20.9); female 21.3–22.7 (22.1). Width of fore wing: male 6.5–7.5 (7.1); female 7.3–7.5 (7.4). Ratio length/width of fore wing: male 2.9–3.1 (3.0); female 2.9–3.1 (3.0). Width of head (including eyes): male 5.2–5.9 (5.5); female 5.7–6.0 (5.9). Width of pronotum (across lateral angles): male 5.2–6.0 (5.5); female 5.7–6.0 (5.9).

Distinguishing features

Distinguished from many other Pauropsalta species and allied genera in having 6 apical cells in the hind wings (in both wings) instead of 5 and a red fore wing costa and/or subcosta. Amongst those species with 6 hind wing apical cells care should be taken not to confuse this species with Haemopsalta aktites , H. rubea , Palapsalta circumdata or Popplepsalta rubristrigata , all species black with reddish markings.

Clearly differs from Haemopsalta aktites in size, the fore wing length being greater than 19 mm while that of H. aktites never reaches more than 17.4 mm. Males differ from those of Popplepsalta rubristrigata and H. rubea in lacking a broad fascia along the ventral midline of the abdomen. They differ from Palapsalta circumdata in having abdominal tergites entirely black except for a reddish or yellow posterior margin; in Pal. circumdata the lateral areas of abdominal segments 2–5 are dominantly reddish or yellow. The male genitalia differ from those of Po. rubristrigata in lacking a large sharply-pointed protruding secondary basal lobe that is clearly visible in lateral view (without dissection), and pseudoparameres that are much longer than the endotheca. There appears to be no consistent difference in male genitalia between this species and H. rubea .

Females differ from Po. rubristrigata and Pal. circumdata in having the ovipositor sheath just passing the end of the abdominal segment 9 rather than very long and extending more than at least 2 mm beyond. They differ from H. rubea in lacking a broad fascia along the ventral midline of the abdomen.

Etymology. From Latin flamma, meaning flame, referring to the red on the abdomen of this species.

Song ( Fig. 35 ). The song is composed of a series of phrases that include a single click followed by an echeme. The echeme is usually c. 2 s in length. Each phrase is c. 2 s in length. The phrases occur at a rate of c. 0.4 phrases per second. The frequency of song occurs between 2 kHz and 22 kHz.

Figures

Figure 35. Haemopsalta flammeata n.sp. (A) male genitalia, lateral view (genitalia prep PAU 255); (B) male genitalia, ventral view (genitalia prep PAU 255); (C) waveform of male calling song recorded from near crest of the Expedition Range on Dawson Hwy, QLD; (D) spectrogram of male calling song; (E) species distribution map.