Chidaea carinata, Löcker & Holzinger, 2019

Löcker, Birgit & Holzinger, Werner E., 2019, Revision of the Australian planthopper genus Chidaea Emeljanov with a redescription of Cixius sidnicus Stål, 1859 (Hemiptera: Auchenorrhyncha: Fulgoromorpha: Cixiidae), Zootaxa 4691 (5), pp. 401-443 : 414-416

Chidaea carinata sp. nov.

( Figs 6 , 21 , 31C )

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Types. Holotype, ♂, AUSTRALIA, Qld : Willowburn, 14.ix.1920 (J.A. Beck) ( QM T244827 , formerly UQIC) . Paratypes, Qld : 1 ♀, 9km W Goondiwindi, ex Eremophila mitchellii , 24.ix.1973 (P. Allsopp) ( QDPI) . NSW: 1 ♂, Lightning Ridge , 14.x.1989 (R.O. Buddle) ( AMS) ; 1 ♀, Mt Kaputar , 3000ft, at light, 30.x.1967 (C.W. Frazier) ( ASCU) .

Etymology. Named after the distinct carinae on the head.

Colour. Head and pronotum mid or dark brown with distinctly contrasting pale carinae. Mesonotum mid or dark brown laterally, central area between carinae sometimes paler; carinae pale. Forewings light brown often with a weakly to moderately developed pattern of 6 mid brown spots (3 on each wing: near y-fork in claval area, near CuA1 and CuA2 fork and on MP basad of MP1+2 andMP3+4 fork); forewing sometimes with darker patches near crossveins and apex of wing; forewing veins light to mid brown, tubercles concolorous with veins; pterostigma light to mid brown. Body and legs light or mid brown.

Morphology. Body length: ♂ 6.2–6.7 mm; ♀, 8.7–9.6 mm.

Head: Vertex 2.1–2.2 x wider than long; median carina of vertex covering entire length of basal compartment of vertex; evanescent in apical compartment. Frons 1.0 x as long as wide; position of maximum width more or less around centre of frontoclypeal suture or distinctly ventrad; lateral carinae of frons in facial view slightly s-shaped. Frontoclypeal suture strongly semicircular, bent upwards, median part reaching at least lower margin of antennal scape. Postclypeus with median carina well developed. Anteclypeus with median carina well developed. Rostrum by far not reaching hind coxae.

Thorax: Median carina of pronotum extremely well developed and very long. Hind margin of pronotum obtuse. Mesonotum with median and lateral carinae well developed. Forewing 3.3–3.6 x longer than wide; concavity at costal border well developed; costal margin with 1–2 indistinct tubercles; fork of ScP+RA and RP slightly to moderately basad of or almost at same level as fork CuA1 and CuA2; tubercles of forewing dark or pale, concolorous with veins; ScP+RA apically bifid; RP trifid; additional subapical cell between branches of MP1 and MP2 absent or present; MP1+2 trifid; MP3+4 bifid or trifid; 11–12 apical cells; 6 subapical cells. Hind leg: tibia with 6 (rarely 7) apical spines; 1 st tarsomere with 11–13 apical teeth and 6–8 platellae; 2 nd tarsomere with 12 (rarely 13) apical teeth and 10 (rarely 11) platellae.

Male genitalia: Anal tube as in Figs 21 D–E. Pygofer and genital styles as in Figs 21 F–G. Aedeagus as in Figs 21 A–C. Phallotheca below midlength with a bifurcate ventral process; left lateral with a long, curved spine (a); right lateral with long, curved spine (b), in lateral view spine (b) not reaching down as far as spine (a) because it is more strongly curved.

Diagnosis. This species can be uniquely identified within Chidaea by the following combination of characters: extremely well developed carinae on head and pronotum which are distinctly contrasting in colour to adjacent areas and the presence of platellae on the first tarsomere.

This species shares a number of characteristics such as a u-shaped pattern of dark spots on the forewings (often weakly developed, rarely absent) and a very long pronotum (length of median carina) with Ch. punctata . For further details see diagnosis section of Ch. punctata . The male genitalia of Ch. kimbaensis resemble that of Ch. carinata in length and curvature of spines, however in Ch. kimbaensis the spines are much thicker and the phallotheca is bulging laterally, which is not the case in Ch. carinata . Further, Ch. kimbaensis has dark contrasting tubercles on the forewing, whereas Ch. carinata has tubercles concolorous with veins.

Distribution: NSW, Qld.

Associated plant records: Eremophila mitchellii .

Figures

FIGURE 6. Chidaea carinata: A habitus; B–D head.

FIGURE 21. Chidaea carinata: A aedeagus left lateral; B aedeagus ventral; C aedeagus right lateral; D–E anal tube; F–G genital styles.

FIGURE 31. Known distribution of Chidaea species.