Mouldspsaltria, Sanborn, 2021

Sanborn, Allen F., 2021, The cicadas (Hemiptera: Cicadoidea: Cicadidae) of Madagascar including a new tribe, five new genera, twelve new species, four new species synonymies, five revised species status, ten new combinations, new tribal assignments for four genera, one new subtribe synonymy, a checklist and key to the species, Zootaxa 4937 (1), pp. 1-79 : 18-19

Mouldspsaltria n. gen.

Type species.— Macrotristria madegassa Boulard 1996: 101 . ( Dry forest on the Ermitage road, surroundings of Ambaja, northwest Madagascar)

Species included.— Mouldspsaltria madegassa ( Boulard, 1996) n. comb.

Remarks.—The new genus is proposed for the single species of Macrotristria Stål, 1870 not inhabiting Australia. The presence of subapical cerci suggests the new genus is also a member of the Macrotristriini as these structures in combination with other morphological features possessed by the Madagascar species are distinguishing features for the tribe.

Etymology.—The name is a combination of Moulds – and – psaltria (L. psaltria, musician) in honor of Maxwell S. Moulds who has expanded significantly our knowledge of the Australian cicada fauna and the higher taxonomy of cicadas and has always provided assistance to the author when requested. The genus is feminine.

Description

Large sized cicada (body length about 38–40 mm, wingspan about 121–123 mm). Head wider as mesonotum, head and postclypeus triangular, eyes elliptical, wider than pronotal collar lateral angle, vertex laterally elongate with eyes well separated from supra-antennal plates, vertex at area of ocelli longer than frons, lateral ocelli closer to each other than to eyes, higher than median ocellus in frontal view, lateral vertex wider than eye, supra-antennal plate small reaching only one third of distance to eye meeting postclypeus at oblique anterior angle, dorsal postclypeus about as long as dorsal vertex, wider than long, postclypeus bulbous ventrally, centrally sulcate, rostrum reaching middle of posterior coxae. Pronotum shorter than mesonotum, dorsal pronotal collar width less than diameter of eye, lateral part of pronotal collar not reaching anterior pronotum, angled ventrad, lateral angles of pronotal collar dilated with obtusely angled apex. Mesonotum covering dorsal metanotum, metanotum extends laterally beyond wing groove, cruciform elevation smoothly arched posteriorly, central dome wider than long. Fore femora with three spines, tarsi three-segmented, meracanthus elongated, triangular, curved mediad, extending over anterior operculum. Male operculum completely encapsulating meracanthus, with straight lateral margin, medial and posterior margins curved, covering tympanal cavity reaching to anterior of abdominal sternite II, medial margins overlap. Female operculum similarly shaped to male but smaller, posterior margin curving around meracanthus, extending medially to middle of hind coxa, reaching to posterior of abdominal sternite II. Fore wings and hind wing hyaline with eight and six apical cells respectively, fore wings about 3.1X longer than broad, infuscation on fore wing radial and radiomedial crossveins and distal veins between apical cells, pterostigma present. Fore wing basal cell about twice as long as broad, costal margin wider at base than at node, fore wing cubitus anterior slightly arched, medial cell wider than cubital cell, medial cell angled to ulnar cell 3, median and cubitus anterior veins arising separately from basal cell, radial and radiomedial crossveins obliquely angled, medial and mediocubital crossveins slightly sinusoidal, mediocubital crossvein intersects cubitus anterior 1 so that distal portion is shortest. Hind wing without infuscation, base of median and radius posterior veins fused, width of distal cubital cell 1 greater than width of distal cubital cell 2, anal cell 2 broadened distally, anal cell 3 about half length of anal cell 2, anal vein 3 curving to distal terminus. Abdomen length shorter than distance from anterior postclypeus to posterior cruciform elevation, abdominal tergites 2 and 3 longer than tergites 4–7, lateral margins narrowing posteriorly to genitalia. Timbal cover completely covering timbal, reaching metathorax anteriorly, timbal extending below wing base, tympana concealed by opercula. Male sternite VIII V-shaped when viewed from posterior with transverse posterior margin. Female sternite VII with semicircular posterior margin and single, small medial notch. Pygofer distal shoulder smoothly curved to dorsal point, dorsal beak broadly triangular about as long as anal styles, pygofer upper lobe absent, pygofer basal lobe well-developed extending about half pygofer length with triangular apex, adpressed to lateral pygofer, median uncus lobe undivided, dominating uncus, broad, concave, with rounded posterolateral margins, distal margin sinuate, lateral uncus lobes reduced, supporting basal medial uncus, claspers absent, male aedeagus tubular expanding distally with subapical cerci. Female abdominal segment 9 with dorsal beak, posterior margin sinuate.

Measurements (mm).—Length of body: 38.0–39.5; length of fore wing: 53.0; width of fore wing: 17.0; length of head: 5.0; width of head including eyes: 17.0–17.2; width of pronotum including suprahumeral plates: 16.3; width of mesonotum: 14.0–14.2 (from Boulard 1996 with extrapolation of pronotum width from image).

Diagnosis.— Mouldspsaltria n. gen. can be distinguished from Macrotristria by the width of the dorsal pronotal collar being equal to or greater than the diameter of the eye, the width of hind wing distal cubital cell 1 is greater than the width of distal cubital cell 2, the male opercula reach to or slightly beyond posterior abdominal sternite II, the abdomen length as long as distance from anterior postclypeus to posterior cruciform elevation, abdominal tergites 2 and 3 not longer than tergites 4–7, the small dorsal beak, the smoothly rounded pygofer distal shoulders, the large basal pygofer lobes separated from the pygofer margin, and the narrow, finger-like median uncus lobe found in species of Macrotristria . Species of Illyria Moulds, 1985 can be distinguished from the new genus by the postclypeus being slightly longer than broad, short meracanthus, incomplete timbal covers exposing the timbal dorsally, the abdomen length as long or longer than distance from anterior postclypeus to posterior cruciform elevation, abdominal tergites 2 and 3 not longer than tergites 4–7, pygofer without dorsal beak, the long, narrowing median uncus lobe, and the basal pygofer lobes are separated from the pygofer margin in species of Illyria .

Distribution.—The only known species of the genus is endemic to Madagascar ( Sanborn 2013).