Cavichiana alpina, Quintas & Takiya & Côrte & Mejdalani, 2020

Quintas, Victor, Takiya, Daniela M., Côrte, Isabele & Mejdalani, Gabriel, 2020, A remarkable new species of Cavichiana (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae: Cicadellinae) from southeastern Brazil, Zoologia (e 38783) 37, pp. 1-8 : 2-6

Cavichiana alpina sp. nov.

http://zoobank.org/ 01AAFA4C-D930-4762-8B47-954978F8D198

Figs 1–23, 25

Length (mm). Male holotype 7.5, male paratypes 7.7 (n = 2), female paratypes 7.9–8.2 (n = 3).

Description of the male holotype. Head ( Figs 1, 23, 25). Deltoid in dorsal view, strongly produced anteriorly; median length of crown approximately 4/5 of interocular width and 1/2 of transocular width; anterior margin narrowly rounded in dorsal view; without distinct carina at transition from crown to face; ocelli located distinctly anterad of imaginary line between anterior eye angles, each slightly closer to median line than to adjacent anterior eye angle; crown, in lateral view, distinctly declivous anteriorly; surface without conspicuous sculpturing or setae. Antennal ledge, in dorsal view, not protuberant; in lateral view, with anterior margin convex. Frontogenal suture extending onto crown and reaching ocellus. Frons flattened medially; muscle impressions distinct; surface with small lenticular impressions. Epistomal suture obsolete medially. Clypeus broad and flat; apex broadly convex; profile, in lateral view, continuing contour of frons.

Thorax. Pronotum ( Figs 1, 23, 25) with width slightly smaller than transocular width of head; lateral pronotal margins approximately parallel; posterior margin with slight emargination; dorsolateral carina complete, rectilinear; disk transversely striate, without punctures. Mesonotum with scutellum not striate. Forewing without distinct membrane; veins not very distinct except apically; with four apical cells, base of fourth more proximal than base of third; with three anteapical cells, bases of median and inner ones obscure; without anteapical plexus of veins. Hind wing with vein R 2+3 incomplete. Posterior meron not exposed when forewing is at rest position. Hind leg with femoral setal formula 2:1:1 on right side and 2:1:1:1 on left side.

Terminalia. Pygofer ( Figs 2–3), in lateral view, well produced posteriorly; distal margin broadly rounded; distal portion not sclerotized; ventral margin with slight concavity; without processes; surface with macrosetae distributed mostly on posterior third and extending anteriorly along ventral margin. Valve ( Figs 2, 4), in ventral view, subtrapezoidal. Subgenital plate ( Figs 2–4), in ventral view, broad on basal third and distinctly narrowed on median third; plates connected to each other basally by small membranous triangular area; in lateral view, extending as far posteriorly as pygofer apex; surface with slender setae located mostly on outer lateral margin and apical portion. Connective ( Fig. 5), in dorsal view, small, Y-shaped; arms and stalk very short. Style ( Fig. 6), in dorsal view, very elongate, extending much farther posteriorly than apex of connective; without preapical lobe; apical portion digitiform, slightly directed inwards. Aedeagus ( Figs 7–8) symmetrical; shaft, in lateral view, with distinct basidorsal lobe; apex narrowly rounded, without crown of spines; in ventral view, shaft broad. Paraphyses ( Figs 9–10) symmetrical, articulated with apex of connective; stalk long and broad; rami elongate, distinctly curved dorsally, divergent apically, each one with spiniform process at base.

Coloration ( Figs 23, 25). Ground color of crown and anterior portion of pronotum light blue; crown with broad, inverted V-shaped orange mark extending from area of frontogenal sutures to posterior margin, connected to pair of large orange spots of pronotum; anterior margin of crown yellow; pronotum with posterior portion blue, this blue area with three projections directed anteriorly, median one (between orange spots) longer than lateral ones. Eye red. Mesonotum orange. Forewing dark brown; clavus with basal portion and area along commissural margin orange (this area narrowed basally and apically), remainder of clavus (except dark brown apex) blue; corium with large blue area adjacent to claval sulcus, connected to blue area of clavus; distal portion of corium with white to blue spot extending from costal margin to outer margin of median anteapical cell. Face mostly dark brown to black except yellow transition to crown. Labrum and labium yellow. Lateral and ventral portions of thorax brown to black. Legs mostly yellow; coxae mainly brown.

Note on the male paratypes. The external morphology and coloration of the two male paratypes are similar to those of the holotype.

Description of the female paratypes. External morphology and coloration similar to those of male holotype.

Terminalia. Sternite VII ( Figs 11–12), in ventral view, with deep V-shaped posterior emargination. Pygofer ( Figs 11, 13), in lateral view, well produced posteriorly; distal margin subacute; distal portion not sclerotized; ventral margin slightly rounded; macrosetae distributed mostly on posterior portion, extending for short distance dorsoanteriorly and to basal portion ventrally. First valvifer ( Figs 13–14), in lateral view, subtrapezoidal, with posterior projection connected to gonangulum. First valvula ( Figs 15–17), in lateral view, with apical portion spiniform; apex acute; dorsal sculptured area extending from basal portion of blade to apex, formed apically by scale-like processes arranged in oblique lines and basally by more linear processes; ventral sculptured area restricted to apical portion of blade, formed mostly by scale-like processes; ventral interlocking device distinct on basiventral half of blade. Second valvula ( Figs 18–22), in lateral view, not strongly expanded beyond basal curvature; dorsal and ventral margins approximately parallel for most of their length; preapical prominence small but distinct; apex subacute; dorsal margin with about 20 continuous low teeth; denticles distributed on teeth and on dorsal and ventral portions of blade; dorsal denticulate apical portion longer than ventral portion; blade with ducts extending to teeth and to apex. Gonoplac (partially visible in Fig. 13) of the usual Cicadellinae type; in lateral view, with basal half narrow and apical half distinctly expanded; apex obtuse; surface with tiny tegumentary processes (denticuli) on apex and extending anteriorly along ventral margin.

Etymology. The new species name, alpina (L., feminine adjective), refers to the mountainous type-locality (Itatiaia National Park in southeastern Brazil) and its occurrence above 1,800 m a.s.l.

Type material. Southeastern Brazil , state of Minas Gerais ( MG) . Male holotype: “BR/MG – Itamonte\Trilha pela Serra Negra\ 22°19’27”S 44°40’00”W \ 16/XI/2013 2014 m \ Daniela M. Takiya col.” ( DZRJ) . Paratypes, two males and five females: one male with the same data as the holotype ( DZUP) , one male and two females “BR/MG – Itamonte,\PNI [Parque Nacional do Itatiaia], Casa de Pedra\ 22/IX/2018 \ André L. D. Ferreira col.” ( MNRJ, one female DZUP), two females “ BRAZIL: Minas\Gerais, Itamonte\ 4. XI. 2007 \N. Ferreira-Jr.\ In Bromeliaceae ” ( DZRJ), and one female “ Brasil:MG, Itamonte, PNI,\ Setor Brejo da Lapa , Brejo da\ Lapa, PNI – M1A coord.\ 22°21’32.40”S,\ 44°44’14.04”W, 2142 m a.s.l. ” ( MNRJ) .

Additional specimens of the new species. Two males and one female were, unfortunately, lost due to the fire at the Museu Nacional: “MG – ITAMONTE\PNI – CASA DE PEDRA\ 22-23/V/2018 2012 m \C.C.D. CORRÊA col.” ( MNRJ) .

Examined material of Cavichiana bromelicola Mejdalani, Quintas, Carvalho & Takiya, 2014 . Southeastern Brazil, state of Rio de Janeiro ( RJ) : one male “Nova Friburgo – Macaé\de Cima – RJ – Brasil \XI-XII/2009 1250 m \Grossi Leg.” ( DZUP) . Southern Brazil, state of Paraná (PR): one male “Brasil, PR, Antonina\ Res. Rio Cachoeira, 50m \ 25.316°S 48.696°W \ 10-11.III.2017 Malaise\ G. Melo leg.” ( DZUP) .