Talcopsaltria, Moulds, 2008

Moulds, M. S., 2008, Talcopsaltriini, a New Tribe for a New Genus and Species of Australian Cicada (Hemiptera: Cicadoidea: Cicadidae), Records of the Australian Museum 60 (3), pp. 207-214 : 209-210

publication ID

https://doi.org/ 10.3853/j.0067-1975.60.2008.1496

persistent identifier

https://treatment.plazi.org/id/5874EF6A-A543-4417-FEB5-FDC1FC21F82E

treatment provided by

Carolina

scientific name

Talcopsaltria
status

gen. nov.

Genus Talcopsaltria View in CoL n.gen.

Figs 1–10 View Figs 1–3 View Figs 4–10

Type species: Talcopsaltria olivei View in CoL n.sp.

Included species: Talcopsaltria olivei View in CoL n.sp.

Etymology: Derived from the word talc and referring to the white fine “dusting” over the body, and the Greek psaltria, a female harpist and a traditional ending for many cicada generic names; feminine.

Diagnosis ( Figs 1–10 View Figs 1–3 View Figs 4–10 )

Body tending compressed vertically; extensively covered with a talc-like “dusting” of fine white pubescence mixed with a fine white, waxy exudation.

Head including eyes wider than mesonotum but clearly narrower than lateral angles of pronotal collar; postclypeus in lateral profile rounded between “top” and “sides”, midline clearly depressed.

Thorax. Pronotal collar width at dorsal midline moderately broad, but less than diameter of eyes; lateral margins weakly ampliate, no mid lateral tooth but edged with many microscopic spine-like bristles. Cruciform elevation wider than long. Epimeral lobe reaching operculum. Metanotum entirely concealed at dorsal midline.

Wings ( Figs 1–3 View Figs 1–3 , 7 View Figs 4–10 ). Fore wings hyaline; infuscation overlaying distal end of vein CuP+1A and adjacent portion of 2A+3A; 8 apical cells; subapical cells absent; ulnar cell 3 angled to radial cell; vein CuA only weakly bowed so that cubital cell no larger than medial cell; veins M and CuA widely separated at basal cell making basal cell broad

male, dorsal view with wings folded in resting position.

and tending to be rounded; vein CuA 1 divided by crossvein m–cu so that proximal portion longest; wing outer margin developed for its total length, never reduced to be contiguous with ambient vein. Hind wings with 6 apical cells; no infuscation on ambient vein; width of 1st cubital cell at distal end shorter than that of 2nd cubital cell; anal lobe broad with vein 3A curved, long, separated from wing margin.

Legs. Fore leg femoral primary spine lying flat, prostrate. Meracanthus with spur slender, triangular.

Opercula ( Fig. 10 View Figs 4–10 ). Male opercula completely encapsulating meracanthus, covering tympanal cavity but not meeting.

Abdomen ( Figs 1–3 View Figs 1–3 , 8, 10 View Figs 4–10 ). Male abdomen shorter than head plus thorax; that of female much longer. Male abdominal tergites with their sides weakly convex in cross-section, not partly concave; male tergites 2 and 3 larger than tergites 4–7; male sternites 3–7 gently convex in cross-section. Timbal covers ( Fig. 8 View Figs 4–10 ) small, covering no more than half timbal cavity. Timbals ( Fig. 9 View Figs 4–10 ) with large basal dome, the type species with four long ribs spaced with prominent intermediate short ribs.

Male genitalia ( Figs 4–6 View Figs 4–10 ). Pygofer with distal shoulder extended into bluntly-pointed lobe; basal lobe undivided, broadly rounded; dorsal beak absent. Aedeagus restrained by tubular encapsulation on ventral surface of uncus; basal plate in lateral view sharply angled through 90°; in dorsal view apical arms short, base broad and long with midline deeply furrowed; basal portion of basal plate directed forwards away from thecal shaft; junction between theca and basal plate rigid, without a “hinge”; thecal shaft gently curved; thecal apex entirely chitinized, thecal subapical cerci absent; legula absent; conjunctival claws absent; vesica retractable, vesica opening apical on theca.

Distinguishing characters

Fresh specimens have much of their body “dusted” white. The genus is best distinguished from all other Australian genera by the characters used for distinguishing the tribe as listed above.

Kingdom

Animalia

Phylum

Arthropoda

Class

Insecta

Order

Hemiptera

Family

Cicadidae

Darwin Core Archive (for parent article) View in SIBiLS Plain XML RDF