Belbina laetitiae, Constant, 2014

Constant, Jérôme, 2014, Revision of the Malagasy lanternfly genus Belbina Stål, 1863, with two new species (Hemiptera: Fulgoromorpha: Fulgoridae), European Journal of Taxonomy 102, pp. 1-37 : 21-24

Belbina laetitiae sp. nov.

Figs 6A–E , 22–23 , 43–45 , 48

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:87E89C54-19CC-48C8-A2B0-E6CE95E8410A

Belbina servillei – Lallemand 1959: 88, fig. 36a–c (key, description, lateral view of head and pronotum, male genitalia) [non Belbina servillei ( Spinola, 1839) ].

Diagnostic characters

(1) disc of hind wings milky, base and anal lobe suffused with red ( Fig. 6A ); (2) head, pro- and mesonotum brown ( Fig. 6C–E ); (3) ground colour of tegmina bluish green ( Fig. 6A ); (4) large-sized (more than 24 mm long); (5) cephalic process broad, projecting dorsad to posterodorsad ( Figs 6D–E ).

LT: ♂ (n = 8) 24.3 mm (23.2–25.4); ♀ (n = 11) 26.8 mm (25.1–28.4).

Etymology

Dedicated to Mrs Laetitia Despontin, the mother of my children Emilie and Guillaume.

Material examined

Holotype

MADAGASCAR: ♂, [Madagascar, La Mandraka, xii.2000] [Coll. I.R.Sc.N.B., Don T. Neef de Sainval , I.G. 30.731], 18°55’ S, 47°56’ E ( RBINS).

Paratypes

MADAGASCAR: 1 ♂, same data as holotype; 1 ♂, [Coll. I.R.Sc.N.B. Madagascar Est, district Sambava, Marojejy, Ambinanitelo, 500m, XII.58, Raharizonina], 15°21’ S, 49°35’ E ( RBINS); 1 ♀, [Coll. I.R.Sc.N.B. Madagascar Est, district Sambava, Marojejy, Ambodifiakarana, 1600m, XII;58, Raharizonina], 17°12’ S, 48°11’ E ( RBINS); 1 ♀, [Coll. I.R.Sc.N.B. Madagascar Sud-Est, S. kavondro, 225m, Forêt Isaka, Fort Dauphin, 24.II.58, P. Griveaud], Fort-Dauphin (Tolaoaro), 25°02’ S, 47°00’ E ( RBINS); 1 ♀, [CASENT 3004835] [Tananarive Madagascar, Oct., 1949], Tananarive (Antananarivo), 18°55’ S, 47°31’ E ( CAS); 1 ♂, [Madagascar, Antongil B., Mocquerys] [Madagascar] [1204] [Coll. Hungarian Nat. Hist. Museum, Budapest], 15°45’ S, 49°50’ E ( HMNH); 4 ♀♀, [Madagascar, Antongil B., Mocquerys] [Coll. Hungarian Nat. Hist. Museum,Budapest] ( HMNH); 1 ♀, [212, 69] [Museum Paris, Madagascar, 151 et suiv.-69] [Museum Paris, MNHN ( EH), 3948] ( MNHN); 1 ♀, [Goudot, Madagascar, 1832] [Museum Paris, MNHN ( EH), 3947] ( MNHN); 1 ♂, [Madagascar, Fenerive, E. Perrot] [Museum Paris, Oberthur 101-96] [Museum Paris, MNHN ( EH), 3950] Fenerive (Fenoarivo Atsinanana), 17°22’ S, 49°25’ E ( MNHN); 1 ♀, [Museum Paris, Madagascar, côte Ouest, Grandidier 1808-71] [Plateau de l’Ankarafantsika, Madagascar (Ouest)] [Museum Paris, MNHN ( EH), 3949], 16°16’ S, 46°35’ E ( MNHN); 1 ♂, [Madagascar Est, district de Maroantsetra, station forestière de Farankaraina, route de Navana, km 16.5, vallée d’Antoroka 100m, 8/ 18-I-1964, P. Viette] [Museum Paris, MNHN ( EH), 3951], 15°26’ S, 49°44’ E ( MNHN); 1 ♂, 1 ♀, [Mus. Roy. Afr. Centr., Madagascar Est: Ambodivoangy, I.1960, J. Vadon] [ Belbina servillei Spin., H. Synave det. 1963], 15°17’50” S, 49°36’47” E, ( MRAC); 1 ♂, [Coll. Mus. Tervuren, N.E. Madagascar: Ambodivoangy, VIII.1961, J. Vadon] [ Belbina servillei Spinola, H. Synave det. 1963] ( MRAC); 1 ♀, [Coll. Mus. Tervuren, N.E. Madagascar: Ambodivoangy, VIII.1961, J. Vadon] ( MRAC); 1 ♀, [Madagascar: Fampanambo, III.1961, J. Vadon] [ Belbina servillei Spin., H. Synave det. 1963], 15°22’ S, 49°38’ E ( MRAC); 1 ♂, [Madagascar Est, massif du Marojejy (rés. nat. intégr. 12) 600 m, 9/ 12-XII-1972, A. Peyrieras] [Museum Paris, MNHN ( EH), 3952], 14°26’ S, 49°44’ E, ( MNHN); 1 ♀, [Madagascar Est, massif du Marojejy (rés. nat. intégr. 12)] [Ambatomitatao, 400 m, A. Peyrieras, I.1973] [Museum Paris, MNHN ( EH), 3953], 13°47’30» S, 49°51’ E ( MNHN); 1 ♀, [Madag., (on the reverse) 91 158] [ Belbina nov. sp. trop abimé pour être décrit, dét. V. Lallemand 19] ( BMNH); 1 ♂, [Madagascar, collection Le Moult] [ Belbina servillei Spin., V. Lallemand det.] ( FSAG); 1 ♂, [Manjakandriana, Madagascar], 18°55’ S, 47°48’ E ( FSAG); 1 ♂, [Institut Scientifique Madagascar] [Madagascar Sud, dct. Fort Dauphin, Antanimora, 300m, xii-59, Raharizonina] [ Belbina servillei Sign., V. Lallemand det., 1965], 24°14’ S, 47°15’ E ( FSAG); 1 ♂, [Rogez, Madagascar, Mus. Praha] [ Enchophora sp.] ( NMPC); 1 ♂, [Madagascar, Collection Le Moult] [Ne pas étaler, défectueux] ( NCSU); 2 ♂♂, [Madagascar, Marsantsetra], Marsantsetra is a misspelling of Maroantsetra ( NCSU).

Examined on photograph

MADAGASCAR: 1 specimen ( Figs 43–45 ), Ile Sainte Marie, 25 Nov. 2011, Paul Bertner, 16°50’ S, 49°55’ E.

Description

HEAD. Brown, sometimes slightly suffused with red ( Fig. 6C–E ); vertex with hind margin strongly carinate and sides laminate, bisinuate in lateral view and elevated above eye ( Fig. 6C–D ); frons longitudinally wrinkled with 2 carinae extending on sides of cephalic process ( Fig. 6E ); cephalic process slightly more than twice as long as diameter of eye, projecting posterodorsad to dorsad ( Fig. 6D ); apical half of process lanceolate in anterodorsal view and with median carina anteriorly ( Fig. 6C, E ); posterior side of process with 2 carinae fused before apex; strongly sinuate carina under side of vertex, not reaching eye ( Fig. 6D ); postclypeus with sides strongly carinate and median carina; anteclypeus with strong median carina ( Fig. 6E ); labium very elongate, surpassing hind coxae but not reaching apex of abdomen.

THORAX. Brown with mesonotum and meso- and metapleura red ( Fig. 6C–E ); pronotum with strong median carina sinuate in lateral view ( Fig. 6C–D ); hind margin strongly elevated above level of mesonotum medially; sides of prothorax longitudinally carinate; lateral lobes of prothorax rounded posteriorly ( Fig. 6D ); mesonotum ( Fig. 6C ) with median carina stopped posteriorly before scutellum; strongly sinuate carina on each side of disc, sometimes divided into external, sinuate carina and internal, posterior, angulous carina; scutellum transversely wrinkled.

TEGMINA ( Fig. 6A ). Green-brown to pale olivaceous-brown with irregular, dense, black-brown to black markings; apical ⅓ brown-black with large, unprecise, darker markings and some minute, whitish spots; small white patch along sutural margin at nodal line with black spot in middle; costal and apical margins slightly rounded, the latter oblique; apical angles rounded; sutural margin sinuate.

HIND WINGS ( Fig. 6A ). Smoky brown-black, darker on apical ⅓; anal lobe and base suffused with red; milky patch on basal ⅔ from costal margin to vein M or Cu; veins darker than ground colour; 4–6 dark brown-black ocelli on clavus with round, waxy spot in middle; irregular white waxy spots on apical ⅓ and on disc; apex rounded, sutural margin emarginate at ⅔.

LEGS ( Fig. 6A ). Elongate and slender; dark brown-black, with obsolete pale yellow-brown rings often only marked by small spots: 3–4 rings on pro- and mesofemora, 2 on mesotibiae and on metafemora; spines of metafemora with pale yellow-brown spots near base; metatibiae with 5 lateral and 7 apical spines; 12 spines apicoventrally on first metatarsomere.

ABDOMEN ( Fig. 6A ). Bright red with 2 longitudinal rows of 4 black spots dorsally.

Male genitalia

Red ( Figs 22–23 ); pygofer higher than long and with posterior margin slightly sinuate in lateral view ( Fig. 22 ); anal tube slightly elongate, 1.39 times longer than broad at apex and with lateral margins nearly straight in dorsal view ( Fig. 23 ); posterior margin strongly notched in lateral view ( Fig. 22 ), with hind margin of anal opening projecting posteriorly and pointed in lateral view ( Fig. 22 ), and hiding lateral margin apically in dorsal view ( Fig. 23 ); gonostyli elongate, 1.22 times longer than high (dorsal process included, 1.72 times longer than high without process), surpassing anal tube and acutely rounded at apex in lateral view ( Fig. 22 ); ventral margin straight on basal 1/5, then slightly sinuate ( Fig. 22 ); dorsal margin, with basal strong digitiform process projecting laterodorsally and slightly curved posteriorly, strong hook laterally at middle of process projecting anteroventrally ( Fig. 22 ); apex of digitiform process rounded and broad ( Fig. 22–23 ).

Remarks

Belbina laetitiae sp. nov. is a member of the falleni + group, showing a strong basodorsal digitiform process on the gonostyli. It can be separated (1) from B. bloetei by the less concave ventral margin and more rounded apex of the gonostyli in lateral view; (2) from B. falleni by the round cross section of the digitiform process and the more rounded apex of the gonostyli in lateral view; (3) from B. lambertoni by having an anal tube that is more strongly curved posteriorly in lateral view and more elongate in dorsal view; (4) from B. pionneaui by the more rounded apex of the basodorsal digitiform process of the gonostyli and the more strongly notched ventroapical margin of the anal tube under the anal opening in lateral view.

Distribution

See Fig. 48 .

Figures

Figs 4–6. — 4. Belbina falleni. 5. B. foliacea. 6. B. laetitiae sp. nov. — A. Habitus, dorsal view. B. Habitus, lateral view. C. Vertex, pro- and mesonotum, dorsal view. D. Head and prothorax, lateral view. E. Frons, normal view. — Scale bar: 10 mm (C–E not to scale).

Figs 19–23. Male genitalia. — 19–20. Belbina falleni. 19. Lateral view. 20. Dorsal view. — 21. B. foliacea, gonostyli, normal view. — 22–23. B. laetitiae sp. nov. 23. Lateral view. 24. Dorsal view. — An = anal tube, Py = pygofer, G = gonostylus. Photographs by Y. Laurent & I. Bachy.

Figs 43–45. Belbina laetitiae sp. nov. in natura, Ile Sainte Marie, 25 Nov. 2011, photographs by Paul Bertner.

Figs 46–49. Distribution maps. — 46. Belbina bergrothi, B. bloetei and B. madagascariensis. 47. B. bourgoini sp. nov., B. falleni and B. foliacea. 48. B. laetitiae sp. nov. 49. B. lambertoni.