Alarcta micromacula Sanborn & Heath, 2014

Sanborn, Allen F. & Heath, Maxine S., 2014, The cicadas of Argentina with new records, a new genus and fifteen new species (Hemiptera: Cicadoidea: Cicadidae), Zootaxa 3883 (1), pp. 1-94 : 35-38

Alarcta micromacula Sanborn & Heath , sp. n. 3

( Figure 11 )

Alacta micromacula nom. nud. Sanborn et al. 2011a, p. 5, 8, Table 4.

Type material.— ARGENTINA. HOLOTYPE: male ( INHS), “ Mendoza / 3 km N.E. of Bardas / Blancas. 13 Jan. / 1987. J.E. & M.S. / Heath Coll.” . PARATYPES: two male “ Mendoza / 3 km N.E. of Bardas / Blancas. 13 Jan. / 1987. M.S. Heath Coll. ” ; one male ( MSHC) “ Mendoza / 3 km N.E. of Bardas / Blancas. 13 Jan. / 1987. F. Noriega Coll. ” ; one male “ Mendoza / 9 km S.W. of Paso / de las Carretas / 11 Jan. 1987 / M.S. Heath Coll. ” ; one female “ Mendoza / 9 km S.W. of Paso / de las Carretas / 11 Jan. 1987 / J.E. Heath Coll. ” ; one male “ Mendoza / 32 km S.W. of / San Rafael / 11 Jan. 1987 / J.E. & M.S. Heath Coll. ”; one female “ Mendoza / 9 km S. of Malargüe / 12 Jan. 1987 / M.S. Heath Coll. / EX: Ephedra”; one male “ Neuquen / 9 km N.E. of Buta / Ranquil. 14 Jan. / 1987 F. Noriega Coll. ” .

Etymology.—The species is named for the small spots on the dorsal mesothorax.

Diagnosis. —The new species of Alarcta can be distinguished from the currently known species of the genus using a combination of characters: the number of ribs (12) on the stridulatory apparatus, the body length (16–18 mm), forewing length (20.5–23.3 mm), and forewing width (7.0– 7.8 mm). All other species differ in the combination of these variables to make distinguishing the new species easy ( Table 1 ).

Description

Coloration.—Ground color piceous marked with tawny.

Head.—Head 1.1–1.2X as wide as mesonotum, silvery and black pile on dorsum, silvery pile more dense along frontoclypeal suture, longer silvery pile posterior to eye and on ventral head. Ocelli rosaceous, eyes greenish tawny. Postclypeus piceous, rounded anteriorly barely beyond anterior supra-antennal plates, with ventral central sulcus and 9 transverse grooves, with long black pile centrally and dorsally, short silvery pile in transverse grooves and central sulcus, longer silvery pile laterally, with white pubescense laterally. Anteclypeus black with long white pile, white pruinosity laterally. Rostrum piceous with tawny midline of labrum and ferruginous proximal midline of labium, reaching to posterior to middle coxae. Gena black with tawny medial margin. Lorum black. White pruinosity on gena and lorum. Antennal segments piceous except tawny annulus on distal scape.

Thorax.—Pronotum piceous, except tawny anterior margin between eyes except midline, anterior pronotal collar lateral margin, spot on posterior junction of pronotal collar and pronotal collar lateral angle, extending to ambient fissue in some paratypes, and posterior pronotal collar between eyes, connecting to lateral spot in some paratypes, all tawny areas of pronotal collar connected in one paratype. Silvery pile on dorsum, more dense in lateral, paramedian and lateral ambient fissures, black pile on pronotal collar lateral margin. Mesonotum piceous with elongate tawny spot extending from anterior terminus of anterior arm of cruciform elevation onto disc and tawny lateral posterior arm of cruciform elevation, markings larger in some paratypes. Stridulatory apparatus on anterolateral mesonotum with 12 ribs. Long silvery pile laterally, between anterior arms of cruciform elevation and posteriorly, shorter and more dense along parapsidal suture. Wing groove posteriorly tawny with long silvery pile. Metanotum piceous. Ventral thoracic plates piceous except tawny anterior, posterior and medial episternum 2, posterior margin of basisternum 2, anterior and posterior margins of trochantin 2, posterior meron 2, posterior katepimeron 2, epimeron 3, posterior margin of episternum 3, and medial anterior and postrior margins of trochantin 3. Venter covered with long white pile and white pruinosity.

Forewings and hind wings.—Hyaline. Venation piceous except tawny costal margin to node but piceous dorsally in distal half, arculus, anterior portion of cubitus posterior + anal vein 1, median vein from distal half of ulnar cell 3 to node, proximal median vein 1 + 2, across nodal line on median vein 3 + 4, across nodal line of cubitus anterior and distal cubitus anterior 2. Basal cell tawny with fuscous posteromedial corner, posterior cubital cell and basal clavus clouded with tawny. Basal membrane reddish orange. Hind wing venation piceous except tawny proximal medial vein and proximal radius posterior for more than half the distance of the radial cell. Vanal fold, anal cell 3 along anal vein 3, anal cell 2 along anal veins 2 and 3, anal cell 1 along proximal two thirds of anal vein 2, postrior median vein in medial cell, and median veins 2 and 3 in apical cell 4 proximal to crossveins white, distally margined with infuscation in anal cells 2 and 3, proximal radial cell along median vein and basal radius posterior, and proximal costal cell ochraceous. Small infuscated spot in proximal cubital cells 1.

Legs.—Fuscous, tawny on distal coxae, fore and middle coxae striped with tawny, proximal and distal trochanter, distal tibiae, middle tibiae with tawny lateral spot near proximal end, hind tibiae tawny except fuscous proximally and two fuscous stripes, tarsi fuscous. Fore femur with upright primary spine and larger, upright secondary spine, spines fuscous, primary spine with tawny tip. Tibial spurs and comb castaneous with tawny base. Pretarsal claw fuscous. Legs with white pile and white pruinosity, both more dense proximally.

Operculum.—Male operculum fuscous anterior half and ochraceous posterior half, reaching anterior margin of sternite II. Lateral margin straight, posterolateral margin angled mediad, posterior margin with shallow incurvation, medial margin rounded, anteromedial margin straight angled laterad to base. Medial margin about level of middle of meracanthus. Meracanthus ochraceous with fuscous base. Operculum covered with long white pile, more dense at base, white pruinosity at base, more dense laterally. Female operculum and meracanthus similar to male but smaller, operculum reaching to half-length of sternite II, meracanthus slightly longer.

Abdomen.—Tergites piceous except tawny posterior margin of tergite 1, anteromedial margin and anterior margin of tergite 2 along timbal cavity, and posterior margins of tergites 7 and 8. Timbal with eight long ribs and seven short intercalary ribs. Sternites piceous except tawny posterior margin of sternites III–VI, posterior two thirds of sternite VII, sternite VIII tawny with piceous anterolateral spots and fuscous medial posterior third. Medioposterior margin of epipleurites tawny, medial margin also tawny in some paratypes. Segments covered with long silvery pile, sternites and epileurites with white prubescence.

Male genitalia.—Pygofer piceous with tawny dorsal shoulder, pygofer upper lobe folded medially covered with white pruinosity. Pygofer basal lobe tawny with rounded terminus. Median uncus lobe parallel sided with central ridge and rounded terminus. Anal styles fuscous with tawny base, tawny tip in some paratypes, extending beyond dorsal beak. Anal styles and dorsal beak castaneous in one paratype. Aedeagus tawny with long curling endotheca and short castaneous spine at base of endotheca.

Female genitalia.—Sternite VII tawny with fuscous medial posterior margin and anterolateral triangular fuscous marks expanding laterally with posterior margin, posterior margin with deep curved medial notch, lateral margins curved. Abdominal segment 9 piceous with tawny posterior and ventral margins. Long and short silvery pile on abdominal segment 9. Anal styles fuscous with tawny base, reaching beyond dorsal beak. Gonocoxite IX tawny, gonapophysis VII castaneous, gonapophysis X fuscous with tawny base, long white pile near tip. Ovipositor sheath extending to ventral anal styles.

Measurements (mm).— N = 7 males, 2 females, mean (range). Length of body: male 16.5 (15.8–17.1), female 16.25 (16.1–16.4); length of forewing: male 22.0 (20.5–23.3), female 22.1 (21.3–22.9); width of forewing: male 7.5 (7.0–7.8), female 7.5 (7.2–7.8); length of head: male 3.0 (2.9–3.0), female 3.05 (2.9–3.2); width of head including eyes: male 7.4 (6.9–8.0), female 7.4 (7.2–7.4); width of pronotum including suprahumeral plates: male 8.5 (8.0–8.9), female 8.15 (7.9–8.4); width of mesonotum: male 6.8 (6.6–7.0), female 6.15 (6.0–6.3).

Notes. — Alarcta micromacula sp. n. is from the Monte floristic province ( Sanborn et al. 2011a).

Figures

FIGURE 11. Alarcta micromacula Sanborn & Heath sp. n. (A) Holotype male and paratype female habitus. (B) Holotype male dorsum. (C) Holotype male stridulatory apparatus. (D) Holotype male timbal. (E) Holotype male operculum. (F) Paratype female operculum. (G) Paratype male lateral view of genitalia. (H) Paratype male posterior view of genitalia. (I) Paratype female lateral view of genitalia. (J) Paratype female ventral view of genitalia. Scale for A = 2 cm, B = 2 mm, C = 1 mm, D–F = 2 mm, and G–J = 1 mm.