Bennarella Muir, 1930

Viegas, Eduarda Fernanda Gomes & Ale-Rocha, Rosaly, 2022, Study of the Neotropical genus Bennarella Muir, 1930 with description of six new species (Hemiptera: Fulgoromorpha: Cixiidae), Zootaxa 5124 (2), pp. 155-187 : 156-157

Bennarella Muir, 1930

Type species: Bennarella bicoloripennis Muir, 1930 ; by original designation.

Bennarella Muir, 1930: 12 . figs. 1–4 (head, tegmen, thorax, genitalia).; Metcalf, 1936: 21 (cat.); 1938: 283; Penny, 1980: 207–208, Figs. 2–7 (head, abdomen, sensory pit of lateral abdominal process, habitus) (revision); Holzinger & Kunz 2006: 53, 56, Fig. 15 (head, thorax); Holzinger et al. 2013: 143,148,152, Figs. 27 (head, thorax) (key).

Updated description. Medium sized cixiid: body length 2.0–3.0 mm in males, 2.0– 2.7 mm in females. Frons approximately 1.5 or 2.0 times as long as broad; lateral carina of frons weakly or strongly directed obliquely laterally ( Figs 3 , 21 ); median carina of the frons present, but sometimes weakly marked ( Figs 3 , 39 , 56 ); epistomal suture gently curved to almost straight superiorly ( Figs 3 , 39 , 56 ). Scape short and long, pedicel cylindrical, longer than wide ( Figs 3–4 , 21–22 ). Pronotum with dorsal longitudinal carina absent or present; lateral longitudinal carinae of pronotum strongly diverging anteriorly ( Figs 4 , 40 ). Mesonotum with median carina present, but sometimes weakly marked ( Figs 22 , 57 , 98 ), and lateral longitudinal carinae present. Forewings long, widening distally, exceeding apex of abdomen for about half of the total length, apical margin round. First cell of cubitus trapezoidal; m-cu cross-vein absent or present ( Figs 126, 130 ). Hind tibia with 6 apical spines; hind tarsus with 6+7, 7+7 or 8+7 apical spines. Abdominal pleura of four and five segments with a lateral process bearing 3+2 sensory pits, with one furcate seta each ( Figs 5 , 23 , 70 ). Male terminalia: pygofer asymmetrical, and usually somewhat triangular in lateral view; medioventral process short and triangular in ventral view; gonostyli elongate, symmetrical, narrowed and almost parallel basally, widened and divergent distally in dorsal view; curved upward and distally widened in lateral view; phallic complex variable, with periandrium and aedeagus developed, bearing long and small thorn-shaped processes; anal tube with apex variable. Female genitalia like in other Bennarellini : ovipositor elongate, orthopteroid, and curved upwards, 9th tergite without wax plate, gonapophysis IX (second valvula) medially fused and sclerotized dorsally ( Figs 13–16 ). Other characters as original description.

Remarks. Bennarella may be easily distinguished from the other genera of Bennarellini by the following features: abdominal appendages as labiate expansions with five large sockets bearing one furcate seta; epistomal suture gently curved to almost straight superiorly; pedicel longer than wide; m-cu cross-vein absent or present; first cell of cubitus trapezoidal.

The Bennarellini are known so far only in the Neotropical region, with the four included genera recorded in some countries: Bennarella in Guyana and Brazil, Amazobenna in Brazil, Noabennarella in Costa Rica and Ecuador and Loisirella in Ecuador and Brazil ( Holzinger et al. 2013; Viegas et al. 2021). There were previous records of Bennarella species only for the Amazon biome in Brazil (in the states of Acre, Amapá, Amazonas, Pará, and Roraima), with this work, it was possible to expand the distribuition for other biomes such as Cerrado (in the state of Maranhão) and Mata Atlântica (in the state of Bahia).

There is no information on the biology of Bennarella however, according to the information on labels of specimens, they can be found understory and on the canopy of trees. Bennarella specimens analyzed in this study were collected in February, March, April, May, during the rainy season in the region ( Marques-Filho et al. 1981). Besides that, based on information from labels of specimens studied, and on the literature, collecting methods were light trap, CDC-type light trap, Malaise trap, and Suspended trap on the canopy.

Distribution. Neotropical: Brazil ( Muir 1930; Penny 1980).

Figures

FIGURES 1–5. Bennarella bicoloripennis Muir: 1. Male, habitus, lateral view; 2. Female, habitus, lateral view; 3. Male head, anterior view; 4. Male head and thorax, dorsal view; 5. Male abdominal process, lateral view. Scale bars: 1–2 = 1 mm; 3–5 = 0.2 mm.

FIGURES 6–12. Bennarella bicoloripennis Muir, male genitalia: 6. Genital capsule, lateral view; 7. Anal tube and pygofer, dorsal view; 8. Anal tube, pygofer and gonostyli, posterior view; 9. Gonostylus left lateral view; 10. Gonostyli, dorsal view; 11. Phallic complex, left lateral view; 12. Phallic complex, right lateral view. Abbreviations: ae: aedeagus; at, anal tube; cp, phallic complex; go, gonostylus; pe, periandrium; py, pygofer; s, spines. Scale bars: 6, 8 = 0.2 mm; 7, 9–12 = 0.1 mm.

FIGURES 13–18. Bennarella bicoloripennis Muir, female genitalia: 13. Ventral view; 14. Gonoplac (third valvula), lateral view; 15. Gonapophysis IX (second valvula); 16. Gonapophysis VIII, lateral view (first valvula); 17. Apex of the gonapophysis IX (second valvula); 18. Apex of the gonapophysis VIII, lateral view (first valvula).Abbreviations: br, branch; de, denticles; dsa, dorsal sculpted area; vsa, ventral sculpted area. Scale bars: 13 = 0.3 mm; 14–18 = 0.1 mm.

FIGURES 24–30. Bennarella fusca Muir, male genitalia: 24. Genital capsule, lateral view; 25. Anal tube and pygofer, dorsal view; 26. Anal tube, pygofer and gonostyli, posterior view; 27. Gonostylus left lateral view; 28. Gonostyli, dorsal view; 29. Phallic complex, left lateral view; 30. Phallic complex, right lateral view. Scale bars: 24, 26 = 0.2 mm; 25, 27–30 = 0.1 mm.

FIGURES 19–23. Bennarella fusca Muir: 19. Male, habitus, lateral view; 20. Female, habitus, lateral view; 21. Male head, anterior view; 22. Male head and thorax, dorsal view; 23. Male abdominal process, lateral view. Scale bars: 19–20 = 1 mm; 21,23 = 0.2 mm; 22 = 0.3 mm.

FIGURES 37–41. Bennarella guidai sp. nov.,: 37. Holotype male habitus, lateral view; 38. Female, habitus, lateral view; 39. Male head, anterior view; 40. Male head and thorax, dorsal view; 41. Male abdominal process, lateral view. Scale bars: 37–38 = 1 mm; 39–41 = 0.2 mm.

FIGURES 55–58. Bennarella henriquesi sp. nov.: 55. Holotype male habitus, lateral view; 56. Male head, anterior view; 57. Male head and thorax, dorsal view; 58. Male abdominal process, lateral view. Scale bars: 49 = 1 mm; 50–52 = 0.3 mm.

FIGURES 95–99. Bennarella vittata sp. nov.,: 95. Holotype male habitus, lateral view; 96. Habitus, dorsal view; 97. Male head, anterior view; 98. Male head and thorax, dorsal view; 99. Male abdominal process, lateral view. Scale bars: 95–96 = 0.5 mm; 97, 99= 0.2 mm; 98= 0.3 mm.

FIGURES 126–133. Wings of Bennarella species. 126. Bennarella bicoloripennis Muir; 127. Bennarella fusca Muir; 128. Bennarella guidai sp. nov.; 129. Bennarella henriquesi sp. nov.; 130. Bennarella maculipennis sp. nov.; 131. Bennarella rafaeli sp. nov.; 132. Bennarella vittata sp. nov.; 133. Bennarella xavieri sp. nov.. Abbreviations: A1, first anal vein; A2, second anal vein; CuA1; CuA2; CuP, Cubitus posterior; MP1, first media posterior branch; MP2, second media posterior branch; MP3, third media posterior branch; MP4, fourth media posterior branch; MP5, fifth media posterior branch; Pcu+A1, Postcubitus+first anal vein; Pcu, Postcubitus; RA, radius anterior branch; RP1, first radius posterior branch; RP2, second radius posterior branch; ScP, Subcosta posterior. Scale bars: 1 mm.

FIGURES 66–70. Bennarella maculipennis sp. nov.,: 66. Holotype male habitus, lateral view; 67. Female, habitus, dorsal view; 68. Male head, anterior view; 69. Male head and thorax, dorsal view; 70. Male abdominal process, lateral view. Scale bars: 66–67 = 1mm; 68–69 = 0.3mm; 70 = 0.2 mm.