Aphalara ortegae, Burckhardt & Cort & Queiroz, 2020

Burckhardt, Daniel, Cort, Giulia Dalle & Queiroz, Dalva Luiz de, 2020, Jumping plant lice of the genus Aphalara (Hemiptera, Psylloidea, Aphalaridae) in the Neotropics, ZooKeys 980, pp. 119-140 : 119

Aphalara ortegae sp. nov. Figures 3A-D , 4A, C , 5A-D, I, J , 6A-D , 7A, B, I , 8A, D, G

Type locality.

Mexico, Tlaxcala state, Nanacamilpa municipality, San Felipe Hidalgo; 19.4573/4678, -98.5615/567; 2800-2890 m a.s.l.

Type material.

Holotype: Mexico • ♂; TLA, Nanacamilpa, San Felipe Hidalgo; 19.4573/4678, -98.5615/567; 2800-2890 m a.s.l.; 15 Aug. 2015; D. Burckhardt & D.L. Queiroz leg.; Persicaria hydropiperoides , #15-19(1); NMB-PSYLL0004615; NHMB, dry mounted. Paratypes: Mexico • 1 ♂; MEX, Lomas de Chapultepec; 19.4242, -99.2117; 2330 m a.s.l.; 25 Jul. 1939; A. Dampf leg.; USNM, dry mounted • 10 ♂, 18 ♀; MEX, Teotihuacán, San Franzisco Mazapa; 19.6847, -98.8428; 2300 m a.s.l.; 9 Aug. 2015; D. Burckhardt & D.L. Queiroz leg.; Persicaria hydropiperoides , #15-13(5); NMB-PSYLL0006656, NMB-PSYLL0006698, NMB-PSYLL0006699; NHMB, slide mounted and in 70% ethanol • 2 ♂; MIC, Morelia; 19.7029, -101.1964; 1920 m a.s.l.; Jun. 1965; N.L.H. Krauss leg.; USNM, dry mounted • 21 ♂, 27 ♀, 20 immatures, 9 skins; MIC, Salvador Escalante, Lago de Zirahuén; 19.4468, -101.7281; 2020 m a.s.l.; 20 Aug. 2015; D. Burckhardt & D.L. Queiroz leg.; Persicaria punctata , #15-30A(2); NMB-PSYLL0006653 to NMB-PSYLL0006655, NMB-PSYLL0006757, NMB-PSYLL0006758; NHMB, in 70% ethanol • 45 ♂, 54 ♀; same data as holotype; NMB-PSYLL0006657, NMB-PSYLL0006658, NMB-PSYLL0006741 to NMB-PSYLL0006756; NHMB, dry and slide mounted, in 70% ethanol. Puerto Rico • 1 ♂; San Juan, Trujillo; 18.3621, -66.0047; 50 m a.s.l.; 6 May 1934; 5447; in field; USNM, dry mounted.

Other material examined

(not included in type series). Mexico • 1 ♀ severely damaged; MEX, Mixquic; 19.2255, -98.9628; 2240 m a.s.l.; 29 Apr. 1938; A. Dampf leg.; USNM, dry mounted.

Diagnosis.

Adults. General body colour dark brown in males, medium brown in females. Forewing with brown clavus. Head with small anteorbital tubercles; anterior tubercles small, rounded; outer anterior margin weakly concave. Clypeus long, tubular, visible in dorsal view. Forewing 2.6-2.9 × as long as wide; surface spinules moderately thick, in males leaving narrow or no spinule-free stripes along the veins, arranged in squares or rhombi or indistinct transverse rows, in females covering the whole membrane up to veins, arranged in irregular transverse rows. Paramere, in profile, lamellar with large, claw-like antero-subapical inner process, which is relatively deeply incised, postero-apical edge large, inner face with a few scattered setae. Distal portion of aedeagus with straight shaft and semi-circular apical inflation. Female proctiger strongly incised in the middle forming a slightly curved apical process; circumanal ring expanded into a large, apron-shaped, slightly angular area distally. Subgenital plate with apex almost straight, in ventral view. Valvula dorsalis only weakly curved dorsally. Fifth instar immatures. Body 1.5-1.6 × as long as wide. Antenna 0.5 × as long as forewing pad. Outer circumanal ring angular laterally, relatively strongly convex postero-laterally.

Description.

Adults (Fig. 3A-D ). Colour. General body colour dark brown in males, medium brown in females. Vertex dark straw-coloured with slightly oblique dark band on either half of vertex. Clypeus dirty yellowish. Antennal segments 1 and 2 light brown, 3-8 yellow becoming darker towards the apical segments, 8 and 9 dark brown. Pronotum with three large yellow areas on either half. Mesopraescutum with yellow posterior third; mesoscutum with three longitudinal yellow stripes on either side. Femora light brown, tibiae and tarsi yellow. Forewing transparent, membrane often yellow or with light brown stripes along the veins; clavus brown. Younger specimens lighter.

Structure. Head (Fig. 4A ), in dorsal view, approximately as wide as pronotum, slightly narrower than mesoscutum. Vertex subtrapezoidal with indented foveal pits; anteorbital tubercles small; anterior tubercles small, rounded; outer anterior margin weakly concave; lacking macroscopic setae on vertex. Preocular sclerite small. Lateral tubercle on ventral head surface small, flattened, not indented basally (Fig. 4C ). Clypeus tubular, apex visible from above, usually widest across apical third, narrower proximally and distally. Antenna 1.2-1.3 × as long as head width, relative length of flagellar segments from base to apex as 1.0: 0.6: 0.6: 0.6: 0.5: 0.6: 0.4: 0.5; relative length of segment 10 and terminal setae as 1.0: 0.6: 0.9. Metatibia 0.7-0.8 × as long as head width, with an open crown of 9 or 10 strongly sclerotised apical spurs. Forewing (Fig. 5A-D ) oblong oval, 3.7-4.3 × as long as head width, 2.6-2.9 × as long as wide; cell cu1 low, vein Cu1a evenly curved. Surface spinules exhibiting sexual dimorphism, more spaced in males, denser in females; moderately thick, present in all cells; in males leaving narrow or no spinule-free stripes along the veins, arranged in squares or rhombi or indistinct transverse rows (Fig. 5I ); in females covering the whole membrane up to veins, arranged in irregular transverse rows (Fig. 5J ). Costal margin of hindwing with 1 or 2 setae proximal to costal break and 6-14 ungrouped setae distal to costal break.

Terminalia. Male proctiger 0.3 × as long as head width, posterior lobes relatively short and wide, less than twice as long as proctiger. Paramere, in profile, lamellar with large, claw-like antero-subapical inner process, which is relatively deeply incised, postero-apical edge large, inner face with a few scattered setae (Fig. 6A, B ). Distal portion of aedeagus with straight shaft and semicircular apical inflation which bears an antero-apical hook (Fig. 6C, D ). Female terminalia (Fig. 7A ) relatively short; proctiger 0.6-0.7 × as long as head width, strongly incised in the middle forming a slightly curved apical process; circumanal ring expanded into a large, apron-shaped, slightly angular area distally (Fig. 7I ). Subgenital plate 0.5-0.6 × as long as proctiger, in profile, cuneate; apex almost straight, in ventral view (Fig. 8A ). Valvula dorsalis only weakly curved dorsally (Fig. 7B ).

Measurements (5 ♂, 5 ♀, in mm). Head width 0.54-0.60; antenna length 0.66-0.78; forewing length 2.00-2.52; male proctiger length 0.14-0.16; paramere length 0.16-0.18; length of distal portion of aedeagus 0.14-0.18; female proctiger length 0.36-0.44.

Fifth instar immatures (Fig. 8D, G ). Colour. General body colour light greyish brown, membranes yellow, dorsally slightly darker than ventrally.

Structure. Body 1.5-1.6 × as long as wide. Head, antennae and legs with slender lanceolate setae. Antenna 0.5 × as long as forewing pad. Tarsal arolium slightly longer than claws, rounded, without unguitractor and pedicel. Forewing pads large with marginal lanceolate setae of irregular length; humeral lobe well developed. Caudal plate irregularly rounded posteriorly, dorsally with sparse microscopic setae, margin with lanceolate setae. Outer circumanal ring angular laterally, relatively strongly convex postero-laterally, consisting of two unequal rows of pores (Fig. 8G ).

Measurements (2 immatures, in mm). Body length 1.94-2.04; antenna length 0.38; forewing pad length 0.82-0.84; caudal plate length 0.56-0.58.

Eggs. Colour unknown. Oblong oval; with short apical filament.

Etymology.

Named after Professor Dr Laura Maria Ortega, Texcoco, Mexico, in recognition for her support and help during our field work in Mexico. A noun in the genitive case.

Distribution.

Mexico ( México, Mexico City, Michoacán, San Luis Potosí, Tlaxcala), Puerto Rico.

Host plants, biology and habitats.

Persicaria hydropiperoides (Michx.) Small, P. punctata (Elliott) Small ( Polygonaceae ). Immatures induce leaf roll galls in which they develop. In Mexico, we collected the species in damp areas around a pond or near a river.

Affinities.

Aphalara ortegae sp. nov. belongs to the A. calthae (Linnaeus, 1761) group, as defined by Burckhardt and Lauterer (1997), which is characterised by the apical inflation of the distal portion of the aedeagus which lacks a dorso-apical membranous sack. It is morphologically similar, and probably closely related, to A. curta Caldwell, 1937, A. persicaria and A. ritteri sp. nov. in the caudally strongly expanded circumanal ring on the female proctiger and the absence of a brown transverse band on the forewing. Aphalara ortegae differs from these species in the surface spinules on the forewing which are denser, forming often transverse rows, and the caudal pore field on the female proctiger which is slightly narrowed distad to circumanal ring, large and relatively angular. The paramere of A. ortegae has a slightly smaller antero-apical claw than that of A. curta , and a larger postero-apical lobe than that of A. persicaria and A. ritteri . The immatures of A. ortegae and A. ritteri are almost identical but differ from those of A. persicaria in the angular outer circumanal ring (immatures of A. curta are unknown). See also identification keys.

Figures

Figure 3. Habitus of Aphalara spp. A-D Aphalara ortegae sp. nov. E-H Aphalara ritteri sp. nov. A, C, E, G male B, D, F, H female A, B, E, F lateral view C, D, G, H dorsal view. Scale bar: 0.5 mm.

Figure 4. Head of Aphalara spp. A, C Aphalara ortegae sp. nov. B, D Aphalara ritteri sp. nov. A, B dorsal view C, D ventral view. Scale bar: 0.1 mm.

Figure 5. Forewing of Aphalara spp. A-D, I, J Aphalara ortegae sp. nov. E-H, M, N Aphalara ritteri sp. nov. K, L Aphalara persicaria Caldwell A, B, E, F, I, K, M male C, D, G, H, J, L, N female A, C, E, G venation B, D, F, H surface spinules I-N details of surface spinules. Scale bars: 0.5 mm (A-H); 0.2 mm (I-N).

Figure 6. Male terminalia of Aphalara spp. A-D Aphalara ortegae sp. nov. E-H Aphalara ritteri sp. nov. I, J Aphalara persicaria Caldwell K, L Aphalara simila Caldwell A, B, E, F, I, K inner face of paramere, in profile; arrows point to apico-posterior lobe / angle C, D, G, H, J, L distal portion of aedeagus, in profile. Scale bar: 0.05 mm.

Figure 7. Female terminalia of Aphalara spp. A, B, I Aphalara ortegae sp. nov. C, D, J Aphalara persicaria Caldwell E, F, K Aphalara ritteri sp. nov. G, H, L Aphalara simila Caldwell A, C, E, G female terminalia, in profile B, D, F, H valvulae dorsales and ventrales, in profile I-L circumanal ring, dorsal view. Scale bars: 0.1 mm (A, C, E, G, I-L); 0.05 mm (B, D, F, H).

Figure 8. Aphalara spp. A, D, G Aphalara ortegae sp. nov. B, C, F, I Aphalara ritteri sp. nov. E, H Aphalara persicaria Caldwell A, B female subgenital plate, in ventral view; arrow points to apex C tarsus with arolium and claws of immature D-F fifth instar immature, left body side G-I circumanal ring of fifth instar immature; arrows point to antero-lateral edge and postero-lateral margin. Scale bars: 0.1 mm (A, B); 0.02 mm (C); 0.2 mm (D-F); 0.1 mm (G-I).