Calipsalta fumosa, Moulds & Marshall, 2022

Moulds, Max & Marshall, David C., 2022, New genera and new species of Western Australian cicadas (Hemiptera: Cicadidae), Zootaxa 5174 (5), pp. 451-507 : 486-488

Calipsalta fumosa sp. n.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:4035BE4C-9F12-4AD0-BF37-2A34BA62657D

( Figs 9 , 42–44 )

Etymology. From the Latin adjective fumosus meaning smoky and pertaining to the smoky infuscation on the subapical forewing.

Types. Holotype male (Simon Lab voucher 06.AU.WA.OPH.06), 67 km NW of Newman, 702 m, Western Australia, 23°08.264’S 119°11.021’E, 12.ii.2006, Hill, Marshall, Moulds ( WAME 113461 ) ( WAM) . Paratypes as follows: WESTERN AUSTRALIA: 1 male ( Simon Lab voucher 06.AU.WA. CAP.06), 13 km SE of Newman , 568 m, 23°31.091’S 119°46.216’E, 12.ii.2006, Hill, Marshall, Moulds ; 1 male, AU.WA.KSC, ~ 210 km S of Newman , 559 m, 25°01.126’S 119°24.560’E, 13.ii.2006, Hill, Marshall, Moulds ; 1 male, AU.WA.KRR, Kiwirrkurra, at Len Beadell Truck [a monument], 430 m, 22°45.716’S 127°45.716’E, 24.i.2015, D. Marshall ; 1 female, 40 km W of Warburton , 26°13’S 126°19’E, 29.xii.1995, M.S. & B.J. Moulds & K.A. Kopestonsky ( MSM). NORTHERN TERRITORY: 2 males, 3 females, 70 km E of The Three Ways, nr Tennant Creek township , 21.i,1984, M.S. & B.J. Moulds ( AMS). 1 male, 32 km S by E of Alice Springs , 23°59’S 133°56’E, 23.ix.1978, M.S. Upton ( ANIC). 2 males, 2 females, 70 km E of The Three Ways, nr Tennant Creek township , 21.i.1984, M.S. & B.J. Moulds (DE). 1 male, AU.NT. ESJ, 48 km E of Shaw Ck on Tjukaruru Road , 579 m, 25°7.254’S 130°11.602’E, 21.i.2015, D. Marshall ; 1 male (Simon Lab voucher 06.AU.NT. BHW.02), 66 km NW of Barkly Hmstd , 237 m, 19°23.663’S 135°18.720’E, 30.1.2006, Hill, Marshall, Moulds ; 1 male (Simon Lab voucher 10.AU.NT. ULG.01), ~ 2 km W of Ayres Rock , 535 m, 25°21.112’S 131°00.580’E, 1.ii.2010, Hill, Marshall, Moulds ; 1 male, AU.NT. KIV, 10 km W of rd to Kintore on Gary Junction Road , 436 m, 23°11.384’S 129°17.765’E, 24.i.2015, D. Marshall ; 1 male, AU.NT. ELB, 230 km W Papunya , 13 km E of Sandy Blight Trck Jct, 485 m, 23°11.752’S 129°41.099’E, 24.i.2015, D. Marshall ; 21 males, 35 females, 70 km E of The Three Ways, nr Tennant Creek township , 21.i.1984, M.S. & B.J. Moulds ; 1 male, 20 females, junction Tablelands & Barkly Hwys, 21.xii.1986, M.S. & B.J. Moulds ; 2 females, Yalara Resort, Ayers Rock, 2.ii.1984, M.S. & B.J. Moulds ( MSM). 2 males, 2 females, 70 km E of The Three Ways, nr Tennant Creek township , 21.i.1984, M.S. & B.J. Moulds ( LP). 2 males, 2 females, 70 km E of The Three Ways, nr Tennant Creek township , 21.i. 1984, M.S. & B.J. Moulds ( PH). 2 males, 2 females, 70 km E of The Three Ways, nr Tennant Creek township , 21.i.1984, M.S. & B.J. Moulds ( WAME 113462-113465 ) ( WAM). SOUTH AUSTRALIA: 1 female, 27.34S 134.07E, Wintinna H.S. ( Wintinna Ck ), 16.i.1982, Rentz, D.C.F. & B.G.F. & Honeycutt, R., stop 4 ( ANIC). 1 female, Stuart Hwy, 56 km S of N. T. border, 4.ii.1984, M.S. & B.J. Moulds ( MSM) .

Distribution and habitat ( Fig. 42 ). Arid inland regions of Western Australia, Northern Territory and South Australia. Records from Western Australia fall between the Newman district to the west and Warburton and Kiwirrkurra to the east. It is widespread across the southern half of the Northern Territory with records from along the Barkly Highway in the north to Uluru (Ayers Rock) in the south. There are just two records from South Australia, one 56 km south of the Northern Territory border on the Stuart Highway, the other a little further south at Wintinna Homestead. Adults are found from late December to early February but probably occur at other times after heavy rains during warmer months of the year. They inhabit shrubland/grassland often with spinifex present, though males were only observed singing from herbaceous plants.

Adult description. Male ( Figs 9 , 43 ). Light green, but often tending partly or entirely yellow or light brownish on discoloured dried specimens. Head, including postclypeus and anteclypeus, light green; antennae brown except for partly green scape; rostrum brown, reaching to about mid length of mid coxae. Thorax light green, the mesonotum with submedian and lateral sigilla, pale brown to varying extent. Forewing venation green becoming black distally, with infuscations overlaying crossveins r to r-m and apical cell 1; basal membrane orange. Hindwing venation green becoming black on distal half, without infuscations; plaga white. Legs light green with tarsi tending pale greenish brown; meracanthus short, broad, similar in colour to opercula. Opercula pale yellowish, almost colourless. Abdomen green except for pale yellowish brown sternite VIII. Timbals with cavity broadly rounded along posterior margin; with three long ribs spanning the the timbal membrane and joined at their dorsal ends, and usually one or two short ribs in anterior membrane.

Male genitalia ( Figs 43a–d ). Pygofer green; basal lobes well developed but in lateral view mostly hidden; upper lobes broad, near an equilateral triangle, directed slightly upwards, apex bluntly pointed; dorsal beak very wide and confluent with pygofer margin. Claspers in lateral view broad, gently curved along upper margin, less so along ventral margin, bluntly pointed, with a wide overhanging rim along upper margin; in ventral view broad, tapering to a bluntly pointed apex, barely diverging along their inner margins near apex. Aedeagus trifid, the pseudoparameres long (much longer than length of thecal shaft), pointed, diverging distally in dorsal view; ventral support moderately developed (shorter than half length of pseudoparameres). Basal plate in dorsal view gently incurved across distal margin with rounded ‘ears’ slightly back-turned.

Female. Similar to male. Green becoming pale orange ventrally. Ovipositor sheath distally pale green, terminating about level with anal styles and dorsal beak.

Measurements. Range and mean (in mm) for 10 males, 10 females (includes smallest and largest of available specimens). Length of body (including head): male 16.8–19.7 (18.1); female (including ovipositor) 16.3–21.5 (19.2). Length of forewing: male 18.5–21.4 (20.0); female 18.0–22.9 (21.1). Width of head (including eyes): male 5.1–5.5 (5.4); female 4.9–5.9 (5.5). Width of pronotum (across lateral angles): male 6.1–7.0 (6.4); female 5.8–7.2 (6.6).

Distinguishing features. Light green cicadas in life. The forewing is lightly infuscated subapically, the venation is green becoming black distally, and the rostrum reaches about mid length of mid coxae. The male genitalia have pseudoparameres that are much longer than the length of the thecal shaft and a ventral support that is shorter than half the length of the pseudoparameres. The female ovipositor sheath is green in life and terminates about level with the anal styles and caudal beak.

Calipsalta fumosa sp. n. can be distinguished from the closely similar C. viridans sp. n. by its infuscated forewings (lacking in C. viridans ). Discoloured individuals of C. fumosa that have turned brown after death might be confused with C. brunnea sp. n. but can be distinguished by their pale forewing costa that is dark brown to black in C. brunnea .

This species is morphologically very similar to Cicadetta sp. F of Ewart & Popple (2001) and Ewart (2009), but distinguishable by its song (see below).

Song ( Figs 44a–d ). Recordings were examined from the type locality and the following paratype localities: NT.BHW, NT.ELB, NT.ESJ, NT.KIV, NT.ULG, and WA.KRR.

The calling song consists of a train of sharp clicks or doublets that oscillates between slower and faster click rates at about 4.4–7.2 cycles/s and ends, after a brief silent gap of 0.03– 0.04 s, with an isolated syllable lasting about 0.03 s. Click rates vary from 100–30/s. Phrases may last longer than a minute. Most sound energy is found within the range 9–16 kHz, with a peak around 12 kHz. There is no frequency modulation.

This song of Calipsalta fumosa is remarkably similar to that of Pedana hesperia sp. n., which it substantially overlaps in all song parameters that we have measured. A more detailed study should examine the sharpness of the transition between slow and fast pulse rates, which may be reduced in Pedana . Calipsalta fumosa can be distinguished from its two congeners by the rate of oscillation between fast- and slow-pulse sections, which is slower in C. viridans sp. n. and faster in C. brunnea sp. n. Males call both during the day and at dusk.

The morphologically similar “ Cicadetta sp. F ” described by Ewart & Popple (2001) and Ewart (2009) oscillates between fast- and slow-click song sections at about twice the rate of C. fumosa , approximately 12.5 cycles/s.

Figures

FIGURE 44. Calipsalta fumosa sp. n., male calling song. (44a, b) oscillogram and spectrogram of ending portion of song phrase and the beginning of the next, from the holotype male, recorded in a cage in a vehicle (temperature not recorded); (44c) further detail of syllables at end of phrase; (44d) song from the NT.ULG paratype locality showing more fast-rate pulses per oscillation (temperature not recorded).

FIGURES 8–14. (8) Erempsalta hermannsburgensis (Distant, 1907), male; (9) Calipsalta fumosa gen. et sp. n., male; (10) Calipsalta viridans gen. et sp. n., female; (11) Calipsalta brunnea gen. et sp. n., male; (12a) Pyropsalta patula sp. n., male; (12b) Pyropsalta patula sp. n., female; (13a) Pyropsalta amnica sp. n., male; (13b) Pyropsalta amnica sp. n., female; (14a) Pyropsalta rhythmica sp. n., male (14b) Pyropsalta rhythmica sp. n., female.

FIGURES 42–43. Calipsalta fumosa sp. n. (42) distribution; (43a) male genitalia in lateral view; (43b) same in ventral view; (43c) dissected aedeagus in lateral view; (43d) basal plate in dorsal view.