Relictapsalta, Owen & Moulds, 2016

Owen, Christopher L. & Moulds, Max S., 2016, Systematics and Phylogeny of the Australian Cicada Genus Pauropsalta Goding and Froggatt, 1904 and Allied Genera (Hemiptera: Cicadidae: Cicadettini), Records of the Australian Museum 68 (4), pp. 117-200 : 189-190

Genus Relictapsalta n.gen.

Relictapsalta Owen et al., 2015: 259 , 262, 266, 271, 273, 274, nomen nudum.

Type species. Pauropsalta nigristriga Goding & Froggatt, 1904

Included species. nigristriga (Goding & Froggatt, 1904) n.comb.

Etymology. From the Latin relictus meaning left behind, referring to this species being a relictual species most-likely caused by the changing environment in Cape York over the last 30 Ma, and from psalta, derived from psaltria, meaning a female harpist.

Diagnosis

Head including eyes about as wide as mesonotum, sometimes a little narrower, sometimes a little wider; supra-antennal plate meeting or nearly meeting eye; postclypeus broadly rounded transversely across ventral midline, in lateral profile angulate between “top” and “sides”; postclypeus in dorsal view tending confluent with anterior margin of head and tending angular in outline when viewed from above.

Thorax. Pronotal collar width at dorsal midline much less than diameter of eyes; paranota confluent with adjoining pronotal sclerites, no mid lateral tooth; cruciform elevation with its dome wider than long; epimeral lobe not reaching operculum.

Fore leg femoral primary spine erect.

Wings. Hyaline; Fore wings with 8 apical cells; subapical cells absent; ulnar cell 3 angled to radial cell; basal cell long and narrow; costal vein (C) clearly higher than R+Sc; costa parallel-sided to node; pterostigma present; vein CuA only weakly bowed so that cubital cell no wider than medial cell; veins M and CuA with their stems meeting the basal cell completely fused as one; vein RA 1 aligned closely with Sc for its length and not diverging in subapical region; vein CuA 1 divided by crossvein m-cu so that proximal portion shortest; veins CuP and 1A fused in part; infuscation absent; wing outer margin developed for its total length, never reduced to be contiguous with ambient vein. Hind wings with 5 apical cells; infuscation at distal end of vein 2A spread on wing margin; width of 1st cubital cell at distal end at least twice that of 2nd cubital cell; anal lobe broad with vein 3A curved, long, separated from wing margin; veins RP and M fused basally.

Male opercula more or less reaching margin of tympanal cavity, directed towards distomedial margin of tympanal cavity, apically broadly rounded, clearly not meeting, clearly raised above level of tympanal cavity on its outer half or so. Male abdomen in cross-section with sides of tergites straight or weakly convex, epipleurites reflexed ventrally from junction with tergites; tergites 2–7 all similar in size (2 and 3 not considerably larger); sternites III–VII convex in cross-section.

Timbals. Timbal covers absent; timbal ribs irregular in size and spaced with prominent intermediate short ribs; basal dome very large; timbals not extended below level of wing bases.

Male genitalia. Pygofer with distal shoulders not developed; dorsal beak present and a part of chitinized pygofer; upper pygofer lobe shape in lateral view with basal portion of dorsal margin strongly angled to axis of pygofer, very broad basally and tapering to a broad apex; pygofer basal lobe flap-like, sometimes turned inwards; pygofer secondary basal lobe domed and lobe-like with outer face ridged longitudinally, in lateral view not or moderately projecting and broadly rounded, in ventral view well developed with rounded apex that is sometimes twotiered and fusion with pygofer margin not reaching apex. Uncus in dorsal view broadly rounded, flat or depressed along dorsal midline. Claspers in lateral view extending no more than a little beyond margin of pygofer, claw-like with minimum or no cavity below, extreme basal region concave but not developed forward. Aedeagus with basal plate in dorsal view tending Y shaped and weakly depressed on dorsal midline, in lateral view undulated with basal portion directed forwards away from thecal shaft; ventral rib completely fused with basal plate; junction between theca and basal plate with a functional “hinge”; that is small and substantially compressed between theca and basal plate in lateral view; thecal shaft straight or curved in a gentle arc; pseudoparameres present, dorsal of theca and arising independently at their bases; endotheca exposed, ridged, parallel-sided in apical region, much of surface weakly sclerotized and in part translucent; thecal apex entirely chitinized; endothecal ventral support absent; thecal subapical cerci absent; flabellum absent; conjunctival claws absent; vesica retractable, vesical opening apical on theca.

Distinguishing features

Relictapsalta is distinguished from all other genera in having the following combination of characters: fore wing veins M and CuA with their stems meeting the basal cell completely fused as one; hind wing with 5 apical cells; upper pygofer lobe in lateral view large, very broad basally and tapering to a broad apex, the basal portion of its upper margin not aligned with axis of pygofer but instead strongly angled to it; secondary basal lobe with its outer face ridged longitudinally; uncus in dorsal view broadly rounded; endotheca lightly sclerotized.