Pintalia speciosa Santos, 2025

Hoch, Júlio César Do Carmo Vaz Santos Hannelore, Bartlett, Charles R. & Ferreira, Rodrigo Lopes, 2025, Revision of the type series of the original species placed in the genus Pintalia Stål, 1862 (Hemiptera: Fulgoromorpha: Cixiidae), and description of 12 new species from Brazilian caves, Zootaxa 5678 (1), pp. 1-96 : 61-63

Pintalia speciosa Santos sp. nov.

https://zoobank.org/ urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:6CFB997A-A2CB-4905-A37A-D8D2881E5C7A

( Figs. 44 A–F ; 45 A–G ; 46 A–H ; 47 )

Type material. Holotype: Male Brazil, BA. Iuiu municipality, Lapa do Honorato Cave, ( UTM 651726 W, 8400447S, 23K), 19.x.2021 (Ferreira R. L.) ( ISLA 126057 ) . Paratypes. 1♂ 19. x.2021 (Ferreira R. L.) ( ISLA 100963 ) ; 1♀ Iuiu municipality, Lapa do Honorato Cave, ( UTM 651726 W, 8400447S, 23K), 12.ix.2016, (Cardoso R. C) ( ISLA 62687 ) ; 2♀ 12.ix.2016 (Ferreira R. L) ( ISLA 100962 ) ; 2♂ 19.x.2021 ( Ferreira R. L.) ( ISLA 100963 ) .

Description. Coloration (specimen preserved in 70% ethanol). As in P. constellaris ( Walker, 1858) except for narrow dark spot in pcc, over the ScP vein bordering the base of the pterostigma.

Body length. Male. 4.0– 4.5 mm (n=2).

Head. Vertex ( Fig. 44A, C ): laterally wider, approx. 2.0 times wider (0.4) than medially long (0.2); apical compartment narrows and laterally larger, approx. 4.0 times wider (0.4) than medially long (0.1); apical transverse carina (0.380) slightly smaller than the subapical carina (0.395); angle formed by the caudal margin, concave and slightly irregular. Frons ( Fig. 44B ): as in P. constellaris . Frontoclypeal suture, moderately convex, laterally straight. Post and Anteclypeus ( Fig. 44B ): very carinated. Rostrum in ventral view reaching the middle of the abdomen.

Thorax. Pronotum ( Figs. 44A, C ): submedian carinae well developed, slightly evanescent/irregular behind the eyes; hind margin obtusely angled. Mesonotum ( Fig. 44A ): median carina well developed, evanescent distally; lateral carinae strongly developed. Tegmina (Forewings) ( Fig. 44D ): length 6.6 mm; dark yellow with a dark spot and four hyaline spots; narrow dark spot in pcc, over the ScP vein bordering the base of the pterostigma; r-m1 occurs together to the first MP fork; m-cu1 occurs after of the first MP fork in Mp3+4; Cells C3 and C5 slightly elongated and rounded; small and simple tubercles in all veins; petiole in RP2.2+RP2.3 well developed; 12 apical cells; 7 subapical cells.

Posterior legs. Hind tibia ( Fig. 44E ): approximately 2.4 mm; with 3 spines, the first being at the base of the tarsomere difficult to visualize. 1 st tarsomere ( Fig. 44F ): 7 apical teeth, the two outer teeth and the two middle teeth larger. 2 nd tarsomere ( Fig. 44F ): 8 apical teeth, the two outer ones being larger, and in the middle with approx. the same size; without platellae.

Male terminalia. Pygofer ( Figs. 45E–G ): bilaterally symmetric. In lateral view, dorsocaudal margin with cone-shaped process tilted up laterally, rounded apically; in ventral view, ventromedian process triangular, longer than wide, rounded apically and slightly compressed basally. Anal tube ( Figs. 45A–B, H ; 46A–B ): as in P. constellaris , moderately short; in dorsal view slightly elevated medially with lateral margins slightly curved. Genital styles ( Figs. 45A–B, D ; 46C–E ): thin near to the base and distally approx. 2.0 times longer than wide with rounded and curved distal margin; near of base with a small triangular process ventrally. Aedeagus ( Figs. 45E–G ; 46F–H ): asymmetric tubular. Shaft of the aedeagus with five spines, four movable; in right lateral view with four spines, three large and robust spines, slightly curved (1 st, 2 nd, 3 rd) (a)(b)(c), occurs on the apex of the shaft, towards the base; 4 th spine straight (d), is slghtly bent medially, inserted little above of the center on the aedeagal shaft towards the base; in left lateral view, 5 th spine small (e), not movable, occurs near the middle of the shaft towards to the flagellum, with a basal ridge in “u”. Flagellum with a spine-like process laterally.

Etymology. The specific epithet speciosa means "beautiful" or "showy" and refers to the fact that the new species display bright colors.

Diagnosis. Pintalia speciosa sp. nov. can be distinguished from other Pintalia species mainly by the three robust spines laterally at the apex of the aedeagal shaft towards the base of the shaft, and by the unique arrangement of the two other spines in the aedeagal shaft. Additionally, the genital styles wide and elongated; the pygofer larger than wide apically.

Distribution. BRA, BA; Iuiu municipality, Lapa do Honorato Cave (Type locality).

Diferential diagnosis. Pintalia speciosa sp. nov. exhibits differences to P. constellaris , which are: P. speciosa sp. nov., exhibit 8 apical teeth on 2 nd tarsomere, without platellae (vs. 7 apical teeth on 2 nd tarsomere, with three platellae P. constellaris ). P. speciosa sp. nov., exhibits three lateral spines on hind tibia (vs. exhibit four lateral spines on hind tibia in P. constellaris ) The ventromedian process of the pygofer is distinct, longer than wide and apically rounded in u-shapped in P. speciosa sp. nov (vs. triangular in P. constellaris ). The basal opening of the genital styles is also diamond-shaped but is slightly more elongated in P. speciosa sp. nov (vs. large with lateral margins almost straight in P. constellaris ). The aedeagal shaft exhibits three spines apically on both species, however they are larger and robust, with more distant bases than in P. speciosa sp. nov (vs. thin with bases well proximate P. constellaris ). In P. speciosa sp. nov. the aedeagal spine (a) is almost straight (vs. in S-shapped in right lateral view in P. constellaris ). P. speciosa sp. nov. with adeagal spine (e) near the middle of the shaft with curved ridged basally (vs. with adeagal spine (e) near the apex of the shaft without curved ridged basally).

Figures

FIGURE 44. Pintalia speciosa sp. nov.: A, head, dorsal view; B, head, ventral view; C, head, transition vertex to front; D tegmina (forewings); E, posterior leg; F, tarsomeres.

FIGURE 45. Pintalia speciosa sp. nov., male terminalia: A, genital capsule, right lateral view; B, genital capsule, left lateral view; C, genital capsule, dorsal view; D, aedeagus, right lateral view; E, aedeagus, dorsal view; F, aedeagus, left lateral view; G, genital capsule, ventral view.

FIGURE 46. Pintalia speciosa sp. nov., male terminalia (Scale bar, A–E: 0,2 mm; F–H: 0,1 mm): A, anal tube, right lateral view; B, anal tube, dorsal view; C, genital styles ventral view; D, right genital style, right lateral view; E, left genital style, right lateral view; F, aedeagus, right lateral view; G, aedeagus, dorsal view; H, aedeagus, left lateral view.

FIGURE 47. Pintalia speciosa sp. nov., (holotype): habitus male, left lateral view.