Yoyetta nathani, Emery, 2025

Emery, David L., 2025, Description of four new cicada species in the genus Yoyetta Moulds (Hemiptera: Cicadidae: Cicadettinae), from Eastern Australia, Zootaxa 5665 (4), pp. 509-542 : 518-522

Yoyetta nathani sp. nov.

( Plates 3–4 , Figs. 1 , 4–6 )

Types. Holotype ♂, Goonoowigal State Conservation Area ( SCA), Inverell, 28 o 48'58"S 151 o 07'03"E, 2.xii.2022, T. Bush & D. Emery ( EME0504-001 ) (K.629040; AM).

Paratypes. NEW SOUTH WALES: 2♂♂, same data as holotype ( EME0504-002 – 3 ) ; 1♂ 1♀, same location as holotype, 3.xii.2022, T . Bush & D. Emery ( EME0504-006 - 7 ; genitalia prep 504-2) ; 2♂♂, same location as holotype, 4.xii.2022, T . Bush ( EME0504-008 – 009 ) ; 1♂, same location as holotype, 22.xi.2024, D. Emery ( EME0504-021 ) ; 3♂♂, 20km W Armidale , 30 o 29'07"S 151 o 26'37"E, 10.i.2006, D. Emery ( EME0504-012 – 015 ) ; 5♂♂, 16km W Armidale , 30 o 29'57"S 151 o 29'55"E, 3.i.2013, N., C. & D. Emery ( EME0504-016 – 020 ; 016, genitalia prep 504-1) ; 2♂♂, same location as holotype, 29.xi.2024, T . J. Bush ( EME0504-017 – 8 ) ( DE) ; 2♂♂, same location as holotype, 4.xii. 2022, T . Bush ( TJB) ; 1♂, AUSTRALIA NSW, 16km W Armidale , 959m, 30°29.57'S 151°29.55E, 5.i.2013, N. C. & D. Emery ; 1♂, AUSTRALIA-NSW, Goonoowigall CRes, 29°48'58"S 151°07'01"E, 2.xii.2022, T . Bush & D. Emery ; 1♂, AUSTRALIA-NSW, Goonoowigall CRes, 29°48'58"S 151°07'01"E, 3.xii.2022, T . Bush & D. Emery ( LWP) ; 2♂♂, same location as holotype, 4.xii.2022, T . Bush ( EME0504-010 – 011 ) ( MM) ; 1♂, Copeton Dam , 29°54'52"S 151°00'56"E, 10.xi.2024, K. Warner ( KW) .

Audio records. Howell Rd., Copeton Dam, 3.xii.2022, D. Emery; Apex Lookout Rd., Bingara, 22.xii.2024 B. McBurney.

Distribution, habitat and seasonality ( Plate 4E–F , Fig.1 ). Yoyetta nathani sp. nov. is located in the New England region of NSW, from around and west of Armidale to Yarrowyck and Bundarra, and northwards to Bingara, Copeton Dam and Inverell ( Fig. 1 ). Males appear to favour the trunks and branches of partially smooth barked eucalypts (such as Angophora floribunda and Eucalyptus blakelyi ) at heights of 3-8m (depending on the height of local trees). They also frequent understorey shrubs (Slender Tea-tree, Gaudium brevipes ) during ticking flights. The only female to be found was located within 1m of the ground in small G. brevipes . Most specimens have been collected between mid-November and mid-January, but males have been recorded into early February.

Etymology. The species is named after Dr. Nathan Emery, who located the majority of early specimens of Y. nathani sp. nov. from the Armidale region.

Description of adult male ( Plates 3A–B, E , 4A–C ; Fig. 4 )

Head slightly narrower than the lateral margins of pronotum; mostly light to dark orange-brown with limited triangular black colouration surrounding the ocelli, branching laterally along the posterior margins of the dorsal postclypeus and broadening towards the anterior margins of the eyes, a triangular orange-brown fascia with a base on the midline of the posterior border narrows to an apex midway between the ocelli; supra-antennal plates black, edged dull orange-brown around base of antennae; ocelli bright red; eyes dull red to light brown; postclypeus orange-brown dorsally with a black transverse stripe along the anterior margin, ventral surface black with an orange medial line and orange coloration along the lateral and posterior margins; anteclypeus shiny black; lorum black, gena black, dull orange anteriorly; rostrum reaching anterior margins of hind coxae, dark brown proximally, becoming dark brown to black distally; antennae black.

Thorax mostly brown to orange-brown. Pronotum with a narrow orange-brown fascia along midline surrounded by black, resembling a keyhole; interior of pronotum orange to dark brown, with irregular black areas, especially along paramedian and lateral fissures and adjacent ridges, also bordering the lateral halves of the pronotal collar; pronotal collar orange-brown, black along anterior margins of the lateral halves. Mesonotum orange- brown, lateral margins burnt red-brown, submedian and lateral sigilla black, lateral margins black; scutal depressions black; cruciform elevation orange-brown, black along midline and laterally along anterior margin of anterior ridge; wing grooves mainly dark orange-brown. Metanotum dark brown to black centrally, with black ridges. Thorax below mainly black.

Legs brown with variable longitudinal orange-brown to black markings between specimens. Coxae about half orange-brown and black; fore femora with inner surface black, black posteriorly along femoral spines, outer surface predominantly dull orange-brown, femoral spines dark brown basally and black tipped, upright; mid and hind femora dark brown to black anteriorly, paler orange-brown posteriorly; fore tibiae black brown proximally, becoming brown distally; mid and hind tibiae orange-brown, black at joints; tarsi orange; claws black; meracantha variably black on base around medial half, remainder pale cream-brown, reaching anterior margin of opercula ( Plate 4B ).

Wings with forewing costal margin and CuA dull orange-brown; venation generally dark brown to black; basal cell translucent; basal membrane bright orange; smoky infusions throughout a1–a8. Hind wing venation black; v-shaped plagas tinged orange-grey visible along vein 2a and 3a and within anal cell.

Opercula ( Plate 4B ); variably black basally, plates pale cream, spatulate, curved medially, flexed ventrally, not meeting; approximately 1.5x larger than adjacent hind coxae.

Timbals ( Plate 4A ) with five long ribs; ribs 1-3 attached to basal spur, separated ventrally and spanning the timbal membrane, rib 4 unattached, spanning entire timbal membrane, rib 5 unattached, extending over central half of membrane; timbal plate with well developed, elongate dome bearing a distinct point of apodeme attachment near centre.

Abdomen with tergite 1 black; tergite 2 black laterally and along anterior margin, dark orange centrally, a black rectangular spot over posterior midline, curved around lateral margin of exposed timbals; tergites 3–7 predominantly dusky orange-brown each with a distinct black rectangular mark on dorsal midline, this mark broadest on tergite 3 and equivalently narrower on tergites 4–7, variable annular black infusions adjacent to posterior margin, posterior margins bright orange; tergite 8 black, dark orange-brown marks on posterior midline and anterolateral aspect ( Plate 4C ); epipleurites orange, flexed ventrally, with mottled blackish suffusions. Sternite I black; sternite II black, orange ridges along timbal margins; sternites III-VII orange, sternite VII orange with an indistinct black spot on the posterior midline; sternite VIII orange-brown, infused with black along lateral aspects.

Genitalia ( Fig. 4 ) with pygofer orange dorsally, dorsal beak black, black over remainder, in lateral view, upper lobe of moderate size with a broadly rounded apex, in ventral view angled medially; basal pygofer lobe small weakly developed, broadly rounded over anterior margin of pygofer; median lobe of uncus relatively narrow and elongated with rounded apex and length around 1.0mm ( Fig. 4A ), slightly convex in ventral view; claspers robust, ‘duckbilled’ in lateral view, partially meeting, in ventral view their inner margins diverging anteriorly from the midline, outer margins gently turned outwards to a bluntly pointed apex ( Fig. 4B ); basal plate triangulate in ventral view with concave anterior border, relatively flat in lateral view ( Fig. 4C ); aedeagus recurved distally through 180 o with ornamentation distally from the recurvature, the vesica expanding and distinctly toothed either side towards apex; apex terminating in typical ‘viking helmet with ears’ in lateral view Figs. 4C, D ), with a short, slender ‘beak’ curved ventrally, downturned around 45 o in lateral view, with a pair of very small flat ear-like flanges directed medially and minutely toothed ( Fig. 4E ); pseudoparameres very long, reaching the distal recurvature of the aedeagus, very slender, hair-like, each with a narrow but rounded apex ( Fig. 4C ).

Description of adult female ( Plates 3C–D, F , 4D ).

Head, wings and legs similar to male.

Thorax. Darker brown (“burnt orange”) coloration than male, with black line along midline, black markings on cruciform elevation extend into anterior depression and along posterior ridges.

Abdomen. Tergite 1 black; tergite 2 dark burnt orange, suffused variably with black coloration; tergites 3–7 predominantly dark orange-brown each with a distinct black rectangular mark on midline, most pronounced on tergites 3–4, reducing slightly in width on successive tergites 5–7; annular black markings along posterior margins of each tergite with a distinct black marking centrally located on each ventrolateral aspect ( Plate 4D ); tergite 8 orange, with a black spot on the posterior border of the lateral third. Sternite I black; sternites II-VII orange with a black infusion along midline; sternite VIII darker orange-brown with a distinct black spot either side of posterior midline; abdominal segment 9 orange dorsally, black over anterior half, bordered by a black semicircular marking, tending ochraceous laterally, with a black spot on lateral aspect; ovipositor sheath black, ovipositor dark brown, becoming black posteriorly, not extending beyond abdominal segment 9.

Measurements (in mm; range with mean in parentheses for 14 males and 1 female, including smallest and largest of available specimens). Length of body including head: male, 21.9–25.2 (23.0); female, 21.1. Length of forewing: male, 25.8–29.8 (28.1); female, 28.8. Width of forewing: male, 8.5–10.1 (9.4); female, 9.5. Width of head (including eyes): male, 6.1–6.7 (6.4); female, 6.6–7.5 (7.0). Width of pronotum (across lateral angles): male, 6.1–6.6 (6.3); female, 6.4. Width of abdomen: male, 5.8–6.8 (6.3); female, 6.4. Length of ovipositor: female, 6.5.

Morphological distinguishing features. Males of Y. nathani sp. nov. can be readily differentiated from other male Yoyetta by a combination of 6 characteristics: (1) BL> 22mm; (2) v-shaped plagas tinged orange-grey visible along vein 2a and 3a and within anal cell of the hindwing; (3) 5 long timbal ribs; (4) a ‘viking helmet with ears’ thecal apex (not a ‘knob’ or lanceolate termination) with a strong downturn of the thecal apex; (5) a short medial lobe of the uncus; and (6) lack of smoky forewings.

Females of Y. nathani sp. nov. can be distinguished from the other 20 Yoyetta species which have orange-grey visible hindwing plagas by the following combination of 5 characters: (1) BL>21.0 (7 species); (2) deep burntorange coloration and annular black markings on the lateral tergites; (3) ovipositor not extending beyond abdominal segment 9; (4) lack of smoky wings; and, (5) black smudged markings along the midline of sternites.

Calling song ( Figs. 5–6 ). The male calling song of Y. nathani sp. nov. at rest is series of 3–4 clicks, which is occasionally followed by a short buzz. Closer examination of the calling song (all statistics, n =5 recordings from Goonoowigal SCA and Copeton Dam localities) is shown in Fig. 5 , indicating each ‘click’ is a macrosyllable comprising between 4 and 9 coalesced syllables (0.011 – 0.031 s; Fig. 5C ). A brief gap between 0.116 and 0.173 s duration punctuates each macrosyllable. The ‘short buzz’ is an echeme that varies from 0.047 and 0.184 s duration. The gap between each calling song sequence (i.e., clicking and short buzz) ranges from 0.370 to 0.457 s duration. Males may also flick their wings after 1-3 clicks as illustrated in Figs. 5 and 6 . Noting the limitations on iPhone recordings in the Methods and Terminology section, the approximate frequency plateau ranges from 5.2–12.6 kHz, with an approximate dominant frequency between 5.8 and 10.9 kHz ( Fig. 5E ).

Yoyetta nathani sp. nov. calls at rest, and occasionally, in flight.At Goonoowigal SCA, calling did not commence until around 1000-1100h (AEDT), where males sang in a chorus lasting around 0.5-1 minute at intervals of around 10 minutes in sunlight. Cloud cover delayed and reduced singing, though males have been observed calling in warm, overcast conditions, during light precipitation and immediately following storms. At Copeton Dam and west of Armidale, individuals called for the same length of time but around every 5 minutes, constantly moving positions. Males could be attracted by finger snapping.

The male calling song of Yoyetta nathani sp. nov. is similar to that of Yoyetta tristrigata (Goding & Froggatt) but the latter differs in its higher frequency and the absence of a short buzz at the end of its 3-4 tick phrase.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Map of south-eastern Australia showing the geographical distribution of Y. bushi sp. nov. (circles), Y. nathani sp. nov. (triangles), Y. crepita sp. nov. (stars) and Y. corbinorum sp. nov. (squares).

PLATE 3 Yoyetta nathani sp. nov.; (A) male holotype, Inverell (28o48'S 151o07'E), dorsal habitus; (B) male holotype, ventral habitus; (C) female, Inverell (28o48'S 151o07'E), dorsal habitus; (D), female, ventral habitus; (E), live male, Inverell; (F), live female, Inverell. Live photo credit, Nathan Emery. Scale bars = 10 mm.

PLATE 4 Yoyetta nathani sp. nov.; (A), male left timbal, with dorsal edge at left and posterior margin at bottom. Specimen from Inverell, NSW (28o48'S 151o07'E); (B), male left opercula; specimen from Inverell, NSW; (C) male, left lateral abdomen; specimen from Inverell NSW; (D), female, lateral left abdomen; specimen from Inverell, NSW; (E–F), typical woodland habitats of Y. nathani sp. nov. at Goonoowigal State Conservation Area, Inverell, NSW. Scale bars = 1 mm (A, B); 5mm (C, D).

FIGURE 4. Y. nathani sp. nov.: illustration of male pygofer and internal genitalia; (a), viewed laterally from the left; (b), viewed ventrally; (c), aedeagus; (d), apex of theca. Characters as depicted in Fig. 2. Specimen from Inverell, NSW (28o48'S 151o07'E).

FIGURE 5. Male calling song structure of Y. nathani sp. nov. illustrated in waveform plots, including (A) typical song with groups of clicks followed by a buzz; (B) expanded section from A showing three macrosyllables; (C) expanded section from B showing detailed structure of a macrosyllable; (D) shows the detailed structure of the clicks and short buzz (echeme) The final subfigure (E) is a spectrogram displaying the approximate song frequency. This specimen was recorded at rest in the field at Goonoowigal SCA (28o48'S 151o07'E) by TJB using RS2 (see Methods and Terminology).

FIGURE 6. Male calling song structure of Y. nathani sp. nov. illustrating the female wing flicks between macrosyllables. This specimen was recorded in the field at Goonoowigal SCA as in Fig. 5.