Bothriocera aurea Bahder & Bartlett, 2025

Barrantes Barrantes, Edwin A., Zumbado Echavarria, Marco A., Bartlett, Charles R., Helmick, Ericka E. & Bahder, Brian W., 2025, A new species of planthopper in the genus Bothriocera (Hemiptera: Auchenorrhyncha: Cixiidae) from Osa peninsula, Costa Rica on palms (Arecaceae), Zootaxa 5613 (3), pp. 456-468 : 460-466

Bothriocera aurea Bahder & Bartlett sp. nov.

( Figures 2–6 )

Type Locality. Osa Peninsula , Puntarenas Province, Costa Rica

Diagnosis. Medium-sized (for the genus) golden-yellow body, wings largely unmarked with one small pair of fuscous spots on either side of RA near the proximal margin of the stigma. Medioventral process of pygofer subtriangular. Flagellum with four internal, sclerotized processes, one terminating at midpoint, forming rounded projection on dorsal surface.

Description. Color. General body color golden-yellow ( Fig. 2 ), lateral carinae abterior to antennae fuscous, legs paler than main body. Forewings with single pair of fuscous spots on either side of RA near the proximal margin of the stigma posterior to stigma, wing blade with yellow wash, more pronounced proximally.

Structure. Body length male (n = 3): 4.8 mm with wings; 2.7 mm without wings ( Table 3 ). Head. In dorsal view ( Fig. 3A ), head roughly quadrangular, wider anterior to eyes, width at widest point about 2x length at midline; subapical transverse carinae arched, extending transversely to join at midline just in front of eyes (bisecting head apex, joined anteriorly by extension of median carina of frons); median carinae absent caudad of subapical transverse carina, disc depressed posterior to anterior transverse carinae (bearing a pair of poorly defined pits anteriorly); anterior and posterior margins concave. In lateral view ( Fig. 3B ), profile irregularly sinuate, projecting in front of eyes, vertex declinate, lateral margins of head forming deep elongated depression, antennae situated directly in front of eyes, lateral ocelli dorsal to antennae at frontodorsal margin of eye. Carina on gena below antenna between ventroanterior margin of eye to anterior margin of head. In frontal view ( Fig. 3C ), face roughly triangular in shape, frons widest dorsally at auriculate expansion of head, constricting ventrad to frontoclypeal suture, median carina distinct to median ocellus; a U-shaped carina extending from level of ventral margin of eyes to beneath the median ocellus. Frontoclypeal suture obscure and roughly transverse (a pair of lateral dark markings near lateral extensions of frontoclypeal sutures perhaps marking anterior tentorial pits). Eyes in lateral view roughly barbellshaped. Antennae short, scape hidden, pedicel wider than tall, roughly C-shaped in lateral view, bearing irregularly placed sensory plaques, flagellum setaceous with bulbous base.

Thorax. In dorsal view ( Fig. 3A ), pronotum very narrow, anterior margin hidden by posterior margin of vertex, becoming wider laterad; posterior margin deeply concave; median carina hidden, lateral carinae diagonally oriented; in lateral view ( Fig. 3B ), paradiscal region broad (relative to pronotum), irregularly quadrangular, anterior and posterior margins strongly sinuate; ventral margin diagonally truncate, reaching level of frontoclypeal suture. Mesonotum broad ( Fig. 3A , ~3x length of vertex+pronotum at midline), slightly wider than long at midpoint, tricarinate, lateral carinae nearly parallel (weakly diverging posteriorly), mid and lateral carinae becoming obsolete posteriorly.

Forewings broad ( Fig. 4 ), spatulate (broadest subapically) bearing elongate pale stigma, costal cell relatively broad, claval apex just before forewing midlength; trailing margin of wing angled at claval apex, veins MP and ScP+R arising independently from basal cell, fork of RP from ScP+RA arising shortly after basal cell forming short composite vein; fork of CuA in proximal third of wing; wing branching pattern RA 2-branched, RP 3-branched, MP 5-branched and CuA 2-branched.

Terminalia. Pygofer in lateral view ( Fig. 5A ) subtriangular, narrow dorsally, expanding to greatest width at midpoint, constricting ventrad, anterior margin concave, posterior margin convex; in caudoventral view ( Fig. 5B ), lateral projections elongated and spatulate, medioventral process triangular, base just wider than height. Gonostyli in lateral view ( Fig. 5A ) serpentine, greatly constricted at apex; in ventral view narrowed basally ( Fig. 5B ), expanding, at 2/3 length curved helically, giving appearance of transverse ridge, apices flattened, distally constricted and subtriangular to blund apex, inner and outer margins irregularly sinuate. Aedeagal shaft ( Figs. 6 , 7 ), from lateral view ( Fig. 6A ) tubular, nearly straight (weakly upcurved) simple (lacking projections before apex), endosoma large and complex, sinistrelly curving into helix around shaft, with a similarly arched pair of elongated processes (E1a & E1b; presumably originating from base of endosoma); E1a sclerotized, sinistrally helical, largest basally, arising near apex of aedeagus curving around shaft, distal portions with fine serrulations, apex acuminate; E1b arising at aedeagal apex, curving to left lateral side underneath E2 ( Fig. 7C, D ); E2 largely membranous, elongated and sinistrelly arched helically around aedeagal shaft, bearing four scelerotized processes, E2a extending from near aedeagal apex on dorsal margin, separating from membranous portion in basal half, terminating in spatulate process on dorsal margin, E2b arising on right lateral side of E2, terminating in distal half in membranous, fin-like projection, E2c arising on left lateral side of E2, terminating at apex of E2, E2d arising internally in distal third of E2, terminating at apex of E2 Anal segment in lateral view ( Fig. 5A ), stout, distally downcurved, spatulate at apex, ventral margin concave, dorsal margin sinuate; from forsal view ( Fig. 5B ), oval, apex rounded, paraproct short, conical.

Plant associations. Asterogyne martiana ( Arecaceae )

Distribution. Osa peninsula, Costa Rica

Etymology. The specific name is derived from the Latin word aurum (gold), given as an adjective (i.e., golden) in feminine gender in reference to the golden color of the species.

Material examined. Holotype male “ Osa Peninsula , Puntarenas Pr. Costa Rica / La Tarde Eco Station / 08.VI.2021 ♂ / Coll.: B.W.Bahder / Host: Asterogyne martiana / Bothriocera aurea HOLOTYPE ” ( FLREC) ; Paratypes 2 males, 2 same data as holotype ( FLREC) .

Sequence Data. Supplemental sequence data for B. aurea sp. nov. were successfully obtained for all loci of interest ( Table 2 ). The molecular phylogenies generated for 18S, the D8 expansion region and D9–D10 expansion regions of 28S all demonstrated strong bootstrap support (100) for the monophyly of Bothriocera relative to other taxa with B. aurea sp. nov. resolving within the genus ( Fig. 8 ). Phylogenies generated from both the 5’ and 3’ region of COI and H3 did not provide strong bootstrap support for Bothriocera or most out-groups ( Fig. 8 ). The consensus tree based on concatenated data for all loci provided strong bootstrap support (100) for the monophyly of Bothriocera and strong bootstrap support (99) for B.aurea sp. nov. resolving adjacent to B. basalis .

Remarks. Bothriocera aurea sp. nov. is distinctive because of the bright golden-yellow color of the body and forewings that are essentially unmarked. None of the species treated in the key to species by Metcalf (1938) have a pale body and unmarked wings. The closest species would appear to be B. albidipennis Fowler and B. pellucida Fowler (see Fowler 1904, table 9, figs. 16–17). Of these, B. albidipennis was subsequently transferred to Bothrioceretta (Caldwell 1950) , and B. pellucida had the mesothorax and abdomen black dorsally ( Fowler 1904). Another similar species is Bothriocera holzingeri O’Brien. This species was described from Panama and bears several dark markings on the forwings (O’Brien 1986, fig. 13), and differs in details of the male genitalia, including bearing a ventral process on the aedeagal shaft (O’Brien 1986, fig. 4).

The novel taxon, while structurally having all the characteristics of Bothriocera and strong molecular support for placement in the genus, appears very different in habitus due to the bright yellow color and lack of patterned wings. Most members of the genus have dark bodies and dark wing markings. Interestingly, it resolves closer to B. basalis with stronger molecular support than other species that more closely resemble B. basalis based on having dark bodies and patterned wings. For example, the other Bothriocera species included in the molecular analysis ( Table 2 ) all have dark bodies and boldly patterned wings and generally appear more similar to B. basalis than B. aurea sp. nov. Given how poorly studied the group is, a more robust sampling of described taxa will surely help elucidate the relationships within the genus and potentially allow for the establishment of new genera.

Figures

FIGURE 2. Adult male habitus of Bothriocera aurea sp. nov.; A) dorsal view and B) lateral view; scale bar = 1 mm.

FIGURE 3. Adult male of Bothriocera aurea sp. nov.; A) head, pronotum and mesonotum in dorsal view, B) head, pronotum and mesonotum in lateral view and C) head in frontal view; scale bar = 1 mm.

FIGURE 4. Forewing venation of adult male Bothriocera aurea sp. nov.; black text = vein, italic black text = crossvein and colored regions = cells.

FIGURE 5. Adult male terminalia of Bothriocera aurea sp. nov.; A) lateral view, B) ventral view and C) dorsal view.

FIGURE 6. Aedeagus of Bothriocera aurea sp. nov.; A) left lateral view, B) right lateral view, C) dorsal view and D) ventral view.

FIGURE 7. Aedeagus line art for Bothriocera aurea sp. nov.; A) left lateral view, B) right lateral view, C) dorsal view and D) ventral view.

FIGURE 8. Maximum likelihood phylogenetic tree based on 1,000 replicates; A) 18SrRNA gene, B) D8 expansion region of 28S rRNA gene, C) D9–D10 expansion region of the 28S rRNA gene, D) the 5’ half of the COI gene, E) the 3’ half of the COI gene, F) H3 gene and G) consensus tree derived from concatenated data for all six markers analyzed; scale bar = percent nucleotide difference.