Notuchus linnavuorii Gębicki & Walczak, 2021

Gębicki, Cezary, Walczak, Marcin, Krupa, Piotr & Kalandyk-Kołodziejczyk, Małgorzata, 2021, Ugyopini of New Caledonia (Hemiptera: Fulgoromorpha: Delphacidae: Asiracinae) with a description of Notuchus linnavuorii sp. nov., Bonn zoological Bulletin 70 (1), pp. 97-113 : 99-102

Notuchus linnavuorii Gębicki & Walczak sp. nov.

( Figs 1–4 )

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:6D3BBF9F-A2F9-4011-81C8-B1EBA72162A6

Delphacidae Leach, 1815

Ugyopini Fennah, 1979

Notuchus Fennah 1969

Notuchus linnavuorii Gębicki & Walczak sp. nov.

Etymology. The name of this new species is dedicated to Professor Linnavuori, a Fulgoromorphan and Heteropteran specialist.

Material examined

Holotype. 1 ♀ // Notuchus linnavuorii sp. nov. // Gębicki & Walczak det. 2015 [red label]; New Caledonia (N) // 21 ° 00.318’ S, 165 ° 14.605’ E // Tchamba (Wâo Uni), 20.03.2008 // from refuge to 500 m // leg. R. Dobosz ; 5915/26293 // coll. Upper Silesian Museum // ( USMB) Bytom, Poland.

Description

Body. Oval ( Fig. 1A, D ), dorso-ventrally flattened ( Fig. 1C ).

Head. Broad, delta-shaped, vertex acutely rounded. Coronal keel relatively high, reaching ⅔ of the vertex where it bifurcates. Vertex flat with a distinct concavity in the apical area ( Fig. 2A ). Frons with two pairs of flattened lateral keels that surround its weakly concave surface. The area between the keels is regularly arcuate and slightly concave, its maximal width at the level of antennae is almost three times narrower than the widest part of middle frons. Frons arcuately tapering towards the vertex, at its base almost straight with broad ventral margin. Additional pair of short keels stretching from dorsal margin of the eye to the apex of the head, which together with anterolateral keels form characteristic longitudinal concavity above the eye. Postclypeus broad with arcuate margins and with light-colored median keel. Anteclypeus triangular, distinctly shorter than postclypeus with a distinct median keel. Mouthpart long, reaching the base of hind legs ( Fig. 2B ). Rostrum very long, its tip exceeds the line between hind coxae considerably ( Figs 1B , 2D ). Compound eye slightly oval, its posterior margin with antenna hollow. Eye length (in lateral view) approximately equal to the length of the part of head anterior to eyes. Ocelli absent. Scapus of antennae with slightly convex lateral margin, pedicellus apically expanding with numerous placoidal sensilla, which concentrate to form basal and apical groups ( Fig. 3A–B ). Apical part of pedicellus is covered with numerous minute spines, which are distinctly separated from wide scale-like structures that cover its basal part ( Fig. 3D ). A few rather long spines and more numerous short fine ciliate structures are evenly distributed among sensilla placoidea ( Fig. 3C–D ).

Pronotum. Clearly differentiated medial part with three distinct keels and two lateral parts in the form of flat plates. Lateral keels arcuate and indistinctly connected to the posterior margin of pronotum. The structure of lateral plates forms a cleavage in which basal margins of wings are located ( Fig. 2A ).

Mesonotum. In the middle line about 1.5 times larger than pronotum with three distinct high keels. Its anterior margin joins pronotum at ⅓ of the length of its lateral plates. Median keel bears the mark of the scutellum connection ( Fig. 2A ).

Tegmina. Coriaceous, strongly shortened and distally truncated. In medial and clavial parts, strongly convex; in costal part, flattened and slightly upturned. Both tegmina and wings adhere to each other along the medial margin, narrowly bordered and apically arcuately round- ed. In basal part, two protrusions formed at the veins R and M+Cu. Longitudinal veins indistinct with undulating course and with numerous transverse veins, supposedly vena spuria. Tegulae absent ( Figs 1D , 2A ).

Legs. Prothoracic and mesothoracic legs without spines along tibia but with a row of high chaetae. Their tarsal segments I and II are small, the third is the longest and is apically enlarged ( Fig. 2C–D ). Metathoracic legs with three strong spines on the ventral margin of tibia, the convex dorsal margin fits into the shallow elongated indentation of the femur.

Pattern arrangement of metatibial spines. 2+3, with the first one being the longest. Post-tibial calcar in cross section almost round and apically acuminate. The apex of the basal and medial segment of the tarsus with spines arranged in a way typical of the Ugyopini and Eodelphacini tribes ( Figs 1B , 2E ).

Abdomen. With three distinct longitudinal tergal keels with spikes ( Fig. 1D ). Ventral plates of pygofer convex, truncated at the apex. Ovipositor longer than pygofer, does not extend over the anal tube ( Fig. 4A ). Broad plates of the anal tube are joined together on the ventral side ( Fig. 4B ).

Ovipositor. Second pair of gonopophyses slightly arched downwards near apex ( Fig. 4C ), their dorsal edges covered with numerous homogenous denticles ( Fig. 4D ). Third pair of gonopophyses with strong sclerotised thickening at the basal part and over its entire length ( Fig. 4E ).

Measurements. Total body length 4.68 mm; maximal body width 2.56 mm; head length (in its coronal part) 0.52 mm; head width (at its base) 0.69 mm; head width (including eyes) 1.35 mm; eye length (in dorsal view) 0.48 mm; pronotum length (along the median keel) 0.41 mm; pronotum length in its lateral part 0.56 mm; total pronotum length 2.21 mm; width of the median part of pronotum (between lateral keels) 0.63 mm; mesonotum length 0.78 mm; mesonotum width (at its anterior margin) 1.41 mm; tegmina length 1.47 mm; length of the ventral edge of tegmina 0.73 mm; tegmina width 1.34 mm; length of the visible part of abdomen 2.02 mm; maximal abdomen width 2.49 mm.

Coloration. General body coloration almost uniformly greyish-brown. The base of abdomen, thorax and frons black. Along the anterolateral and interolateral keels of frons, alternate yellow and black spots present (6 each). Similar spots (three each) are present on the ventral side of lateral keels of pronotum. Vertex yellow. Lateral plates of pronotum with long black blurred spots. Tegmen brownish, its costal parts distinctly lighter. Longitudinal veins slightly darker than the rest of the wing. Legs dark. Apical parts of pro and mesotibia yellowish, metatibia uniformly dark ( Fig. 1A–C ).

Distribution. Endemic for New Caledonia.

Remarks. Notuchus linnavuorii sp. nov. is differentiated from the other species in the same genus by a set of features: a well-developed compound eye, vertex in the lateral view extending anterior to eyes for about the length of an eye, marginal carinae distinctly visible in the dorsal view, vertex with a ratio of total length in midline to length anterior to eyes> 1.8; vertex acutely rounded, mesonotum with median carina weakly curved. The last feature and the vertex ratio differentiate N. linnavuorii sp. nov. from its closest Australian species N. oresbios Donaldson, 1988 .

Figures

Fig. 1. Notuchus linnavuorii sp. nov., ♀. A. Dorsal view. B. Ventral view. C. Lateral view. D. Dorsal view, SEM.

Fig. 2. Notuchus linnavuorii sp. nov., ♀. A. Head and thorax with brachypteric wings, dorsal view. B. Front of head. C. First pair of legs (I). D. Second pair of legs (II) and fragment of labium (La). E. Third pair of legs (III) with calcar (Ca) and teeth (To) in the distal part of the tibia.

Fig. 3. Notuchus linnavuorii sp. nov., ♀ (SEM). A. Antenna: scapus (Sc) and pedicellus (Pe). B. Pedicellus with sensors structure: sensilla trichoidea (ST), sensilla placoidea (SP). C. Fragment of pedicellus: ciliate structure (CiS), conoidal structure (CS), sensilla placoidea (SP), sensilla trichoidea (ST). D. Fragment of pedicellus: ciliate structure (CiS), conoidal structure (CS), squamates structure (SS).

Fig. 4. Notuchus linnavuorii sp. nov., ♀. A. Abdomen from below. B. Abdomen from above. C. Left median gonapophysis. D. Distal part of left median gonapophysis. E. Ovipositor external valvae. A–B.: SEM.