Aguana spitzi Mejdalani & Domahovski & Cavichioli 2019, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Mejdalani, Gabriel
name: Domahovski, Alexandre C.
name: Cavichioli, Rodney R.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2019
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Hemiptera
Cicadellidae
Aguana
Aguana spitzi

description: Aguana spitzi sp. nov.
(Figs 51–71)
Length. Male 13.6 mm (n = 1). Females 12.6–13.0 mm (n = 2).
Head and thorax (Figs 51–53) much as described by Young (1977: 37) for the genus and in the diagnosis given above. Color as in Figs 51–53; apical half of crown dark brown to black at center; forewing spots and vermiculations pale red, their quantity distinctly smaller than in the previous two species.
Male terminalia. Pygofer (Figs 54–56), in lateral view, moderately produced posteriorly; posterior margin truncate, with projection turned inwards and forming serrated triangular process with acute apex; small macrosetae from ventrobasal portion to apex, surface of process without macrosetae. Subgenital plate (Figs 54, 57), in ventral view, subtriangular; broad at base and slender from basal third to apex; small macrosetae and microsetae distributed mostly along outer lateral margin; in lateral view, plate extending posteriorly as far as pygofer apex. Style (Fig. 58), in dorsal view, extending posteriorly beyond apex of connective; with outer preapical lobe; outer margin behind lobe with setae; apex expanded, foot-shaped. Connective (Fig. 58), in dorsal view, Y-shaped; arms short; stalk elongate, not expanded apically. Aedeagus (Figs 60, 61) symmetrical; in lateral view, with distinct basidorsal and basiventral apodemes; shaft slender, directed dorsally, with pair of small apical processes. Membranous area between anal tube and dorsal aedeagal surface damaged. Paraphyses (Fig. 59), in ventral view, with rami long, acute, and divergent from each other.
Female terminalia. Sternite VII (Figs 62, 63) not strongly produced posteriorly; in ventral view, with posterior margin transverse and with slight median projection; apex of this projection emarginate. Pygofer (Figs 62, 63), in lateral view, moderately produced posteriorly; distal margin broadly rounded; ventral margin slightly sinuous; macrosetae distributed mostly on posterior portion and extending anteriorly along ventral area. First valvifer (Figs 64, 65), in lateral view, subtrapezoidal, with conspicuous, basiventral spiniform process, anterior margin with small dentiform process, posterior margin slightly sinuous. First valvula (Figs 65, 66), in lateral view, with dorsal and ventral margins approximately parallel; apex acute; dorsal sculptured area strigate, extending from basal portion to apex of blade; ventral sculptured area scale-like, restricted to apical portion of blade; ventral interlocking device restricted to basiventral half of blade; in ventral view, base of valvula distinctly expanded outwards. Second valvula (Figs 67–69), in lateral view, distinctly expanded beyond basal curvature; apex subacute; preapical prominence indistinct; dorsal margin with about 50 mostly triangular continuous teeth; denticles distributed on teeth and on apical portion of blade, except on apex (dorsal dentate apical portion slightly longer than ventral portion); ducts extending towards teeth and apex of valvula (basalmost seven teeth or so do not receive ducts). Gonoplac (Figs 70, 71) of the usual Cicadellinae type: in lateral view, with basal half narrow and apical half distinctly expanded; apex obtuse; denticuli and setae distributed on apical portion and extending anteriorly along ventral margin.
Material examined. Holotype ♂: “ XI.1934.| SÃO PAULO \ Alto da S. [Serra] \ R. Spitz ” (DZUP). Paratypes: 1 ♀, same data as the holotype, except “ I.1927 ” and “ Alto da Serra ” (DZUP); 1 ♀, same data as the holotype, except “ IX.26 ” and name of the collector illegible (DZUP).
Etymology. The name of the new species refers to the collector of the type series.
Remarks. Aguana spitzi sp. nov. can be recognized by the absence of a median spot on the apical half of the crown (Fig. 51), spots and vermiculations of the forewings pale red, their quantity distinctly smaller than in other species (Figs 51, 52), apical aedeagal processes extremely small (Fig. 61), and posterior margin of female sternite VII with slight median projection (Fig. 62). In one female paratype we observed four strepsipterans (two on each side) parasitizing the abdomen.
description: Published as part of Mejdalani, Gabriel, Domahovski, Alexandre C. & Cavichioli, Rodney R., 2019, The sharpshooter genus Aguana: taxonomic notes, two new species from Brazil, the female of A. imbricata, and updated key (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae: Cicadellini), pp. 91-102 in Zootaxa 4577 (1) on pages 98-101, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4577.1.5, http://zenodo.org/record/2628646