Calamister obscurus Kirkaldy
Creators: name: Löcker, Birgit
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2014
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Hemiptera
Cixiidae
Calamister
Calamister obscurus

description: Calamister obscurus Kirkaldy
(Figs 2, 4, 6 A–C)
Calamister obscurus Kirkaldy, 1906: 403.
Types. Lectotype (designated here, examined), ♂, AUSTRALIA, Qld: Bundaberg, ix.–xii.1904 (Koebele) (BPBM). Paralectotypes, 2 ♀, same data as holotype (BPBM).
Notes: The original description does not mention the designation of a holotype, therefore these specimens are regarded as syntypes. A lectotype is designated to provide a diagnostic reference for the species.
Other material examined. AUSTRALIA, Qld: 11 ♂, 6 ♀, 1 ♂ or ♀ (abdomen missing, body length indicates male), Bundaberg, 20.viii.1919 (F. Muir) (BPBM); 1 ♂, 1 ♀, Coolum, 22.ix.1956 (Kirkpolnik) (QM). NSW: 2 ♀, Bullsground [state forest], Port Macquarie, beating understorey plants, xi. 2005 (M.L. Moir MLM01135-6).
Diagnosis. This species can be distinguished from C. cougalensis by its colouration which is entirely yellow with hyaline forewings and a whitish or yellowish pterostigma. Further the phallotheca bears two spines ventrally to right-laterally, about equal in length.
Colour. Body light brownish-yellow (testaceous), eyes and antennae darker; rarely lateral parts of mesonotum slightly darker. Forewing hyaline with testaceous veins and tubercles; pterostigma testaceous.
Morphology. Body length: ♂ 4.3–4.5 mm; ♀ 4.7–5.1 mm.
Head: Vertex 1.5–1.7 x wider than long; apical carina v-shaped, subapical carina u- shaped; median carina of vertex absent or if present, covering up ¼ of basal compartment of vertex; basal compartment 3.7–9.0 x longer than apical compartment. Frons 1.1–1.4 x longer than wide. Postclypeus with median carina absent or evanescent; lateral carinae absent. Anteclypeus with median and lateral carinae absent. Rostrum very short, reaching mid coxa or mid femur; apical segment of rostrum shorter than or as long as subapical segment.
Thorax: Forewing 2.7–3.5 x longer than wide; costal margin with about 1–4 tubercles; Sc+R+M near basal cell fused, forming a minute common stem Sc+R+M; fork of ScRA+ RP basad or at same level as fork CuA1+CuA2; position of r-m at same level as or slightly basad of fork MA+MP; MP apically unforked or bifid; vein delimiting subapical cell C4 more or less at same level as vein delimiting C5; subapical cell C5 distinctly longer than C4; CuA2 ending well before it reaches margin of wing or fading (reaching margin of wing with reduced thickness); 7–8 apical cells; 3 anteapical cells. Hind leg: 1st tarsomere with 7 apical teeth (rarely 6 or 8) and no platellae; 2nd tarsomere with 8 (rarely 9) apical teeth and 4 (rarely 5) platellae (Fig. 2 E).
Male genitalia: Anal tube as in Figs 4 C,D. Pygofer and genital styles as in Figs 4 E,F. Aedeagus (Figs 4 A,B): Phallotheca ventrally to right-laterally with two large, curved spines (a, b), about equal in length; spine (a) arising near apex of aedeagus and spine (b) arising right underneath spine (a). Flagellum unarmed.
Female genitalia: Ovipositor, wax plate and anal tube as in Figs 6 A–C: wax plate oval-shaped; anal tube trapezoid, widening towards apex.
Remarks. In general C. obscurus has 7 apical teeth and no platellae on the 1st tarsomere and 8 apical teeth and 4 platellae on the 2nd tarsomere. The following deviations from this formula appear to be aberrations as they only occurred on one leg of the specimen: One male from Bundaberg had only 6 and another male from the same location 8 apical teeth on the 1st tarsomere; the female from Coolum had 9 apical teeth and 5 platellae on the 2nd tarsomere.
Kirkaldy’s original descriptions of the genus and species are not very specific and lack illustrations. Muir (1908) provided a dichotomous key to the genera of Cixiidae which includes Calamister. Based on this identification key Jacobi (1928) identified a female specimen from the 'Blackal Range’ (this appears to be the ‘Blackall Range’ in South East Queensland) to be C. obscurus. Jacobi mentions features such as a minute stem of Sc+R+M; a long common stem of Sc+R and the fact that fork Sc+R and fork CuA1+CuA2 are at about the same level, situated in the basal half of the forewing; and transverse carina of vertex slightly u-shaped. These features can be found in the type specimens of C. obscurus and/or the other material examined. Jacobi (1928) noted that apical veins (towards the margin) and crossveins were darker brown in the Blackall Range specimen. In C. cougalensis sp. nov. the apical veins are darker but not the crossveins. In C. obscurus all veins are uniformously coloured throughout (Figs 2 A,B). Jacobi included an illustration of the forewing in his redescription of C. obscurus Kirkaldy. The specimen depicted varies considerably from the wing venation found in Calamister, e.g. the specimen pictured has a trifid RP, MA and MP, however in Calamister these veins are bifid (Figs 1, 3 A), or even in some cases MP unforked (Fig. 2 B). Further, Jacobi’s specimen shows CuA1 and CuA2 rejoining which does not occur in any of the types. This means there is considerable doubt that the specimen from the Blackall Range is C. obscurus —examination of the specimen is needed to clarify this.
description: Published as part of Löcker, Birgit, 2014, Taxonomic revision of Calamister Kirkaldy, 1906 (Fulgoromorpha: Cixiidae) with the description of a new species, pp. 89-96 in Zootaxa 3878 (1) on pages 91-93, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.3878.1.7, http://zenodo.org/record/287356