Bennarella rafaeli Viegas & Ale-Rocha 2022, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Viegas, Eduarda Fernanda Gomes
name: Ale-Rocha, Rosaly
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2022
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Hemiptera
Cixiidae
Bennarella
Bennarella rafaeli

description: Bennarella rafaeli sp. nov.
(Figs 84–94, 135, 131)
Type material. Holotype male (INPA). Brasil, Roraima, Alto Alegre, ESEC Maracá, 3˚21’59”N–61˚26’04” W, 1–15.iii.2017, Malaise grande, R. Boldrini & J.A. Rafael — Rede BIA.
Condition of the holotype: Left hindwing torn near the apex and right hindwing lost.
Measurements: Body length: male 2.9 mm (5.3 mm including wings) (N=1). Forewing length: male 4.5 mm (N=1).
Diagnosis. Frons with median carina present and strongly marked. Pedicel with apical 2/3 yellow. Forewing with basal half dark brown and apical half light yellow with dark brown small areas. Periandrium bearing three preapical spines and aedeagus without spines.
Description: Coloration. General body color light brown (Fig. 84). Lateral carinae of the frons above lateral ocelli, median region of the frons, median region of the clypeus, apical 2/3 of pedicel, vertex, median region of pronotum and mesonotum and epimeron and episternum yellow. Forewing: basal half dark brown and apical half light yellow with dark brown small areas: diffuse dark brown transverse strip in the median region extending from the middle of the pterostigma to the CuA1 vein; 1/3 final of subcostal cell dark brown; ir, r-m, r-m, m-cu cross-vein dark brown; diffuse dark brown transverse band in the apical region that extends from the C1’ cell to the MP3 vein; diffuse dark brown transverse band in the apical region that extends from cell C3’ to cell C4’; narrow brown bands covering in MP1, MP2, MP3 and MP4 veins in wing apex; C5 cell predominantly dark brown (Fig. 131). Pterostigma yellow. Hindwing hyaline, yellowish with dark brown banner transverse rectangular in the median region of the apex. Legs yellow, except fore coxa and mid coxa dark brown (Fig. 84). Abdomen dark brown, except upper half of sternite III, dorsal region of sternite IV, 2/3 of sternite V, posterior margin of sternite VI yellow (Figs 84, 87).
Head: frons with median carina present and strongly marked; lateral carina of frons strongly directed obliquely laterally (Fig. 85); vertex length approximately half the median length of the pronotum in dorsal view (Fig. 86); pedicel approximately 4 times longer than wide and scape conspicuous (Fig. 85). Thorax: pronotum and mesonotum with median longitudinal carina present but weakly marked; mesonotum with lateral longitudinal carina present and strongly marked (Fig. 86). Forewing: m-cu cross-vein present (Fig. 131). Legs: hind tibia with 6 apical spines; hind tarsus with 7+7 apical spines.
Male terminalia (Figs 88–94). Pygofer subtriangular in lateral view, posterior margin with a rounded protuberance on each side in the middle region (Fig. 88); medioventral process of pygofer conspicuous in lateral view, with posterior margin triangular in ventral view (Fig. 88). Gonostyli robust, wider in the apical half, with somewhat truncate apex in lateral view (Fig. 91); inner margin slightly concave in the middle, rounded and divergent distally in dorsal and posterior view (Figs 90, 92). Phallic complex (Figs 93–94): periandrium almost straight bearing three preapical spines: one slender, elongate, rather straight spine, ventrally directed, inserted near apex with one short triangular lateral protuberance near base (S1), one slender, elongate, sinuous spine anteroventrally directed, inserted at apex (S2), and one shorter, slender, straight apical spine near apex (S3); aedeagus without spines, narrow at the base, enlarged in the median region and tapered at the apex. Anal tube concave ventrally; base of the anal tube subequal in length to anal tube extension in lateral view; anal tube extension abruptly curved ventrally at apex; apex rounded in posterior view (Figs 88–90).
Etymology. The species is named to honor Dr. José Albertino Rafael from the National Institute of Amazonian Research - INPA, Manaus, Brazil, for his immense contribution to the knowledge to the Brazilian invertebrate fauna, and for collecting several specimens used in this work, including the holotype of this species.
Distribution. Brazil (Roraima) (Fig.135).
Taxonomic notes. Bennarella rafaeli sp. nov. can be distinguished from the other species of Bennarella by pedicel yellow in the apical 2/3, forewing light yellow with dark brown small areas in the apical half, dorsal region of sternite IV and 2/3 of sternite V yellow, periandrium bearing three spines and aedeagus without spines.
description: Published as part of Viegas, Eduarda Fernanda Gomes & Ale-Rocha, Rosaly, 2022, Study of the Neotropical genus Bennarella Muir, 1930 with description of six new species (Hemiptera: Fulgoromorpha: Cixiidae), pp. 155-187 in Zootaxa 5124 (2) on pages 175-176, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5124.2.3, http://zenodo.org/record/6405011