Mutilifolia Wallace, 2015, n. gen.
Creators: name: Wallace, Matthew S.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2015
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Hemiptera
Membracidae
Mutilifolia

description: Mutilifolia n. gen.
(Figs. 1 A–E, 2A–D, F, G)
Type species. Mutilifolia nishidai, n. sp.
Diagnosis. This genus superficially resembles the genera Archasia (Telamonini), Antianthe, and Hemicardiacus (both currently incertae sedis within Smiliinae) in possessing a highly elevated, foliaceous, and largely green pronotum (without a distinct projection). It can be distinguished from other Telamonini by the combination of the following features: metathoracic femur with 1–2 additional distal cucullate setae (female) and ventral ablateral cucullate seta absent; metathoracic tarsomere II without apical cucullate setae; male lateral plate partially fused to tergum IX; and the male style clasp rounded apically with two prominent, sharp, recurved teeth.
Description. SIZE & COLORATION (Figs. 1 A, B): Medium to large-sized (9–11 mm); pronotum mostly yellow (striking green in live specimen). HEAD (Fig. 1 D): Frontoclypeus inferior margin with ventral projection; ocelli closer to each other than to compound eyes. THORAX (Figs. 1, 2 F, G): Scutellum concealed by pronotum. PRONOTUM (Figs. 1 A–D): Supraocular callosities incomplete, appearing spotted (Fig. 1 D); highly elevated and foliaceous (Fig. 1 A); median horn or projection absent (Fig. 1 A); median carina distinct and extending length of pronotum (Fig 1 A); longitudinal rugae indistinct (Fig. 1 A); pubescence present, dense, and erect (Fig. 1 C). FOREWING (Fig. 1 E): Partially concealed by pronotum; apical maculation present and distinct; basal punctations conspicuous; basal half not sclerotized; veins crowded anteriorly without large cells separating them, appearing parallel; vein R initial division R1+2+3 and R4+5; veins R and M free basally; veins R4+5 and M1+2 confluent for short distance before apex, fusion occurring distad of M fork; crossvein m-cu1 present. HINDWING: Veins R4+5 and M1+2 free (crossvein r-m present, with four apical cells). LEGS: Long and cylindrical; pro- and mesothoracic legs lacking cucullate setae; mesothoracic coxal process distinctly acute; trochanter and femur without large spines. METATHORACIC LEG (Figs. 2 F, G): Femoral ablateral and adlateral cucullate setae present distally (with 1–2 additional cucullate setae on distal femur in female) (Fig. 2 G), ventral ablateral cucullate seta absent (Fig. 2 G); tarsomere I plantar cucullate setae present, tarsomere II apical cucullate setae absent (Fig. 2 F); tibial setal rows I–III cucullate, irregular or double (Fig. 2 F). ABDOMEN (Figs. 2 A–D): Paired dorsal swellings absent. FEMALE SECOND VALVULAE (Fig. 2 A): Long, narrow, and curved (dorsal margin concave); heavily sclerotized; basal process or teeth absent; distal small teeth absent; with three distal, large, nodular, evenly-spaced teeth; dorsal and ventral margins of apex converging proximally, apex acuminate. MALE GENITALIA (Figs. 2 B–D): Lateral plate partially fused to tergum IX (Fig. 2 B), lobes absent; style shank without teeth; style clasp rounded apically with two prominent, sharp, recurved teeth (posterior tooth larger), apex heavily sclerotized (Fig. 2 C); aedeagus Ushaped, moderately broadened posteriorly, teeth on anterior margin concentrated apically in sclerotized area (Fig. 2 D); connective medial notch shallow and small.
Notes. Mutilifolia will key to the tribe Telamonini in Wallace (2011), using the following diagnostic characters for the tribe: head dorsal margin with abrupt elevation mesad of eyes (Fig. 1 D); enlarged humeral angles of pronotum (Fig. 1 C); forewing veins R4+5 and M1+2 confluent distad of M fork (Fig. 1 E); hind wing veins R4+5 and M1+2 free; and the long, narrow ovipositor with three large apical teeth (Fig. 2 A). Mutilifolia is the first new Telamonini genus to be described in 83 years; Ball (1931) erected Helonica and Palonica in his taxonomic revision of the North American Telamonini.
Mutilifolia is one of only four telamonine genera found in the Neotropical region; Heliria (four species), Palonica (two species), and Telamona (two species) have also been reported in this region. Although Neotropical, Mutilifolia most closely resembles the Nearctic genus Archasia in the shape of the pronotum, which is elevated, foliaceous, and mostly green. Nevertheless, the shape of the male style clasp, with the two sharp recurved teeth, differs greatly from the clasp of A. belfragei Stål (with one large, sharp, recurved tooth) (Fig. 2 E) and every other male style clasp viewed in the Telamonini (Wallace 2011), supporting its status as a new telamonine genus. Further, the humeral angles of Mutilifolia are much larger than any species in Archasia, the length of which are greater than the width of the eyes (Fig. 1 D). Mutilifolia also superficially resembles the unplaced Smiliinae Neotropical genera Antianthe and Hemicardiacus based on overall pronotal shape, color, and the enlarged humeral angles. The new genus, however, lacks several features that Antianthe and Hemicardiacus share, including: frontoclypeal margin on head without a ventral projection; and enlarged (but narrow) humeral angles with the anterior margin contacting the lateral margin of the eye (Wallace 2011: fig 12).
Three other characters that distinguish Mutilifolia from most telamonines are: femoral ventral ablateral cucullate seta absent (Fig. 2 G); metathoracic tarsomere II without apical cucullate setae (Fig. 2 F); and the male lateral plate partially fused to tergum IX (Fig. 2 B) (only seen in Telamona extrema Ball thus far, Wallace (2011)). It is interesting that the only other telamonine species examined without apical setae on metathoracic tarsomere II are Neotropical or from the southwestern United States: Heliria mexicana (Stål), Telamona balli Plummer, and Telamonanthe rileyi (Goding). Further, Heliria mexicana, H. sinuata (Fowler) (Mexico and southwest U.S.), Telamona balli, Telamona salvini Distant (Mexico and southern U.S.), and Telamonanthe rileyi are the only telamonines examined lacking ventral ablateral cucullate setae on the femur. These five species also formed the most basal lineages of the Telamonini in Wallace’s (2011) phylogeny. Thus, future phylogenetic analyses of the Telamonini may reveal Mutilifolia as an additional member or close relative of this basal clade, providing additional support for a tropical origin for the tribe.
In lateral view, treehoppers in this genus seem to mimic a weathered, damaged, or maimed leaf. Thus, Mutilus -, Latin for “maimed” or “broken” is combined with – folia, Latin for “leaf.” The gender is female. The genus is based on two specimens of a new species, one male and one female, described below.
description: Published as part of Wallace, Matthew S., 2015, A striking new treehopper genus Mutilifolia (Hemiptera: Membracidae: Smiliinae: Telamonini), from Costa Rica, pp. 83-88 in Zootaxa 3914 (1) on pages 84-85, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.3914.1.7, http://zenodo.org/record/287740