Herrera melanomesocranon Sanborn 2019, n. sp.
Creators: name: Sanborn, Allen F.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2019
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Hemiptera
Cicadidae
Herrera
Herrera melanomesocranon

description: Herrera melanomesocranon n. sp.
(Fig. 16)
TYPE MATERIAL. Holotype. “ BOLIVIA, S. Cruz Dept. / “ Halco” nr Portrerillo / 1 December 2012 / James Wappes // Across Guend fm / Portrerillo 1,270m / 17º 40’36”S 63º 26’59”W ” male (FSCA). Paratypes. “ BOLIVIA: Saavedra / Dept. Santa Cruz / Agr. Exp. Sta. // R.B. Cumming / 27-XII-59 / blacklight trap ” one female (FSCA); “ BOLIVIA: Saavedra / Dept. Santa Cruz / Agr. Exp. Sta. // R.B. Cumming / 3-I-60 / blacklight trap ” one female (AFSC); “ BOLIVIA: Saavedra / Dept. Santa Cruz / Agr. Exp. Sta. // R.B. Cumming / 7-I-60 / blacklight trap ” one female (FSCA); “ BOLIVIA: Santa Cruz, 3.7 km / SSE Buena Vista, Hotel Flora / & Fauna, 430 m; 5–15-XI-2001 / coll. M.C. Thomas & B. Dozier / tropical transition forest, BLT ” one male and two females (FSCA), one female (AFSC); “ BOLIVIA, Santa Cruz / 40km NW Santa Cruz / Potrerillo del Guendà / elev. 400m / Gino Nearns 17-XII-2004 ” one male (FSCA); “ BOLIVIA: Santa Cruz / 3.7 km SSE Buena / Vista, Hotel Flora / & Fauna, 430 m // B.K. Dozier / 2–13-II-2000 / Collector” one male (FSCA); “ BOLIVIA, Cocha. / Villa Tunari, Hotel / El Puente, ~ 400m. / II- 14–15-2007 // C.W. & L. O’Brien / UV&Hg vapor light ” one male (AFSC, from Lois O’Brien); “ BOLIVIA: La Paz Dept. / PN & ANMI Cotapata, Estación / Bio. Tunquini, Riachuelo Santa / Catarina, el. 1,525 m / 16º 11.686’ S, 67º 52.083’ W / 01.xii.2004 / Robertson, Pan Trap ” one female (UMSP); “ BOLIVIA, Dpto. La Paz, / Prov. Nor Yungas, / Huarinilla, 3750ft., / 16 o 12’S, 67 o 48”W, / 11–XI–2009, S. M. Clark “ two males and two females (BYUC), two males and one female (AFSC); “ BOLIVIA, Dpto. La Paz / Prov. Nor Yungas, / Yolosa, / 16 o 14.43’S / 67 o 44.20’W, 4100 ft., / 12-XII-2008 / V.J. Anderson ” one male (AFSC); “ BOLIVIA, Dpto. La Paz, / Prov. Nor Yungas, / Huarinilla, / 16 o 12’S, 67 o 48”W, 3830 ft., / 10-XII-2008, V.J. Anderson “ one male and one female (BYUC), one female (AFSC).
REMARKS. The primarily piceous head makes the species fairly easy to distinguish from other Herrera species.
ETYMOLOGY. The name is in reference to the piceous (Gr., melanos, black) marking on the dorsal head (Gr., mesokranon, crown of the head).
DESCRIPTION. Ground color pale yellow-green, head marked with tawny and piceous, abdomen tawny in some paratypes. Green may predominate in fresh specimens as there is some green on the ventral surfaces of several paratypes.
Head. Head slightly wider than mesonotum, dorsal head piceous except tawny mark on posterior epicranial suture posterior to median ocellus, curved tawny mark between lateral ocelli and eyes extending from posterior head to anterior vertex and supra-antennal plate, piceous mark extends laterally to posterior cranial depression, extending to eye forming a transverse fascia or posterior of head piceous in some paratypes, margin of eye piceous. Ocelli rosaceous, rosaceous or ochraceous in paratypes. Eyes testaceous, ranging from dark testaceous to ochraceous in paratypes, long silvery pile posterior to eye, short golden pile on dorsal head in some paratypes. Gena piceous with ground color anteromedial margin, antennal cavity, medial half of margin along anterior lorum, and posterolateral margin lateral to lorum. Lorum piceous except anteromedial ground color spot. Postclypeus ground color, centrally sulcate from anterior to posteroventral margin to around apex with dark castaneous longitudinal fasciae on either side of central sulcus, with ten transverse grooves, short silvery pile on lateral margin. Anteclypeus ground color with piceous spot on anterolateral corner, castaneous fascia along carina not reaching margins, and transverse castaneous fascia on ventroposterior margin. Long silvery pile on ventral head and anteclypeus. Mentum ground color, labium ground color with piceous tip, reaching to anterior of hind coxae. Antennae ground color with annular castaneous markings on scape, pedicel and first flagellar segment.
Thorax. Dorsal thorax ground color. Pronotum unmarked, sparse golden pile on lateral disc, pronotal collar ground color. Mesonotum ground color, unmarked, parapsidal suture and scutal depressions darker in some paratypes, slight mottling in lateral sigillae where muscles attached internally in some paratypes. Metanotum ground color. Short golden pile between anterior arms of cruciform elevation, posterior to anterior arms of cruciform elevation and radiating from dorsoposterior metanotum, long golden pile on posterior half of lateral mesothorax, posterior mesothorax, radiating from posterior wing groove, and on lateral metanotum. Ventral thoracic segments ground color except piceous basisternum 2, castaneous trochantin 2, meron 2 margined with piceous, piceous spot on basisternum 3, transverse castaneous fascia on medial episternum 3, and trochantin 3 margined with castaneous, with long and short silvery pile.
Wings. Fore wings and hind wings hyaline, with eight and six apical cells respectively. Venation ground color, becoming piceous distally in apical cells, except piceous anal vein 2 + 3, pterostigma present. Basal membrane grayish. Hind wing venation ground color becoming castaneous distally. Basal half of anal cell 3 gray, anal cell 2 along proximal anal vein 3, anal cell 3 along proximal half of anal vein 3 margined with gray.
Legs. Ground color, lateral coxae, distal anterior coxae and trochanters dark castaneous, anterolateral coxae tawny, femora darker with ground color distal terminus, tibiae ground color with darker distal terminus, proportion decreasing in posterior legs, tarsi ground color except darker distal pretarsus, pretarsal claws dark ground color at base with piceous tips, long golden pile radiating from legs. Fore femora with proximal spine longest and most oblique, secondary spine only slightly angled with curved tip, slightly longer than tertiary spine, tertiary spine angled less than primary spine, shorter than secondary spine in length with greater curving tip, and very small, curving apical spine emerging from distal base of tertiary spine. Spines castaneous with darker tips. Tibial spurs and comb castaneous with darker tips.
Operculum. Male operculum ground color, covered with short silvery pile and radiating long silvery pile, white pubescence in some paratypes, slightly expanded at lateral base, lateral margin curving mediad to semicircular posterior margin to rounded medial margin, not meeting medially, barely covering tympanum reaching to anterior of sternite II. Meracanthus pointed, ground color with castaneous on lateral base, reaching about half distance to posterior opercular margin. Female operculum ground color, similar shape to male, reaching medially to middle meracanthus not covering tympanal cavity, covered with short silvery pile and white pubescence and radiating long silvery pile. Female meracanthus broadly triangular, pointed, extending beyond posterior margin of operculum, ground color with castaneous base, with silvery pile on base.
Abdomen. Tergites ground color, posterior male tergite 8 margined in piceous, covered with silvery pile, more dense laterally, longer pile on lateral tergites more dense in posterior tergites. Timbal cover absent, timbal with nine long ribs and eight intercalary ribs. Male sternite I ground color with piceous medioposterior spot, remaining sternites ground color with medial castaneous region, proportion of castaneous increasing in posterior sternites, posterior margin of sternite VII transverse, sternite VIII with curved notch posteriorly, long silvery pile radiating from sternites, epipleurites similarly colored to sternites, venter with white pubescence in some paratypes, denser laterally. Female tergites and epipleurites colored similar to male except castaneous darker, white pubescence. Female sternite VII with deeply curved notch almost reaching anterior margin, margin of notch extending to point posteriorly producing small triangular extension beyond lateral posterior margin, lateral posterior margin forming oblique angle to anterolateral terminus. Female abdominal segment 9 ground color, castaneous fascia on either side of anterior midline, castaneous spot on anterolateral margin, dorsal beak darker, short silvery pile dorsally and radiating long golden pile ventrally and laterally. Posterior margin of abdominal segment 9 curved.
Genitalia. Male pygofer ground color, dorsal beak darker. Dorsal beak narrow, extending at right angle from straight distal shoulder. Pygofer basal lobe extended, adpressed to pygofer, curving laterad from base along pygofer forming an arch with rounded apex, dense, long golden pile radiating from distal region, particularly dense at tip, long golden pile radiating from pygofer margin at level of basal lobe appendage. Uncus absent, claspers small, knob-like posterior to anal styles. Basal lobe appendage, flattened, broad at base curving to produce thin, lighter colored extension with tapering tip extending at right angle from base. Aedeagus castaneous with a tawny terminal membrane.
Female gonocoxite IX piceous or castaneous. Gonapophysis IX castaneous with piceous tip. Gonapophysis X piceous. Ovipositor sheath extends beyond dorsal beak. Dorsal beak extending about twice as long as ground color anal styles. Long golden pile radiating from ovipositor sheath, ovipositor sheath covered with short golden pile.
MEASUREMENTS (MM). N = 10 males or 10 females, mean (range). Length of body: males 14.62 (13.0–16.4), females 16.30 (15.2–17.8); length of fore wing: males 20.09 (19.15–20.7), females 21.19 (19.0–22.35); width of fore wing: males 7.37 (6.75–7.7), females 7.34 (6.55–8.1); length of head: males 2.34 (2.25–2.4), females 2.38 (2.3–2.4); width of head including eyes: males 5.17 (4.85–5.5), females 5.48 (5.1–5.9); width of pronotum including suprahumeral plates: males 6.05 (5.45–6.75), females 6.29 (5.75–6.95); width of mesonotum: males 5.05 (4.7–5.4), females 5.20 (4.75–5.75).
DIAGNOSIS. Herrera melanomesocranon n. sp. can be distinguished from H. concolor n. sp., H. criqualicae n. comb., and H. phyllodes n. sp. by the lack of markings in those species and the primarily piceous head in this new species. The primarily piceous bodies distinguish H. lugubrina lugubrina and H. laticapitata from this new species. Herrera freiae n. sp., H. lugubrina compostelensis, H. guianaensis n. comb., H. humilistrata, H. nigrotorquata, H. sigillata, H. signifera n. sp., and H. turbida possess obvious piceous markings on the thorax. Herrera quinimaculata (Sanborn, 2011a) n. comb. can be distinguished by the five piceous spots on the dorsal mesothorax. The lack of piceous on the head and the non-contrasting abdomen distinguishes this new species from H. ancilla, H. coyamensis, and H. umbraphila. The Cuban H. infuscata has infuscation on the apex of the fore wings.
DISTRIBUTION. The species is known only from the type series collected in Cochabamba, La Paz and Santa Cruz Departments, Bolivia.
description: Published as part of Sanborn, Allen F., 2019, The cicadas (Hemiptera: Cicadidae) of Bolivia including the descriptions of fifteen new species, the resurrection of one genus and two species, seven new combinations, six new synonymies, and twenty-eight new records, pp. 1-104 in Zootaxa 4655 (1) on pages 82-85, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4655.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/3365845