Punia queenslandica Moulds 2020, sp. n.
Creators: name: Moulds, M. S.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2020
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Hemiptera
Cicadidae
Punia
Punia queenslandica

description: Punia queenslandica sp. n.
(Figs 8–9, 17–18, 29)
Types. Holotype male, Morehead R. x-ing, 110 km NW of Laura, 10.i.1988, Queensland, M.S. & B.J. Moulds (QM). Paratypes as follows: QUEENSLAND: 1 male, 35 km S of Townsville, 8359/015546, 7.ii.1998, A. Ewart (AE). 2 males, 1 female, same data as holotype (AM). 4 males, N. Queensland, (Kelsall Coll.), 1910-168 (BMNH). 2 males, 1 female, same data as holotype; 4 males, 3 females, Balgal Beach, Acheron Drive, 12–15.i.2010, K. Green (DE). 2 males, 1 female, same data as holotype; 1 male, 1 female, Balgal Beach, Acheron Drive, 12–15.i.2010, K. Green (LP). 15 males, 4 females, Iron Range, 2, 4, 5, 6.i.1964, M.S. Moulds; 1 male, King Park, Iron Range, 12°46’02’’S’ 143°17’13’’E, 2.i.1996, G. & A. Daniels; 1 male, Coen, 9.i.1964, M.S. Moulds; 1 male, Bathurst Bay, near Cape Melville, 10–15.i.1988, M. Walford-Huggins; 4 males, 1 female, Noble Is., S of Cape Melville, 10–15.i.1988, M. Walford-Huggins; 1 male, 1 female, Carrol Ck, 14 km S of Musgrave Hsd, 10.i.1989, M.S. & B.J. Moulds; 66 males (3 genitalia preps PU6, PU27, PU28), 14 females, Morehead R. x-ing, 110 km NW of Laura, 10.i.1988, 9.i.1990, M.S. & B.J. Moulds; 1 female, 2 km S of McIvor Riv., 9.i.1982, G. & A. Daniels; 7 males (1 genitalia prep. CI108), 3 females, Southedge Tobacco Res. Stn, 12 km NW of Mareeba, 1, 5–7, 15.i.1989, H. & A. Howden; 3 males, 10 km E of Mareeba, 28.xii.1988, 1.i.1989, H. & A. Howden; 4 males, 1 female, Clohesy River crossing, Mareeba road, 1.iii.1973, A. & M. Walford-Huggins; 1 male, Cardwell, 27.xi.1984, A. & M. Walford-Huggins (MSM). 1 male, 1 female, same data as holotype (QM).
Distribution and habitat (Fig. 29). North-eastern Queensland from Iron Range to Mt. Storth (35 km south of Townsville), including localities such as Coen, Bathurst Bay, Noble Island near Cape Melville, Morehead River crossing south of Musgrave homestead and the Mareeba district. There are records from late November to early March but most records are from January and February during the early wet season. Adults inhabit grass that is often browning rather than green.
Male (Figs 8, 17–18). Head usually with vertex black except for a small, light yellowish brown patch on midline adjacent to posterior margin and light yellowish brown supra-antennal plates but sometimes with the black reduced towards ocelli; lora black or nearly so. Postclypeus with a broad central brown or black area ventrally that sometimes extends to dorsal surface; most anterior region of postclypeus always light yellowish brown. Anteclypeus usually light yellowish brown but sometimes black or nearly so. Rostrum yellowish brown basally to varying degrees becoming black distally, reaching apices of hind coxae. Antennae brown to black, often with light yellowish brown scape. Thorax with pronotum light yellowish brown, the paramedian and lateral fissures black and sometimes with irregular black markings between fissures, usually a black fascia either side of a pale dorsal midline not reaching to pronotal collar, a black spot on midline adjacent to pronotal collar, and a blackish patch on lateral angles of pronotal collar. Mesonotum light yellowish brown, the submedian and lateral sigilla black, the scutal depressions black, the area between anterior arms of cruciform elevation usually partly brown or black and sometimes extending to encompass scutal depressions. Wings hyaline; forewing venation brown to black except for pale yellow costa; apical cells on average about as long as ulnar cells with vein CuA divided by crossvein about equally; basal membrane very pale orange. Hindwing venation brown to black except for very pale costal margin and veins 2A and 3A; plaga following veins 2A and 3A whitish and indistinct. Legs light yellowish brown, sometimes with a black longitudinal fascia on coxae; meracantha pale yellow tending whitish. Opercula very pale yellow tending whitish. Timbals with three long ribs spanning timbal membrane and fused dorsally. Abdomen light yellowish brown with tergites 3–6 predominantly translucent pale yellow laterally; dorsal midline dark brown to black variable between individuals often with variable patches of pinkish red, widest on tergites 1–3, tapering distally on tergite 3, narrowest on tergites 4–7; tergites 2–7 also blackish sublaterally including auditory capsule and often extending to cover the greater part of segments 6 and 7; tergites 2–7 narrowly edged pale yellow along posterior margin. Sternites pale yellow to almost white except for sternites VI–VIII usually with dark brown or blackish suffusion.
Genitalia (Figs 17–18). Pygofer dorsal beak not strongly developed, broad and tending confluent with pygofer margin; basal lobe large, in lateral view tending triangular; upper pygofer lobe broad, flat, with a very short accessory tooth much shorter than length of upper pygofer lobe. Uncus very short but broad, gradually tapering to a broadly rounded apex that barely projects beyond anal tube. Claspers broad basally, claw-like, triangular in dorsal view, diverging, distally gently curved downwards to a bluntly pointed apex, concave below. Aedeagus with endotheca gently curved, sclerotized to apex, apically tapering ventrally to become sharply pointed; pseudoparameres a little longer than endotheca, lateral of endotheca, flat on basal half or so becoming rounded distally and gradually tapering to a point, slightly diverging from endotheca from about mid length before weakly curving inwards before apex.
Female (Fig. 9). Similar to male but with much reduced dark markings and without translucent sides to abdomen. Prothorax only with very narrow black or brown markings along median and lateral fissures and mesonotum with incomplete black or brown submedian and lateral sigilla. Abdomen pale brown with irregular black or brown and usually some pinkish red dorsal marking usually terminating at tergite 6, but sublateral black markings absent or very small; abdominal segment 9 pale yellowish brown and without dark markings; ovipositor sheath yellowish brown to black, clearly extending a little beyond apex of abdomen.
Measurements. Range and mean (in mm) for 10 males and 10 females (includes largest and smallest of available specimens). Length of body: male 9.0–10.0 (9.5); female (including ovipositor) 8.5–10.2 (9.6). Length of forewing: male 9.5–10.8 (10.2); female 10.0–11.2 (10.6). Width of head (including eyes): male 2.5–2.8 (2.6); female 2.6–2.9 (2.7). Width of pronotum (across lateral angles): male 2.6–2.9 (2.8); female 2.7–3.0 (2.9).
Etymology. Named for its distribution, the only species of Punia that is found only in Queensland.
Distinguishing features. Differs from all Punia species except P. hyas in having the entire forewing venation (excluding costa) brown or blackish. Differs from P. hyas in being slightly smaller, the male forewing being less than 11 mm long (usually 10.8 mm or less), the female less than 11.5 mm long (usually 11.2 or less) whereas that of male P. hyas is more than 11 mm and the female more than 12.3 mm. Forewing shape is also different, most notable in being broader and with a more swollen costa at the node (compare Figs 6 and 7 with 8 and 9). The distributions of the two species are widely separated, P. queenslandica being found only in Queensland whereas P. hyas is found only in Western Australia and the Northern Territory. The male genitalia have the endotheca gently curved, sclerotized evenly to its apex, and the pseudoparameres lie laterally against the endotheca.
description: Published as part of Moulds, M. S., 2020, A revision of the Australian cicada genus Punia Moulds, 2012 (Cicadidae Cicadettinae: Cicadettini) with the description of four new species, pp. 101-115 in Zootaxa 4860 (1) on pages 110-113, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4860.1.5, http://zenodo.org/record/4413571