Chirodisca astyages
Creators: name: Gnezdilov, Vladimir M.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2024
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Hemiptera
Caliscelidae
Chirodisca
Chirodisca astyages

description: Chirodisca astyages (Dlabola, 1982)
(Figs 1–8, 12–23)
Caliscelis eximia: Logvinenko 1968: 21 (misidentification).
Caliscelis dimidiata: Dlabola 1981: 172 (misidentification).
Caliscelis astyages: Dlabola 1982: 114, figs 1–7 (sp. n.).
Caliscelis astyages: Dlabola 1994: 59 (record).
Chirodisca astyages: Emeljanov: 1996: 834 (comb. n.).
Material examined: Georgia: 2♂, 3 km E of main camp, Vashlovansky Reserve, 26.VI.1984, A.F. Emeljanov leg. (ZIN). Armenia: 1♂, Erevan, 9.VIII.1935, M.E. Ter-Minasyan & A.A. Richter leg. (ZIN); 5♀, Dzhervezh, near Erevan, IX–X.1956, V.A. Tryapitsyn leg. (ZIN). Azerbaijan: 2♀, Gyandzha, 27.X.1934, on cotton (ZIN); 1♂, 3 nymphs, Nakhichavan Republic, 5 km S Bilav, 15.VII.1984, A.F. Emeljanov leg. (ZIN). Turkmenistan: 1♀, Kopet Dagh, Kelpe-chinar, SO Ashkhabad, 1.IX.1935, Arnoldi leg. (ZIN); 1 nymph, Igdedzhik, 6 km NW Kara-Kala, 15.V.1953, Garnovskaya leg. (ZIN); 3♂, 5 km S Iolotani, 4.VIII.1973, A.F. Emeljanov leg. (ZIN). Iran: 1♂, Gilan, Ganjeh, 14.V.–13.VI.1995; 1♂, 1♀, Manjil, 22.IX.1998, all leg. R. Linnavuori (NMWC); 1♂, 25 km E Kazerun, Shanur River, 22.X.1977, M.A. Kozlov leg. (ZIN). Iraq: 3♂, 2♀, al-Anbar, nr. Al Fallujah, 5.X.1979, R. Linnavuori leg. (NMWC); 1♀, Bagdad, Kálalová leg. (MNHN); 1♂, 3♀, Baghdad Province, Abu-Ghraib, 13.XII.1957 – 26.X.1958, R. Remane leg. (SNSD). Israel: 3♂, 5♀, S. Distr., Be’er Sheva, 1.VI.–2.VIII.1986, R. Linnavuori leg. (NMWC); 3♀, 5 nymphs, Samaria, Ariel, 21–23.IX.1996, A.P. Rasnitsyn leg. (ZMMU); 1♂, Ein-Gedi (Dead Sea), 25.III.1964, P. Oman leg. (MNHN). Egypte: 1♂, Wadi Meshash (prés Ougret el Sheq, desert arabique, par Hélonan), 10.V.1928, “Anastase Alfieri Collection 1962” (MNHN). Yemen: 1♀, Hudaydah Al Miqiaf-Al Qanawis, 19.V.1992, R. Linnavuori leg. (NMWC).
Emended description. Male. Structure. Coryphe elongate, with anterior margin acutely angularly convex, sometimes obtusely angularly convex; lateral margins weakly divergent posteriorly (Figs 2, 7, 8). Coryphe with median carina developed to varying degrees in different specimens or even absent. Metope 1.5 times as long as wide between the eyes, upper margin weakly concave or nearly straight in ventral view (Fig. 3). Metopoclypeal suture convex. Coryphe and metope joined at acute angle (spout-shaped) in lateral view (Fig. 1). Pedicel elongately bowlshaped. Pronotum medially half as long as coryphe, with median carina. Mesonotum almost as long as coryphe and longer than pronotum, with median and lateral carinae. Fore wing posterior margin slightly surpassing third abdominal tergite (Fig. 1). Fore wings may have three transverse veins between radius and median. Arolium of pretarsus with its apical margin reaching claw apices in dorsal view. Middle femora and tibiae slightly flattened.
Male. Coloration (Figs 1–3). Head, fore wings and abdomen straw yellow from top and bottom. Head, pro- and mesonotum with sparse brown spots. Postclypeus brown to dark brown laterally. Scapus and pedicel light brown. Paranotal lobes of pronotum below, fore and middle coxae, fore femora and tibiae, episternae and epimerae, fore wings from their costal margins to their claval sutures, and abdomen laterally black. In poorly pigmented specimens paranotal lobes of pronotum, fore femora and tibiae, and fore wings anteriorly dark brown or even light brown. Claval suture of fore wing with dark brown stripe along its inner margin. Middle and hind femora dark brown. Middle and hind tibiae brown to dark brown proximally and yellow distally. Tarsi yellow. Claws dark brown to black. Tips of leg spines black. Anal tube pale yellow. Pygofer and styles reddish brown to dark brown.
Male genitalia structure. As given for genus (Figs 18–23). Anal tube slightly elongated, 1.3 times as long as wide medially, rounded apically (Fig. 19).
Female. Structure. Coryphe weakly transverse, with obtusely angularly convex anterior margin; sometimes weakly convex (Fig. 6). Fore wings in brachypterous specimens, not reaching hind margin of third abdominal tergite (Fig. 4), but exceeding abominal apex by half of its length in macropterous specimens (Fig. 5), clavus long, 2/3 of wing length, closed, Pcu + A 1 fused with CuP before claval apex (Fig. 14). Basal cell elongately oval. Fore wing vein sequence (macropterous): subcostal area with five veins, sometimes with pterostigma between them; R, M, and CuA running by common stem from the basal cell; R 1; r-m 4; M 3, firstly furcating above claval apex and anterior branch also furcating apically; m-cua 2; CuA 1; Pcu and A 1 fused before claval middle (Figs 14, 15). Hind wings in macropterous specimens as long as fore wings, with coupling lobe and weak cubital and vannal clefts. Hind wing vein sequence: R 2, shortly furcating apically after coupling lobe; r-m 1; M 3, furcating apically; m-cua 1; CuA 1; CuP 1; Pcu 1; A 1 1; A 2 1 (Fig. 16). Middle femora and tibiae slightly flattened.
Female. Coloration (Figs 4, 5). Generally straw-yellow, with brown to dark brown spots particularly dense on fore and middle femora and tibiae, sometimes merging into dark spots here. In well pigmented specimens general coloration brown to dark brown. Hind epimerae and episternae dark brown to black. Macropterous specimens with brown to dark brown stripes on fore wing clavus, between cubitus posterior and postcubitus, and between postcubitus and first anal vein, and with some cells of corium brown. Claws and dorso-lateral plates of pretarsus dark brown to black.
5 th instar nymph. Structure. Metope elongate, with strong median and sublateral carinae; median carina starting below its upper margin and extending throughout the postclypeus; sublateral carinae starting from its upper margin and reaching the metopoclypeal suture. Metope with two rows of sensory pits at each side between its lateral margin and sublateral carina—7 pits in inner row + 4 pits in outer row. Coryphe long, triangular, with strongly acute, angulate anterior margin (Figs 12, 13). Coryphe with median carina. Coryphe and metope joined at an acute angle (in lateral view). Pro-, meso-, and postnotum with median and lateral carinae. Disc of pronotum with five (4 + 1) pits along its lateral margin on each side (Fig. 13). Each paranotal lobe of pronotum with a single pit on its upper margin. Anterior wing pads each with three (2 + 1) pits outside of the lateral carina of the mesonotum. Posterior wing pads of metanotum each with two sensory pits. Fore femora and tibiae flattened and foliate. Middle femora and tibiae slightly flattened. Hind tibia with a single lateral spine above its middle and with five apical spines. Tarsomeres with three segments. First metatarsomere with two lateral and one intermediate spines apically. Second metatarsomere with only two latero-apical spines. Tergites IV–VI and VIII with two pits laterally on each side (Fig. 13). Tergite VII with three lateral pits on each side. Segment IX with four pits—two dorsal and two ventral ones.
5 th instar nymph. Coloration. Generally yellowish brown, with dark brown spots particularly dense on abdomen (Fig. 12). Fore femora and tibiae dark brown to black. Scapus, pedicel, lateral parts of postclypeus, and middle and hind femora and tibiae dark brown. Claws dark brown to black. Tips of leg spines black.
Total length. Males—2.5–3.0 mm. Females—3.5–4.0 mm (5.5 mm with fore wings in macropterous specimens). Nymphs— 2.5–3.7 mm.
Biology. In Caucasus and Middle Asia the species is occurring on Erianthus ravennae (L.) Beauv. (A.F. Emeljanov, pers. comm. 2008). In Nakhichevan Republic (Azerbaijan) the species was collected “at opened arid slopes with sparse herbaceous plants” (Logvinenko 1968).
description: Published as part of Gnezdilov, Vladimir M., 2024, Review of the genus Chirodisca Emeljanov, 1996 (Hemiptera: Fulgoroidea: Caliscelidae), pp. 520-536 in Zootaxa 5497 (4) on pages 522-528, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5497.4.4, http://zenodo.org/record/13618965