Tartessus swezeyi Metcalf, 1946, new species
Creators: name: Metcalf, Z. P.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 1946
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Hemiptera
Cicadellidae
Tartessus
Tartessus swezeyi

description: 8. Tartessus swezeyi, new species (fig. 16, <i>a-d).</i> Vertex very short, only about half as long on the median line as next the eye, projecting distinctly in front of the eyes. Postclypeus longer than broad, separated into two distinct areas by an irregular transverse ridge which runs parallel to the anterior margin of the head. Anteclypeus broad, flat with a fairly distinct median carina; preocular region elongate, narrow, about three times as long as broad, forming a distinct ledge above the small antenna. Pronotum 1.5 times as broad as long; the surface finely, irregularly, transversely rugulose; anterior margins strongly produced; posterior margin broadly incised. Female genitalia: last abdominal segment broader than long; the produced posterior margin with a median U-shaped sinus; the posterior lateral angles of the sinus obtusely, triangularly produced. External male genitalia: last ventral segment elongate, produced, posterior lateral margins broadly rounded to a median V-shaped notch; genital plates narrow, elongate, nearly four times as long as basal width, tapering to obtuse apices. Internal male genitalia: aedeagus short, conical, genital styles with the basal half nearly quadrate, interior apical angle produced into elongate, outwardly directed, acute spines. General color of the darker females fuscous, with the head, thorax, legs, and pregenital plate ochraceous tawny. Compound eyes black, preocular area at the base of the antennae black, a large spot on the mesopleura and metapleura black; all the femora lined with blackish. Tegmina ochraceous olive with the veins blackish fuscous. First sternite chiefly ochraceous tawny; other sternites chiefly fuscous with the posterior borders ochraceous tawny; tergites chiefly black with elongate ochraceous tawny spots in the basal area. Typically the males are much darker and more heavily marked than the females. The head and thorax in the males chiefly ochraceous orange. The tegmina are chiefly blackish fuscous with the veins black; clavus pale green with the veins black. Vertex ochraceous orange; posterior border narrowly black. Face ochraceous orange with a narrow border of black just below the vertex; a broadly curving fascia of black at the level of the antennae; below this band there is a central spot on the postclypeus which is black; the lateral borders of the postclypeus are narrowly black connecting across the narrow part of the postclypeus below the central black area and then the ventral area of the postclypeus ochraceous orange with the lateral borders heavily marked with black. The anteclypeus is also bordered with black. Venter of thorax chiefly black. Fore and middle legs ochraceous orange heavily marked with black; posterior legs chiefly black or blackish fuscous. Abdomen entirely black. Length: to apex of tegmina of male, 7.25 mm.; of female, 9 mm. There are nymphs of at least four different stages in the present collection. They are chiefly ochraceous yellow in color, more or less marked with black; eyes usually black; lateral and posterior margins of the tegminal pads chiefly black and the lateral borders of some of the dorsal abdominal segments marked with black; face has two bright orange curving fasciae, one on the dorsal margin and one at about the level of the antennae. The front legs very much stouter than the corresponding limbs in the adults. In the youngest of the nymphs, the posterior border of the whole femur is sparsely ciliate with long setae. The tibia which is greatly flattened is closely ciliate on both the anterior and posterior border with elongate setae forming a curious basket-like structure which must be correlated with the life of the nymph. Holotype male, allotype female, Asan, Aug. 22, on <i>Ficus</i> sp., Swezey; paratypes: two males and three females, Asan, Aug. 22, on <i>Ficus</i> sp., Swezey; one male, Barrigada, July 22, on <i>Premna</i> sp., Swezey; one male, Upi Trail, May 5, Usinger; two males and one female, Ritidian Point, April 22, E. H. Bryan, Jr.; one male and one female, Aug. 6, Swezey; one male and two females, Mai;hanao, June 30, Swezey; one male, Mt. Chachao, May 16, Swezey; two m~es and one female, Piti, Aug. 18, on <i>Glochidion</i> sp., Swezey; three males, Santa Rosa Peak, May 19, Swezey; one male, Mt. Alifan, April 20, E. H. Bryan, Jr. Structurally this species seems to be closest to <i>Tartessus fieberi</i> Stal, but the genitalia are sufficiently distinct and the coloring is quite distinct.
description: Published as part of <i>Metcalf, Z. P., 1946, Homoptera, Fulgoroidea and Jassoidea of Guam, pp. 105-148 in Insects of Guam II, Honolulu, Hawaii :Bernice P. Bishop Museum Bulletin 189</i> on pages 130-131, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.5174008