Dudanus karra Guglielmino & Seljak & Bückle 2023, n. sp.
Creators: name: Guglielmino, Adalgisa
name: Seljak, Gabrijel
name: Bückle, Christoph
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2023
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Hemiptera
Cicadellidae
Dudanus
Dudanus karra

description: Dudanus karra n. sp.
(Figs 1–4)
Etymology: From the name of the geographical region of the Karst of Trieste, the toponym of which, in turn, derives from the paleo-indoeuropean stem “kar” or “karra” with the meaning of “rock”, “stone”. The species name is a noun in apposition.
Diagnosis: The new species is in size, shape and coloration very similar to both D. pallidus (Fig. 5) and D. javieri (Fig. 6). Its differences to these species and to all other Dudanus taxa consist primarily in the shape of the aedeagus. In lateral view, the aedeagus shaft (Fig. 2A) displays an abrupt bend at about midlength, in ventral view (Figs 2D) the aedeagus tip is widened and there is a very extended hyaline lateral lamella (in the other two species this lamella is small (Fig. 6B) or lacking (Fig. 5B), in D. pallidus the aedeagus shaft is rather equally curved (Fig. 5A)). The paired aedeagus appendages are straight in D. karra n.sp. and in D. javieri (Figs 2A, 6A), distinctly curved in D. pallidus (Fig. 5A). In ventral view, the appendages display irregular teeth on their lateral margin in D. karra n. sp. (Fig. 2D), a distinct angle in D. javieri (Fig. 6D) and a rather equal outline in D. pallidus (Fig. 5D). The female pregenital sternite (Fig. 3F) has its hind margin somewhat less concave in D. karra n. sp. than in the two other taxa (Figs 5G, 6G) (this character is to some degree variable and can be assessed only based on the dissected and flattened sternite): Ratio length of sternite in its lateral (longest) portion to length near central notch ≤ 1.1 in D. karra, ≥ 1.2 in the other taxa; ratio width of sternite to length near central notch ≤ 2.1 in D. karra, ≥ 2.2 in the other taxa.
Remark: The curvature of the aedeagus in lateral view, 90° in the specimen represented in Fig. 2A, is variable to a remarkable degree, and in other specimens the aedeagus bend may be restricted to only about 60°.
Description: Measurements (mm): Males: Total body length: 3.0–3.3; length of vertex: 0.34–0.40; width of head (HW): 0.98–1.08; length of pronotum: 0.35–0.38; width of pronotum (PW): 0.86–0.92; ratio HW/PW: 1.09– 1.14; length of fore wings from shoulder to tip: 0.95–0.99 in brachypterous specimens and 2.17 in one macropterous specimen; sutural length of fore wings: 0.56–0.58; body width over wings: 1.03–1.09; width of fore wings: 0.65– 0.67; length of hind tibia: 1.55–1.64. Females: Total body length: 3.6–4.1; length of vertex: 0.38–0.45; width of head (HW): 1.12–1.20; length of pronotum: 0.40–0.45; width of pronotum (PW): 1.00–1.06; ratio HW/PW: 1.09–1.14; length of fore wings from shoulder to tip: 1.00– 1.07 in brachypterous specimens and 2.20–2,48 in macropterous specimens; sutural length of fore wings: 0.50–0.55; body width over wings: 1.19–1.22; width of fore wings: 0.74– 0.79; length of hind tibia: 1.67–1.78.
Generally brachypterous, exceptionally macropterous (Figs 1A–C). Head distinctly wider than pronotum, vertex between eyes wider than long in sagittal line (above all in males), anteriorly subangular (above all in females), margin between vertex tip and eyes slightly convex; transition of vertex to frons in lateral view rather sharp in sagittal region, more rounded laterally near eyes; vertex shiny with indistinct microsculpture, irregularly rugose in region adjacent to anterior margin, sagittaly with very thin longitudinal furrow, lacking in anterior third. Pronotum shiny with indistinct transverse wrinkles in its posterior half. Scutellum with indistinct microreticulation. Fore wings in brachypterous specimens (Figs 1A, B) somewhat longer than wide, hind margin almost straight, slightly rounded near sutural angle, lateral angle subangular; shiny with indistinct superficial irregular puncture. Hind wings (in brachypterous specimens) present, but largely reduced. Fore wings in macropterous specimens reaching almost end of abdomen in males and leaving uncovered last segment in females (Fig. 1C); wing transparent, with complete, often hardly discernible venation; hind wings normally developed. Abdomen dorsally moderately shiny due to very subtle microreticulation. Pygofer with many strong and long bristles directed laterad and caudad.
Coloration: General coloration straw-coloured yellow. Upper part of face dark brown with irregular transverse rows of small light spots (Fig. 1E). Area on both sides of ocelli brown. Temples brown with central light spot. Lateral margin of pronotum dark brown. Fore wings near lateral margin with brown longitudinal stripe originating from shoulder, narrowing and fading posteriad before reaching hind margin, exceptionally extended to the hind margins in some females. In macropterous specimens, this stripe extends at most to one quarter of the wing length. Tibiae with basis of bristles mostly brown. Males with ± extended black approximately triangular area on genital plates, not reaching margins; anal tube dorsally shiny black with light lateral and caudal margins. Females with small rounded dark spot dorsally on pygofer, anal tube dorsally black, and ± extended dark areas near central notch of hind margin of pregenital sternite.
Male genitalia (Figs 2, 3A–E): Aedeagus shaft strongly bent dorsad at about midlength and in apical half dorsally with fine spinules (Fig. 2C), laterally provided with very extended hyaline lamella (Fig. 2B) except for apical portion; paired appendages reaching approximately bending of shaft, acuminate apicad, with some irregular small teeth laterally at about midlength (Fig. 2). Style widening apicad, truncate with apical falciform apophysis and subapical oblique row of bristles (Fig. 3C). Connective stout with divaricate portion about a third of complete length (Fig. 3D). Genital valve laterally short, hind margin arcuate, in its sagittal region more than half as long as genital plates. Genital plates elongate triangular, apex acuminate, along lateral margin with row of ca. 12 robust and many smaller irregularly arranged bristles (Figs 3A, B). Pygofer (Figs 1A, 3E) with many long bristles, dorsally with straight hind margin. Anal tube (Figs 1A, 3E) with sclerotized slightly convex dorsal plate, connected directly with hind margin of pygofer without extended flexible membranous area; ventral part small, slightly sclerotized.
Female genitalia: Pregenital sternite about two times as wide as long, posterior margin moderately concave with small but distinct central notch (Fig. 3F). Pygofer covered by long and robust bristles, particularly in its apical portion (Figs 1B, C). Anal tube small, largely covered by caudal parts of pygofer. Ovipositor barely protruding beyond pygofer; second valves with about 25–30 distinct dorsal teeth, proximal ones large and rather irregular, distal ones smaller, close together and quite regular (Fig. 4).
Description of the 5 th instar (Fig. 1D): Corresponding to the 5 th instar described by Dmitriev (2002) for brachypterous Athysanini. Body length 3.2–4.2 mm (avg. 3.52 mm; n=15); body ground colour sordidly yellowish, in live specimens glassy, shiny; four longitudinal brown stripes running from head to apex of abdomen; lateral ones in cephalo-thoracic region distinctly wider and stronger than submedian ones, running through eyes, pronotum and wing pads; in contrast, abdominal submedian stripes broader than lateral ones and mostly marbled with pale yellow and dark brown patches on segments III to VIII. Head wider than pronotum; face light brown marbled, except for white genae below antennae; vertex 1.3–1.6 times as long as pronotum, its fore margin nearly rectangular with two submedian brown stripes; eyes almost completely or at least below endarkened by dark brown or nearly black lateral bands. Pronotum with two submedian brown stripes and dark brown lateral angles. Wing pads typical for species with brachypterous adults, about as long as pterothorax medially and apices of forewing pads not reaching apices of hindwing pads (see Dmitriev 2002). Legs bright, sparsely brown-spotted, hind femur with brown band dorsally and subapical patch ventrally; each bristle emerging from brown base; femoral apical dorsal setae 2+2+1; tarsi biarticulated. Abdomen chaetotaxy of type V according to Dmitriev (2002); tergites III–VIII with 4 setae each, mostly emerging from light base. Brown pleural band on each abdomen site; sternites III (IV)–VIII with posterolateral dark bands, often interrupted medially. Pygofer conical, apically black; gonapophyses dark brown at least in apical half.
Remark: The nymph of D. karra strongly resembles the nymph of D. junatovi as figured in Dmitriev (2006, Fig. 213).
Type series:
Holotype: ♁ Italy: Friuli-Venezia Giulia (Trieste), Basovizza, S. Lorenzo, Monte Stena [N45°37’08’’ E13°53’01’’], 432 m; 21/07/2016 (loc. 781); mixed forest, meadows, dry heath with Artemisia alba, Quercus, Pinus, Stipa, Brachypodium; Guglielmino & Bückle leg. Paratypes: Same data as holotype; 18♁, 6♀.—Same locality; 03/08/2015 (loc. 756); 3♁, 3♀.—Same locality; 28/08/2015 (loc. 757); 4♀.— Valle d’Aosta (Aosta): Aosta, Gressan, Riserva Naturale della Gargantua; N45°43’18.0’’ E07°17’45.6’’; 650m; 08/08/2022 (loc. 890); dry slope on a moraine hill with Artemisia campestris, Poaceae, Stipa, Quercus, Pinus, Ostrya; Guglielmino & Bückle leg.; 6♁, 1♀.— Slovenia: Socerb [N45°35’40” E13°52’07”], 440 m; 21.9.2016; dry grassland with Stipa pennata s.l., Bromus erectus, Brachypodium pinnatum, Festuca rupicola, Sesleria autumnalis at a forest edge with sparse trees and shrubs of Pinus nigra, Fraxinus ornus, Cotinus coggygria, Ostrya carpinifolia; Seljak leg.; 9♀.—Same locality; 3.7.2017; 7♁, 2♀.—Rakitovec [N45°28‘36“ E13°57‘13“], 520 m; 11.9.2016; dry grassland with prevailing Stipa pennata and some other grasses like Festuca rupicola, Bromus erectus, Brachypodium pinnatum, Sesleria autumnalis at a forest edge with sparse trees and shrubs of Pinus nigra, Fraxinus ornus, Cotinus coggygria and Prunus mahaleb; Seljak leg.; 22♀.—Same locality; 18.7.2018; 8♁, 12♀, 1 macropterous ♀.—Rakitovec; N45°29‘06“ E13°55‘04“; 500 m; 7.8.2021; extremely dry and rocky pasture with dominate grasses Stipa pennata s.l. and Sesleria juncifolia mixed with xerophilous herbs like Satureja montana, Ruta divaricata, Teucrium montanum, Inula ensifolia, Scorzonera villosa; Seljak leg.; 1♁, 3♀.—Same locality; 24.06.2022; 9 brachypterous ♁, 1 macropterous ♁, 3 brachypterous ♀, 2 macropterous ♀.—Lukovec; N45°50‘25“ E13°48‘44“; 380 m; 18.9.2022; Seljak leg.; plant community similar to the previous locality; 35 brachypterous ♀.
Holotype, 2 male and 2 female paratypes are deposited in Senckenberg Naturhistorische Sammlungen Dresden, Museum für Tierkunde, Dresden, Germany (MTD); 25 male and 12 female paratypes are deposited in Private collection Christoph Bückle (CB). 2 male and 1 female paratypes are deposited in the Slovenian Museum of Natural History, Ljubljana, Slovenia (PMSL); 24 male and 88 female paratypes are deposited in Private collection Gabrijel Seljak (GSPC).
Further material: Italy: Friuli-Venezia Giulia (Trieste), Basovizza, S. Lorenzo, Monte Stena [N45°37’08’’ E13°53’01’’], 432 m; 21/07/2016 (loc. 781); mixed forest, meadows, dry heath with Artemisia alba, Quercus, Pinus, Stipa, Brachypodium; Guglielmino & Bückle leg.; 5 ♁, 5 ♀ (in ethanol). (CB).— Slovenia: Socerb [N45°35’40” E13°52’07”], 440 m; 3.7.2017; dry grassland with Stipa pennata s.l., Bromus erectus, Brachypodium pinnatum, Festuca rupicola, Sesleria autumnalis at a forest edge with sparse trees and shrubs of Pinus nigra, Fraxinus ornus, Cotinus coggygria, Ostrya carpinifolia; Seljak leg.; 3 nymphs (N5).—Rakitovec [N45°29’06” E13°55’04”], 500 m; 24.06.2022; extremely dry and rocky pasture with dominant grasses Stipa pennata s.l. and Sesleria juncifolia mixed with xerophilous herbs like Satureja montana, Ruta divaricata, Teucrium montanum, Inula ensifolia, Scorzonera villosa; Seljak leg.; 17 nymphs (N5; 2 dry mounted, 15 in ethanol). (GSPC).
Distribution: The new species was found in a restricted area on both sides of the border between Italy (Friuli Venezia Giulia) and Slovenia (Fig. 8B), and in one locality in the Aosta Valley (Fig. 8A).
Ecology (Fig. 7): The species lives on dry heath biotopes and steppe slopes at about 400–650m on Stipa pennata L. s.l. (Fig. 7F).
Phenology: The species is univoltine. Adults were collected from end of June until end of September (24/06– 21/09), males only until beginning of August (08/08); nymphs V were collected at end of June (24/06) and beginning of July (03/07).
description: Published as part of Guglielmino, Adalgisa, Seljak, Gabrijel & Bückle, Christoph, 2023, Study on the genus Dudanus (Auchenorrhyncha, Cicadellidae, Deltocephalinae) in Western and Central Europe with description of a new species, pp. 408-420 in Zootaxa 5239 (3) on pages 410-418, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5239.3.5, http://zenodo.org/record/7634993