Herrera nigropercula Sanborn 2020, n. sp.
Creators: name: Sanborn, Allen F.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2020
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Hemiptera
Cicadidae
Herrera
Herrera nigropercula

description: Herrera nigropercula n. sp.
(Fig. 21)
TYPE MATERIAL. Holotype. “ PERU: San Martin Dept. / Moyabamba, vic. / Ecológico “ Rumipata ” / 11–13-X-2012 J. E. Eger // S 06º 04’32.0”, W / 076º 58’ 07.5” 970 / m, MV & UV Light” male (FSCA). Paratypes. Same data as holotype, one male (AFSC); “ ECUADOR: Sucumbios / Sacha Lodge. 0.5ºS, / 76.5ºW. 14–24.iii / 1994. P.Hibbs. MT. 290m // LACM ENT 403627 ” one male (LACM).
ETYMOLOGY. The name is a combination of nigr- (L. niger, black) and -opercula (L. operculum, cover, lid) in reference to the distinctive piceous operculum of the male of the species.
REMARKS. This is another small species with piceous markings on the head and thorax and a piceous fascia on the abdominal sternites. It is the only known Herrera species with the piceous opercula.
DESCRIPTION. Ground color of head and thorax greenish-tawny marked with piceous, abdomen castaneous and ochraceous.
Head. Head wider than mesonotum, ground color with piceous frons, mark extending posteriorly as fascia surrounding lateral ocelli to posterior head, posterior margin and posterior of eye piceous, eye margined in piceous. Ocelli rosaceous, eyes ochraceous, castaneous in one paratype. Dorsal head radiating long piceous pile, long silvery pile posterior to eye. Gena piceous with ground color margin along lorum, lorum piceous except ground color anteromedial corner. Postclypeus ground color with transverse piceous fascia in medial transverse grooves on either side of midline, centrally sulcate from anterior to posteroventral margin to apex, with eleven transverse ridges, short silvery pile on lateral margin, radiating long piceous pile. Anteclypeus ground piceous with color triangular mark on anterior margin and carina. Ventral head and anteclypeus with short silvery, long white pile and radiating piceous pile. Mentum ground color, labium ground color with piceous lateral fascia and tip, reaching to hind trochanters. Antennal segments castaneous except ground color distal annulus on scape and proximal pedicel.
Thorax. Dorsal thorax ground color, pronotum with W-shaped piceous mark on posterior midline connecting lateral mark extending from anteromedial disc between paramedian and lateral fissure to ambient fissure through posterior lateral fissure, expanding anteriorly on disk and in posterior paramedian fissure, lateral mark curved in one paratype, curved piceous fascia disk between paramedian fissure and anterior margin, linear piceous fascia on lateral disk, darker in paratypes, pronotal collar ground color, pronotum with sparse short golden pile, radiating long piceous pile. Mesonotum with J-shaped piceous mark along medial, posterior and posterolateral submedian sigilla, lateral sigilla outlined in piceous with posterior sigilla piceous, piceous extends onto anterolateral corner and posterolateral margin, hemispherical piceous spot anterior to anterior arms of cruciform elevation including scutal depression laterally, meeting medially and extending anteriorly on midline terminating between submedian sigillae, transverse piceous fascia on posterior mesonotum, posterior cruciform elevation margined with castaneous, castaneous extends to posterior of anterior arms in one paratype. Metanotum ground color with castaneous lateral mark between posterior margin and posterior wing groove. Sparse, short golden pile, radiating long piceous pile, long golden pile between anterior arms of cruciform elevation, posterior to anterior arms of cruciform elevation, on lateral and posterior mesothorax, radiating from posterior wing groove, and on posterior metanotum. Ventral thoracic segments ground color with some piceous in basisternum 2, with short silvery pile, sparse, long piceous pile radiating from anepisternum 2.
Wings. Fore wings and hind wings hyaline, with eight and six apical cells respectively. Venation ground color at base, becoming piceous distally, except piceous proximal and castaneous distal anal vein 2 + 3, pterostigma present. Paired linear infuscation in apical cells. Wing margin infuscated, marginal area with linear infuscations appearing to extend from apical cells along with additional marks. Basal membrane gray with piceous posterior margin. Hind wing venation ground color proximally becoming piceous distally, wing margin infuscated. Anal vein 3 with piceous spot on base, not half the length of anal vein 2, with a slightly curved terminus. Proximal anal cell 3 and plaga gray, anal cell 2 along anal vein 3 margined with gray, gray margined with infuscation distally.
Legs. Ground color marked with castaneous and piceous, visible fore coxae, proximal femora distal tibiae and fore tarsi almost completely castaneous and piceous, distal tips of pretarsal claws piceous, short silvery and long golden pile radiating from legs. Fore femora spines parallel, piceous with castaneous tips, with proximal spine longest, straight, secondary intermediate in length with curved terminus, tertiary spine shorter than secondary spine with curved terminus, and very small apical spine emerging from distal base of tertiary spine. Tibial spurs and comb castaneous. Meracanthus broadly triangular, piceous ventrally, dorsally ground color with piceous spot on lateral base and piceous lateral mark in middle of triangular extension, reaching anterior of medial operculum.
Opercula. Male operculum piceous with ground color lateral extension on lateral base, lateral margin curving, angled slightly mediad, curved posterolateral margin to straight posterior margin forming finger-like medial extension, medial margin rounded, not meeting medially, not reaching lateral trochanters, tympanal cavity not covered completely posterolaterally or anteromedially, reaching to middle of sternite II, long golden pile radiating from margin.
Abdomen. Abdominal tergites castaneous with ochraceous dorsolateral tergite 2, lateral tergites 3 and 4, and posterolateral tergite 8 forming an ochraceous spot on anterolateral and posterolateral tergites, piceous lateral tergite 2 extending medially along opening of timbal cavity, piceous C-shaped mark on tergite 8 from anterolateral tergite to posterior dorsolateral margin outlining ochraceous spot, tergites covered with short golden pile, golden pile surrounding timbal cavity, long golden pile radiating from piceous auditory capsule, and anterolateral tergite 3, long golden pile radiating from lateral tergite 7 and all of tergite 8, long silvery pile on lateral tergites 3 and 4. Timbal exposed, white marked with six long castaneous ribs. Male sternite I piceous, sternite II piceous on midline bordered by ground color, castaneous laterally along tympanal cavity, sternites III–VIII ground color laterally with piceous center forming a piceous fascia along ventral midline, amount of piceous increasing in posterior sternites so that sternites VI–VIII completely piceous, piceous replaced with castaneous in one paratype, castaneous pile radiating from sternite VIII, sternite VIII open U-shaped when viewed from the posterior. Epipleurites ochraceous medially, laterally matching coloration of lateral tergite.
Genitalia. Male pygofer castaneous with darker dorsolateral surface and piceous midline, basal pygofer lobes and upper pygofer lobes ochraceous, and piceous dorsal beak. Dorsal beak narrow, longer than piceous anal styles. Pygofer basal lobe about half-length of pygofer, angled laterad from base, curving mediad with posterior extension longer than basal portion, expanding posteriorly at junction with basal pygofer lobe appendage, radiating golden pile, density increasing towards apex. Upper pygofer lobes very small, flattened with rounded terminus, bent mediad from base. Claspers small, margins curved, anterior hidden by dense pile and basal lobe appendage. Basal lobe appendage castaneous, flattened and curved posteriorly at base, meeting along midline, narrowing and bifurcating into a claw-like terminus with a short proximal extension and a larger sinuate and curved extension distally. Aedeagus tubular, dark castaneous.
Female is unknown.
MEASUREMENTS (MM). N = three males, mean (range). Length of body: 12.73 (12.20–13.50); length of fore wing: 16.93 (16.30–17.65); width of fore wing: 6.33 (6.30–6.35); length of head: 2.72 (2.70–2.75); width of head including eyes: 4.95 (4.80–5.15); width of pronotum including suprahumeral plates: 5.50 (5.40–5.60); width of mesonotum: 4.45 (4.40–4.50).
DIAGNOSIS. Although there are several species of Herrera with piceous markings on the head and thorax and a piceous fascia on the abdominal sternites, it is the only known Herrera species with the piceous opercula. It is also one of the smallest species of the genus.
DISTRIBUTION. The species is known from the type series collected in Peru and Ecuador.
description: Published as part of Sanborn, Allen F., 2020, The cicadas (Hemiptera: Cicadidae) of Peru including the description of twenty-four new species, three new synonymies, and thirty-seven new records, pp. 1-129 in Zootaxa 4785 (1) on pages 106-107, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4785.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/3862255