Melanastera prasinae Serbina & Malenovský & Queiroz & Burckhardt 2025
Creators: name: Serbina, Liliya Š.
name: Malenovský, Igor
name: Queiroz, Dalva L.
name: Burckhardt, Daniel
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2025
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Hemiptera
Liviidae
Melanastera
Melanastera prasinae

description: 60 Melanastera prasinae sp. nov.
(Figs 13I, 20E, 35S–X)
Type material. Holotype ♂: Brazil: RORAIMA: 1 ♂, Pacaraima, along RR-174 from Pacaraima to ca. 20 km S of Pacaraima, N4.4033 /4733, W61.1483 /1633, 490– 910 m, 15.iv.2015, Miconia prasina (D. Burckhardt & D.L. Queiroz) #162(2) (UFPR; dry).
Paratypes. Brazil: AMAZONAS: 1 ♂, 1 ♀, 1 immature, Iranduba, Embrapa, Campo Experimental, Caldeirão, S3.2516 /2566, W60.2216 /2233, 30–50 m, 14–17.iv.2014, Miconia splendens (D. Burckhardt & D.L. Queiroz) #125(9) (NHMB; slide, 70% ethanol; NMB-PSYLL0008042, NMB-PSYLL0008063 [LSMelpra-76], NMB-PSYLL0008062 [LSMelpra-76]).— MATO GROSSO: 1 ♂, 1 ♀, Sorriso, S12.5926, W55.7947, 340 m, 27.ii.2015 (L.A. Pezzini) #483 (NHMB; 70% ethanol; NMB-PSYLL0005701); 1 ♂, 1 ♀, Tabaporã, S11.5816, W55.7666, 370 m, 8.xi.2012 (D. Burckhardt & D.L. Queiroz) #64 (NHMB; 70% ethanol; NMB-PSYLL0008041).— MINAS GERAIS: 4 ♂, 1 ♀, 2 immatures, 2 skins, Vargem Bonita, Parque Nacional da Serra da Canastra, Cachoeira Casca d’Anta, near waterfall, S20.3090, W46.5231, 860 m, 5.ix.2014, Miconia calvescens (D. Burckhardt & D.L. Queiroz) #143(8) (NHMB; slide, 70% ethanol; NMB-PSYLL0008044, NMB-PSYLL0008064); 4 ♂, 3 ♀, 1 immature, same but Cachoeira Casca d’Anta, around park entrance, S24.8541 /8573, W48.6982 /7121, 850– 860 m, 4–8.ix.2014, Miconia calvescens (D. Burckhardt & D.L. Queiroz) #141(19) (NHMB; dry, slide, 70% ethanol; NMB-PSYLL0003117, NMB-PSYLL0008057 [LSMelpra-76A], NMB-PSYLL0008058 [LSMelpra-76A], NMB-PSYLL00003132, NMB-PSYLL00003131).— RORAIMA: 15 ♂, 7 ♀, 4 immatures, 1 skin, Amajari, Tepequém, along river, N3.7700, W61.7400, 600 m, 4.iv.2015, Miconia alata (D. Burckhardt & D.L. Queiroz) #156(2) (NHMB; slide, 70% ethanol; NMB-PSYLL0008045, NMB-PSYLL0008060 [LSMelpra-65], NMB-PSYLL0008059 [LSMelpra- 65], NMB-PSYLL0008061); 8 ♂, 7 ♀, 3 immatures, 2 skins, same as holotype but (MMBC, NHMB, UFPR; dry, slide, 70% ethanol; NMB-PSYLL0008064, NMB-PSYLL0008043, NMB-PSYLL0008027, NMB-PSYLL0008065 [LSMelpra-33], NMB-PSYLL0008066 [LSMelpra-33]).
Description. Adult. Coloration. Sraw-coloured; head and thorax with brown dots. Antennal segments 3–8 apically and segments 9–10 entirely brown. Mesopraescutum with orange to pale brown patches at fore margin; mesoscutum with four broad and one narrow median orange to pale brown longitudinal stripes. Forewing (Fig. 20E) yellow with irregular, sparse, brown dots; apices of pterostigma and of Rs, M 1+2, M 3+4, Cu 1a and Cu 1b dark brown. Femora with dark brown patches. Abdominal sclerites partly dark brown.
Structure. Forewing (Fig. 20E) oval, widest in the middle, broadly, slightly unevenly rounded; wing apex situated in cell r 2, near apex of M 1+2; C+Sc moderately curved in distal third; pterostigma slightly narrower than r 1 cell, widening to apical third; Rs almost straight in basal two thirds, obliquely curved to fore margin apically; Cu 1a irregularly convex, ending distal of M fork; surface spinules present in all cells, forming hexagons mostly of a single row of spinules, spinules leaving narrow spinule-free stripes along the veins, surface spinules absent from basal portion of cell c+sc. Hindwing with (4–5) + (2–3) grouped costal setae. Metatibia bearing 9–11 grouped apical spurs, arranged as (4–5) + (5–6), anteriorly separated by 2 or more bristles.
Terminalia (Fig. 35S–X). Male. Proctiger distinctly produced posteriorly in basal third; densely covered with long setae in apical two thirds. Subgenital plate subglobular; dorsal margin curved; posterior margin weakly convex; with moderately long setae. Paramere, in lateral view, irregularly lanceolate; apex, in lateral view, directed obliquely anteriad, blunt apically, in dorsal view, apex slightly truncate, directed upwards, slightly inwards and anteriad, lacking distinct sclerotised tooth; outer and inner faces with dense, long setae; posterior margin with long setae. Proximal segment of aedeagus with apical part broad, strongly subdivided. Distal segment of aedeagus thick in basal half, with weakly sinuate dorsal margin; ventral process situated slightly proximal of the middle, in lateral view, ovoid, with large tubular apical lobe directed ventrad, in dorsal view, the ovoid part much broader than apical dilation, broadest medially; apical dilation narrow, in lateral view, subparallel-sided, hardly widening to rounded apex, dorsal margin weakly indented subapically, in dorsal view, apical dilation narrow, broadest medially, with blunt apex; sclerotised end tube moderately long and almost straight.—Female terminalia cuneate; densely covered with setae. Dorsal margin of proctiger, in lateral view, hardly convex distal to circumanal ring, weakly concave in apical third, apex pointed, slightly upturned; in dorsal view, apex blunt; circumanal ring, in dorsal view, distinctly cruciform. Subgenital plate, in lateral view, abruptly narrowing to apex in apical third, pointed apically; in ventral view, apex blunt.
Fifth instar immature. Coloration. Pale yellow; cephalothoracic sclerite, antenna, wing pads, legs and caudal plate pale brown.
Structure. Eye with one short simple ocular seta dorsally.Antennal segments with following numbers of pointed sectasetae: 1(0), 2(2—one large, one small), 3(0), 4(2), 5(0), 6(2), 7(1), 8(1), 9(0), 10(0). Forewing pad with 4– 5 marginal pointed sectasetae; hindwing pad with two marginal pointed sectasetae; both pads lacking sectasetae dorsally. Tarsal arolium narrowly fan-shaped apically, 1.2–1.5 times longer than claws. Abdomen with 2–3 pointed sectasetae laterally on each side anterior to caudal plate. Caudal plate with anterior margin relatively close to anterior margin of extra pore fields; with four (2 + 2) pointed sectasetae one weakly pronounced tubercles on either side laterally and three pointed sectasetae subapically on each side of circumanal ring dorsally. Extra pore fields forming continuous outer and inner bands, consisting of small oval patches; outer band long medially, end pointing outwards. Circumanal ring small.
Host plants. Miconia alata (Aubl.) DC., M. calvescens DC., M. prasina (Sw.) DC., Miconia splendens (Sw.) Griseb. (Melastomataceae).
Distribution. Brazil (AM, MG, MT, RR).
Derivation of name. Named after Miconia prasina, one of its hosts.
Comments. Melanastera prasinae sp. nov. differs from the other species of the smithi -group as indicated in the keys (see also comments under M. cinerascentis sp. nov.).
The specimens from the samples DB-DLQ#162(2) collected on M. prasina and DB-DLQ#156(2) collected on M. alata, both from Roraima, differ in the DNA barcoding sequences (uncorrected p-distance 1.95% for COI and 1.56% for cytb). Similarly, the uncorrected p-distance between DB-DLQ#162(2) and the samples DB-DLQ#143(8) and DB-DLQ#141(19) collected on M. calvescens in Minas Gerais is 1.73% for COI and 1.56% for cytb. The uncorrected p-distance between DB-DLQ#162(2) and the sample DB-DLQ#125(9) collected on M. splendens in Amazonas is 2.85% for COI and 1.82% for cytb. As no morphological differences were found between the specimens, they are all considered conspecific.
description: Published as part of Serbina, Liliya Š., Malenovský, Igor, Queiroz, Dalva L. & Burckhardt, Daniel, 2025, Jumping plant-lice of the tribe Paurocephalini (Hemiptera: Psylloidea: Liviidae) in Brazil, pp. 1-164 in Zootaxa 5585 (1) on pages 114-116, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5585.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/15007669