Pusulissus bachmaensis Constant & Pham, 2024, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Constant, Jérôme
name: Pham, Hong Thai
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2024
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Hemiptera
Issidae
Pusulissus
Pusulissus bachmaensis

description: Pusulissus bachmaensis sp. nov.
urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act: 541CA790-5C5F-4407-BA9A-099000E2154E
Figs 1, 2D, 32–35
Diagnosis
Pusulissus bachmaensis sp. nov. can be recognized by:
(1) the frons elongate, distinctly constricted between eyes (Fig. 33B);
(2) the anal tube in dorsal aspect widely spatulate with distal portion nearly circular, nearly 1.3 times as long in midline as wide with apical margin shortly truncate in middle, without distinct lateral flaps (An – Fig. 34A–D);
(3) the neck of the capitulum of the gonostyli rather short, less high than head of capitulum (ca – Fig. 34A);
(4) the shape of the lateroventral processes of the aedeagus slightly inflated basally, then constricted, directed cephalad and moderately, evenly upcurved, remaining under the ventral lobe of the periandrium and reaching to basiventral lobes of periandrium; distal portion tapering and curved mesad (lvp – Fig. 34F–K).
Differential diagnosis
Pusulissus bachmaensis sp. nov. can be separated from P. coronomensis, P. guizhouensis, P. phiaoacensis and P. quangninhensis by the round shape of the anal tube without lateral flaps (anal tube more or less rhomboidal with lateral flaps projecting ventrad in all three other species). The constricted frons between eyes and the rather strongly curved aedeagus in lateral aspect, also separates P. bachmaensis from P. menglaensis and P. ruiliensis, which do not show a distinct constriction of the frons between the eyes, and have a much less curved aedeagus; P. bachmaensis also differs from the two latter species by its subparallel, slender lateroventral processes of the aedeagus reaching before basiventral lobes of the ventral lobe of the periandrium, the processes being longer (reaching to middle of lobe), more robust and curved mesad in distal half in P. menglaensis, shorter and overlapping ventrally in P. ruilensis.
Etymology
The species epithet refers to Bach Ma National Park, where the species was discovered.
Type material
Holotype VIETNAM • ♂ (Figs 32–34); [Th ừa Thiên-Huế Province], Bach Ma National Park, summit; 16°12′ N, 107°52′ E; [1300–1400 m a.s.l.]; 15–16 Jul. 2011; J. Constant and J. Bresseel leg.; day [time] collecting; I.G.: 31.933; RBINS.
Paratype VIETNAM • 1 ♀ (Fig. 35); Thừa Thiên-Huế Province, Bach Ma National Park, summit; 16°11′18″ N, 107°50′56″ E; 1300–1400 m a.s.l.; 11–21 May 2023; J. Constant and L. Semeraro leg.; VNMN.
Description
MEASUREMENTS AND RATIOS. LT: ♂ (n = 1): 7.0 mm, ♀ (n = 1): 7.8 mm; LT/BB = 1.48; LTg/BTg = 2.08; LW/BW = 1.43; BV/LV = 2.35; LF/BF = 1.19.
HEAD (Fig. 33A–D). Vertex variegated brown with anterior angles black, distinctly broader than long in midline and with lateral margins longer than midline, with all margins carinate; anterior margin nearly straight with median carina of frons distinct in middle, posterior margin deeply concave, angularly rounded, and lateral ones subparallel; disc shallowly excavate with obsolete median carina. Side of head yellowish brown with black marking at anterodorsal angle extending on a distance along anterior margin, darker area between anteroventral portion of eye and anterior margin, followed by pale yellowish area extending to base of antenna and anterior margin of gena; pale yellowish marking along clypeal suture; anteroventral angle moderately projecting anteriorly in a small round lobe. Frons elongate and generally smooth, variegated brown with dorsal angles blackish, distinct yellowish spot in middle on each side of median carina and more or less disctinct yellowish band along frontoclypeal suture; median carina extending from dorsal margin down nearly to rounded frontoclypeal suture, brown on disc; no distinct row of tubercles along dorsal and lateral margins; dorsal margin distinctly concave, lateral margins distinctly sinuate. Clypeus variegated dark brown, weakly elevated medially. Labium brown with last segment longer than broad, and shorter than penultimate. Scape short, ring-shaped, yellowish; pedicel bulbous, yellowish brown.
THORAX (Fig. 33A, C–D). Pronotum variegated yellowish brown; about 0.6 times as long as mesonotum in midline; anterior margin carinate, strongly, angularly protruding anteriorly between eyes, with carinae directed obliquely posteriorly, not reaching hind margin of pronotum; posterior margin almost straight, raised; no median carina but with impressed point on each side of median line; lateral portion behind eye very narrow, laminate; blunt, pale yellowish tubercles scattered on disc with row following anterior margin, and on outer margin of paranotal lobes; paranotal lobes (lateral view) broad, brown in outer portion, pale yellowish in inner portion and with large black marking behind lower portion of eye, and with posteroventral angle straight. Mesonotum variegated yellowish brown with longitudinal carinae obsolete but marked by dark brown lines; smooth, slightly depressed before scutellum; scutellum paler; nearly complete transverse carina along anterior margin. Tegulae brown.
TEGMINA (Figs 32A–C, 35A–C). Variegated yellowish brown (greener in live specimens); subcoriaceous with longitudinal veins yellow brown, elevated and with a dense reticulum of pale yellow veinlets; shape elongate and convex with sides broadly rounded, widest at basal ⅓, about 2.1 times as long as broad; narrowly rounded apically. Postclaval margin weakly rounded on distal half and weakly notched at apex of clavus. Clavus closed, reaching slightly over midlength of tegmen. Venation: ScP+R forking close to base after rather short common stem, ScP+RA and RP running more or less parallel to costal margin and not forked; MP forked rather close to base after common stem, resulting veins both forked again further; CuA simple, sinuate, more or less parallel to claval joint, then to sutural margin and merging with latter before apex of tegmen; Pcu and A 1 fused at apical ⅓ of clavus, resulting Pcu+A 1 reaching apex of clavus.
HIND WINGS (Fig. 33E). Brown with large basicostal portion of lobe Sc-R-MP-CuA and base of lobe CuP-Pcu-A 1 yellow-brown; venation darker than corresponding background; wing broader than tegmen and deeply bilobed at CuP; costal margin moderately sinuate; CuP-Pcu-A1 lobe broadly rounded along postclaval margin and about 1.5 times as wide as Sc-R-MP-CuA lobe; both lobes approximately the same length, angularly rounded at apex; A2 lobe reduced and narrow. Venation: longitudinal veins ScP-R-MP-Cu well distinct; Pcu and A 1 separated; numerous cross-veins; A2 indistinct.
LEGS (Fig. 32A–E). Moderately elongate and slender, yellowish brown femora darker than corresponding tibiae; apex of femora and base and pro- and mesotibiae yellowish; posterior margin of pro- and mesofemora with row of acute irregular minute teeth. Metatibiae with 2 lateral spines in distal half and 8 apical spines. Metatibiotarsal formula: (2) 8 / 8 / 2.
ABDOMEN (Fig. 32B). Yellowish with wide, black brown band in middle.
MALE TERMINALIA. Pygofer (Py – Fig. 34A–D) about 2.2 times as high as long in lateral view, with anterior margin sinuate and posterior margin more or less straight in middle portion, rounded to posterodorsal angle, and obliquely excavate in ventral ⅓; posterior margin dorsally deeply excavate (U-shaped excavation). Gonostyli (G – Fig. 34A–C) (in lateral view) strongly elongate (without dorsal capitulum), projecting posteriorly in a distinct elongate lobe rounded apically, and concave; capitulum (ca) with neck rather short and wide, less high than head of capitulum, with head massive, falcate in lateral view with apical hook directed cephalad, with strong tooth on inner margin directed mesad, and with lateral laminate projection in dorsal half with outer margin under it strongly concave in caudal view. Aedeagus (Fig. 34E–K) symmetrical, rather strongly curved dorsad (in lateral view), but with distal ¼ more or less straight; pair of elongate lateroventral processes (lvp) slightly inflated basally, then constricted, directed cephalad and moderately, evenly upcurved, remaining under ventral lobe of periandrium and reaching to basiventral lobes of periandrium; distal portion tapering and curved mesad; ventral lobe of periandrium (vl) with pair of longitudinal basiventral lobe-shaped processes, ventral lobe evenly widening posterior to lateroventral processes, then gently tapering to generally rounded apical margin with small acutely rounded projection in middle. Connective (co) elongate, curved, with tectiductus (te) well developed. Anal tube (An – Fig. 34A–D) dorsoventrally flattened, in dorsal view widely spatulate with distal portion nearly circular, nearly 1.3 times as long in midline as wide, with apical margin shortly truncate in middle, without distinct lateral flaps; anal opening at about basal ⅓.
FEMALE TERMINALIA. Hind margin of sternum VII (St VII – Fig. 33F) concave, with middle portion nearly straight; small digitiform process directed posterad, derived from middle of sternum VII and slightly surpassing posterior margin.
Biology
Pusulissus bachmaensis sp. nov. was collected only twice: one male in July 2011 and one female in May 2023, both in montane evergreen tropical forest, at about 1300–1400 m a.s.l., near the summit (Fig. 1D). The specimens were collected on tree trunks densely covered in lichens and mosses (the female was photographed in a cage – Fig. 35). When disturbed, they tend to walk away and hide on the opposite side of the trunk or branch, and jump away as a last solution.
Distribution
Vietnam: Thừa Thiên-Huế Province, summit of Bach Ma National Park (Fig. 1).
description: Published as part of Constant, Jérôme & Pham, Hong Thai, 2024, Issid planthoppers from Bach Ma and Phong Dien in Central Vietnam. I. Tribe Parahiraciini (Hemiptera: Fulgoromorpha: Issidae), pp. 1-64 in European Journal of Taxonomy 975 on pages 54-60, DOI: 10.5852/ejt.2024.975.2769, http://zenodo.org/record/14508730