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Similis treehopper (Smilidarnis similifasciatus) from Bolivia and French Guiana resembles Smilidarnis fasciatus

Dlium Similis treehopper (Smilidarnis similifasciatus) from Bolivia and French Guiana resembles Smilidarnis fasciatus

NEWS - Similis treehopper (Smilidarnis similifasciatus McKamey sp. nov.) from Bolivia and French Guiana, closely resembles Smilidarnis fasciatus Andrade in being brightly colored but differs in metathoracic tibial chaetotaxy, male pygofer, first anal segment, aedeagus, and color pattern.

Andrade (1989) assigned the genus Smilidarnis to the two new species without placing the genus in a higher taxon because both displayed features of Smiliinae and Darninae. The diagnosis was expanded slightly by McKamey (2023) to accommodate new variations found among the three new species.

S. similifasciatus has a pronotum without suprahumeral spines; brightly colored with a mixture of orange, yellow, and black; most lateral yellow band bifurcates posteriorly, lower arm running nearly the entire length of the lateral margin. The specific name is a masculine Latin adjective based on the combination of “similis” (similar to) and the related species S. fasciatus.

S. fasciatus and S. similifasciatus are similar in appearance. They differ in several respects. The coloration in the new species is all yellow stripes longer in males and females than in S. fasciatus. The tibia is metathoracic, the cucullate setal row is double row in S. fasciatus but single row in the new species.

The terminalia in the new species of the combined pygofer and lateral plate are more quadrate than in S. fasciatus, the lateral plate itself is oval (vs. subquadrate in S. fasciatus), segment X has a basoventral lobe (vs. absent), and the aedeagal dentae are lateral (vs. on the shaft surface).

Both species have been recorded from French Guiana. The male terminalia of S. similifasciatus most closely resembles that of Smilidarnis erwini McKamey (2023) as both have abdominal segment X that has a basoventral lobe and an aedeagus that lacks dentae or other texture on the dorsoanterior side of the trunk.

The female genitalia of S. fasciatus have not been described so there is no comparison with that species and only the second valve of Smilidarnis concolor Andrade has been illustrated and described.

The female genitalia of S. similifasciatus resemble those of Smilidarnis duocornus McKamey, Smilidarnis robustus McKamey, and the second valve of S. concolor, as the first valve is long and narrow with poorly developed dentae distally, the second valve is lanceolate, and the gonoplac is broad distally with long setae ventrally.

Although Bolivian males of the new species are slightly smaller in length than those of S. fasciatus, in S. similifasciatus all four females are larger than both males in all respects except head height. In addition, females of S. similifasciatus are longer than those of S. fasciatus.

DESCRIPTION

Dimensions (mm). Pronotal length ♀10.3–10.8, ♂9.8–9.9; total length including wings in repose ♀12.1–12.6, ♂11.5; width between humeral angles ♀4.7–4.8, ♂4.5–4.7; head width including eyes ♀3.9–4.0, ♂3.7–3.9, head width excluding eyes ♀2.7–2.8, ♂2.5–2.7; head height ♀1.7–1.8, ♂1.7–1.8; distance between apices of posterolateral spine apices ♀2.6–2.9, ♂2.4–2.6.

Head. Vertex inclined forward, wider than tall, glabrous, vertical dark lines including ocelli depressed; dorsal margin weakly convex, lateral margins straight; ocelli circular, on imaginary middle line between eyes; distance from outer margin of ocellus to eye 1.13 × distance between inner margins of ocelli; frontoclypeal sutures prominent; frontoclypeus in anterior view ventrally convex, in line with vertex ventrolateral margins.

Pronotum. Suprahumeral spines absent; weakly elevated immediately behind humeral angles; distally with 3 spines, all directed ventroposteriorly, lateral pair directed weakly laterally; lateral spines reaching to leveI above r-m crossvein, central spine surpassing forewing vein M3+4.

Legs. All femora lacking cucullate setae and spines; metathoracic tibia row I cucullate setae basally in single row, distally double, row II in single row, sparse and with minute basal hoods, row III cucullate setae in single row.

Female terminalia. Sternite VII deeply emarginate medially; pygofer long; valvula I long, with one weak, wide dorsal process distally, apex rounded; valvula II in lateral view narrow and lanceolate with dorsal margin linear, lacking dorsal dentae or sinuations, apex subacute, ventrally striate; gonoplac long, distally wide, apex rounded, bearing macrosetae along entire ventral margin.

Male terminalia. Abdominal segment X (1st anal segment) with basaoventral lobe; pygofer including lateral plate subquadrate, lateral plate with weak dorsal lobe, ovate, pilose throughout, subgenital plate fused basally, its sides subparallel, slightly narrowing distally, length in ventral view about 2.3 × width; style recurved with short acute apex bearing 4 setae preapically; aedeagus U-shaped in lateral view, shaft subparallel in anterior and lateral views, lacking dentae or other texture on distoanterior face but with minute dentae along lateral margins; gonopore dorsal.

Color. Male and female alike in color; pronotal color orange with 5 yellow longitudinal bands, medial and most lateral band nearly extending to large yellow spot in posterior fifth, most lateral longitudinal band bifurcate at mid length into 2 solid branches, 1 running along lateral margin, and black at bases and apices of posterior spines; head orange with 3 vertical yellow bands connecting to medial and closest yellow bands of pronotum; forewing anteriorly clear, posteriorly with amber tint.

Original research

McKamey SH (2024). A new species of the Neotropical genus Smilidarnis Andrade (Hemiptera, Membracidae), with a new country record for the genus. ZooKeys 1219: 135-142, DOI:10.3897/zookeys.1219.131379

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