A new genus and species of Cicadellini ( Hemiptera : Cicadellidae ) from the Brazilian Atlantic Rainforest

The Neotropical sharpshooter Parasubrasaca felixi, gen. nov., sp. nov., is described and illustrated from the Atlantic Rainforest of Southeastern Brazil (state of Espírito Santo). The new genus can be distinguished from other members of the Cicadellini by several morphological features, including a unique modification of the basal portion of the aedeagus, which bears a conspicuous, ventrally directed projection that articulates with the connective. The projection bears a pair of strong spines directed posteriorly. In addition to the external morphology, color pattern, and male genitalia, the female genitalia of the new taxon are also described in detail. A discussion comparing the new genus with similar Neotropical taxa (Subrasaca Young, 1977, Soosiulus Young, 1977, Ramosulus Young, 1977, Geitogonalia Young, 1977, Ladoffa Young, 1977, and Scopogonalia Young, 1977) is provided.

The xylem-feeding Cicadellinae includes two tribes, the cosmopolitan Cicadellini and the New World Proconiini (YOUNG 1968).The Cicadellini currently comprises over 170 genera and 1,200 species in the New World.This tribe can be distinguished from the Proconiini and other leafhopper groups by the following combination of features (YOUNG 1968, TAKIYA & CAVICHIOLI 2005): 1) ocelli located on crown, nearly always closer to posterior margin than to apex or anterolateral margin; 2) frontogenal sutures almost always extending onto crown up to or near ocelli; 3) antennal ledges usually not strongly protuberant in dorsal view; 4) face usually swollen and not pubescent; 5) proepisternum exposed; 6) fore wings with inner apical cell parallel to long axis of wing; 7) hind legs at rest position with knees (femur-tibia articulation) almost always attaining the lateral pronotal lobes; 8) hind tibiae usually compressed laterally and with macrosetae in four regular rows; and 9) male pygofer and/or subgenital plates nearly always with macrosetae and/or microsetae not evenly dispersed.
Herein, we propose a new genus of Cicadellini that is so far known from a single (new) species from the Atlantic Rainforest of Southeastern Brazil (state of Espírito Santo).A discussion comparing the new genus with similar Neotropical taxa (Subrasaca Young, 1977, Soosiulus Young, 1977, Ramosulus Young, 1977, Geitogonalia Young, 1977, Ladoffa Young, 1977, and Scopogonalia Young, 1977) is provided.

MATERIAL AND METHODS
In YOUNG's (1977) monograph, the genera are carefully described, including separate paragraphs for the head, thorax, male and female genitalia.We have followed that format for our monotypic new genus, whereas the new species description includes the color and measurements.The descriptive terminology follows mainly YOUNG (1968,1977), except for the facial areas of the head (HAMILTON 1981, MEJDALANI 1993, 1998) and the female genitalia (NIELSON 1965, HILL 1970).The use of the term gonoplac (= third ovipositor valvula) and the names of the sculptured areas of the first ovipositor valvulae follow MEJDALANI (1998).The techniques for preparation of male and female genital structures follow, respectively, OMAN (1949)  the aedeagus, which bears a conspicuous, ventrally directed projection that articulates with the connective.The projection bears a pair of strong spines directed posteriorly.In addition to the external morphology, color pattern, and male genitalia, the female genitalia of the new taxon are also described in detail.A discussion comparing the new genus with similar Neotropical taxa (Subrasaca Young, 1977, Soosiulus Young, 1977, Ramosulus Young, 1977, Geitogonalia Young, 1977, Ladoffa Young, 1977, and Scopogonalia Young, 1977) is provided.KEY WORDS.Auchenorrhyncha; Cicadellinae; morphology; South America; taxonomy.
with glycerin, as suggested by YOUNG & BEIRNE (1958).Label data are given inside quotation marks with a reversed virgule (\) separating lines on the labels.The specimens examined belong to the following institutions: Departamento de Entomologia, Museu Nacional, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro (MNRJ) and Coleção Entomológica Pe.Jesus S. Moure, Departamento de Zoologia, Setor de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal do Paraná, Curitiba (DZUP).
Desription.Head (Fig. 1), in dorsal view, moderately produced anteriorly, median length of crown approximately 4/10 interocular width and 3/10 transocular width; anterior margin broadly rounded; without carina at transition from crown to face; ocelli located on imaginary line between anterior eye angles, each ocellus slightly closer to median line of crown than to adjacent anterior eye angle; crown without transverse concavity before ocelli, without median fovea, without sculpturing or setae; frontogenal sutures extending onto crown and attaining ocelli.Antennal ledges, in dorsal view, not protuberant; in lateral view, with anterior margin almost vertical, slightly convex; in anterolateral view, extending ventrally in front of antennal insertions.Frons convex medially; muscle impressions inconspicuous.Epistomal suture complete.Clypeus, in lateral view, not produced, its contour continuing profile of frons, apex convex.
Thorax (Fig. 1) with pronotal width slightly greater than transocular width; lateral pronotal margins convergent anteriorly; posterior margin slightly concave or almost rectilinear; dorsopleural carinae complete; disk slightly striate.Mesonotum with scutellum not transversely rugose.Fore wings of coriaceous texture, without distinct membrane, apical margin convex; veins not very distinct except for those at apical portion; with four apical cells, base of fourth more proximal than base of third; with three anteapical cells, inner one open basally; without anteapical plexus of veins; fore wings of female at rest exceeding apex of ovipositor.Hind wings with vein R 2+3 incomplete.Hind legs with femoral setal formula 2:1:1; length of first tarsomere greater than combined length of two more distal tarsomeres.
row and apical half distinctly expanded; apex obtuse; apical portion and ventral margin covered by tiny spiniform tegumentary processes, setae also present.
Etymology.The new genus name, Parasubrasaca, has been chosen because the color pattern of P. felixi sp.nov. is similar to that of the type species of Subrasaca, S. ignicolor (Signoret, 1854).The gender is feminine.
Color (Fig. 1).Dorsum dark brown to black with orange stripes as follows: crown with pair of lateral longitudinal stripes from anterior to posterior margin, connected to each other by transverse stripe located before ocelli; pronotum with pair of lateral longitudinal oblique stripes; fore wings with three stripes, one on basal half of clavus extending from base (continued from pronotum stripe) to commissural margin, smaller one on basal half of corium located mostly on first discal cell, largest oblique one extending from apical portion of clavus posteriorly to costal margin.Hind wings brown, vein m-cu pale orange, located in a depigmented area.Face and lateral and ventral portions of thorax brownish-yellow; legs brownish-yellow to orange.
Etymology.We are pleased to name the new species for our colleague and friend Dr Márcio E. Felix (Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Rio de Janeiro), who has contributed to our knowledge of the Neotropical Cicadellinae.

DISCUSSION
Parasubrasaca felixi, gen.nov., sp.nov., keys to Sisimitalia Young, 1977in YOUNG's (1977) key to the New World genera of Cicadellini (couplet 146).In the case of our new species, it is difficult to use that key because the fore wing venation is quite obscure at the area of the bases of the anteapical cells.We have interpreted the inner anteapical cell of P. felixi as open basally, so that it goes from couplet 145 to 146.The male genitalia of the four known species of Sisimitalia bear paraphyses and the aedeagus has no processes (YOUNG 1977, CAVICHIOLI 2011), two features that will readily distinguish Sisimitalia from Parasubrasaca.
The dark brown to black dorsum with striking orange stripes of P. felixi (Fig. 1) is similar to that of species assigned to the genera Subrasaca, Soosiulus, Ramosulus, and Geitogonalia (see images of the body in WILSON et al. 2009).In none of these genera, which were all proposed by YOUNG (1977), the basal portion of the aedeagus forms a conspicuous, ventrally directed  19 and 20).Morphologically, it is possible that the projection is derived from strongly modified paraphyses, but its origin is not clear.Also, considering that the projection is fused with the aedeagal shaft, we believe that the term paraphyses is inadequate in this case.The epistomal suture (= transclypeal suture of YOUNG 1977) is complete in the new genus, whereas it is interrupted or obsolete medially in Subrasaca, Soosiulus, and Geitogonalia (YOUNG 1977).In Ramosulus, the epistomal suture is complete or not medially (YOUNG 1977).The aedeagus in the latter genus has a dorsoapical and a ventroapical process or a single apical process (YOUNG 1977, FREYTAG 2004), whereas a pair of ventroapical processes is present in Parasubrasaca (Fig. 20).
felixi (see YOUNG 1977: 362, fig. 289).Externally, L. dependens looks like a typical Ladoffa species (see WILSON et al. 2009), so that it can be easily distinguished from P. felixi.Finally, a basal aedeagal structure similar to that of P. felixi was also observed in the South American genus Scopogonalia Young, 1977(e.g., S. paula Young, 1977: 533, fig. 438).The latter genus, which has paraphyses according to YOUNG (1977), is quite distinct from Parasubrasaca.The fore wings in Scopogonalia have the inner two anteapical cells open basally and the male pygofer bears a ventral process usually appearing brushlike at the apex (YOUNG 1977, CAVICHIOLI 1986).
The m-cu cross vein of the hind wings of P. felixi has an orange tonality and is located in a small depigmented area.Curiously, a similar condition is observed in the genus Ladoffa, which is otherwise externally quite distinct from Parasubrasaca.The crown in Ladoffa has a median full-length longitudinal fovea, the epistomal suture is usually incomplete, the apical margin of the fore wings is slightly concave, and paraphyses are usually present (YOUNG 1977, LOZADA 1993, CAVICHIOLI & CHIAMOLERA 2001, LOZADA & FREYTAG 2010).These four features, especially the crown fovea and the concave fore wing apex, will readily distinguish Ladoffa from Parasubrasaca.Ladoffa dependens Young, 1977, which is recorded from Belize, Mexico, Honduras, Guatemala, andCosta Rica (MCKAMEY 2007), has a basal aedeagal projection that is somewhat similar to that of P.

gen. nov., sp. nov., is
described and illustrated from the Atlantic Rainforest of Southeastern Brazil (state of Espírito Santo).The new genus can be distinguished from other members of the Cicadellini by several morphological features, including a unique modification of the basal portion of