Hollisiana Burckhardt & Ouvrard & Percy 2021, gen. nov.

Genus Hollisiana gen. nov.

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Fig. 6

Type species

Limbopsylla nigrivenis Brown & Hodkinson, 1988; by present designation. Gender feminine.

Etymology

This genus is dedicated to David Hollis for his outstanding contribution to psyllid systematics.

Description

Adult

See also Brown & Hodkinson 1988: figs 63–64 for illustrations. Moderately large psyllids, 2.5–5.0 mm long. Head about as wide as mesonotum, inclined at 45° from longitudinal body axis (Fig. 6 A–B). Vertex trapezoidal, about 1.8 times as wide as long along midline, weakly indented around foveae; passing smoothly into genae not separated by transverse suture; genae produced into long conical processes which are covered in conspicuous long setae; median suture complete, reaching hind margin of head; lateral ocelli on small tubercles; frons forming small rhomboid sclerite, delimited by vertex and genae, almost completely covered by median ocellus; compound eyes relatively small, hemispherical, stalked on large preocular sclerite and occiput (Fig. 6 C–D). Clypeus hidden by genae in lateral view, pear-shaped; rostrum short, only apex visible in lateral view. Antenna filiform, longer than forewing, 10-segmented, in some species flagellum getting thinner towards apex; flagellum beset with long conspicuous bristles; segment 3 shorter than segments 7 or 8, with a single subapical rhinarium on each of segments 4, 6, 8, and 9; terminal setae shorter than segment 10. Thorax weakly arched dorsally; lacking macroscopic setae. Pronotum transversely ribbon-shaped.

Propleurites about as broad as high, slightly oblique; proepimeron as big as or larger than episternum. Forewing oval, broadly, irregularly rounded apically, transparent, more than twice as long as wide; pterostigma lacking; costal break present, indistinct; cells m 1 and cu 1 large; anal break close to apex of vein Cu 1b. Hindwing slightly shorter than forewing; costal setae grouped; vein R and M+Cu. Metacoxa with large, horn-shaped, pointed meracanthus; metafemur slightly shorter than metatibia; metatibia bearing genual spine and 1+3+1 apical spurs. Metabasitarsus with two lateral spurs. Male proctiger unipartite, tubular or with posterior lobe. Subgenital plate elongate. Paramere slender, lamellar or digitiform. Aedeagus long and thin; distal segment shorter than paramere, inflated in apical third; sclerotised end tube of ductus ejaculatorius short, slightly sinuous. Female terminalia, in profile, cuneate, moderately short to relatively long. Circumanal ring oval, consisting of two subequal rows of pores. Valvulae triangular and lacking serrations.

Fifth instar immature (Fig. 6 E–H)

Body elongate, about twice as long as wide (Fig. 6 G–H). Antenna 9-segmented, sparsely beset with a few short setae; bearing a single subapical rhinarium on each of segments 4, 6, 8 and 9. Forewing pad small, lacking humeral lobes, bearing short marginal club-shaped setae. Margin of hindwing pad with short bristles. Legs long, with at least one moderately long capitate seta on tibiae; tarsal arolium about twice as long as claws, fan-shaped with unguitractor and pedicel. Abdomen slender; caudal plate weakly sclerotised; abdominal margin with 6+6 sectasetae, the two at the rear close together and each on a small tubercle and, in some species, distinctly larger than the remainder. Anus in terminal position; circumanal ring extending to the abdominal dorsum and consisting of several rows of wax pores.

Distribution

Neotropical.

Host plant and biology

Guatteria spp. (Annonaceae). Immatures secrete long wax threads from sectasetae at the abdominal apex. In a species from Brazil (Roraima) and Costa Rica, these terminal wax threads form two conspicuous spiral filaments (Fig. 6 E–H) (Hanson & Nishida 2016: 89; Burckhardt 2017: 34).

Comments

Hollisiana gen. nov. is similar to Mitrapsylla from which it differs in the absence of a pterostigma in the adults; and the narrow abdomen with 6+6 marginal sectasetae (rather than 4+4) in the fifth instar immature.

Two species are included in the new genus: Hollisiana caradociforma (Brown & Hodkinson, 1988) gen. et comb. nov. and Hollisiana nigrivenis (Brown & Hodkinson, 1988) gen. et comb. nov., both from Limbopsylla. The two species differ in the forewing pattern (colourless or fumate versus conspicuously dark veins), male proctiger (absence versus presence of a posterior lobe), female terminalia (long versus

short), abdomen of immatures (elongate oval versus narrow almost parallel-sided). The two species each represent a species group with more undescribed species in tropical America (BMNH, NHMB data).