Malagasia rubrastragala Sanborn 2021, n. sp.

Malagasia rubrastragala n. sp.

(Fig. 9)

Type material.— Holotype. “ MADAGASCAR: Toliara Prov. / Parc Nat. d’Andochahela, Forêt / d’Ambohibory, 1.7 km 61º / ENE Tsimelahy, 36.1 km 308º / NW Tolagnaro, 16–20 I 2002 // 24º 55’ 48” S 46º 38’ 44” E / coll. Fisher, Griswold et al. / California Acad. of Sciences / general coll. tropical dry forest / elev 300m code: BLF4920 // CASENT / 3004521” male (CASC) (CASTYPE number 20148).

Etymology.—The name is a combination of rubr – (L. ruber, red) and –astragala (L. astragalus, anklebone) in reference to the reddish coloration of the distal tibiae and proximal tarsi giving the appearance of a red ankle.

Description

Body ochraceous, probably green when alive or freshly caught as there are small areas of green within the ochraceous, piceous markings on the head and prothorax with red distal tibiae and proximal tarsi.

Head

Head not as wide as mesonotum, ground color with transverse piceous fascia between eyes including ocelli. Ocelli rosaceous, eyes castaneous. Sparse, short, silvery pile on dorsum, long silvery pile posterior to eye. Ventral head ground color covered with sparse, short silvery pile on lorum and gena, longer ventral to eye. Postclypeus ground color, central sulcus on ventral surface extending around apex but not on dorsal surface, eleven transverse grooves. Anteclypeus ground color covered with very short silvery pile. Mentum ground color, remaining rostrum missing. Scape and proximal pedicel ground color, remaining segments castaneous.

Thorax

Pronotum ground color with piceous fascia curving along anterior of lateral disc between anterior lateral fissure and lateral ambient fissure. Pronotal collar ground color, lateral margin narrowing anteriorly. Pronotum covered with sparse, short silvery pile. Mesonotum ground color, dorsal mesonotum with long silvery pile between anterior arms of cruciform elevation, on lateral and posterior mesonotum, and in wing groove, shorter between anterior and posterior arms of cruciform elevation. Metanotum ground color, short silvery pile on posterior metanotum. Ventral thoracic segments ground color, covered with short silvery pile.

Wings

Fore wings and hind wings hyaline, fore wings with eight apical cells, left hind wing with six right hind wing with five apical cells. Venation ground color becoming darker in distal apical cells and ambient vein. Basal cell about five times longer than broad with ground color infuscation along radius & subcostal vein. Pterostigma present, extending to proximal apical cell 1. Basal membrane of fore wing ground color. Hind wing venation similarly colored to fore wing. Basal plaga, anal cell 3 along anal vein 3, anal cell 2 along anal veins 2 and 3, and anal cell 1 along anal vein 2 with ground color infuscation.

Legs

Legs ground color marked with red on distal tibiae and proximal tarsi, amount of red on tarsi increases from red metatarsus and mesotarsus in fore leg to entire tarsi in hind legs (middle leg missing on one side, tarsi missing on other side), pretarsal claws ground color at base with piceous tips. Fore femora with primary spine longest, angled, secondary spine with broad base, almost upright, and small tertiary spine parallel to primary spine, spines ground color except castaneous tip of primary spine. Tibial spurs and tibial comb castaneous with darker tips. Legs radiating long silvery pile. Female meracanthus small, narrowly triangular, curving laterad, not reaching middle of operculum.

Operculum

Female operculum ground color, lateral base inflated, lateral margin short, angled slightly mediad from broad base, posterior margin forming oblique angle, medial margin short, angled slightly mediad from base, reaching posterior of sternite II, covered with sparse, short silvery pile.

Abdomen

Abdominal tergites, sternites and epipleurites ground color with short silvery pile. Female sternite VII ground color with single, deep, open U-shaped notch, posterior margin on either side of notch sinuate to most posterior extension reducing in size to lateral corner. Female abdominal segment 9 ground color, dorsal beak ground color, covered with short silvery pile, radiating long silvery pile from lateral and ventral regions. Dorsal beak extending beyond ground color anal styles. Posterior margin of abdominal segment 9 sinuate.

Genitalia

Female gonocoxite IX and gonapophysis VII ground color, gonapophysis IX ground color with castaneous distal end, gonapophysis X ground color. Ovipositor sheath short, extending just beyond dorsal beak. Long silvery pile radiating from ovipositor sheath.

Male is unknown.

Measurements (mm).—N = 1 female. Length of body: 19.80; length of fore wing: 23.70; width of fore wing: 8.05; length of head: 2.85; width of head including eyes: 5.75; width of pronotum including suprahumeral plates: 6.95; width of mesonotum: 5.85.

Diagnosis.—The green body with a transverse piceous fascia on the head and transverse fasciae on the anterolateral pronotum quickly distinguish this species from others in the genus. The presence of opercula and the lack of a significantly extended postclypeus quickly distinguish the new species from similarly sized green species of other genera.

Distribution.—The species is only known from the type specimen collected in the Ambohibory Forest, Andochahela National Park, Toliara province, southwestern Madagascar.