Cyclopoliarus Fennah, 1945

Genus Cyclopoliarus Fennah, 1945 View in CoL View at ENA

Type species: Cyclopoliarus biperforatus Fennah, 1945

Amended Diagnosis (updated from Fennah 1945b). Large pentastirine cixiids (generally 7mm +), often distinctly patterned and pale yellow in coloration. Head narrower than pronotum, somewhat anteriorly produced. Vertex relatively narrow and elongated (length nearly 2x width), disc concave, sometimes bearing a short median carina, anterior margin nearly truncate bearing transverse apical carina, lateral margins somewhat foliate, nearly straight (weakly diverging basad); posterior margin angulately incised (sometimes more broadly), subapical transverse carina meeting before head apex connecting with apical transverse carinae by a pair or longitudinal carina forming a median areolet (and lateral triangular areolet), median areolet contiguous with areolet formed by fork of median carina of frons. Frons relatively elongated (and often medially darkened with a pale outer margin), frons plus clypeus collectively forming an elongated diamond shape (both bearing a median carina); lateral margins foliate, expanding to below level of antennae then incurved; lower lateral part of frons bearing a variably defined fossa on each side. Frontoclypeal suture strongly bending to excise quadrate region from within frons. Median ocellus distinct above frontoclypeal suture, lateral ocelli near anteroventral margin of eyes. Eyes rounded, weakly emarginate near antennae. Antennae short (nearly hidden from frontal view by lateral margins of face), scape ring-like, pedicel bulbous bearing sensory plaques. Rostrum long, exceeding hind trochanters.

Pronotum short, median carina present, lateral carinae of each side following hind margin of eyes; posterior margin deeply excavate in obtuse angle. Mesonotum broader than long, often marked with three dark longitudinal stripes, with five carinae, intermediate carinae often less conspicuous. Legs slender and elongated, hind tibia with 3 (rarely 2) lateral teeth, apical ornamentation usually 6(3+3 or 5+1)/7/7. Tegmina transparent or weakly embrowned, veins strong and dark, setae-bearing tubercles inconspicuous; elongated, weakly spatulate; composite vein ScP+ R forming long stem before forking of ScP+RA from RP at level near proximal third (CuA forked just before fork of ScP+RA from RP), usual branching pattern RA 2-branched, RP 3-branched, MP 5-branched, CuA 2-branched.

Male terminalia with pygofer, in lateral view, broad (lateral margins of opening variably expanded in ventral view); in ventral view, medioventral lobe of pygofer triangular, about as tall as wide, lateral lobes of the pygofer elongate, often asymmetrical. Gonostyli elongated (exceeding lateral lobes of the pygofer), slender proximally, expanded and upcurved distally into a somewhat quadrate lobe (often with a triangular flange or a curved spine on inner face). Aedeagal complex (aedeagus plus periandrium) narrow, bearing several elongated processes in varied arrangements; periandrium bearing several elongated spines; from ventral view endosoma elongated (about as long as aedeagus) and partly sclerotized, curving left, to rest retrorsely, subapical region expanded, usually bearing one (or two) apical spine(s). Anal segment in dorsal view elongate ovate, usually asymmetrical and terminating in a pointed lobe; in lateral view apex elongated and pointed.

Etymology. The genus name is derived from ‘Cyclops’ (from Greek, meaning “round-eyed,” the one-eyed giant in Greek mythology), combined with the genus name Oliarus . It is masculine in gender ( Dmitriev 2022). Fennah (1945b) did not specify the derivation of the name or whether the name refers to any morphological features, but it might refer to the shape of the anal tube from dorsal view. It may also refer to the dark marking of the face.

Remarks. The large size, asymmetrically pointed anal tube of the male, and dark maculation of the frons separate Cyclopoliarus from similar genera in the Pentastirini . The small pits in the lateral portion near the lower margin of the frons appeared to be present in other members of the genus that we examined and might be a consistent (but not unique) feature. Most members of the genus appear to be relatively strongly-marked—unusual among most of the American Pentastirini —bearing three longitudinal contrasting markings on the thorax and a laterally pale face. The Antillean members of this genus appear to differ extensively from the mainland taxa. The relationship between the mainland and Antillean Cyclopoliarus deserves further review ( Hendrix & Bartlett, 2024a).

The monotypic Oliarissa Fennah is the genus most morphologically similar to Cyclopoliarus . It most readily differs in the form of the aedeagus (Fennah 1944, figs. 5-6; Fig. 7 View FIGURE 7 ), the endosoma of which ventrally bears at least three, short broad processes. The form of the periandrium is very similar between the two genera. The anal tube of Oliarissa (Fennah 1944, fig. 7; Fig. 6C View FIGURE 6 ) is elongated and bilobed apically, unlike the asymmetrical, ovate and pointed anal tube of Cyclopoliarus . They are difficult to separate based on external morphology; the sole species of Oliarissa — Oliarissa armiger (Fennah) —lacks dark maculations on the frons (unlike most other Cyclopoliarus from the mainland neotropics) and has a narrower face. The species otherwise share the generally yellow coloration and three dark longitudinal markings on the thorax.