Fitchiella rugosa ( Metcalf, 1923 ), 2025

Fitchiella rugosa ( Metcalf, 1923) new combination

= Bruchomorpha rugosa Metcalf, 1923: 186 View in CoL (original description)

Diagnosis. Small (1.8–3.0mm) off-white planthoppers. Vertex approximately 2.5 times as wide as long at midlength, bearing two maculations varying from light brown to black. Frons slightly concave in lateral aspect; interior margin of sublateral carinae with black arch-like maculations; gena with dark maculations. Frons with approximately eight sensory pits in first row, 4–5 in second. Clypeus dark at apex, centrally pale, dark at base. Pronotum entirely pale including paranotal region. Mesonotum with two dark spots in basal half, one on each side of median carina. Forewing venation highly reticulate (in brachypters), wing veins pale. Legs banded with dark streaks; foretibiae very slightly expanded. Abdomen pale with numerous dark streaks on tergites.

Distribution. Arizona and Texas, USA

Remarks. The placement of Bruchomorpha rugosa in Fitchiella was first proposed by Ball (1935), who stated: “The anterior tibiae are slightly dilated and it may be necessary to transfer this species to Fitchiella .” Freitas et al. (2020) stated that Bruchomorpha rugosa was “most likely a species of Fitchiella ” when comparing it against the very similar F. brachyrhina and F. zahniseri , but abstained from moving the species due to the absence of available type material. A single female paratype specimen from Nogales, Arizona was found at the North Carolina State University Insect Collection (NCSU), which serves as the basis of our interpretation of the species in addition to non-type material collected by Ball (from KSUC and USNM). This species does not belong in Bruchomorpha , given the form of the head and slight expansion of the foretibiae, and is closely allied with Fitchiella robertsonii (from which it is easily differentiated by the length of the head). The primary type material (the female holotype reportedly deposited at NCSU) could not be found.

Fitchiella rugosa comb. nov. is most similar to Fitchiella brachyrhina and Fitchiella zahniseri . It is differentiated from both species by geographic distribution, with F. brachyrhina known from central Mexico and F. zahniseri from Panama. Additionally, the paranotal region of the pronotum is anteriorly darkened in both species, while in F. rugosa comb. nov. it is entirely pale (except in the macropterous female form; Fig. 4 View FIGURE 4 ). From F. zahniseri , it can be differentiated by the length of the head (which is shorter in F. brachyrhina and F. rugosa comb. nov.) and the presence of four sensory pits on the paranotal region of the pronotum (as opposed to three in F. brachyrhina , F. robertsonii , and F. rugosa comb. nov.).

Specimens of “ Bruchomorpha rugosa ” in the UDCC, collected in Belize, likely represent a separate species; possibly F. brachyrhina or an undescribed species. No specimens from Brownsville, Texas (the type locality) were found during this study.