Lycoderides luteus (Funkhouser, 1940)

Lycoderides luteus (Funkhouser, 1940) View in CoL

( Fig. 8A View FIGURE 8 , 10A–B, 10E–F View FIGURE 10 , 11A–B, 11E–F View FIGURE 11 , 13F–J View FIGURE 13 , 14D–F View FIGURE 14 , 16C View FIGURE 16 )

Description: Male. Genitalia ( Fig. 13F–J View FIGURE 13 ): Lateral plate totally fused to pygofer. Styles attached to subgenital plate on basal 1/3 of subgenital plate. Subgenital plate bilobed, divided on apical 1/3, attached with VIII abdominal sternite. Styles with apex hook-shaped, widest area subapically and then abruptly narrow; tooth directed laterally. Aedeagus with anterior arm reduced, posterior arm in lateral view slender throughout, narrow toward apex, apex tongue-shaped; anterior and antero-lateral surface of apical 1/3 of posterior arm with denticles; in posterior view, subcylindrical.

Female. Genitalia ( Fig. 14D–F View FIGURE 14 ): Second valvulae blade-shaped, basal half narrower than apical half; dorsal margin of apical half with sub-quadrangular teeth (TE); ramus extended to apical portion; pores over ramus and below dorsal margin of apical half and ventral margin of 1/3 apical area.

Late instar nymph ( Fig. 10A–B, 10E–F View FIGURE 10 , 11A–B, 11E–F View FIGURE 11 ): Overall color light brown to green; tibiae, lamellae, and anal tube reddish. Sculpture: Dorsal tegument glabrous ( Fig. 10F View FIGURE 10 ) or densely covered ( Fig. 10E View FIGURE 10 ) with chalazal setae. Head: Ventrolateral lobes extended laterally to the external eye margin and anteriorly 1.5× eye length; dorsal processes obsolete; in frontal view, extending ventrally and anteriorly, vertex forming two wide arches from the middle to the lateral margin of the ventrolateral lobes; in lateral view, projected obliquely forward and downward; in dorsal view, approximately 3× wider than long. Thorax: Pronotum with metopidium obliquely directed dorsally and posteriorly, then dorso-median margin forming a plateau; without humps (suprahumeral horns) at each side of the anterior area of the plateau. Abdomen: In dorsal view, tergal segments IV–VIII with large lateral finger-shaped lamellae, directed posterolaterally.

Biology: This species has been found exclusively on Melastomataceae . Adults tend to be solitary, whereas nymphs often form small aggregations and are tended by ants.

In Antioquia, at elevations between 1900 and 2400 masl, nymphs were observed on Andesanthus lepidota ( Melastomataceae ), primarily at the base of branches and in leaf axils near the apex, where they blended well with the plant’s texture ( Fig. 16C View FIGURE 16 ). Adults were also found, though always solitary, on leaves and in axils near the apex ( Fig. 16C View FIGURE 16 ). In one locality at the north of the Valle de Aburrá (2400 masl), nymphs were tended by Camponotus sp. and Myrmelachista sp. (Formicinae) on A. lepidota , while in the southern part of the Valle de Aburrá (1900–2100 masl), they were tended by Linepithema sp. (Dolichoderinae), also on A. lepidota .

To the north of the Valle de Aburrá, at elevations between 600 and 1700 masl, adults were found solitary on seedlings and trees of Miconia spp. , near the apex. In these plants, pairs or small groups of up to three nymphs or adults were occasionally observed being tended by Crematogaster sp. (Myrmicinae). In the Magdalena Medio region, small aggregations of up to five nymphs were observed on Bellucia axinanthera and Miconia sp. ( Melastomataceae ), associated with Ectatomma tuberculatum , E. ruidum and Camponotus coruscus . Nymphs and adults were also observed sharing the same plant with Aphetea sp. ( Polyglyptini ), cf. Hebeticoides ( Darnini ), and Stilbophora ( Tragopini ).

In one locality (Yarumal), nymphs and adults were found along an elevational gradient between 1400 and 2000 masl. At elevations between 1400 and 1700 masl, they were observed on Miconia spp. , while at 1900–2000 masl, they were found on A. lepidota .

Examined material: COLOMBIA: Antioquia: Caldas ( Reserva Natural Alto de San Miguel — 1900–2000 masl) ; Gómez Plata (Finca Vegas de la Clara — 800 masl) ; Remedios ( Finca La Brillantina — 400–500 masl) ; San Carlos (vereda Santa Bárbara — 700–900 masl) ; San Luís (corregimiento El Prodigio — 700–900 masl) ; San Vicente ( Finca La Mosca — 2400 masl) ; Yarumal ( Reserva Los Magnolios — 1400–2000 masl) . Caldas: Pensilvania (1900– 2300 masl) . Valle del Cauca: Buenaventura (PNN Farallones de Cali — 600 masl) .

Remarks: The integument and coloration of nymphs in this species vary according to the host plant. Nymphs found on Andesanthus lepidota are glabrous (lacking chalazae) ( Fig. 11F View FIGURE 11 ), resembling the smooth scales of the young stems ( Fig. 16C View FIGURE 16 ), whereas those on Miconia spp. are densely covered with short chalazae ( Fig. 11E View FIGURE 11 ), mimicking the plant’s indument. The coloration of live specimens ranges from green to brownish-orange, depending on the specific part of the plant where the nymph is located. While the general body shape remains unchanged, some nymphs, even on the same host plant, appear more dorsoventrally flattened. These nymphs resemble those of L. phasianus more than any other Lycoderides species examined in this study. In particular, the integument and coloration of nymphs on Miconia spp. are more similar to those of L. phasianus than those on A. lepidota .

A useful diagnostic feature for L. luteus nymphs is the more pronounced anterior projection of the head ( Figs 10E, F View FIGURE 10 ) compared to other Lycoderides species, forming two broad arches. Adults from both Miconia spp. and A. lepidota are morphologically identical, including male genitalia, although individuals appear to be more gregarious in lowland habitats. This is one of the first records documenting morphological variation in membracid nymphs depending on the host plant. However, further evidence (e.g. molecular data) is needed to determine whether individuals from different host plants in L. luteus belong to the same species or represent a species complex. Interestingly, a similar pattern has been observed in the temperate North American Enchenopa binotata complex, where several biologically distinct species have nearly identical adults but nymphs that differ depending on their host plant ( Pratt and Wood 1992).

As previously noted for Lycoderes argutus and Lycoderides fernandezi by Lapèze and Lopez-Vaamonde (2024), L. luteus exhibits variation in forewing venation. The fourth apical cell can be either petiolate (with the r-m crossvein located basad to the M fork) or non-petiolate (with r-m located distad to the M fork). In the holotype of L. luteus , the fourth apical cell is non-petiolate, although the r-m crossvein is positioned very close to the M fork. Additionally, Sakakibara (2013) proposed that beyond the presence of a petiolate fourth apical cell, the apical cells in Lycoderides are arranged obliquely. However, this character appears to be highly variable and seems to form a continuum across species of Lycoderes and Lycoderides . Aside from the characters mentioned by Sakakibara (1972, 2013), we did not find additional features that reliably differentiate the two genera. Nevertheless, a detailed taxonomic revision and a phylogenetic analysis of the species in both genera are necessary to confidently determine whether they should be treated as synonyms.