Revision of the Southern African leafhopper genus Pravistylus (Hemiptera, Cicadellidae, Deltocephalinae) 2468
Author
Stiller, M.
text
Zootaxa
2010
2010-05-14
2468
1
1
81
https://biotaxa.org/Zootaxa/article/view/zootaxa.2468.1.1
journal article
10.11646/zootaxa.2468.1.1
11755334
10094177
Pravistylus pelorophallus
sp. n.
(
Figs 1
aa; 2 u; 3 ai; 4 ag; 5 aa; 6 af & ag; 7 bp; 8 az & ba)
Diagnosis
. Aedeagus, in lateral view, with shaft very long, thin, about 4 times as long as distance between apex of dorsal apodeme and preapical lobe (
Fig. 3
ai). Plate triangular, with apex digitate, 1.1–1.3 times as long as wide (
Fig. 2 u
). Style with distal part far from base, with apophysis about two thirds as wide as the width across preapical lobe (
Fig. 5
aa).
Etymology
. Greek, huge (
peloros
) for the oversized aedeagus (
phallus
), occupying much of the pygofer.
Male and female
. Ochraceous, sometimes with paired fuscous markings on vertex and inner anteapical cell. Hind wing about 0.2 times as long as tegmina (
Figs 8
az & ba).
Male
.
Dimensions
. (n = 5)
Length
: apex of vertex to apex of tegmina
2.9–3.1 mm
; apex of vertex to apex of abdomen 2.7–3.0 mm; vertex medially
0.4 mm
; vertex next to eye
0.3 mm
; pronotum medially
0.3 mm
.
Width
: head
0.9 mm
; pronotum
0.8–0.9 mm
. Ocellar diameter 23.5–29.7 µm; ocellocular distance 42.0 µm.
Genital capsule
. Pygofer, in lateral view, with ventral posterior margin somewhat convex, membranous, posterior margin sclerotized and wedge-shaped membranous region submarginally; dorsal posterior margin lobate (
Fig. 1
aa). Pygofer lobe equidistantly triangular, bluntly rounded; about half as wide as pygofer (
Fig. 1
aa). Plate triangular, apex digitate, slightly deflected laterally; medial margins subparallel, close together (
Fig. 2 u
); plate 1.1–1.3 times as long as wide. Aedeagal shaft, in lateral view, arising medially from atrium; preatrium long, narrow; dorsal apodeme narrow; shaft very long, thin, about 4 times as long as length of dorsal apodeme to preatrium; shaft base C-shaped, close to dorsal apodeme, with apical quarter straightened; gonopore apical, oblique, ventral (
Figs 3
ai, 4 ag). Style distal part far from anterior medial arm, apophysis about two thirds as wide as width across preapical lobe, apex of apophysis acutely angled, teeth along posteroventral margin (
Fig. 5
aa). Connective stem slightly narrower than the width across the arms (
Fig. 6
af); in lateral view, curved (
Fig. 6
ag).
Female
.
Dimensions
. (n = 8)
Length
: apex of vertex to apex of tegmina 3.0–
3.2 mm
; apex of vertex to apex of abdomen
3.1–3.6 mm
; vertex medially
0.5 mm
; vertex next to eye
0.3 mm
; pronotum medially
0.3– 0.4 mm
.
Width
: head 0.9–1.0 mm; pronotum
0.8–0.9 mm
. Ocellar diameter 19.2–29.8 µm; ocellocular distance 35.3–45.2 µm.
Genitalia.
Sternite 7 base rectangular, hind margin ligulate (width at apex 0.5 times ligula length), base triangular, apex rectangular, notch wide, shallow (length of ligula about as long as length of base) (
Fig. 7
bp).
Material examined
.
Holotype
male.
South Africa
,
KwaZulu-Natal
.
Lower Loteni
east,
29°33ʹS
,
29°44ʹE
,
1492 m
,
26.xii.2004
,
M. Stiller
, sweeping grass, regrowth after fire (
SANC
)
.
Paratypes
.
4♂
,
8♀
.
KwaZulu-Natal
.
4♂
,
8♀
, same data as holotype (
BMNH
,
SANC
)
.
Remarks
. The unique feature of
P. pelorophallus
is the very long, thin, tubular aedeagus (
Fig. 3
ai), that occupies much of the pygofer (
Fig. 1
aa), and to a lesser extent, the shape of the pygofer and pygofer lobe (
Fig.1
aa). A number of species have similar plate shapes, such as
P. oxyphysis
(
Figs 2 o & p
),
P. interdiscus
(
Figs 2 r & s
),
P. serratus
sp. n.
(
Fig. 2 v
),
P. caenophallus
(
Fig. 2 y
) and
P. odontopygeus
(
Fig. 2 x
). The length to width ratio of the plate of all of these latter species is larger, ranging from 1.4–1.9 times as long as wide. The plate of
P. pelorophallus
is 1.1–1.3 times as long as wide. All of these latter species have the apex of the plate curved medially or posteriorly, and never laterally. Also in all of these latter species the style and especially the aedeagus is different. The style in
P. pelorophallus
is as in
Fig. 5
aa, and in
P. oxyphysis
as in
Figs 5 y & z
, in
P. interdiscus
as in
Fig. 5 r
, in
P. serratus
as in
Fig. 5 i
, in
P. caenophallus
as in
Fig. 5
ac and in
P. odontopygeus
as in
Fig. 5 x
. The aedeagus in
P. pelorophallus
is as in
Figs 3
ai & 4 ag, and in
P. oxyphysis
as in
Figs 3
ac & 4 aa, in
P. interdiscus
as in
Figs 3
aa & 4 y, in
P. serratus
as in
Figs 3
ae & 4 ac, in
P. caenophallus
as in
Figs 3
ak & 4ai and in
P. odontopygeus
as in
Figs 3
ah & 4 af.