Description of Nesophrosyne melemele sp. n., an Endemic Hawaiian Leafhopper (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae: Deltocephalinae: Opsiini) Associated with Myoporum sandwicense (Scrophulariaceae)
Author
Bennett, Michael D. Denis Gordon M.
text
Proceedings of the Hawaiian Entomological Society
2017
49
47
50
journal article
10.5281/zenodo.13190775
0073-134X
13190775
Nesophrosyne melemele
Denis & Bennett
Diagnosis
.
Length
: male =
2.88 mm
, female =
3.58 mm
. Yellow colored species. Head and vertex rounded. Frontoclypeus with a dark narrow (stylized) heart-shaped marking. Yellow saddle mark present. Aedeagus with pronounced distal processes, hooking laterally to almost 1/3 length of aedeagal arms.
Description.
Dorsum
(
Figure 1A
): Yellow colored species. Head rounded with vertex weakly produced. Pronotum predominately yellow with posterior edge light brown, extending 1/2 pronotal length and tapering towards lateral edges. Scutellum yellow; centrally split by diffuse dark vertical triangle that is variable in width and length; further subdivided by thin bowed dark horizontal line curving posteriorly. Forewing cells hyaline to infuscate, darkest forms with cells dark brown colored; veins darkly colored throughout; outer anteapical cell present. Clavus with diffuse yellow saddle mark with anterolateral margins fading to dark brown; yellow color broadening towards anterior claval edges.
Figure 1.
Nesophrosyne melemele
sp. n.
endemic to Kauai: (A) dorsal and ventral habitus, (B) male pygofer lateral view, (C) connective dorsal view, (D) style dorsal view, (E) aedeagus posterior view, and (F) aedeagus lateral view.
Venter
(
Figure 1A
): Face with clypellus yellow. Gena and lorum yellow. Antennal sockets yellow. Frontoclypeus broadly dark or brownish; vertex and edges pale, tapering towards posterior base creating a stylized heart-shaped mark on face. Thoracic plates dark. Legs pale. Ventral abdominal segments pale with infused dark bands along anterior edges.
Genitalia
(
Figure 1B–F
): Pygofer bluntly rounded with posterior apex rising to near dorsal edge; dorsal edge flat; ventral lobe reduced with ventral edge angled towards apex; 7 macro setae irregularly distributed. Subgenital plate with dense setae distributed along its lateral edges. Aedeagus with paired aedeagal arms widely splayed, rising conspicuously higher than central apodeme; gonopore preapical; apical processes elongate, extending just above gonopore and hooking to approximately 1/3 length of aedeagal arms. Style with apophysis curved, widening at base; preapical lobe with flat lateral and posterior edges, appearing angular; articulating arm short and triangular; posterior appendages with microsetae. Connective close in length to styles with posterior edge notched; anterior arms bowed and widely splayed with ends hooking mesad.
Distribution:
Hawaiian Islands, Kauai, Polihale Beach. Elevation: 3 meters
Measurements:
Body
: male (n = 7) =
2.89 mm
(2.7–3.0 mm); female (n = 5) =
3.58 mm
(3.2–4.0 mm).
Genitalia:
(n = 4): pygofer =
0.45 mm
(
0.44–0.45 mm
); style =
0.34 mm
(
0.33–0.35 mm
); connective =
0.27 mm
(
0.26–0.28 mm
); aedeagus lateral length =
0.28mm
(
0.27–0.30 mm
); aedeagus posterior height =
0.26 mm
(
0.24–0.28 mm
).
Type material:
Holotype
:
1 male
,
Hawaiian Islands
,
Kauai
,
Polihale State Park
. GPS:
22.29222222
,
159.95972222
.
Elevation
:
3 m
.
Collected on
5-Jan-2010
.
Host
plant:
Myoporum sandwicense
.
Coll. G.M. Bennett. Deposited
at the
University
of
Hawaii
Insect Museum
,
Honolulu
,
Hawaii
,
USA
.
Paratype
material:
7 males
and
5 females
with the same locality information and collection date as the
holotype
material (see above)
. Additional material was also deposited in the University of
Hawaii
Insect Museum, Honolulu,
Hawaii
,
USA
.
Etymology:
Melemele is the Hawaiian word for yellow. It was chosen to describe the predominately yellow body coloration observed in male and females of this species.
Notes:
Host plant
:
Myoporum sandwicense
.
Previous work referred to this species under the provisional designation as
“N. sp. 126”
(Bennett and O’Grady 2012).