Hephathus freyi ( Fieber, 1868 )

Tishechkin, Dmitri Yu., 2015, Contributions to the study of the genus Hephathus Ribaut, 1952 (Homoptera: Auchenorrhyncha: Cicadellidae: Macropsinae) of Russia and adjacent countries, Zootaxa 3999 (4), pp. 537-548 : 540-541

Hephathus freyi ( Fieber, 1868)

Figs. 14–17, 22–24, 29–30, 46–68, 83–94, 107–121, 133

Hephathus tshakaranus Dlabola, 1957: 300 , pl. 16, fig. 143. Syn. n.

Distribution ( Fig. 133 ). Mediterranean ( Spain, Southern France, North Africa), Transcaucasia, Iran, Southern Ukraine, steppes and semideserts of South-East of European Russia, Kazakhstan, and Central Asia.

Species identification. The species was described from Southern Spain ( Granada). Identification is based on Fieber (1868) and Ribaut (1952) and on investigation of specimens from Spain, Southern France, Tunisia, and Morocco ( Fig. 85 ). Identification of H. tshakaranus is based on the original description. Since the members of Hephathus are indistinguishable in genitalia shape, description of coloration is enough for species identification, and reinvestigation of types cannot give more information.

Remarks. H. tshakaranus was described based on four females from the midlands of North-Eastern Afghanistan (1850 m above sea level) ca. 25 km from the boundary with Tajikistan ( Dlabola, 1957). This form differs from European H. freyi in darker coloration (Fig. 68) and larger size: body length of females from the type series is 4.1–4.3 mm, whereas in three other species it ranges 2.8–3.6 mm in males and 3.3–4.0 in females. Specimens agreeing with Dlabola's description of H. tshakaranus were found in Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan (Central Tien Shan), Iran and Armenia ( Tishechkin, 2000, 2002). On average, specimens from these localities are larger than H. freyi from Southern Russia and Kazakhstan; e.g. in population from Central Tien Shan (Lower Suu-Samyr and Kekemeren River Valleys, Figs. 89–94 ) body length is 3.3–3.7 mm in males and 3.9–4.2 in females; specimens from Iran ( Figs. 83–84 ) are even larger: 3.3–3.8 mm and 4.2–4.7 mm, respectively. However, in all populations, from which we have a sufficient sample, specimens with light coloration as in European H. freyi are present together with dark coloured ones fitting the description of H. tshakaranus ( Figs. 89–94 ). Moreover, in large series of males from Kulyab, Tajikistan (250 km North-West of the type locality of H. tshakaranus .) all specimens are light coloured with reduced black pattern ( Fig. 107 ), but in body length (3.3–3.6 mm) they are somewhat larger than typical H. freyi . Thus, it is impossible to distinguish between these two forms in size and coloration.

Investigation of calling signals of large dark coloured males from Central Tien Shan (2 individuals from the environs of Suu-Samyr Village and 6 individuals from Kekemeren River Valley, Figs. 23–24, 30 ) showed that in acoustic traits they do not differ from typical H. freyi from other regions of Central Asia, Transcaucasia and European Russia ( Figs. 22, 29 ). On this basis we establish the synonymy H. freyi ( Fieber, 1868) = H. tshakaranus Dlabola, 1957 .

Figures

FIGURES 132 – 134. Hephathus spp., distribution maps: 132 ― H. nanus (Herrich-Schäffer); 133 ― H. freyi (Fieber); 134 ― H. achilleae Mityaev.

FIGURES 80 – 97. 80 ― Hephathus nanus (Herrich-Schäffer), lateral view, specimen from Bavaria; 81 – 82 ― H. achilleae Mityaev, same (81 ― specimen from North Caucasus, 82 ― specimen from Moscow Area); 83 – 94 ― H. freyi (Fieber), same (83 – 84 ― specimens from Iran, 85 ― specimen from Morocco, 86 ― specimen from West Tien Shan, Kyrgyzstan, 87 – 88 ― specimens from Southern European Russia, 89 – 94 ― specimens from Kekemeren River Valley, Central Tien Shan, Kyrgyzstan); 95 – 97 ― H. orientalis Linnavuori (95 ― lateral view, 96 ― face, 97 ― labels).

FIGURES 98 – 131. Hephathus spp., face. 98 – 106 ― H. nanus (Herrich-Schäffer) (100 ― specimen from Bavaria); 107 – 121 ― H. freyi (Fieber) (115 – 121 ― large specimens from Iran and Central Tien-Shan, Kyrgyzstan); 122 – 131 ― H. achilleae Mityaev (124, 128 ― paratypes).

FIGURES 20 – 34. Hephathus spp., oscillograms of male calling signals. 20 – 21, 26 – 28 ― H. nanus (Herrich-Schäffer); 22 – 24, 29 – 30 ― H. freyi (Fieber); 25, 31 – 34 ― H. achilleae Mityaev.