Pravistylus varicudiscus, Stiller, 2010

Stiller, M., 2010, Revision of the Southern African leafhopper genus Pravistylus (Hemiptera, Cicadellidae, Deltocephalinae) 2468, Zootaxa 2468 (1), pp. 1-81 : 49

publication ID	https://doi.org/ 10.11646/zootaxa.2468.1.1
DOI	https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.10537731
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/03EFD356-FFEB-FFE2-6CFF-77E58F92D6E4
treatment provided by	Felipe
scientific name	Pravistylus varicudiscus
status	sp. nov.

Treatment

Pravistylus varicudiscus View in CoL sp. n.

( Figs. 1 View FIGURE 1 aj; 2 a; 3 ag; 4 ae; 5 al; 6 ae; 7 cf; 8 bm & bn)

Diagnosis. Plate extremely long, with apex right-angled dorsally, apex of plate reaching anal tube, apex narrow tubular ( Fig. 2 a View FIGURE 2 ). Pygofer rectangular, pygofer lobe reduced ( Fig. 1 View FIGURE 1 aj). Female sternite 7 longitudinally rectangular, with short triangular ligula ( Fig. 7 View FIGURE 7 cf).

Etymology. Latin, varicus, straddling, discus¸ disc, i.e. subgenital plate; for the nature of the plate that straddles the pygofer and with its apex reaching the anal tube.

Male and female. Ochraceous, male with variable narrow fuscous marking on dorsally on pygofer. Female ochraceous, unmarked. Both sexes sometimes with more distinct fuscous marking on vertex and inner anteapical cell of tegmina ( Figs 8 View FIGURE 8 bm & bn).

Male. Dimensions. (n = 25) Length: to tegmina 2.3–2.4 mm; to abdomen 2.6–2.9 mm; vertex medially 0.4–0.5 mm; vertex next to eye 0.3 mm; pronotum medially 0.3 mm. Width: head 0.9 mm; pronotum 0.8 mm. Ocellar diameter 28.0 µm; ocellocular distance 37.0–45.9 µm.

Genital capsule. Pygofer rectangular ( Fig. 1 View FIGURE 1 aj). Pygofer lobe reduced, subapical, broadly merged with pygofer. Plate elongate, more so than in any other species of Pravistylus ; basal two thirds acutely triangular, basal lateral margin slightly sinuous, sparsely set with fine, short setae; plate 2.4–2.7 times as long as width across base (excluding length of right-angled apex); apex narrow, tubular, sclerotized, right-angled dorsally, apex in repose reaching as far as anal tube; 6–7 uniseriate marginal medial macrosetae ( Fig. 2 a View FIGURE 2 ). Aedeagus with dorsal apodeme narrow; shaft, ventral view, narrow, parallel-sided; lateral view, wide at base, basal ⅔ uniformly curved dorsad, apical ⅓ deflected somewhat ventrad; gonopore subapical, dorsolaterad ( Figs 3 View FIGURE 3 ag, 4 ae). Style distal part widely separated from basal medial arm; apophysis acutely triangular, about 6 teeth ventrally ( Fig. 5 View FIGURE 5 al). Connective elongate, stem triangular, about twice as wide as width across arms ( Fig. 6 View FIGURE 6 ae).

Female. Dimensions. (n = 13) Length: to tegmina 2.3–2.5 mm; to abdomen 3.1–3.3 mm; vertex medially 0.5 mm; vertex next to eye 0.3–0.4 mm; pronotum medially 0.3 mm. Width: head 0.9–1.0 mm; pronotum 0.8–0.9 mm. Ocellar diameter 28.0 µm; ocellocular distance 36.5–48.6 µm.

Genitalia. Sternite 7 longitudinally rectangular, short triangular ligula apically. Greatest medial length 1.2–1.3 times longer the greatest width ( Fig. 7 View FIGURE 7 cf).

Material examined. Holotype male. Swaziland. Malolotja Nature Reserve , near environmental education center, 26º9ʹ15.12ʺS, 31º6ʹ2.64ʺE, 1564 m, 8.xii.2009, M. Stiller, DVac moribund grass GoogleMaps . Paratypes. 20♂, 10♀, Ibid., same data as holotype ( BMNH, INHS, SANC) GoogleMaps .

Remarks. Pravistylus varicudiscus is characterized by the very long plate with the apical third that is right-angled dorsally. The plate of this species reaches the apex of the pygofer lobe and bears macrosetae ( Fig. 1 View FIGURE 1 aj). Another species with a similar configuration is P. digitidiscus ( Fig. 2 c View FIGURE 2 ), but with the plate distinctly shorter, usually without macrosetae, only a short section of the apex is curved or bent dorsally, or sometimes it is right-angled ( Fig. 1 h View FIGURE 1 ). In undissected specimens of P. digitidiscus the apex of the plate is inserted ventrally between margins of the pygofer lobe. The female sternite 7 of P. varicudiscus is characteristically longitudinally rectangular, with a short triangular ligula ( Fig. 7 View FIGURE 7 cf), whereas in all other species of Pravistylus the sternite is usually transversely rectangular with a long ligula, or sometimes square. There is a striking similarity in the plate of P. varicudiscus and a new species of Vilargus , although the aedeagus and sternite 7 of the female of these two species differs markedly.