Dikrella (Dikrella) mella Ruppel & DeLong, 1952

Pinedo-Escatel, J. Adilson & Dmitriev, Dmitry, 2019, Redescription of the Dikraneurini leafhopper Dikrellamella Ruppel & DeLong, 1952 (Hemiptera, Cicadellidae) with a synoptic checklist of leafhoppers on avocado trees in Mexico, ZooKeys 857, pp. 17-27 : 17

Dikrella (Dikrella) mella Ruppel & DeLong, 1952 Figures 1, 2, 3-8

Dikrella (Dikrella) mella Ruppel & DeLong, 1952: 90

Description of male.

Small, delicate. Body slender. Texture of head, pronotum, and mesonotum uniform. General coloration yellowish with orange-gold infusions on pronotum and ventral view, forewing with two black spots on first and fourth apical cell, spots of same diameter but one in fourth cell lighter (Figs 1 and 2). Head well produced, narrowly rounded apically, lateral margin white, center yellow, distance between eyes (interocular) 1.0 × of eye diameter, coronal suture half as long as crown length. Face without marks, mostly white-yellowish. Frontoclypeus narrow and parallel-sided. Anteclypeus longer than wide. Pronotum large, produced anteriorly, reaching half-length of eye, convex, slightly wider than head, lateral margins slightly convergent distally, white, center yellow. Visible part of mesonotum large, as long as pronotum, apex gold. Forewing well developed, translucent with tiny yellow marks along sides of R, M veins, and apical cells, some yellow pigmentation at base of marginal vein and clavus. Hind wing translucent.

Description of female.

Same as male but color somewhat paler overall.

Male genitalia.

Pygofer conical, narrowing caudally, longer than wide, with notch on dorsal margin, dorsal process slender curved dorsad arising beyond midlength of pygofer near dorsal notch; ventral process short, straight subapical (Fig. 7). Anal tube broad and membranous. Subgenital plate elongate, wider at base and narrowed toward tip, apex rounded, outer margin striate, inconspicuous setae running on each side of plate (Fig. 8). Connective broad and short, almost square (Fig. 6). Style long, base narrow, anterior lobe not developed, preapical lobe very bulky, projected laterad with fine setae apically; apex long, curved and finger-shaped (Fig. 5). Aedeagus with atrium about as long as shaft, dorsal apodeme not developed; shaft long, slender and slightly curved dorsad with dorsal preapical gonopore; ventral appendage large, forked close to apex, straight in lateral view; atrium with two long slender processes arising near base of shaft, parallel to each other on ventral side of shaft, divergent at apex (Figs 3 and 4).

Female genitalia.

VII sternite quadrate, ovipositor large, pointed.

Immature stages.

Unknown

Measurements.

Body size 3.0-3.5 mm

Reported hosts.

Avocado ( Persea americana )

Type locality.

Cuernavaca, Morelos state (Mexico)

Distribution.

Mexico: Guerrero (Iguala), Michoacán (Uruapan), Oaxaca (Rancho Monter), Morelos (Cuernavaca; Tetela del Volcán), and Chiapas (Vergel)

Material examined.

Holotype ♂ (OSUC), MEXICO: Cuernavaca Mor. \ X-21-41. \ K. 57 \ DeLong, Good, Caldwell and Plummer \ D. M. DeLong collection; 2♂ Paratypes (OSUC), MEXICO: Iguala, Guerrero \ IX-11 39 \ D. M. DeLong collection; 1♂, 2♂ (CEAM), MEXICO: Morelos, Tetela del Volcán, San Miguel \ 1,962m \ 18°50'27.204"N, 98°44'46.895"W \ 30 –Ene– 2014 \ ex: Persea americana \ sweep net \ R.M. Quezada-Daniel; 1♀, 1♂ (CEAM), MEXICO, Morelos, Tetela del Volcán, Huerta El Calabazo \ 2,195m \ 18°52'3.252"N, 98°44'5.2"W \ 19 –Oct– 2014 \ ex: Persea americana \ sweep net. \ R. M. Quezada-Daniel; 9♂, 11♀ (CAJAPE), MEXICO: Morelos, Tetela del Volcán, San Miguel \ 1,962m \ 18°50'27.204"N, 98°44'46.895"W \ 30 –Ene– 2014 \ ex: Persea americana \ sweep net \ R.M. Quezada-Daniel; 1♂, 1♀ (CNIN), MEXICO: Morelos, Tetela del Volcán, San Miguel \ 1,962m \ 18°50'27.204"N, 98°44'46.895"W \ 30 –Ene– 2014 \ ex: Persea americana \ sweep net \ R.M. Quezada-Daniel; 1♂ (CEAM), MEXICO: Morelos, Tetela del Volcán, San Miguel \ 1,962m \ 18°50'27.204"N, 98°44'46.895"W \ 30 –Ene– 2014 \ ex: Persea americana \ sweep net \ R.M. Quezada-Daniel