Flavorubivolatus tensiverpus, Stiller, 2021

Stiller, Michael, 2021, New macropterous leafhopper genera and species within the tribe Bonaspeiini from the Fynbos biome of South Africa (Insecta, Hemiptera, Auchenorrhyncha, Cicadellidae), African Invertebrates 62 (1), pp. 1-45 : 1

publication ID

https://dx.doi.org/10.3897/afrinvertebr.62.54721

publication LSID

lsid:zoobank.org:pub:BF44E5BA-47C5-4562-BC40-8CF482B6BBA7

persistent identifier

https://treatment.plazi.org/id/DAB69824-C705-432C-9379-D91E71A53362

taxon LSID

lsid:zoobank.org:act:DAB69824-C705-432C-9379-D91E71A53362

treatment provided by

African Invertebrates by Pensoft

scientific name

Flavorubivolatus tensiverpus
status

sp. nov.

Flavorubivolatus tensiverpus sp. nov. Figures 10F-I View Figure 10 , 11A View Figure 11 , 13C-L View Figure 13 , 16A-N View Figure 16 , 18B View Figure 18

Material examined.

Type locality: Republic of South Africa, Western Cape Province, Cedarberg near Clanwilliam , -32.35, 18.98, 21 Dec. 1976, J.G. Theron leg.

Type specimen.

Holotype male, pinned, with genitalia in a separate microvial. Original label: "South Africa, Sederberge, 21.xii.1976, J.G. Theron" "SANC Pretoria Dbase CCDL27824 (blue paper)".

Paratypes.

8♂♂, 4♀♀, 1 nymph.

South Africa • 5♂♂, 2♀♀; ibid. holotype, SANC, BMNH.

South Africa • 1♂, 1♀; Western Cape Province, Halfmanshof; -33.14, 18.96; 17 Dec. 1981; J.G. Theron leg.; sweeping, Elytropappus glandulosa , Asteraceae; SANC Pretoria Dbase CCDL27829.

South Africa • 1♂; Western Cape Province, Cedarberg wilderness, site 1; -32.4000, 19.0378; 14 Dec. 2016; M. Stiller leg.; sweeping, Phylica plumigera , Rhamnaceae; SANC Pretoria Dbase CCDL27831.

South Africa • 1♂, 1♀, 1 nymph; Northern Cape Province, Oorlogskloof, Doltuin; -31.4790, 19.0790; 19 Dec. 2016; M. Stiller leg.; sweeping; SANC Pretoria Dbase CCDL26687.

Diagnosis.

Male with aedeagal shaft straight, ventrally at base with long (about half as long as shaft) paired tooth-like process (Figs 16A-D View Figure 16 ). Subgenital plate with apex broadly rounded (Fig. 16J View Figure 16 ). Pygofer lobe process short, sinuous, orientation medioposteriad (Fig. 16I, K, N View Figure 16 ). Female with sternite 7 transversely rectangular (Fig. 16M View Figure 16 ).

Male.

Measurements.

n=6. Length from apex of crown to apex of tegmina 3.15-3.34 mm. Crown median length 0.39-0.41 mm. Crown length next to eye 0.29-0.31 mm. Pronotum length 0.34-0.37 mm. Head width across eyes 0.94-0.98 mm. Pronotum width 0.86-0.89 mm. Ocellus diameter 27.0-34.2 µm; interocular distance 43.5-58.0 µm. Crown angle by trigonometry 98.6-101.4°.

Genitalia.

Anal tube. Conical dorsally, square laterally. Incised about half way into pygofer (Fig. 16H, L View Figure 16 ).

Pygofer.

Viewed laterally about as long as wide. Basal fold straight, angle about 45° (Fig. 16L View Figure 16 ).

Pygofer lobe.

Apex broadly rounded, ventroposterior margin with medial and apical, membranous, disc-shaped structure. Sclerotized, short acuminate process on ventroposterior margin, orientation medioposteriad. Process sinuous, about 4 times longer than wide, with subapical ventral tooth, apices disjunct (Fig. 16H, K, N View Figure 16 ).

Subgenital plate.

Apex narrowly rounded. Macrosetae 2-3 irregular rows. Ratio of length to width 1.6-1.8 times longer than basal width (Fig. 16J View Figure 16 ). Apex orientation posteriad (Fig. 16L View Figure 16 ).

Valve.

Posterior margins broadly rounded (Fig. 16J View Figure 16 ).

Aedeagus.

Base or subbase of shaft ventrally with elongate paired process, about half as long as shaft, parallel and contiguous with shaft; shaft sublinear. Gonopore elongate, subapical dorsally to ventromedially. Dorsal apodeme and preatrium sub-equal in length (Fig. 16A-D View Figure 16 ).

Connective.

Ratio greatest length/greatest width=0.91-1.07, length stem/length arm=0.78-1.21, width stem/width arm=0.47-0.60 (Fig. 16F, G View Figure 16 ).

Style.

Apophysis apex narrowly rounded. Preapical lobe rounded; anterior lateral arm with sides subparallel, apex narrowly rounded; arm 0.6 times longer than distal part (Fig. 16E View Figure 16 ).

Female.

Measurements. n=4. Length from apex of crown to apex of tegmina 3.27-3.35 mm. Crown median length 0.41-0.42 mm. Crown length next to eye 0.30-0.32 mm. Pronotum length 0.36-0.37 mm. Head width across eyes 0.98-1.01 mm. Pronotum width 0.87-0.91 mm. Ocellus diameter 29.3-40.7 µm; interocular distance 56.0 µm. Crown angle by trigonometry 99.5-100.6°.

Genital capsule.

Sternite 7. Ratio of greatest length: greatest width 0.63-0.70 (Fig. 16M View Figure 16 ).

Valvifer 1.

Dorsal and ventral margins subparallel (Fig. 13C, F View Figure 13 ) or broadly rounded, asymmetric (Figs 13H View Figure 13 , 14A, C, E View Figure 14 ). Anterior and posterior margins narrowly rounded. Elongated or about as long as wide.

Valvula 1.

Sculpture maculose (Fig. 13I-K View Figure 13 ) and minimally strigate basally (Fig. 13K View Figure 13 ).

Valvifer 2.

As in Fig. 13G View Figure 13 .

Valvula 2.

Apical half denticulate (Figs 13D, L View Figure 13 , 14D View Figure 14 ), with fine serration in trough between crests (Fig. 14B View Figure 14 ).

Valvula 3.

Long setae subapically and submarginally (Fig. 14F View Figure 14 ).

Etymology.

Named in Latin, adjective and noun in apposition, for the long, drawn out, tensus, spine on the shaft of the aedeagus (verpa). Gender Masculine.

Distribution.

Cedarberg, Clanwilliam, Doltuin, Halfmanshof, Fig. 18B View Figure 18 , red circle.

Discussion.

Flavorubivolatus tensiverpus is distinctly more red in the crown, pronotum and tegmina than yellowish color of F. glabriverpus . Measurements show that the crown length medially is slightly shorter, i.e. 0.4 mm and in the other species 0.4-0.5 mm. Genitalia in the male with aedeagal shaft linear to sublinear, position and orientation of basal processes (Fig. 16A-C View Figure 16 ), especially in Halfmanshof specimen, where the processes are more basal, slightly shorter and the apex of the shaft slightly wider than in the other species of this genus (Fig. 16B View Figure 16 , compare Fig. 16A, C View Figure 16 , Clanwilliam). Arms of the connective appear asymmetrical, but this is due to orientation during examination (Fig. 16F, G View Figure 16 ). The connective arms and medial arms of the styles are angled dorsad. Dissections included 8 males and 4 females and signs of parasites absent, i.e. no larva inside abdomen or pupal case. Plant records of Phylica oleifolia in Fig. 18D View Figure 18 . A record of Renosteria waverena from Halfmanshof, with same date as above, but with clear differences in male genitalia and color to that of F. tensiverpus .