Flavorubivolatus curtiverpus, Stiller, 2021
|
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/B62DC8F0-FCC4-489A-843C-70ED03AA9C74 |
|
taxon LSID |
lsid:zoobank.org:act:B62DC8F0-FCC4-489A-843C-70ED03AA9C74 |
|
treatment provided by |
|
|
scientific name |
Flavorubivolatus curtiverpus |
| status |
sp. nov. |
Flavorubivolatus curtiverpus sp. nov. Figures 11B-D View Figure 11 , 17A-L View Figure 17
Material examined.
Type locality: Republic of South Africa, Western Cape Province, Sederberge [Cedarberg], -32.13, 18.98, 12 Oct. 1971, J.G. Theron leg.
Type specimen.
Holotype male, pinned, with genitalia in a separate microvial. Original label: "South Africa, Sederberge [Cedarberg], 12-10-71, J.G. Theron" "SANC Pretoria Dbase CCDL27862 (blue paper)".
Paratypes.
7♂♂, 1♀.
South Africa • 3♂♂, 1♀; ibid. holotype.
South Africa • 2♂♂; Western Cape Province, Cedarberg SE Citrusdal, Dwarsrivier Farm; -32.45, 19.2; 10-15 Oct. 2002; M. Stiller leg.; sweeping grass and forbs regrowth after fire; SANC Pretoria Dbase CCDL18272.
South Africa • 1♂; Western Cape Province, Cedarberg, SE Citrusdal, Driehoek Farm; -32.433, 19.216; 13 Oct. 2002; M. Stiller leg.; path the cedar wood forest sweeping low vegetation; SANC Pretoria Dbase CCDL27805.
South Africa • 1♂; Western Cape Province, Blinkberg Pass, -32.73, 19.43, 6 May 2011, M. Stiller leg.; SANC Pretoria Dbase CCDL28141.
Diagnosis.
Aedeagal shaft straight, ventrally at base with very short, paired tooth-like process (Fig. 17C, D View Figure 17 ). Subgenital plate with apex truncated (Fig. 17H View Figure 17 ). Pygofer lobe process right-angled mediad, elongate, with apices contiguous (Fig. 17G, J View Figure 17 ), apices variably serrate (Fig. 17K, L View Figure 17 ). Female unknown.
Male.
Measurements.
n=7. Length from apex of crown to apex of tegmina 3.0-3.3 mm. Crown median length 0.4-0.5 mm. Crown length next to eye 0.3 mm. Pronotum length 0.4 mm. Head width across eyes 0.9-1.0 mm. Pronotum width 0.9 mm. Ocellus diameter 27.3-34.7 µm; interocular distance 44.3-57.7 µm. Crown angle by trigonometry 92.7-96.8°.
Genitalia.
Anal tube. Conical dorsally, rectangular laterally. Incised about three quarters into pygofer (Fig. 17G, J View Figure 17 ).
Pygofer.
Viewed laterally longer than wide (Fig. 17G View Figure 17 ). Basal fold straight, angled about 45° (Fig. 17G View Figure 17 ).
Pygofer lobe.
Apex broadly rounded, medioposterior margin with medial and apical membranous disc-shaped structure (Fig. 17G, J View Figure 17 ). Compressed process on medioposterior margin, sclerotized, straight, long, orientation mediad (Fig. 17J-L View Figure 17 ). Process with apical and subapical ventral teeth; apices contiguous (Fig. 17K, L View Figure 17 ).
Subgenital plate.
Apex truncated (Fig. 17H View Figure 17 ). Macrosetae in 2-3 irregular rows. Length to width 1.6-1.8 times longer than basal width at confluence of plate and valve. Apex orientation dorsoposteriad (Fig. 17G View Figure 17 ).
Valve.
Posterior margins broadly rounded (Fig. 17H View Figure 17 ).
Aedeagus.
Base of shaft ventrally with short paired acuminate process; length of process less than width of shaft. Shaft straight (Fig. 17B-D View Figure 17 ). Gonopore elongate, subapical dorsally to ventromedially (Fig. 17A, C View Figure 17 ). Shaft with striate microsculpture (Fig. 17A View Figure 17 ). Dorsal apodeme reduced, preatrium elongate (Fig. 17D View Figure 17 ).
Connective.
Ratio stem length: greatest width 0.9 (Fig. 17E View Figure 17 ).
Style.
Apophysis apex narrowly rounded. Preapical lobe rounded; anterior lateral arm with sides convergent, apex acute; arm 0.4-0.6 times longer than distal part (Fig. 17F View Figure 17 , lateral view Fig. 17I View Figure 17 , macrosetae dorsal).
Female.
Unknown.
Etymology.
Latin, short, adjective and noun in apposition, curtus, for the short spine of the aedeagus, verpa. Masculine.
Distribution.
Driehoek farm, Dwarsrivier, Sederberge, Fig. 18B View Figure 18 , yellow triangle.
Discussion.
The reddish color (Fig. 11B-D View Figure 11 ) is similar to the color of F. tensiverpus (Figs 11F-I View Figure 11 , 12A View Figure 12 ) which distinguish these two species from F. glabriverpus , that is yellowish (Fig. 10A, E View Figure 10 ). Pygofer lobe processes variable in apical serration, i.e. length and number of teeth (Fig. 17K, L View Figure 17 ). The truncated, blunt apex of the subgenital plate and the elongated, transverse pygofer lobe process can clearly be distinguished on whole specimens (Fig. 11D View Figure 11 ), and that allow distinction between this species and F. glabriverpus and F. tensiverpus . The single female listed in material examined, (image in Fig. 10B View Figure 10 ) is tentatively included here. This species consists of a short series of males with overlapping records in one or other of the two species above. Signs of parasites or feminized specimens were absent, with all genitalia considered invariable, functional and distinct from F. glabriverpus and F. tensiverpus . All males were dissected. Records of an associated plant, Selago pustulosa , in Fig. 18G View Figure 18 .
Distribution models
Distributions were modelled with the species from the most localities (i.e. R. flexiverpus ) as well as most numerous species and all species merged, with the latter model for Retevolatus in Fig. 18A View Figure 18 and for Flavorubivolatus in Fig. 18B View Figure 18 , the former with a wider potential distribution. The first four Worldclim bioclimatic variables with the highest contribution to these models differed slightly. In Retevolatus they were bio19, 18, 8 and 15, and in Flavorubivolatus bio8, 15, 18 and 19. Bio8 is mean temperature in wettest quarter (winter), bio15 is precipitation seasonality, bio18 is precipitation in warmest quarter (summer) and bio19 is precipitation in coldest quarter (winter). Despite the wide distribution of some of the associated plants (Fig. 18C-G View Figure 18 ), the range of these leafhoppers appears restricted to a small area. Personal observation of species on plants resembling Seriphium saxatilis in the northern parts of South Africa have not produced specimens of Flavorubivolatus . Extensive work on the leafhoppers associated with Dicerothamnus rhinocerotis by Theron has not shown that Flavorubivolatus was associated with this plant.
No known copyright restrictions apply. See Agosti, D., Egloff, W., 2009. Taxonomic information exchange and copyright: the Plazi approach. BMC Research Notes 2009, 2:53 for further explanation.