Verdanus (Erdianus) tyrannus, Guglielmino, Adalgisa & Bückle, Christoph, 2009

Guglielmino, Adalgisa & Bückle, Christoph, 2009, Northern Apennines as centre of speciation: a new Verdanus species group (Hemiptera, Cicadomorpha, Cicadellidae) from Italy and its phylogenetic relationships with V. bensoni and the V. limbatellus group, Zootaxa 2264, pp. 1-22 : 6

Verdanus (Erdianus) tyrannus sp. nov. (Figs. 4D, 4E, 5A–D, 9D)

Description: Typical member of the genus Verdanus (as in Fig. 2 E). Very similar to V. abdominalis in shape, proportions, size, colouration and markings of body, legs and fore wings. Upper side pale green, apical cells of fore wings caudally brownish bordered. Fore wings about as long as abdomen (only sub-brachypterous specimens were collected). Generally the pattern of blackish colouration on frontoclypeus, ventral part of thorax and abdomen and on legs is highly variable.

Male genitalia: Pygofer lobes terminating at the posteroventral apex in a posteriorly directed short spur (as in Fig. 4A) and with a bundle of macrosetae on the dorsal edge. Genital plates (as in Fig. 9 A) long, ratio length of median lobe/width of genital plate base normally 0.9-1.0; macrosetae arranged along lateral borders; dorsally ( Fig. 9 D) with a short black spur near the medioapical border of the lateral lobe. Styles (Figs. 4D, 4E) with slender laterally curved apical process. Aedeagus ( Figs. 5 A-D) stocky. Basal apodeme with long caudolaterally protruding arms, their apex somewhat bent in ventral direction. Shaft wide and, in lateral view, thin and slightly S-shaped curved, apically with a pair of leaf-like broad acute, distally narrowed and caudally directed appendages, their surface oriented perpendicularly to the sagittal plane (their maximal extension visible in ventral view), and subapically a pair of small triangular, laterally directed processes ( Figs. 5 A, 5B); phallotreme terminal.

Female genitalia: Praegenital sternite (as in Fig. 4F) posteriorly with median bifurcate protuberance, to some degree variable in shape. Ovipositor base (as in Figs. 10 A, 10B) with medioventral part somewhat protruding anteriorly.

Measurements: Males. Total body length (from vertex to tip of fore wings) 3.6-4.56 mm; width of head including eyes 1.16-1.28 mm; length of vertex 0.48-0.56 mm; length of pronotum 0.4-0.52 mm; width of pronotum 1.08-1.20 mm; length of genital plates 0.44-0.47 mm; length of aedeagus shaft (from basis to phallotrema) 0.35-0.38 mm. - Females. Total body length (from vertex to tip of fore wings) 3.92-4.56 mm; width of head including eyes 1.32-1.40 mm; length of vertex 0.52-0.60 mm; length of pronotum 0.48-0.52 mm; width of pronotum 1.20-1.28 mm.

Type series: Holotype Male: Italy, Emilia-Romagna (Modena); Passo delle Radici, road to S. Pellegrino between the pass and Bocca dei Fornelli; ~ 1600m; 29/6/2005; undergrowth of a beech-forest with open areas; Guglielmino & Bückle leg. (loc. 188). Paratypes: same data as holotype, 13 males, 1 female. - Emilia- Romagna (Modena); M. Cimone, southern slope and peak area of M. Cervarola; ~ 1550-1600m; 27/6/2005; herbaceous vegetation; Guglielmino & Bückle leg. (loc. 185), 3 males, 2 females.

Type material deposited in Dipartimento di Protezione delle Piante, Università della Tuscia, Viterbo, Italy (Guglielmino’s collection) (CG).

Geographic distribution: At present V. tyrannus is known only from M. Cimone (M. Cervarola) and Passo delle Radici (Tuscan-Emilian Apennines) ( Fig. 1 : rhombus), at an altitude between 1500-1600m.

Biology: Adults were collected in June in mountain meadows and in open grassy areas within beechwood ( Fig. 2 A). Probably univoltine.

Remarks: The diagnostic characters of this species are the caudal direction of its apical aedeagus appendages and the triangular shape and subapical position of the lateral aedeagus processes ( Figs. 5 A-D).

Figures

FIGURE 1. Distribution map of new taxa. ♦ = Verdanus tyrannus sp. nov.; ˑ = Verdanus saurosus sp. nov.; ● = Verdanus rosaurus rosaurus ssp. nov.; ․ = Verdanus rosaurus rex ssp. nov ..

FIGURE 2. (A) Landscape in the Tuscan-Emilian Apennines near Passo delle Radici, type locality of Verdanus tyrannus sp. nov.; (B) Southern slope of M. Corchia (Alpi Apuane), type locality of Verdanus saurosus sp. nov.; (C) Southern slopes of Alpe di Succiso, type locality of Verdanus rosaurus rosaurus ssp. nov.; (D) M. Cavalbianco, type locality of Verdanus rosaurus rex ssp. nov.; (E) Verdanus rosaurus rosaurus ssp. nov., male.

FIGURE 5. Aedeagus. Verdanus tyrannus sp. nov., male (paratype: Italy, Emilia Romagna, Passo delle Radici), (A) ventral view; (B) ventrolateral view; (C) lateral view; (D) caudal view. - Verdanus saurosus sp. nov., male (paratype: Italy, Toscana, M. Corchia), (E) ventral view; (F) ventrolateral view; (G) lateral view; (H) caudal view.

FIGURE 9. Left genital plate, ventral view, (A) Verdanus rosaurus rosaurus ssp. nov., male (paratype: Italy, Emilia Romagna, M. Navert); (B) Verdanus bensoni (China) (paratype of Deltocephalus obenbergeri Dlabola: Bohemia, det. Dlabola, 1945, MNHN (EH) 3502); (C) Verdanus limbatellus (Zetterstedt) (Russia, bassin of Manya river, Great Ural, Liapin & Flerov leg., 21. - 23. VII. 1927). - Right genital plate, dorsal view, (D) Verdanus tyrannus sp. nov., male (paratype: Italy, Emilia Romagna, M. Cervarola).

FIGURE 10. Base of ovipositor, ventral view, (A) Verdanus rosaurus rosaurus ssp. nov., female, (paratype: Italy, Emilia Romagna, M. Navert); (C) Verdanus bensoni (China) (Krkonoše [Czech Republic], 10. VI. 1946, Dlabola, MNHN 3507); (F) Verdanus limbatellus (Zetterstedt) (Russia, bassin of Manya river, Great Ural, Liapin & Flerov leg., 21. - 23. VII. 1927). - Base of ovipositor, rostral view, (B) Verdanus rosaurus rosaurus ssp. nov., female, (paratype: Italy, Emilia Romagna, M. Navert); (D) Verdanus bensoni (China) (Krkonoše [Czech Republic], 10. VI. 1946, Dlabola, MNHN 3507); (E) Verdanus limbatellus (Zetterstedt) (Russia, bassin of Manya river, Great Ural, Liapin & Flerov leg., 21. - 23. VII. 1927).