Pravistylus mecophysis, Stiller, 2010

Stiller, M., 2010, Revision of the Southern African leafhopper genus Pravistylus (Hemiptera, Cicadellidae, Deltocephalinae) 2468, Zootaxa 2468 (1), pp. 1-81 : 30-31

publication ID

https://doi.org/ 10.11646/zootaxa.2468.1.1

DOI

https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.10537711

persistent identifier

https://treatment.plazi.org/id/03EFD356-FFC6-FFCC-6CFF-74258EF6D2D9

treatment provided by

Felipe

scientific name

Pravistylus mecophysis
status

sp. nov.

Pravistylus mecophysis View in CoL sp. n.

( Figs 1 s View FIGURE 1 ; 2 View FIGURE 2 ab; 3 d; 4 d; 5 t; 6 c; 7 au; 8 ag & ah)

Diagnosis. Style apophysis acute, longer than base, extending well beyond posterior margin of plate ( Fig. 5 t View FIGURE 5 ). Plate medial proximal margin straight, distal margin shallowly concave, lateral margin rounded; apex digitate; apex curving medially ( Fig. 2 View FIGURE 2 ab). Aedeagus very small; shaft depressed, straight, with apex curved dorsad ( Figs 3 d View FIGURE 3 , 4 d View FIGURE 4 ).

Etymology. Greek, for the very long (mekos) apophysis of the style.

Male and female. Pale ochraceous; feint fuscous marking sometimes on apex of vertex. Tegmina with costal cells opaque. Pygofer dorsolaterally at anterior margin with large fuscous marking ( Figs 8 View FIGURE 8 ag & ah). Hind wing reduced, triangular, about half the length of tegmina.

Male. Dimensions. (n = 21) Length: apex of vertex to apex of tegmina 2.0– 2.2 mm; apex of vertex to apex of abdomen 2.1–2.5 mm; vertex medially 0.3–0.4 mm; vertex next to eye 0.2–0.3 mm; pronotum medially 0.2–0.3 mm. Width: head 0.7 mm; pronotum 0.6–0.7 mm. Ocellar diameter 11.5–23.5 µ m; ocellocular distance 36.9–49.1 µm.

Genital capsule. Pygofer, in lateral view, with dorsal and ventral margins extending uniformly into broadly rounded lobe ( Fig. 1 s View FIGURE 1 ). Plate apex digitate, curved medially; medial margin straight basally, slightly sinuous subapically, lateral margin rounded; 7–8 marginal macrosetae ( Fig. 2 View FIGURE 2 ab); plate 1.4–1.7 times as long as wide. Aedeagus, in lateral view, with shaft arising medially on atrium; preatrium and dorsal apodeme short; dorsal view, shaft depressed, about twice as wide as width in lateral view; base of shaft straight, apex curved dorsad; gonopore subbasal, dorsal ( Figs 3 d View FIGURE 3 , 4 d View FIGURE 4 ). Style distal part far from anterior medial lobe; apophysis distinctly elongate, tapering gradually to narrow point, longer than base of style; apophysis extending well beyond posterior margin of plate ( Fig. 2 View FIGURE 2 ab); teeth on apophysis extending from apex to base ( Fig. 5 t View FIGURE 5 ). Connective with stem about as long as base; in lateral view, straight ( Fig. 6 c View FIGURE 6 ).

Female. Dimensions. (n = 10) Length: apex of vertex to apex of tegmina 2.0– 2.4 mm; apex of vertex to apex of abdomen 2.2–2.7 mm; vertex medially 0.3–0.4 mm; vertex next to eye 0.2–0.3 mm; pronotum medially 0.3 mm. Width: head 0.7–0.8 mm; pronotum 0.6–0.7 mm. Ocellar diameter 14.1–24.6 µ m; ocellocular distance 40.7–44.1 µm.

Genitalia. Sternite 7 ligula short, notched, flanked on either side by slightly shorter, obtusely triangular process ( Fig. 7 View FIGURE 7 au).

Material examined. Holotype male. South Africa, Western Cape. Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve, Scarborough, 34°14ʹS, 18°25ʹE, 60 m, 10.xii.2004, DVac, Pseudopentameris macrantha , Pentaschistis curvifolia , Tribolium hispidum (Poaceae) ( SANC). Paratypes. 20♂, 4♀, 2 nymphs. Western Cape. 8♂, 2♀, Silvermine Nature Reserve, Noordhoek, 34°06ʹS, 18°25ʹE, 76 m, 9.xii.2004, DVac; 7♂, 5♀, same data as holotype; 3♂, between Betty’s Bay and Pringle Bay, 34°21ʹS, 18°52ʹE, 19.xii.2004, DVac, rehabilitated refuse dump; 3♂, 2♀, 2 nymphs, Hangklip, Pringle Bay, 34°23ʹS, 18°50ʹE, 19.xii.2004, DVac; all M. Stiller ( BMNH, INHS, SANC).

Remarks. All examined specimens except one have the hind wing reduced. The tegmina is sometimes as long as the abdomen, but usually shorter. No other species of Pravistylus has a similarly elongate style apophysis that protrudes far beyond the plate ( Fig. 2 View FIGURE 2 ab). However, the styles in species such as P. bidentidiscus (plate as in Fig. 2 View FIGURE 2 ar) and P. scolophallus sp. n. (plate as in Fig. 2 View FIGURE 2 as) have the apophysis protruding beyond the plate to a lesser extent. These two species have the plate modified to a greater degree than in species from the Grassland Biome. The aedeagi of P. deltoplacus ( Fig. 3 c View FIGURE 3 ), P. mecophysis ( Fig. 3 d View FIGURE 3 ) and P. bidentidiscus ( Fig. 3 e View FIGURE 3 ) are very similar, although the styles and plates differ distinctly. To an extent the aedeagi of P. brachyplacus ( Fig. 3 f View FIGURE 3 ) and P. mollidiscus sp. n. ( Fig. 3 g View FIGURE 3 ) bear some resemblance, but have shorter and more tubular shafts than that of P. mecophysis ( Fig. 3 d View FIGURE 3 ).

SANC

Agricultural Research Council-Plant Protection Research Institute

INHS

Illinois Natural History Survey

Kingdom

Animalia

Phylum

Arthropoda

Class

Insecta

Order

Hemiptera

Family

Cicadellidae

Genus

Pravistylus

Darwin Core Archive (for parent article) View in SIBiLS Plain XML RDF