Gillonella Nielson & Godoy, 1995

Pinedo-Escatel, Jorge Adilson & Blanco-Rodríguez, Edith, 2024, A new genus of Cicadellini (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae) from the Oaxacan Cloud Forest, with taxonomic notes on allied red-striped genera, European Journal of Taxonomy 930 (1), pp. 205-228 : 217-218

Genus Gillonella Nielson & Godoy, 1995

Figs 11–23

Gillonella Nielson & Godoy, 1995: 190 .

Type species

Gillonella ampulla Nielson & Godoy, 1995 .

Diagnosis

Slender moderately elongated leafhoppers with red coloration and medial longitudinal black stripe running from pronotum to tips of wings. Crown broadly rounded anteriorly; surface smooth anteriorly. Pronotum slightly wider than head, lateral margins weakly carinate, and posterior margin weakly convex. Forewing macropterous, without extra crossveins. Male pygofer rounded, without processes. 10 th segment with processes. Subgenital plate with outer and inner margins parallel in ventral view. Connective long, extending beyond apex of style by a bit further than one third of its total length; arms narrow and not extended. Shaft of aedeagus with small asymmetrical processes strongly adjoined to anal tube, and single minute basal atrial process.

Redescription

HEAD. Rounded, produced anteriorly, 2 × as wide as mid-length; interocular width of crown 1.8 × median length, transocular width 2.8 × median length; anterior margin broadly rounded in dorsal view, posterior margin weakly concave; softly elevated in lateral view; without striations, mouth muscles impression weakly evident on anterior margin; ocelli in ovate shape, located closer to middle line than eyes and posterior margin, not prominent in lateral view; crown in lateral view weakly concave, declivous anteriorly and rounded; surface of crown smooth; anterior margin with distal point and laterally rounded ( Figs 11–12 ). Postfrontal sutures reaching ocelli in dorsal view. Antennal ledges, in dorsal view, not protuberant, not striated; in lateral view below transition of crown to face convex and relatively shallow. Frontoclypeus with lateral sutures well developed, extending onto crown, striations distinct over entire surface with inconspicuous microsculpture, weekly convex in lateral view. Anteclypeus broad near frontoclypeus then tapering to apex, convex medially in lateral view, apex following normal curvature and not exceeding normal length of gena. Gena short and narrow laterally, concavely incised below eyes without distinct angle. Lora 1.5 × as long as width; 2.5× narrower than anteclypeus width ( Fig. 13 ).

THORAX. Pronotal width slightly wider than transocular width of head; anterior margin produced, broadly rounded; posterior margin wider than head width; anterior and posterior margin without striations; lateral margins weakly carinate, length as two-thirds of eye-length in lateral view; posterior margin weakly convex; disk transversely rugose without minute punctuations. Anepisternum not projected. Scutellum smooth; not protuberant, without striations; shorter than pronotum; anterior margin slightly shorter than transocular width ( Figs 11–13 ). Forewings macropterous extending posteriorly beyond terminalia, surface smooth, dull color not trespassing light; without appendix; apex rounded; veins not raised and distinct except apically; without extra crossveins; four large apical cells subequal in width with three closed anteapical cells. Hindwings translucent; scheme with vein R2+3 absent. Posterior meron not exposed when wings at rest. Front femur with AM1 near to mid-height of apex, long; row AV with 6–10 of fine setae with similar size, and AV1 apical. Hind femoral setal formula 2+1+1; macrosetae of hind tibia with row AV of 10–15 long stout setae. Hind tarsomere I as long as II and III combined, with two parallel rows of small setae on plantar surface, apex not expanded, plantar setae simple, pecten with 4 platellae and outer microsetae.

ABDOMEN. Apodemes poorly developed; extra setae absent laterally or ventrally; with few punctuations over surface.

MALE GENITALIA. Tenth segment short, slender, not well sclerotized, mostly membranous-like with exception of apex, scattered fine setae present, with asymmetrical processes. Dorsum of pygofer well sclerotized but without ornamentation or processes. Pygofer produced posteriorly, posterior margin rounded, ventral margin with distinct concavity; without processes but minute tooth present in posterior margin; dorsomedial margin sclerotized; surface densely punctate; macrosetae from mid-length to posterior margin and arranged in two 4–5 rows of stout setae with distal microsetae ( Figs 14–15 ). Valve short, in ventral view subrectangular; divergent. Subgenital plates slightly shorter than pygofer length; in ventral view triangular, outer margin mostly straight and parallel with inner margin, connected to each other basally by thin membranous area; in lateral view, base with uniseriate row of macrosetae on laterobasal portion with few fine long setae; few punctations over entire surface. Connective Y-shaped and articulated with aedeagus; in dorsal view, longer than style by a bit further than one third of its total length, arms short and stem elongated; with moderately weak joint to aedeagus ( Fig. 21 ). Style small and sinuate; base acute; medial lobe weakly developed; preapical lobe prominent, without setae; apophysis short and tapered to apex, weakly curved ( Figs 16 , 19 ). Aedeagus asymmetrical and well sclerotized; preatrium short; shaft short and asymmetrical without processes, semitubular, slightly compressed laterally; atrium short weakly developed and dorsal apodeme strongly connected with two long asymmetrical processes adjoined to anal tube ( Figs 17 , 21 ); with small single poorly sclerotized atrial basal process with apex pointed; without fine setae. Gonoduct sinuous, partially wide with narrow sections ( Fig. 19 ); gonopore small, subapical on ventral surface ( Figs 19–20 ).

FEMALE GENITALIA. Pygofer elongated, pointed; sternite VI wide and elongated, posterior margin produced mediately.

Biology

Unknown.

Distribution

Gillonella contains a single species known from Costa Rica (San José, Puntarenas, Heredia, Alajuela, and Cartago provinces) ( Fig. 18 ).

Habitat

Rain forest ( Fig. 23 ).

Figures

Figs 11–13. Gillonella ampulla Nielson & Godoy, 1995, holotype, ♂ (CASENT 19796), habitus. 11. Body, dorsal view. 12. Body, lateral view. 13. Face, anterior view.

Figs 14–18. Gillonella ampulla Nielson & Godoy, 1995, holotype, ♂ (CASENT 19796), terminalia. 14. Pygofer and subgenital plate, lateral view. 15. Anal tube, lateral view. 16. Style, ventral view. 17. Aedeagus, basal atrial process, and asymmetrical processes adjoined to anal tube, lateral view. 18. Labels. a = minute tooth on posterior margin; b = dorsum of pygofer sclerotized; c = joint of aedeagus with asymmetrical processes adjoined to anal tube; d = asymmetrical processes tips.

Figs 19–22. Gillonella ampulla Nielson & Godoy, 1995, ♂ from Braulio Carrillo (MNCR), male terminalia. 19. Aedeagus, lateral view. 20. Aedeagus, posterior view. 21. Asymmetrical processes adjoined to anal tube, dorsal view. 22. Connective, ventral view.

Fig. 23. Gillonella ampulla Nielson & Godoy, 1995 photographed in situ. Photo taken by Andrey Peraza.