Phlepsopsius Dlabola, 1979

El-Sonbati, Saad, Wilson, Michael & Dhafer, Hathal Al, 2018, Contribution to the knowledge of selected genera of the tribe Opsiini (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae: Deltocephalinae) from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Acta Entomologica Musei Nationalis Pragae 58 (1), pp. 257-266 : 262-263

Phlepsopsius Dlabola, 1979

Phlepsopsius Dlabola, 1979: 132 . Type species: Phlepsopsius arabicus

Dlabola, 1979, by original designation.

Diagnosis. Phlepsopsius can be recognized by the following combination of characters: general colour greyish white with tinge of yellow, with some extremely dense brown mottling, particularly on forewings behind base; crown sharply angled to face; aedeagus with shaft bifurcate, each branch as long as two thirds of the total aedeagus length, curved dorsad in lateral view; aedeagus basally with long bifurcate process, pointed at apex, curved dorsad in lateral view and curved mesiad apically in dorsal view.

Redescription. Measurements. Body length: male 4.2–4.6 mm; female 4.3–4.8 mm. Crown width 1.6 mm, crown length 0.6 mm. Pronotum width 1.6 mm, pronotum length 0.6 mm. Scutellum width 0.8 mm, scutellum length 0.5 mm. Forewing length 3.5 mm.

Coloration ( Figs 3–4 , 9–10 ). Ground colour greyish white with tinge of yellow, with some extremely dense brown mottling, particularly on forewings behind base. Face yellow. Vertex with two oblique V-shaped brown spots and two small spots laterally, posterior margin with three small spots. Pronotum yellowish brown, with pale area beyond vertex and incomplete rows of spots forming a net-like pattern. Forewings with brown spots in incomplete rows forming a net-like pattern. Legs yellow and mottled with brown, all spines arising from brown base. Legs with brown setal areolae.

Structure. Head ( Figs 3–4 , 9–10 ). Head slightly narrower than pronotum; crown twice wider than distance between eyes, slightly produced medially, sharply angled to face. Gena slightly incised with single fine erect seta near to lateral frontal suture. Lateral frontal suture reaching ocellus and directed mesad of ocelli. Frontoclypeus longer than wide. Clypeal suture arcuate and complete. Clypellus narrower than lorum at base, not produced beyond gena, apical margin straight. Lorum apex widely distant from gena margin, inner margin bordering postclypeus for more than one third of its length. Antenna short, inserted near posteroventral corner of eye, mesal margin of eye entire.

Thorax. Pronotum wider than long, anterior margin convex, posterior margin straight. Scutellum wider than long. Macropterous, forewing veins not carinate, appendix restricted to anal margin, with three anteapical cells, without reflexed costal veins, with A1‒A2 and r-m1 crossveins. Hindwing submarginal vein complete.

Legs. Profemur row AM with AM1, one intercalary row with more than five fine setae gradually reduced apically, two dorsoapical setae, AV with numerous short stout setae, dorsal margin rounded with fine hairs. Protibia AD and PD row each with four macrosetae, AV row with numerous macrosetae gradually increasing in size apically. Mesofemur AV row with stout and short setae, two apical setae. Mesotibia AD and PD row each with four macrosetae, AV row with numerous macrosetae. Metafemur setal formula 2+2+1. Metatibia PD and AD row with long and short macrosetae, three smaller intercalary setae between each pair; AV and PV row with numerous macrosetae extending nearly to base, gradually increasing in size apically. Metatarsomere I shorter than tarsomeres II plus III combined.

Abdomen. Sternal male apodemes parallel-sided, apically angulate, apodeme width equal to distance between each apodeme ( Fig. 37 ).

Male genitalia ( Figs 30–36 ). Pygofer long with well-developed macrosetae, ventral margin serrate, curved inside ( Fig. 34 ). Genital valve free and with pointed articulation to pygofer ( Fig. 36 ). Subgenital plate with one row of macrosetae near margin and some scattered fine hairs which are short to as long as macrosetae, apical part finger-like, sinuate ( Fig. 33 ). Style bent, small, finger-like, curved preapically, inner side with projection, well-developed preapical lobe and subapical tooth ( Fig. 32 ). Connective articulated with aedeagus, Y-shaped, branches shorter than half of connective total length ( Fig. 35 ). Aedeagus with shaft bifurcate, each branch as long as 2/3 of the total aedeagus length, curved dorsad in lateral view; aedeagus basally with long bifurcate process, pointed at apex, curved dorsad in lateral view, and mesiad apically in dorsal view ( Figs 30–31 ).

Female genitalia ( Figs 38–40 ). Pygofer with numerous macrosetae. Sternite 7 about twice longer than wide, posterior margin curved, with median U-shaped notch in middle, posterolateral angles acutely rounded ( Fig. 38 ). First valvula slightly convex; second valvula blade-like, abruptly broadened basad of tooth section, regularly serrated with small teeth ( Figs 39–40 ).

Remarks. Phlepsopsius is similar to Pseudophlepsius Zachvatkin, 1924 in general habitus and Opsius Fieber, 1866 in the male genitalia. Phlepsopsius can be distinguished easily from Pseudophlepsius by the aedeagus shafts not robust and without a projection on the outer side, and pygofer without appendages. From Opsius, Phlepsopsius can be distinguished by the anterior margin of head carinate, transition of vertex to frons forming a distinct angle.

Distribution. North Africa and Arabian Peninsula ( Figs 51–52 ).

Figures

Figs 1–6. 1–2 – Concavifer marmoratus Dlabola, 1960: 1 – dorsal view of male; 2– dorsal view of female. 3–4 – Phlepsopsius arabicus Dlabola, 1979: 3 – dorsal view; 4 – head and thorax. 5–6 – Hishimonus phycitis (Distant, 1908): 5 – dorsal view; 6 – head and thorax.

Figs 7–12. 7–8 – Concavifer marmoratus Dlabola, 1960: 7 – lateral view; 8 – face. 9–10 – Phlepsopsius arabicus Dlabola, 1979: 9 – lateral view; 10 – face. 11–12 – Hishimonus phycitis (Distant, 1908): 11 – lateral view; 12– face.

Figs 30–40. Phlepsopsius arabicus Dlabola, 1979. 30 – aedeagus, dorsal view; 31 – aedeagus, lateral view; 32 – style; 33 – subgenital plate; 34 – pygofer; 35 – connective; 36 – valve; 37 – apodemes; 38 – female 7th sternite; 39 – detail of ovipositor apex; 40 – ovipositor, lateral view.

Figs 51–54. 51–52 – distribution of Concavifer spp., Phlepsopsius arabicus Dlabola, 1979 and Hishimonus phycitis (Distant, 1908) (51 – distribution at global scale; 52 – distribution in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia). 53–54 – habitats of Concavifer and Phlepsopsius spp. 53 – locality of Concavifer marmoratus Dlabola, 1960 and Phlepsopsius arabicus in Rhodet Khorim, Ramah governorate, Saudi Arabia; 54 – locality of Phlepsopsius arabicus and Hishimonus phycitis in Raydah Protectorate, Saudi Arabia.