Revision of the Southern African leafhopper genus Pravistylus (Hemiptera, Cicadellidae, Deltocephalinae) 2468
Stiller, M.
Zootaxa
2010
2010-05-14
2468
1
1
81
8RN2R
Stiller, 2010
Stiller
2010
[151,429,674,700]
Insecta
Cicadellidae
Pravistylus
Animalia
Hemiptera
31
32
Arthropoda
species
mollidiscus
sp. nov.
( Figs 1 u; 2 z; 3 g; 4 g; 5 g; 6 f; 7aw; 8 aj & ak)
Diagnosis. Plate uniformly triangular, apex wide, membranous ( Fig. 2 z). Margin of plate apex difficult to distinguish at low magnification. Aedeagal shaft short, slightly depressed, almost straight, gonopore apical ( Figs 3 g, 4 g). Style with distal part close to base ( Fig. 5 g).
Etymology. Latin, plate, ( discus) with membranous ( mollis) apex. Male and female. Pale ochraceous (all specimens collected in 70% alcohol). Tegmina with costal cells pale yellow; apical cells reduced. Hind wing less than half as long as tegmina ( Figs 8aj & ak). Male. Dimensions. (n = 43) Length: apex of vertex to apex of tegmina 1.8–2.0 mm; apex of vertex to apex of abdomen 2.6–2.9 mm; vertex medially 0.4 mm; vertex next to eye 0.3 mm; pronotum medially 0.3 mm. Width: head 0.7–0.8 mm; pronotum 0.7 mm. Ocellar diameter 20.9–29.6 µm; ocellocular distance 39.0– 48.9 µm. Genital capsule. Pygofer in lateral view with posterior ventral and dorsal margin uniformly lobate ( Fig. 1 u). Pygofer lobe short, rounded, about as wide as pygofer ( Fig. 1 u). Plate triangular, lateral margins slightly concave, apex wide, broadly rounded; apex always membranous; 5–8 macrosetae; plate 1.4–1.5 times as long as wide ( Fig. 2 z). Aedeagal shaft in lateral view almost straight, robust, slightly depressed, slightly longer than length of dorsal apodeme; shaft arising ventrally from atrium; gonopore ventral, apical ( Figs 3 g, 4 g). Style distal part close to anterior medial lobe; apex tapering acutely ( Fig. 5 g). Connective, in lateral view, straight, with stem triangular, base narrower, width across arms almost as wide as stem ( Fig. 6 f). Female. Dimensions. (n = 33) Length: apex of vertex to apex of tegmina 1.9–2.0 mm; apex of vertex to apex of abdomen 3.0– 3.2 mm; vertex medially 0.4–0.5 mm; vertex next to eye 0.3 mm; pronotum medially 0.3 mm. Width: head 0.8–0.9 mm; pronotum 0.7–0.8 mm. Ocellar diameter 24.4.–29.5 µm; ocellocular distance 42.1–56.3 µm. Genitalia.Sternite 7 ligula short, triangular (about half a long as medial length at base); notch stepped, deepest part rounded. Ligula sometimes with round, sclerotized area ( Fig. 7aw).
Material examined. Holotypemale. South Africa, Eastern Cape. Zwelitchanear Tsolo, 31°10ʹS, 28°34ʹE, 1335 m, 29.iv.2006, M. Stiller, DVac, grazed veld ( SANC). Paratypes. 48♂, 33♀. Eastern Cape. 10♂, 4♀, near Grahamstownand Alicedaleroad junction, 33°24ʹS, 26°22ʹE, 560 m, 23.iv.2006, grazed pasture and road reserve; 2♂, Olifantskop Pass, between Pattersonand Cookhouse, 33°18ʹS, 25°57ʹE, 713 m, 23.iv.2006, disturbed grassland; 7♂, 3♀, Doon Farm, Thomas River, Cathcart, 32°28ʹS, 27°17ʹE, 1115 m, 24.iv.2006, wet grass on rocky ridge with Aloes; 20♂, 15♀, same data as holotype; 10♂, 11♀, Matatiele, 30°25ʹS, 28°39ʹE, 1435 m, 30.iv.2006, grazed grassland; all M. Stiller; all collected with DVac ( BMNH, INHS, SANC).
Remarks. Pravistylus mollidiscushas a unique plate and aedeagus. The plate is basically triangular with a wide and weakly sclerotized apex ( Fig. 2 z). The aedeagus is very short and thick and only slightly curved ( Figs 3 g, 4 g). This species is most similar to P. deltoplacuswith regard to the shape of the plate ( Fig. 2aa). In both species the plate is triangular. The relative width of the plate in P. mollidiscusis difficult to distinguish in situ because the apical margins are membranous. Pravistylus deltoplacushas the plate apex at least half as wide as that of P. mollidiscus, and that is distinctly sclerotized, and both have a similar length to width ratio. In P. mollidiscusthe plate is 1.4–1.5 times as long as wide, and in P. deltoplacusit is 1.4–1.6 times as long as wide. Other species with triangular plates always have the lateral margin sinuous and often with tufts of fine setae, such as P. caenophallus( Fig. 2 y), P. odontopygeus sp. n.( Fig. 2 x) and P. pelorophallus sp. n.( Fig. 2 u). The aedeagus of P. deltoplacus( Fig. 3 c) in lateral view has a U-shaped shaft with a wide base and short up-turned apex. In the dorsal view the shaft is depressed, about half as thick and much longer ( Fig. 4 c) than that of P. mollidiscus( Fig. 4 g). No other species has a similarly simplified aedeagus.
2006-04-29
SANC
M. Stiller
South Africa
1335
-31.166666
Tsolo
1217
28.566668
Zwelitcha
31
32
1
Eastern Cape
holotype
[987,1429,1679,1706]
South Africa
Eastern Cape
31
32
81
33
48
Eastern Cape
paratype
2006-04-23
South Africa
560
-33.4
Alicedale
1205
26.366667
Grahamstown
31
32
14
4
10
Eastern Cape
paratype
2006-04-23
South Africa
Olifantskop Pass
713
-33.3
Cookhouse
1205
25.95
Patterson
31
32
2
2
Eastern Cape
paratype
2006-04-24
Aloes
South Africa
Doon Farm
1115
-32.466667
Cathcart
1210
27.283333
Thomas River
31
32
10
3
7
Eastern Cape
paratype
[754,1165,1829,1855]
2006-04-29
SANC
M. Stiller
South Africa
1335
-31.166666
Tsolo
1217
28.566668
Zwelitcha
31
32
35
15
20
Eastern Cape
paratype
2006-04-30
BMNH, INHS, SANC
M. Stiller
South Africa
1435
-30.416666
Matatiele
1222
28.65
31
32
21
11
10
Eastern Cape
paratype