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