Anaceratagallia (Anaceratagallia) aciculata (Horváth, 1894)

Tishechkin, Dmitri Yu., 2020, Review of the leafhopper genus Anaceratagallia Zachvatkin, 1946 (Homoptera: Auchenorrhyncha: Cicadellidae: Megophthalminae: Agalliini) from Russia, Kazakhstan, and Central Asia, Zootaxa 4821 (2), pp. 250-276 : 270-271

11. Anaceratagallia (Anaceratagallia) aciculata (Horváth, 1894)

Figs. 199–203 , 228–233

Description. Penis similar to that of A. (A.) ribauti and A. (A.) fragariae but differs by stem more or less straight in distal part and by well developed preapical tooth on dorsal margin ( Figs. 228, 230, 232 ). As in other members of A. (A.) ribauti species group, male anal collar appendages with bifurcate tips ( Figs. 229, 231, 233 ).

Biology. Collected in open habitats among herbaceous vegetation.

Calling signal. Signals of males from the following localities were investigated.

1. Russia, Lower Volga Region, Dosang Railway Station ca. 60 km North of Astrakhan, ruderal vegetation near dry irrigation ditch, 4. VII. 2000, signals of two males recorded at 26–27 oC .

2. Russia, Lower Volga Region, Saratov Oblast, Dyakovka Village ca. 35 km SSW Krasny Kut, in the steppe near a saline dry riverbed, 15. VII. 2004, signals of one male recorded at 30–33 oC .

Calling signal is a long phrase lasting from 10–15 s up to several minutes ( Figs. 199–201 ). Its main part consists of syllables following each other at a rate of about 2/s. Each syllable includes a succession of low-amplitude pulses and two high-amplitude ones, one pulse in the beginning of a syllable and another in its end ( Figs. 202–203 ). Sometimes male produces very long “prelude” to the main part; this is a comparatively low-amplitude variable succession of syllables and single pulses ( Fig. 199 ).

Distribution. Southeastern Europe, Southern European Russia, Southern Urals, Northern Caucasus and Transcaucasia (Abkhazia, Georgia, Azerbaijan), Western Kazakhstan from Atyrau Oblast in the North to Syrdarya Karatau Mtn. Range in the South.

Remarks. There are two taxa of unresolved status similar to A. (A.) aciculata .

A. (A.) kungradica Dubovsky, 1967 was described based on one male from Kungrad, Southwestern Uzbekistan. Since its description was published in Russian in a hard-to-find edition, here we provide its translation. “In external appearance, leafhopper similar to other species of genus, especially, to A. aciculata Horv. and closely related to it in structure of genitalia. It differs by more laterally flattened aedeagus, with its shaft not expanding backwards. In side view, its inner and outer margins parallel to each other, base not swollen, lower half of apical end drawn almost in form of rectangular plate. Male anal collar appendage tip evenly bifurcated. Body length in male 3.0 mm, in female 3.2–3.3 mm”.

Another dubious taxon was recorded from Pakistan by Khatri et al. (2010) under the name A. (A.) aciculata . According to the illustrations from the mentioned papers (reproduced as Figs. 234–238 ), these two taxa are similar in the shape of apical parts of the penis, but the taxon from Pakistan has a simple, not bifurcated anal collar appendage tip.

Since this group includes morphologically similar species, the establishment of a synonymy of A. (A.) kungradica with A. (A.) aciculata and the attribution of the taxon from Pakistan to A. (A.) aciculata without investigation of their variability would seem to be premature.

Figures

FIGURES 189–203. Anaceratagallia (Anaceratagallia) spp., calling signal oscillograms. 189–190―A. (A.) harrarensis, 191– 193―A. (A.) ribauti, 194–198―A. (A.) fragariae, 199–203―A. (A.) aciculata. Faster oscillograms of the parts of signals indicated as “190”, “192–193”, “197–198”, “200”, and “202–203” are given under the same numbers. 194–195, 197―male from Moscow Oblast, locality No. 1 in the list in calling signal description, 196, 198―male from Kazakhstan, ibid., locality No. 2, 199–200, 202―male from Astrakhan Oblast, ibid., locality No. 1, 201, 203―male from Saratov Oblast, ibid., locality No. 2.

FIGURES 228–247. Male genitalia. 228–233―Anaceratagallia (Anaceratagallia) aciculata, 234–236―A. (A.) kungradica, 237–238―A. (A.) aciculata sensu Khatri et al., 2010, 239–240―A. (A.) seriphidii, holotype, 241–245―A. (A.) acuteangulata, 246–247―A. (Oedicora) kerzhneri. 228, 230, 232, 234, 237, 239, 241–242, 246―penis, lateral view, 229, 231, 233, 235–236, 240, 243–245―male anal collar appendage, 238―end of pygofer lobe and male anal collar appendage, 247―end of pygofer lobe. 234–236―after Dubovsky (1967), 237–238―after Khatri et al. (2010).