Cephisus magnificus, Hamilton, Andrew, 2012

Hamilton, Andrew, 2012, Revision of Neotropical aphrophorine spittlebugs, part 1: Ptyelini (Hemiptera, Cercopoidea), Zootaxa 3497, pp. 41-59 : 51

Cephisus magnificus sp. nov.

( Figs 11 B–C)

Type locality. Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Diagnosis. The largest adults in the genus. Head 0.75× as wide as pronotum (lateral margins of pronotum thus much longer than 3/4 length of eye); robust; crown steeply sloping, not coplanar with front part of pronotum which is 45o or more to plane of scutellum. Tan, in male heavily overlaid with brown, especially on transverse rugae of pronotum and tegmina, in female forming 2 dark bands across base of tegmina. Style with low, rounded apical process and long, straight, slightly retrorse dorsal process on inner edge ( Fig. 11 C); theca shaft slender, recurved, armed with a pair of short, curved, tapered lateral processes, and a pair of ventral processes 1.5× longer than lateral pair, extending beyond midlength of shaft ( Fig. 11 B). Length: male 16.5 mm, female 18.4 mm. Width across head: 3.7 mm; across pronotum: 5.2 mm.

Types. Holotype male, BRAZIL: Federal Dist. —Rio de Janeiro, Corcovado Forest, 1958 (H.B.D. Kettlewell) BM 1958–273; in BMNH. Paratype female, BRAZIL: Santa Catalina —Corupa (Hansa Humbolt), Oct. 1944 (A. Maller); in AMNH.

Distribution. Hill forests of coastal Brazil.

Remarks. This is the largest member of the genus. The male resembles C. variolus (e.g., in shape of thecal processes) but is more robust, with longer ventral theca processes and a much larger apical process of the style; the female differs from C. siccifolia in both size and steepness of the pronotum, which in this specimen exceeds 45o.

Etymology. Magnificus (adj.), eminent.

Figures

FIGURES 5 – 15. Male genitalia of Ptyelini in lateral aspect (A), caudal aspect of theca (B) and widest aspect of style (C). 5. genital capsule of Ptyelus; 6. same, of Cephisus; 7. syntype male of C. sanguisuga; 8. C. diminutus, holotype; 9. C. laticeps, holotype; 10. C. xanthocephala; 11. C. magnificus, holotype; 12. C. variolosus; 13. C. siccifolia; 14. C. jacobii; 15. C. brevipennis, holotype.