Elginus matarei, Stiller, M., 2009

Stiller, M., 2009, Revision of Elginus Theron (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae: Deltocephalinae) with the description of two new genera and comments on the grassland leafhopper fauna in South Africa, Zootaxa 2135 (1), pp. 1-56 : 19-20

publication ID

https://doi.org/ 10.11646/zootaxa.2135.1.1

persistent identifier

https://treatment.plazi.org/id/03BD0C4B-FFAB-D169-FF46-FB63FBA42F1E

treatment provided by

Felipe

scientific name

Elginus matarei
status

sp. nov.

Elginus matarei View in CoL sp.n.

( Figs 25 View FIGURES 25–32 , 66 View FIGURES 51–77 , 93 View FIGURES 78–104 , 120 View FIGURES 105–130 , 145 View FIGURES 131–156 , 170 View FIGURES 157–179 , 195 View FIGURES 180–205 , 221 View FIGURES 206–232 , 247 View FIGURES 233–258 , 266 View FIGURES 259–273 )

Diagnosis. Entire aedeagus asymmetrical, shaft with two apical teeth, one subapical tooth and one medial process.

Etymology. Named for the collector.

Colour. Dark wedge-shape markings on vertex and more rectangular marking more posteriad and laterad ( Fig. 25 View FIGURES 25–32 ).

Dimensions. Male (n = 8). Lengths: apex of vertex to apex of tegmina 3.2–3.7 mm, apex of vertex to apex of abdomen 2.9–3.2 mm; vertex medially 0.5–0.6 mm; vertex laterally next to eye 0.3–0.4 mm; pronotum medially 0.4 mm; scutellum medially 0.3–0.4 mm. Maximum widths: head 1.0– 1.1 mm; pronotum 0.8–0.9 mm; scutellum 0.4–0.5 mm. Ocellus: diameter 25–35 µm; ocellocular distance 41–55 µm.

Abdominal apodemes. Male. Fig. 266 View FIGURES 259–273 .

Genital capsule. Male. Aedeagus with shaft, preatrium, atrium, dorsal apodeme entirely asymmetrical; apex with two unpaired apical spines; subapical lateral triangular spine; gonopore ventral, at base of apical spines; shaft medially with twisted process; shaft long, 2.1 times as long as dorsal apodeme ( Figs 66 View FIGURES 51–77 , 93 View FIGURES 78–104 ). Connective as in Fig. 120 View FIGURES 105–130 . Plate apex truncate, slightly concave; medial margins separated by about 15°; 4–6 uniseriate macrosetae ( Fig. 145 View FIGURES 131–156 ). Pygofer lobe narrowly rounded ( Figs 170 View FIGURES 157–179 , 195 View FIGURES 180–205 ). Style apophysis curved; almost reaching apex of plate; apophysis 0.4 times as long as median arm ( Fig. 221 View FIGURES 206–232 ).

Dimensions. Female (n = 2). Lengths: apex of vertex to apex of tegmina 3.4–3.5 mm, apex of vertex to apex of abdomen 3.3–3.6 mm; vertex medially 0.6 mm; vertex laterally next to eye 0.5 mm; pronotum medially 0.4 mm; scutellum medially 0.3 mm. Maximum widths: head 1.0– 1.1 mm; pronotum 0.9 mm; scutellum 0.5 mm. Ocellus: diameter 28 µm; ocellocular distance 48–57 µm.

Genital capsule. Female. Sternite VII with wide, rounded notch; four pillars between sternite VII and VIII ( Fig. 247 View FIGURES 233–258 ). Third valvula with two apical setae only marginally longer, but distinctly thicker, than successive setae (23.2 µm long 3.9 µm diameter, 20.6 µm long 3.2 µm diameter). Second valvula with irregular, rounded and pointed serration.

Material examined. Holotype male. South Africa, Western Cape. Herold , 33°50ʹS 22°27ʹE, 19.ii.1971, R. Mataré ( SANC) GoogleMaps . Paratypes (8♂, 3♀). Western Cape . 7♂, 2♀, ibid. holotype ; 1♂, 1♀, Knysna , (34°02ʹS 23°02ʹE), 15.i.1979, C. Kok and S.J. van Tonder ( SANC, USIC) GoogleMaps .

Remarks. The extreme asymmetry of the aedeagus, with the spines on or near the apex of the shaft facilitates recognition of this species, although dorsal or lateral orientation becomes difficult to recognize unless the aedeagus, connective, style and pygofer are examined as a whole. The localities where it was collected are in the Fynbos Biome, probably in two or three vegetation units that contain a well developed grass component, consisting of 24 species of Poaceae ( Mucina & Rutherford, 2006).

SANC

Agricultural Research Council-Plant Protection Research Institute

Kingdom

Animalia

Phylum

Arthropoda

Class

Insecta

Order

Hemiptera

Family

Cicadellidae

Genus

Elginus

Darwin Core Archive (for parent article) View in SIBiLS Plain XML RDF