Revision of the Southern African leafhopper genus Pravistylus (Hemiptera, Cicadellidae, Deltocephalinae) 2468
Author
Stiller, M.
text
Zootaxa
2010
2010-05-14
2468
1
1
81
https://biotaxa.org/Zootaxa/article/view/zootaxa.2468.1.1
journal article
10.11646/zootaxa.2468.1.1
11755334
10094177
Pravistylus macropygeus
sp. n.
(
Figs 1 q
;
2
ae & af; 3 s; 4 q; 5 s; 6 r; 7 ap & aq; 8 ae)
Diagnosis
. Pygofer lobe elongate, narrow; 1.3–1.6 times as long a width at base (
Fig. 1 q
). Aedeagal shaft relatively short, up to twice as long as length between dorsal apodeme and preatrium (
Fig. 3 s
). Plate apex broadly rounded; 1.5–1.6 times as long as wide (
Figs 2
ae & af).
Etymology
. Greek, for the long (
makros
) and narrow pygofer lobe (
pyge
).
Male and female
. Ochraceous. Paired light brown markings on vertex and medially of ocellus. Pygofer lobe fuscous; posterior margin of pygofer near anal tube with dorsolateral paired or contiguous fuscous markings. Tegmina rarely with fuscous markings. Hind wing less than one third as long as tegmina (
Fig. 8
ae).
Male
.
Dimensions
. (n = 39)
Length
: apex of vertex to apex of tegmina 2.0–
2.3 mm
; apex of vertex to apex of abdomen
2.3–2.9 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 22.5–29.6 µm; ocellocular distance 36.4–47.3 µm.
Genital capsule
. Pygofer square; ventral posterior margin bulbous, partially sclerotized; dorsal posterior margin lobate (
Fig. 1 q
). Pygofer lobe unique: more elongate and narrower than in any other species of
Pravistylus
, acutely triangular, 1.3–1.6 times as long as basal width; about one third as wide as width of the pygofer; longer and narrower than in any other species (
Fig. 1 q
). Plate posterior margin broadly rounded, similar to that of
P. lobus
; setation variable, up to 10 macrosetae subapically (
Fig. 2
ae), or sometimes without macrosetae (
Fig. 2
af); 1.5–1.6 times as long as wide. Aedeagal shaft, in lateral view, arising ventrally from atrium; preatrium short; shaft relatively short (up to twice as long as dorsal apodeme); gonopore oblique, lateroventral, subapical (
Figs 3 s
,
4 q
). Style distal part far from anterior medial lobe; apophysis basally parallel-sided, apex acutely truncate; preapical angle acute; preapical lobe right-angled; anterior medial lobe long (
Fig. 5 s
). Connective, in lateral view, straight; with apex curved dorsally; in dorsal view of uniform width, stem one third as long as arms (
Fig. 6 r
).
Female
.
Dimensions
. (n = 11)
Length
: apex of vertex to apex of tegmina
2.1–2.3 mm
; apex of vertex to apex of abdomen
2.8–3.1 mm
; vertex medially
0.5 mm
; vertex next to eye
0.3–0.4 mm
; pronotum medially
0.3 mm
.
Width
: head
0.9 mm
; pronotum
0.8–0.9 mm
. Ocellar diameter 17.9–29.2 µm; ocellocular distance 37.9–52.4 µm.
Genitalia.
Sternite 7 hind margin produced into triangular ligula, about half as wide as base of sternite; apex notched (
Figs 7
ap (ligula long) & aq (ligula short)).
Material examined
.
Holotype
male.
South Africa
,
Free State
. Platberg, summit W,
28°10ʹS
,
29°12ʹE
,
2319 m
,
11.i.2007
, sweeping,
Themeda triandra
and
Tristachya leucothrix
common (
SANC
).
Paratypes
.
45♂
,
17♀
.
Eastern Cape
.
1♂
, Ongeluksnek, site 39,
30°20ʹS
,
28°19ʹE
,
1824 m
,
5.xii.2005
, MDTP survey.
Free State
.
1♂
, Golden Gate National Park,
28°30ʹS
,
28°40ʹE
,
8.i.1986
, J.G. Theron;
2♂
,
1♀
, Phuthaditjhaba,
20 km
W,
29°31ʹS
,
28°38ʹE
,
1950 m
,
6.iii.2002
, M. Stiller, J. du Plessis, sweeping, common grass species:
Bothriochloa insculpta
,
Cymbopogon excavatus
,
Digitaria
sp.
,
Eragrostis capensis
,
E. curvula
,
E. gummiflua
,
E. plana
,
Paspalum dilatatum
;
2♂
, Golden Gate, site 3,
28°30ʹS
,
28°37ʹE
,
1960 m
,
22.x.2005
, MDTP survey, white and blue pan trap;
2♂
, Golden Gate, site 5,
28°31ʹS
,
28°34ʹE
,
1890 m
,
23.x.2005
, MDTP survey, yellow and white pan trap;
3♂
,
1♀
, Golden Gate, site 8,
28°30ʹS
,
28°39ʹE
,
2065 m
,
25.x.2005
, MDTP survey, sweeping, also white pan trap;
5♂
,
2♀
, Platberg, E near masts,
28°15ʹS
,
29°12ʹE
,
2362 m
,
11.i.2007
, sweeping,
Themeda triandra
and
Tristachya leucothrix
common;
14♂
,
6♀
, same data as
holotype
;
4♂
,
2♀
, Muller’s Pass near summit
27°51ʹ39.68ʺS
,
29°41ʹ10.15ʺE
,
1878 m
,
25.xii.2008
, M. Stiller, sweeping grass & forbs.
KwaZulu-Natal
.
12♂
,
2♀
, Oliviershoek Pass, summit,
28°33ʹS
,
29°05ʹE
,
1741 m
,
27.xii.2004
, sweeping,
Themeda triandra
dominated pasture, regrowth after fire;
1♂
, Little
Switzerland
Hotel, hillside W slope,
28°35ʹS
,
29°03ʹE
,
1600 m
,
8.v.2007
, sweeping;
2♀
, Little
Switzerland
Hotel, ridge summit,
28°34ʹS
,
29°02ʹE
,
1770 m
,
8.v.2007
, sweeping, grass in Protea veld; all M. Stiller.
Mpumalanga
.
2♂
,
3♀
, Ossewakop, Wakkerstroom,
27°23ʹS
,
30°09ʹE
,
2160 m
,
7.iii.2002
, M. Stiller, J. du Plessis, DVac, on rocky outcrop and tall grass on deep soil (
BMNH
,
INHS
,
SANC
).
Remarks
. The distinctly elongate and narrow pygofer lobe, that is longer than in any other species, is the unique feature of
P. macropygeus
. This species is closely related to
P. indistinctidiscus
. Both have similar plate proportions and shapes. In
P. indistinctidiscus
the plate is 1.0–1.4 times as long as wide with a similarly rounded apex (
Figs 2
ag & ah). That of
P. macropygeus
is 1.5–1.6 times as long as wide and also with a rounded apex (
Figs 2
ae & af). The aedeagal shaft in
P. indistinctidiscus
(
Fig. 3
af) is also much longer than that of
P. macropygeus
(
Fig. 3 s
). The style of
P. indistinctidiscus
is more acute and the dorsal apophysis is elongate and narrow (
Fig. 5 q
), whereas in
P. macropygeus
it is less acute and the dorsal apophysis is short and wide (
Fig. 5 s
). Also the convex lateral margins of the ligula of the female sternite 7 of
P. indistinctidiscus
(
Figs 7 x
–aa) differs from that of
P. macropygeus
, that is narrower and more triangular (
Figs 7
ap & aq).
Pravistylus lobus
has a similar plate shape to both the species above, but has the apex of the connective fused with the paraphyses. However, no other species has a similarly elongate and narrow pygofer lobe.