Elginus Theron, 1975: 202

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 : 3-4

Elginus Theron, 1975: 202 .

Type species: Deltocephalus saltus Naudé, 1926: 52 , by original designation.

Type locality: Elgin [ South Africa, Western Cape Province, Viljoen’s Pass, nearest settlement, Elgin] .

Redescription.

Diagnosis. Small, mostly macropterous, grass-feeding leafhopper, 2.5–3.7 mm long. Male with subgenital plate usually rectangular, elongate, sometimes short and truncated or triangular, rarely with tooth at apex; pygofer lobe broadly rounded, without modifications; style with dorsal apophysis usually elongate, denticulate; aedeagus with varying degrees of asymmetry, shaft entirely asymmetric, shaft partially asymmetric or gonopore positioned asymmetrically, rarely with shaft with basal, medial or apical spine or spines; connective with arms fused or contiguous.

Colour & external features. Adult. Base colour greyish stramineous. Coronal suture dark brown, stramineous on either side. Disc smooth, colouration variable, brown, yellow or base colour. Vertex margin shagreened, markings variable: sometimes pale, or with dark brown paired crescent medially, that is extension of arc on face, apex usually with paired brown circular or wedge-shaped marking, sometimes fused in dark specimens. Ocellus on vertex, with pale margin. Face with clypeus with about 10 brown horizontal arcs, rest of face variable, lateral frontal suture brown. Clypellus less than 2.5 times as long as greatest width, tapering apically, not extending beyond margin of gena. Gena obtusely emarginate. Pronotum sometimes yellowish, markings variable, sometimes with 3 pairs of longitudinal lines; lateral margin very short, without carina. Scutellum unmarked or light brown on median margin of basal triangles, scutal suture brown. Forewing costal cells yellow, other cells pale-yellowish translucent, immaculate or with fuscous markings in claval, discal, anteapical and apical cells; veins translucent; appendix reduced, extending approximately to second apical cell (appendix absent in E. theroni ). Most species are macropterous, submacroptery visible in some species and specimens within species. All species with hind wing normal, except E. theroni . Legs stramineous to yellowish, sometimes with brown markings on apex of femur. Setation: profemur with row AV short, intercalary row usually longer but narrower than row AV, AM1 about as long as intercalary setae, but thicker; protibial setal formula 1+4, mesotibial setal formula 4+4, metafemur apical setal formula 2+2+1. Abdomen upper and under side brown, sides stramineous or brownish. Nymph. Distinctly striped. Two longitudinal lines from apex of vertex to apex of abdomen, laterad with dark- or light-brown border. Apex of vertex sometimes with wedge-shaped brown marks, similar to that of adults. Similar to nymphs of species of Jannius Theron , Nicolaus Lindberg and Pravistylus Theron.

Dimensions. Male (n = 336). Lengths: apex of vertex to apex of tegmina 3.0– 3.7 mm, apex of vertex to apex of abdomen 2.5–3.4 mm; vertex medially 0.4–0.6 mm; vertex laterally next to eye 0.3–0.4 mm; pronotum medially 0.4–0.5 mm; scutellum medially 0.3–0.4 mm. Maximum widths: head 1.0– 1.1 mm; pronotum 0.8–0.9 mm; scutellum 0.4–0.6 mm. Ocellus: diameter 26–33 µm; ocellocular distance 46–63 µm.

Abdominal apodemes. Male. Mainly with apical and medial variation ( Figs 259–270 ).

Genital capsule. Male. Anal tube short, shallowly incised into pygofer (tergite IX & X, length 0.2–0.4 times length of pygofer in dorsal view). Tergite X well sclerotized, produced internally into frame, articulating with dorsal apodeme of aedeagus. Pygofer lobe without processes, apex rounded, ventrally with distal twothirds opposable, in repose aperture between them sealed, with closure affected by plates; lobe laterally setose. Plates large, elongate; macrosetae lateral, left and right side often with different numbers, usually uniseriate; rarely with base fused; apex variable, truncate (right angled or acute, sometimes concave), pointed or rounded (with or without dorsal tooth). Valve obtusely triangular, apices rounded; rarely fused with plates. Aedeagus characterized by degrees of asymmetry in dorsal or ventral view: apex of shaft deflected laterally; or with asymmetric process or processes; or rarely with entire aedeagus asymmetric; or rarely with gonopore positioned asymmetrically or rarely entire aedeagus symmetrical. Aedeagal shaft smooth, length variable: vector length of shaft 1.1–4.8 times as long as vector length of dorsal apodeme, measured from preatrium; arbitrary categories: 1.1 (very short); 1.3–1.9 (short); 2.1–2.5 (long); 3.0–4.8 (very long), commonly tubular, rarely with long basal, apical or medial spines; gonopore subapical, usually lateral; preatrium articulating with connective; dorsal apodeme articulating with sclerotized, H-shaped process of tergite X. Connective linear, arms fused; stem short, membranously attached to aedeagus; 1.9–4.0 times as long as greatest width. Style with preapical lobe usually present; apophysis tapering, usually serrate ventrally, length variable, vector length from apex of apophysis to preapical lobe 0.3–1.3 times vector length from preapical lobe to apex of anterior lateral lobe.

Dimensions. Female (n = 240). Lengths: apex of vertex to apex of tegmina 3.1–3.8 mm, apex of vertex to apex of abdomen 3.0– 3.8 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 0.8–1.0 mm; scutellum 0.4–0.6 mm. Ocellus: diameter 25–32 µm; ocellocular distance 46–64 µm.

Genital capsule. Female. Sternite VII with posterior margin variable, either rounded lobes with wide notch, or narrow lobes with deep cleft. Sternite VIII sometimes sclerotized, giving appearance that translucent sternite VII is sclerotized. Sternite VIII separated from sternite VII by 2 or 4 tubular or irregular processes, or when absent then sternite VIII flush with sternite VII. Third valvula with 0–3 macrosetae subapically (26.8±7.3 µm long, 5.1±1.1 µm basal width), more proximal setae are distinctly narrower (13.5±5.8 µm long, 1.4±0.8 µm basal width), sometimes individuals have only short setae. Second valvula variable, without serration, with rounded serration, or with fine, pointed teeth. First valvula lanceolate, sculpturing marginal, imbricate, scales roundish, sometimes more rectangular marginally.

Figures

FIGURES 259–273. Elginus species, male, abdominal apodemes, Fig. 259, E. cultellus, curved aedeagus; Fig. 260, E. cultellus, straight aedeagus; Fig. 261, E. denticulatus; Fig. 262, E. eccentricus; Fig. 263, E. falcatus; Fig. 264, E. furcillatus; Fig. 265, E. malotiensis; Fig. 266, E. matarei; Fig. 267, E. minutulus; Fig. 268, E. oriens; Fig. 269, E. saltus (Naudé); Fig. 270, E. theroni; Fig. 271, E. tortuosus; Fig. 272, E. tubulus; Fig. 273, E. vulgaris.