Sandersellus digitatus, Nielson, 2010

Nielson, M. W., 2010, New leafhopper species and distribution records of Gabrita Walker, 1858 and Sandersellus DeLong, 1945 with revised keys to species (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae: Coelidiinae), Zootaxa 2531 (1), pp. 39-47 : 44

Sandersellus digitatus sp. nov.

( Figs. 15–21 )

Length: male 7.00 mm.

External morphology. Small, slender species. General color piceous with numerous, irregular, translucent flavous spots on dorsum; face piceous except for flavous clypeus and clypellus ( Fig. 22 ). Head small, narrow, about 2/3 as wide as pronotum; eyes large, semibulbous; crown very narrow, about ½ as wide as eyes, produced distally about 1/3 of its entire median length, lateral margins strongly carinate; pronotum large, about ½ as long as median length of crown, with incomplete median longitudinal carina; mesonotum large, about as long a pronotum, with faint median longitudinal carina, lateral angles carinate; clypeus very long, narrow, lateral margins broadly convex, tapered distally; clypellus short, about 1/3 as long as clypeus, lateral margin concave, slightly inflated basally.

Male genitalia. Pygofer in lateral view with long, digitate caudodorsal lobe, caudoventral process long, flanged distally and extended beyond caudodorsal lobe ( Fig. 16 ); subgenital plate in ventral view elongate, broad medially, glabrous ( Fig. 17 ); style slender, long, more than 1/4 times longer than aedeagus, expanded along middle in lateral view ( Figs. 18, 19 ); aedeagus tubular, narrow in distal 2/3 with short, digitate, membranous lobe distally, lobe projected basally, gonopore cryptic ( Figs. 20, 21 ).

Female unknown.

Material examined. H olotype male. BRAZIL. Rondonia, 62 km. SE. Ariquenes , 5–16 Nov 1996, W. J. Hanson, ( NMNH) .

Etymology. This species is named for the short, membranous lobe on the apex of the aedeagus.

Remarks. The digitate lobe on the apex of the aedeagus ( Figs. 20, 21 )will distinguish this species. Disjunct distribution ( Brazil) also separates S. digitatus geographically from known species in Northwest South America and Central America.

Figures

FIGURES 15–21. Sandersellus digitatus, sp. nov. Fig. 15. Male pygofer, lateral view; Fig. 16. Subgenital plate, ventral view; Fig. 17. Right style, dorsal view; Fig. 18. Right style, lateral view; Fig. 19. Dorsum, dorsal view; Fig. 20. Aedeagus, lateral view; Fig. 21. Aedeagus, dorsal view. (All views 50X)

FIGURES 22–27. Sandersellus bilanceus, sp. nov. Fig. 22. Male pygofer, lateral view; Fig. 23. Subgenital plate, ventral view; Fig. 24. Right style, dorsal view; Fig. 25. Right style, lateral view; Fig. 26. Aedeagus, dorsal view; Fig. 27. Aedeagus, lateral view. (All views 40X.)