Cephisus laticeps, Hamilton, Andrew, 2012

Hamilton, Andrew, 2012, Revision of Neotropical aphrophorine spittlebugs, part 1: Ptyelini (Hemiptera, Cercopoidea), Zootaxa 3497, pp. 41-59 : 50-51

Cephisus laticeps sp. nov.

( Figs 1 A, 2A, 9B–C)

Type locality. 21 km east of Concordia, Sinaloa, Mexico.

Diagnosis. The broadest head relative to the thorax, 0.85x as wide as pronotum (lateral margins of pronotum thus slightly shorter than 3/4 length of eye); rather slender; crown steeply sloping, about 45o to plane of scutellum, coplanar with front part of pronotum. Pale straw coloured with bold dark markings on lower half of face, and forming a blackish transverse band across pronotum, triangular wedge at base of corium, spot near apex of clavus and crescent-shaped oblique bands across middle of each tegmen; tegminal tips more or less embrowned; apical segment of rostrum black. Style apically constricted, with narrow, furcate end ( Fig. 9 C); theca shaft slender, recurved, armed with a pair of short, recurved lateroapical processes and a pair of apical processes 2x as long as lateral pair, extending to base of shaft ( Fig. 9 B). Female unknown. Length: male 10.0– 10.9 mm.

Type. Holotype male, MEXICO: Sin.— 13 mi E Concordia 800' [250 m ASL], 5 Aug. 1964 (L.A. Kelton); No. 15843 in CNCI. Paratypes: MEXICO: 2 males, Nay. —Tepic, 28 July 1953 (C. & P. Vaurie) Rockefeller Exp.; in AMNH.

Distribution. Reported from a limited part of the east coast of the Gulf of California just south of the Tropic of Cancer, from Mazatlán to Tepic, a distance of approximately 200 km. This is north of the range of C. variolosus at low elevation.

Remarks. The width of the head and shortness of pronotal margins ally this species to C. brevipennis , which occurs on the lowlands of the opposite side of Mexico, and from which it is distinguished by the slender form, body markings and length of theca.

Etymology. Lata-, broad; ceps (n), head.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Habitus of Cephisus spp. A. C. laticeps; B-E. B. C. siccifolia; C. C. xanthocephala; D. C. sanguisuga from Amazonian basin; E – H. C. variolosus complex (E. “ typical ” variolosus, specimen # CNCHB 1904 – 11, from Oaxaca; F. specimen near C. brevipennis from Guerrero; G. specimen # CNCHB 1906 – 11 from Veracruz; H. specimen # CNCHB 1905 – 11 from Chiapas).

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.