Tetramelasma scolosatha, Stiller, 2011

Stiller, M., 2011, A new leafhopper genus and four new species from the Grassland Biome of South Africa (Hemiptera, Cicadellidae), Zootaxa 2794 (1), pp. 35-51 : 46-48

publication ID	https://doi.org/ 10.11646/zootaxa.2794.1.2
DOI	https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.5294714
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/03E3291C-1C4A-924C-5C8D-FB80C1CA5493
treatment provided by	Felipe
scientific name	Tetramelasma scolosatha
status	sp. nov.

Treatment

Tetramelasma scolosatha View in CoL sp. n.

( Figs 7a–i View FIGURE 7 ; 8a–k View FIGURE 8 )

Diagnosis. Male pygofer with spine on medial surface of ventral bulbous lobe with small, posterior, subapical tooth, apex acuminate ( Fig. 7b View FIGURE 7 ). Aedeagal shaft with single, dorsal, flattened, subbasal tooth ( Fig. 7e&f View FIGURE 7 ). Style apophysis barrel-shaped, concave, row of uniformly spaced and sized teeth medially ( Fig. 7d View FIGURE 7 ). Plate very short ( Fig. 7b View FIGURE 7 ).

Etymology. Compound word in Greek, skolos, thorn, sathe, penis, for the prominent, dorsal, single tooth on the aedeagus. Gender feminine.

Colour. Male & female. Pale greyish yellow, with paired markings on apex of vertex. Apical pair generally wedge shaped and smaller than circular, basal pair. Vertex disc with brownish marking. Two pairs of brownish bands on pronotum. Tegmina with pale yellowish veins, apical cells distally lined with fuscous marking ( Fig. 7a View FIGURE 7 ).

Male. Tegmina & hind wing. Tegmina as in Fig. 7g View FIGURE 7 ; hind wing ½ as wide as tegmina, ¾ as long, jugal lobe reduced ( Fig. 7h&i View FIGURE 7 depicting vein variation).

Dimensions. (n=24) Length from apex of vertex to apex of tegmina 2.8–3.0 mm; length from apex of vertex to apex of abdomen 2.5–2.8 mm; median length of vertex 0.4 mm; length of vertex next to eye 0.2–0.3 mm; median length of pronotum 0.3 mm; maximum width across head 0.9–1.0 mm; width across pronotum 0.7–0.8 mm; ocellar diameter 26–29 µm; ocellocular distance 34–44 µm.

Genital capsule. Pygofer with spine on medial surface of prominent, bulbous ventral pygofer lobe ( Fig. 7b View FIGURE 7 ), spine widening towards apex, small, posterior, subapical tooth, apex pointed. Pygofer posterior lobe roughly triangular, ventral margin convex, dorsal margin slightly concave ( Fig. 7b View FIGURE 7 ). Plate with posterior margin not attaining anterior margin of ventral pygofer lobe ( Fig. 7c View FIGURE 7 ); posterior medial margin truncate, posterior lateral margin rounded, protruding slightly, dorsal process rounded. Aedeagal shaft with single, dorsal, flattened, subbasal tooth ( Fig. 7e&f View FIGURE 7 ). Style apophysis barrel-shaped, concave, row of uniformly spaced, sized teeth medially ( Fig. 7d View FIGURE 7 ).

Female. Dimensions. (n=12) Length from apex of vertex to apex of tegmina 2.9–3.3 mm; length from apex of vertex to apex of abdomen 2.9–3.2 mm; median length of vertex 0.4–0.5 mm; length of vertex next to eye 0.3 mm; median length of pronotum 0.3 mm; maximum width across head 1.0 mm; width across pronotum 0.8–0.9 mm; ocellar diameter 28 µm; ocellocular distance 34–45 µm.

Genitalia. Sternite 7 medially with wide, V-shaped notch; lateral process elongate, acuminate ( Figs 8a, b&d View FIGURE 8 , Wapadsberg, wide lateral apices; Fig. 8c View FIGURE 8 , Loodsberg, narrow lateral apices), rarely bipinnate. Valvula 1 lanceolate ( Fig. 8e View FIGURE 8 ), imbricate sculpture ( Fig. 8f View FIGURE 8 ). Valvula 2 with fine serration ( Fig. 8g &h View FIGURE 8 ), valvifer 2 as in Fig. 8i View FIGURE 8 . Valvula 3 with fine setae ( Fig. 8j&k View FIGURE 8 ).

Material examined. Holotype male. South Africa, Eastern Cape Province. Loodsberg Pass summit, 31.8333S, 24.85E, 1791 m, 20.iv.2006, M. Stiller, sweeping grazed pasture, common grasses: Merxmuellera disticha , Themeda triandra (SANC) . Paratypes. 60♂, 25♀, 9 nymphs. Eastern Cape Province. 8♂, 5♀, 9 nymphs, Wapadsberg Pass, between Graaff-Reinet and Cradock, 31.928333S, 24.906667E, 1700 m, 2.i.2006, sweeping grass; 23♂, 5♀, Ibid. holotype; 1♂, Loodsberg Pass summit, 31.83598S, 24.86076E, 1807 m. 27.i.2011, DVac, grass and shrubs; 6♂, 4♀, Rooihoogte near Wapadsberg Pass, 31.93096S, 24.95766E, 15 m, 27.i.2011, DVac, Merxmuellera sp. dominant grass; 19♂, 10♀, Rooihoogte between Wapadsberg Pass and Loodberg Pass, 31.79732S, 24.9254E, 1517 m, 27.i.2011, DVac, Merxmuellera sp. dominant grass; 3, ♂ 1♀, Wapadsberg Pass, below summit towards Grafft Reinent, 31.93379S, 24.87117E, 1597 m, 27.i.2011, DVac, grazed pasture, Merxmuellera sp. dominant grass; all collected by M. Stiller ( SANC, BMNH, INHS).

Remarks. Tetramelasma scolosatha and T. nodosatha are similar. Both have a similar denticulation of the dorsal apophysis of the style ( Figs 4c View FIGURE 4 ; 7d View FIGURE 7 ), shape of the spine on the ventral pygofer lobe ( Figs 3d View FIGURE 3 , 7b View FIGURE 7 ) and shape of the plate ( Figs 3c&d View FIGURE 3 ; 7b&c View FIGURE 7 ). However the dorsal tooth on the aedeagal shaft is the distinguishing feature in T. scolosatha ( Fig. 7e&f View FIGURE 7 ). The shape of the sternite 7 of the female of T. scolosatha ( Fig. 8a–d View FIGURE 8 ) bears some resemblance with that of T. nodosatha ( Figs 5a–f View FIGURE 5 ; 6c–g View FIGURE 6 ) but is considered sufficiently different to further justify the separate status of the species. In T. scolosatha the lateral processes are narrowly triangular and continuous with the basal anterior and posterior margins. In T. nodosatha the lateral processes are more variable, and arise dorsally from the basal anterior and posterior margins of the sternite ( Fig. 5c–f View FIGURE 5 ) or are much wider and continuous with the basal anterior and posterior margins ( Fig. 6c–g View FIGURE 6 ).

This species probably has a wider distribution as its associated vegetation type (Karoo Escarpment Grassland, defined by Mucina & Rutherford (2006)) has a wider distribution, to the east but also in isolated mountainous habitats as far west as Beaufort West. The presently known distributions of T. scolosatha and T. nodosatha do not overlap, which further facilitates species recognition. No dissected (8♂, 5♀ dissected) or examined specimen of T. scolosatha showed obvious signs of parasitism.