Mendozellus rakitovi, Duan, Yani, Dietrich, Christopher H. & Zhang, Yalin, 2017

Duan, Yani, Dietrich, Christopher H. & Zhang, Yalin, 2017, Two new species of Mendozellus Linnavuori (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae: Deltocephalinae: Deltocephalini) with redescription of Mendozellus asunctia Cheng, Zootaxa 4232 (2), pp. 231-240 : 237-239

Mendozellus rakitovi sp. n.

( Figs 6–7 )

Length. Male: 2.8 mm; female: 3.4 mm.

Coloration and morphology. Ground color pale ochraceous marked with black-brown; vertex, pronotum, mesonotum and scutellum with wide medial pale line. Vertex with black-brown marks. Pronotum with six blackbrown longitudinal stripes ( Fig. 6 A–B, 6G). Face stramineous, with paired white arcs on frontoclypeus ( Fig. 6 H). Forewing subhyaline with veins contrastingly pale, veins sometimes bordered with fuscous ( Fig. 6 A–F). Mesosternum pale ochraceous. Tibiae with dark marks ( Fig. 6 C–D).

Head wider than pronotum, anterior margin distinctly angulate in dorsal view, vertex slightly shorter than distance between eyes ( Fig. 6 A–B). Anteclypeus tapering to apex, extending beyond normal curve of genae. Lorum semicircular, slightly narrower than anteclypeus, well separated from lateral margin of face ( Fig. 6 H). Pronotum nearly as long as vertex ( Fig. 6 A–B). Forewing exposing apex of pygofer, with four short apical and three anteapical cells, middle anteapical cell with one-three crossveins, inner anteapical cell closed basally sometimes with one crossveins, appendix reduced ( Fig. 6 A–F).

Male genitalia. Pygofer lightly sclerotized dorsally, pygofer lobe long, caudal margin round, with numerous macrosetae in posterior region ( Fig. 7 A–B). Subgenital plate subtriangular, lateral margin weakly incurved, apex acute, with 5–6 macrosetae arising laterally ( Fig. 7 C). Style preapical lobe nearly rectangular; apophysis stout, slightly laterally curved ( Fig. 7 C). Aedeagus simple, without processes, in lateral view upturned distally, thinnest at midlength; gonopore apical ( Fig. 7 E–F).

Female ovipositor. Sternite VII with posterior margin concave medially, with two posterolateral lobes attached on inner surface ( Fig. 6 I). First and second valvulae as in M. asunctia Cheng.

Type material. Holotype ♂, Peru: Junin, 42 km NE La Oroya , 4,000m, 11°24′18"S, 75°50′31"W, 17-X-2002, C.H. Dietrich & R. Rakitov, sweeping , 02-15-2, USML. Paratypes: 1♂, 1♀, same data, INHS. Etymology. This species is named for Dr. Roman Rakitov of the Paleontological Institute, Moscow, who organized the collecting trip that yielded the type specimens.

Remarks. This species resembles M. paralaredanus sp. n., but is readily distinguishable by color and the shape of the aedeagus. Fig. 7 D comes from a teneral specimen (male paratype) with genitalia only lightly sclerotized.

Figures

FIGURE 6. Mendozellus rakitovi A – B: habitus, dorsal view; C – D: habitus, lateral view; E – F: forewing; G: head and pronotum; H: face; I: the end of female abdomen, ventral view. A, E – G: male; B – D, H – I: female.

FIGURE 7. Mendozellus rakitovi A: male pygofer lobe, lateral view; B: male pygofer and segments X – XI, dorsal view; C: valve, subgenital plates and styles, ventral view; D: style, dorsal view; E, F: connective and aedeagus, dorsal and lateral view, respectively (broken).