Limotettigini Baker, 1915

Zahniser, James N. & Dietrich, Chris H., 2013, A review of the tribes of Deltocephalinae (Hemiptera: Auchenorrhyncha: Cicadellidae), European Journal of Taxonomy 45, pp. 1-211 : 105-108

Limotettigini Baker, 1915

Fig. 32

Type genus: Limotettix Sahlberg, 1871 .

Diagnosis

Limotettigini are small to medium sized ivory, greyish, or black leafhoppers, often with dark markings. They can be identified by the parallel-sided or tapering clypellus, pygofer with a spine-like process arising from the dorsal margin, and aedeagus articulated with a plate-like “dorsal connective” at the dorsal margin of the socle.

Description

HEAD. Head subequal to or wider than pronotum. Discal portion of crown glabrous with radial or longitudinal striae or completely shagreen to base. Anterior margin of head shagreen. Frontoclypeus not tumid; texture shagreen. Clypellus parallel-sided or tapering apically; apex following or slightly surpassing normal curve of gena. Lorum distinctly narrower than clypellus near base. Antennal bases near middle or posteroventral (lower) corners of eyes. Antennae short, less than 1.5 x width of head. Gena obtusely incised laterally; with fine erect seta beside laterofrontal suture. Antennal ledges absent. Ocelli present; close to eyes; on anterior margin of head.

THORAX. Pronotum lateral margin carinate; lateral margin shorter than basal width of eye.

WINGS. Forewing macropterous; appendix restricted to anal margin; with 3 anteapical cells; veins not raised; without reflexed costal veins; A1-A2 crossvein absent; apical venation not highly reticulate.

LEGS. Profemur with AM1 seta only; intercalary row with one row of five or more fine setae; row AV with short, stout setae. Protibia dorsal surface rounded, convex. Metafemur apex macrosetae 2+2+1. Metatarsomere I not expanded apically; plantar setae simple, tapered.

MALE GENITALIA. Valve articulated with pygofer; with short point of articulation with pygofer. Pygofer basolateral membranous cleft present; macrosetae well differentiated into several rows; with spinelike process arising from dorsal side. Subgenital plates free from each other, articulated with valve; macrosetae uniseriate laterally or with two lateral rows of macrosetae, sometimes with some irregularly arranged macrosetae. Style broadly bilobed basally, median anterior lobe pronounced. Basal processes of the aedeagus/connective absent or reduced. Aedeagus without basal hinge; with a single shaft and gonopore; with plate-like “dorsal connective” articulated to dorsal margin of socle. Connective anterior arms somewhat divergent, Y -shaped; articulated with aedeagus.

FEMALE GENITALIA. Pygofer with numerous macrosetae. Ovipositor not protruding far beyond pygofer apex. First valvula not strongly convex; dorsal sculpturing pattern imbricate (with overlapping scales); sculpturing reaching dorsal margin; without distinctly delimited ventroapical sculpturing. Second valvula broad, gradually tapered; without dorsal median tooth; teeth on apical 1/3 or more; teeth small, regularly or irregularly shaped.

Geography and ecology

Distribution: cosmopolitan. Some species are found around wetlands, bogs, and peatlands, while others are found in grasslands or transitional habitats. Host plant families include Juncaceae , Cyperaceae , Poaceae , Myricaceae , Ericaceae , and Asteraceae . L. (Scleroracus) flavopictus (Ishihara, 1953) is a vector of Japanese aster yellows and potato witches’ broom in Japan and L. (Scleroracus) vaccinii (Van Duzee, 1890) is a vector of false blossom of cranberries in eastern North America.

Remarks

Limotettigini contains the type genus with 5 subgenera and 89 species, following the classification of Hamilton (1994). In the phylogenetic analyses, Limotettix was consistently placed within the large grass feeding clade of Deltocephalinae , but its position in the clade is uncertain. It may be related to Cicadulini , the Athysanus -group ( Athysanini ), Hecalini , or Macrostelini . Dmitriev (2000, 2002) included Anoterostemmina as a subtribe of Limotettigini but a relationship between these groups was not supported in the phylogenetic analyses here, wherein molecular data for Anoterostemma were included for the first time. Instead, Anoterostemma is resolved near Euscelis and other Athysanus -group genera, and it is transferred to Athysanini here.

Selected references

Hamilton (1994), McKamey (2001).

Included genera

Limotettix Sahlberg, 1871

Figures

Fig. 32. Limotettigini. A–B, D–I. Limotettix striolus (Fallén, 1906). C. L. decumanus Kontkanen, 1949. A–I. Standard views (see Material & Methods). F. valve shown dissociated from plates.