Dwightla medleri Lu & Zhang, 2018

Lu, Lin & Zhang, Yalin, 2018, Review of the Afrotropical genus Dwightla McKamey (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae: Deltocephalinae: Selenocephalini) with description of a new species from Nigeria, Zootaxa 4370 (3), pp. 267-270 : 268-270

Dwightla medleri Lu & Zhang , sp. nov. ( Figs. 1 A –S )

Description. Length (including tegmen). Male: 9.5 mm.

Body light brown ( Fig.1 , A). Profemur intercalary row (IC) with 7 fine setae; anteroventral setae (AV) row six small stout setae near distal and six long setae near ventral margin, with AV1 present and long distally ( Fig.1 , R); fore tibiae dorsal rows with 1+11 setae ( Fig.1 , Q). Hind femur with apical setal formula 2+2+1 ( Fig.1 , S).

Male abdomen. 2nd acrotergite with trunk horizontal; neck slender and shorter than half of trunk width; 2nd tergal apodeme with posterior lobes vestigial ( Fig.1 , I). 1 st sternal apodeme elongate with posterior lobes developed, longer than width, convergent distally in dorsal anterior view ( Fig.1 , J, K); 2nd sternal apodeme with posterior lobes short, triangular in shape ( Fig.1 , L).

Male genitalia. Pygofer with dorsal and ventral margin extended posteriorly to apex; pygofer lobe without macrosetae and inner processes ( Fig.1 , M). Style with apical process extended strongly forward, with apex relatively thick ( Fig.1 , P). Connective short, stem shorter than branch, divergent apically ( Fig.1 , F, P). Aedeagus with single shaft and gonopore, and with one pair of subapical long processes and with atrium in posterior view vase-shaped, rounded laterally and evenly straight on lateral margin of shaft apex, preatrium developed, dorsal atrium nearly equal to the length of shaft; gonopore large, apically on ventral side ( Fig.1 , F, G, H).

Material examined. Holotype: male, Nigeria, nr. Siluko , NW State, 24-March-1973, Coll. J.T. Medler.

Etymology. The specific epithet “ medleri ” is named in honor of J.T Medler, who collected the type specimen and contributed extensively to taxonomy of the suborder Auchenorrhyncha .

Remarks. D. medleri is closely related to D. delongi based on the similar pygofer, which lacks processes but has the caudal portion strongly tapered and attenuate; and the aedeagus, which has a pair of long distal processes. The main differences from D. delongi are: 1) body color light brown (reddish brown in D. delongi ); 2) apex of style relatively thick (relatively thin in D. delongi ); 3) atrium of aedeagus in posterior view vase-shaped, and rounded laterally (nearly straight in D. delongi ); 4) lateral margin of aedeagal apex evenly straight, process with base stout, broad and tapered, apex emarginate (rounded in D. delongi ); 5) lateral processes of aedeagus extended ventrad (extended anterad in D. delongi ); 6) shaft of aedeagus shorter than in D. delongi in lateral view; and 7) aedeagus with paired processes more strongly divergent from shaft in caudal view.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Dwightla medleri Lu& Zhang.A.male, dorsalview; B. head, dorsalview;C.head,dorsoanterior view; D.face;E.male, lateral view; F-G. connective and aedeagus, ventral and lateral view; H. apex of aedeagus, dorsocaudal view; I. male 2 nd abdominal tergite, dorsal view; J-K. male 1 st sternal apodeme, anterior and dorsoanterior view; L. male 2 nd sternal apodeme, dorsal view; M-O. male pygofer, lateral, ventral and caudal view; P. subgenital plate and style, dorsal view; Q. fore tibia, dorsal view; R. fore femur, anteriorview;S. apex of hindfemur.