Opsius versicolor (Distant)

Khatri, Imran & Webb, Michael D., 2010, The Deltocephalinae leafhoppers of Pakistan (Hemiptera, Cicadellidae), Zootaxa 2365, pp. 1-47 : 14-15

Opsius versicolor (Distant)

Cestius sakroensis Ahmed & Sultana.

Material examined. Pakistan: paratype 3, Cestius sakroensis, Sakro , 15.vi.1987, Zahida Sultana, grass; 13, Sindh Prov., Tando Jam, 28.iii.07.

Remarks. There is considerable confusion in the original publication in which the descriptions of Cestius sakroensis and C. triradiatus (see below) appear. This results from the presence of three blank pages, i.e., pages 128, 130 and 132 (of the descriptive pages 126–?132) and that some descriptive parts of both species may have been transposed. Clearly at least, the first part of the missing page 128 applies to sakroensis as it follows on from the first part of its description on page 126 and its figures on page 127. However, it is not clear where its description ends and the description of triradiatus starts and finishes. On page 129, there is mention of both species and a comparative statement and material examined for triradiatus (that one would expect to find after its description) but which follows a description of genitalia that would seem to fit the figure of sakroensis e.g. “plates diverging towards apex, possessing 5 prominent macrosetae”. If this genitalia description is for sakroensis then the reference to the atrial processes of the aedeagus is really the paired shafts and the “shaft longer than the atrial processes....bifurcating slightly prior to midlength” refers to the processes.

Only one set of type data is present in the original publication for sakroensis and triradiatus (on page 129) and, due to the above uncertainties, it is not clear to which of the two species it belongs. The data reads: “ Holotype male, Karachi, Pakistan, grass, 15.vi.1987, Zahida Sultana, and several paratypes with the same data as the holotype ” (ZMUK). However, as the type locality, Sakro appears on a paratype of sakroensis and is clearly the origin of the name, the Karachi data should belong to triradiatus . However, although examined material labelled as the types of triradiatus bears most of the correct data, it bears only the place name ‘Jhok’. This locality, together with Sakro, provides another discrepancy as in the introduction to the paper all material is indicated as being from the Karachi area, whereas these localities are some 50km away. Lastly, the figures of sakroensis show the aedeagal processes longer than the shaft but this appears not to be the case in the examined paratype.