Mjolnirus Wang, Xu & Qin, 2021

Wang, Yi-Mei, Xu, Ye, Dmitriev, Dmitry A., Dietrich, Christopher H. & Qin, Dao-Zheng, 2021, Two new empoascine leafhopper genera, Thaioasca and Mjolnirus, from Thailand (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae: Typhlocybinae), with a checklist of Empoascini in Thailand, Zootaxa 4915 (2), pp. 246-254 : 249-250

publication ID

https://doi.org/ 10.11646/zootaxa.4915.2.4

publication LSID

lsid:zoobank.org:pub:D65F298A-E9EE-41C0-87C9-63E786999256

DOI

https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.4454407

persistent identifier

https://treatment.plazi.org/id/03915709-FFD3-155B-F693-F9B2B9CBD4BA

treatment provided by

Plazi

scientific name

Mjolnirus Wang, Xu & Qin
status

gen. nov.

Mjolnirus Wang, Xu & Qin View in CoL , gen. nov.

Type species: Mjolnirus mediolobus Wang, Xu & Qin , sp. nov.

Description. Head with eyes subequal in width to maximum width of pronotum. Eyes in dorsal view narrower than distance between basomedial angles ( Figs 18, 20 View FIGURES 18–26 ). Coronal suture extended slightly beyond crown mid-length but not onto face ( Fig. 20 View FIGURES 18–26 ). Ocelli on crown margin well separated from eyes. Lateral frontal sutures present and extended below ocelli ( Fig. 21 View FIGURES 18–26 ). Anteclypeus narrowed and slightly convex basally ( Figs 19, 21 View FIGURES 18–26 ). Forewing narrow, rounded apically, veins R2 and RM confluent at their bases, distal segments of both arising from m cell ( Fig. 22 View FIGURES 18–26 ), vein MCu well separated with RM apically. Hind wing with vein MP and CuA completely confluent ( Fig. 23 View FIGURES 18–26 ).

Fore femur with 1 enlarged AV seta on basal margin. Middle femur with 1 distinct dorsoapical macroseta. Hind femur setal formula 2+1+1, tibia with 6 macrosetae in row AV near apex.

Male 2S abdominal apodemes well developed, parallel-sided ( Fig. 24 View FIGURES 18–26 ). Pygofer lobe with few microsetae along posterodorsal margin; ventral margin infolded; dorsal bridge well delimited, long, ventral appendage present, arising from internal ridge near ventral margin of pygofer lobe ( Figs 25–29 View FIGURES 18–26 View FIGURES 27–37 ). Subgenital plate surpassing pygofer lobe, well expanded basally with prominent basolateral projection, gradually narrowing apically; basal setae elongate and stout, arising from basolateral angle; marginal setae well defined, separated into medial and distal groups; macrosetae uniseriate, not reaching tip of plate; feeble microsetae undeveloped ( Figs 25 View FIGURES 18–26 , 27, 30 View FIGURES 27–37 ). Style slightly broadened basally, apophysis elongate, with short basolateral protrusion, dentifer short with few tiny teeth ( Figs 27, 31, 32 View FIGURES 27–37 ). Aedeagus with preatrium longer than shaft, shaft with asymmetrical basal processes; dorsal apodeme absent ( Figs 25, 26 View FIGURES 18–26 , 33–35 View FIGURES 27–37 ). Connective, articulated with aedeagus, with narrow median lobe on anterior margin, caudal margin notched medially ( Fig. 36 View FIGURES 27–37 ). Anal tube processes short, rounded ( Figs 25 View FIGURES 18–26 , 37 View FIGURES 27–37 ).

Distribution. Thailand.

Etymology. The new generic name is derived from Proto-Germanic: Mjölnir, the hammer of Thor, the Norse god of thunder, referring to the pygofer processes which resemble hammer handles ( Figs 25–29 View FIGURES 18–26 View FIGURES 27–37 ). Gender: masculine.

Notes. Mjolnirus is included in the Empoasca generic group based on hind wing veins MP and CuA being confluent, the subgenital plates free through their length, and the connective well separated from the aedeagus. It is similar to Empoasca Walsh , but differs in the unique structure of the pygofer and subgenital plate. Among other empoascine genera in the Oriental Region, Mjolnirus superficially resembles Sharoka Sohi & Mann, 1993 in having very similar head structure (head with eyes subequal to maximum width of pronotum, coronal suture not extended onto face); and the subgenital plate broadest at the base and tapering towards the apex, with marginal setae divided into two separate groups. It differs from Sharoka in the shape of the aedeagus which lacks a dorsal apodeme and has the atrium weakly expanded in caudoventral view (aedeagus with dorsal apodeme, and atrium greatly expanded in caudoventral view in Sharoka ). Furthermore, Mjolnirus differs from all other known genera of Empoasca genus group in having column-like processes arising from the ventral margin of the male pygofer.

Kingdom

Animalia

Phylum

Arthropoda

Class

Insecta

Order

Hemiptera

Family

Cicadellidae

SubFamily

Typhlocybinae

Tribe

Empoascini

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