Pravistylus scolopygeus, Stiller, 2010

Stiller, M., 2010, Revision of the Southern African leafhopper genus Pravistylus (Hemiptera, Cicadellidae, Deltocephalinae) 2468, Zootaxa 2468 (1), pp. 1-81 : 44-45

publication ID	https://doi.org/ 10.11646/zootaxa.2468.1.1
DOI	https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.10537725
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/03EFD356-FFF0-FFFE-6CFF-73858CF7D4A2
treatment provided by	Felipe
scientific name	Pravistylus scolopygeus
status	sp. nov.

Treatment

Pravistylus scolopygeus View in CoL sp. n.

( Figs 1 View FIGURE 1 af; 2 l; 3 w; 4 u; 5 h; 6 v; 7 bw–by; 8 bf)

Diagnosis. Plate 1.7–1.9 times as long as wide; deeply notched subbasally; apices unequal in length, narrow, blunt ( Fig. 2 l View FIGURE 2 ); plate similar to that of P. longitrunculus ( Fig. 2 k View FIGURE 2 ). Pygofer lobe with sclerotized appendage on median surface ( Fig. 1 View FIGURE 1 af). Aedeagus, in dorsal view, with base of shaft depressed, tapering towards apex ( Figs 3 w View FIGURE 3 , 4 u View FIGURE 4 ). Style with distal part close to base; apophysis very narrow ( Fig. 5 h View FIGURE 5 ). Female sternite 7 ligula with triangular or rectangular ligula, base rectangular ( Figs 7 View FIGURE 7 bw–by).

Etymology. Greek, for the thorn-like (skolos) spine on the pygofer (pyge).

Male and female. Ochraceous, sometimes with minor fuscous markings on vertex, generally with fuscous markings in inner anteapical, posterior discal and brachial cells ( Fig. 8 View FIGURE 8 bf).

Male. Dimensions. (n = 16) Length: apex of vertex to apex of tegmina 2.4–2.8 mm; apex of vertex to apex of abdomen 2.7–3.1 mm; vertex medially 0.5 mm; vertex next to eye 0.3–0.4 mm; pronotum medially 0.3–0.4 mm. Width: head 0.9–1.0 mm; pronotum 0.8–0.9 mm. Ocellar diameter 28.0 µm; ocellocular distance 32.8–51.2 µm.

Genital capsule. Pygofer, in lateral view, with ventral posterior margin bulbous, membranous; dorsal posterior margin lobate ( Fig. 1 View FIGURE 1 af). Pygofer lobe subapical, short, with medial spine-like process, curved ventrally ( Fig 1 View FIGURE 1 af); width of lobe about ¾ as wide as width of pygofer ( Fig. 1 View FIGURE 1 af). Plate roughly triangular; subbasal lateral margin emarginate, tufts of setae distally and proximally of emargination; apex sclerotized, narrow, rounded or truncate; both apices usually of dissimilar length; 3–8 uniseriate subapical macrosetae ( Fig. 2 l View FIGURE 2 ); plate 1.7–1.9 times as long as wide. Aedeagal shaft, lateral view, arising medially from atrium; preatrium short; C-shaped; dorsal view, tapering toward apex, depressed; gonopore ventral, elongate, extending from apex into about one third of shaft ( Figs 3 w View FIGURE 3 , 4 u View FIGURE 4 ). Style distal part close to anterior medial lobe; apophysis elongate, curved, narrow with large basal, ventral tooth; preapical lobe acute ( Fig. 5 h View FIGURE 5 ). Connective, in lateral view, with distal half slightly angled dorsad; dorsal view, stem narrow, rounded ( Fig. 6 v View FIGURE 6 ).

Female. Dimensions. (n = 11) Length: apex of vertex to apex of tegmina 2.4–2.9 mm; apex of vertex to apex of abdomen 3.0– 3.4 mm; vertex medially 0.5–0.6 mm; vertex next to eye 0.3–0.4 mm; pronotum medially 0.3–0.4 mm. Width: head 0.9–1.0 mm; pronotum 0.8–0.9 mm. Ocellar diameter 26.5–30.7 µm; ocellocular distance 35.7–50.8 µm.

Genitalia. Sternite 7 with base rectangular, median posterior ligula about as long as median length of base; ligula variable: triangular ( Fig. 7 View FIGURE 7 bw), with base triangular, apex parallel ( Fig. 7 View FIGURE 7 bx) or ligula rectangular ( Fig. 7 View FIGURE 7 by), V- or U-shaped notch; ventral surface of ligula and sternite with median ridge.

Material examined. Holotype male. South Africa, Mpumalanga. Suikerboschfontein Farm , 25°56ʹS, 30°19ʹE, 1700 m, 3.ii.2001, M. Stiller, sweeping, grass and forbs ( SANC) GoogleMaps . Paratypes. 16♂, 12♀. Limpopo . 1♂, 1♀, Sekororo Kloof near Burgersfort, 24°23ʹ6ʺS, 30°27ʹ39ʺE, 1430 m, 19.iii.2005, M. Stiller, sweeping, very short grazed Cynodon dactylon (Poaceae) and other grass species; 2♀, Sekororo Kloof, summit, 24°22ʹ55ʺS, 30.29ʹ20ʺE, 1830 m, 19.iii.2005, M. Stiller, sweeping, steep E-facing shaded slope on summit; 5♂, 4♀, Sekororo Kloof, 24°22ʹ55ʺS, 30°29ʹ20ʺE, 1800 m, 19.iii.2005, M. Stiller, sweeping, summit ridge grazed grass and forbs; 2♂, 1♀, The Downs, near black wattle plantation, 24°10ʹ40.46ʺS, 30°12ʹ04.77ʺE, 1460 m, 25.iv.2009, M. Stiller, sweeping grass and forbs. Mpumalanga GoogleMaps . 8♂, 4♀, same data as holotype ( BMNH, INHS, SANC) GoogleMaps .

Remarks. The plate of this species ( Fig. 2 l View FIGURE 2 ) is similar to that of P. longitrunculus ( Fig. 2 k View FIGURE 2 ), with the sternite 7 of both females also depicting similarities. However the elongate process on the median surface of the pygofer lobe ( Fig. 1 View FIGURE 1 af) is the distinctive feature of P. scolopygeus , and is sometimes visible in undissected specimens. The pygofer lobe in P. longitrunculus ( Fig. 1 p View FIGURE 1 ) is much longer than in P. scolopygeus ( Fig. 1 View FIGURE 1 af), the style has the distal part close to the base in both species with the apophysis digitate in P. longitrunculus ( Fig. 5 e View FIGURE 5 ), but narrower in P.scolopygeus ( Fig. 5 h View FIGURE 5 ). The aedeagal shaft is not compressed in P. longitrunculus ( Figs 3 View FIGURE 3 ab, 4 z), and in the connective the stem wider ( Fig. 6 z View FIGURE 6 ) than in P. scolopygeus ( Fig. 6 v View FIGURE 6 ). No other species has a similarly pronounced process on the pygofer lobe, except a distinctly smaller tooth in P. odontopygeus ( Fig. 1 y View FIGURE 1 ).