Macrosteles

Yalin, Zhang, Lin, Lu & Kwon, Yong Jung, 2013, Review of the Leafhopper Genus Macrosteles Fieber (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae: Deltocephalinae) from China, Zootaxa 3700 (3), pp. 361-392 : 363-364

Checklist of Macrosteles species and species groups in China

alpinus species-group (Plates 1–3)

alpinus (Zetterstedt, 1828) , new record

fascifrons (Stål, 1858)

Note: The identity of M. alpinus and M. fascifrons , which were synonymized by Vilbaste (1980) although he did not examine the type material, was confirmed after examination of both species (Kwon, 1988). Kwon has recognized the type-locality Sitka is placed in the island Baranof of Alaska, near to western coastal area of British Columbia and had tried to make an expedition to this island to collect the M. fascifrons specimens to confirm the synonymy with M. alpinus , so the type-locality of M. fascifrons (Sitka, Alaska) is a coastal town well below the boreal-alpine habitat of M. alpinus (Kwon, 1988) .

cristatus Ribaut, 1927

latiaedeagus Dai, Li & Chen, 2008 , syn. nov.

laevis (Ribaut, 1927)

lindbergi Dlabola 1963 , stat. nov.

nabiae Kwon , sp. nov.

tibetensis Dai, Li & Chen, 2008

Distribution: six species in China ( alpinus , cristatus , laevis , lindbergi , nabiae , tibetensis ) and there are many species in the New World (Kwon, 1988).

falcatus species-group (Plate 4)

choui Zhang & Lu, sp. nov.

falcatus Zhang & Lu, sp. nov.

Distribution: two species, found only in China ( choui , falcatus ).

fieberi species-group (Plates 5–6)

lividus (Edwards, 1894) , new record

bimaculatus Dai, Li & Chen, 2008 , syn. nov. spinosus Kwon , sp. nov.

viridigriseus (Edwards, 1924)

symphorosus Yang , syn. nov.

Distribution: three species from China ( lividus , spinosus , viridigriseus ), one Holarctic species ( fieberi ) and two found only in the Nearctic (similis Kwon, skalkaiensis Beirne).

guttatus species-group (Plate 8)

guttatus (Matsumura, 1915)

heiseles Kuoh, 1981 , syn. nov.

Distribution: one Holarctic species in China ( guttatus ), a similar species from the Baltic region (nubilis Ossiannilsson) and an entirely pale species from Japan (buzensis).

variata species-group (Plates 12–13)

abludens Anufriev, 1968 , new record

albicostalis Vilbaste, 1968 , new record

brochus Zhang & Lu, sp. nov.

parastriifrons Zhang & Lu, sp. nov.

striifrons Anufriev 1968

serrata Dai, Li & Xing 2011 , syn. nov.

Distribution: mostly Nearctic species (Kwon, 1988), but with five species in China ( abludens , albicostalis , brochus , parastriifrons , striifrons ), two in Europe (sardus Ribaut, variatus Fallén) and an undescribed species from Africa.

Excluded species

Cicadula flaveolus [sic] Matsumura (1908) was transferred to Macrosteles by Matsumura (1914). No further description has appeared, and the characters of the male genitalia are still unknown. Vilbaste (1976) proposed Cicadula flaveola as a synonym of Nesoclutha erythrocephala (Ferrari) based on the external features of Matsumura’s type specimen, but it is female.

Homonymy

serrata Dai, Li & Xing 2011 [sic]

Note: This species is a homonym of M. serratus Kwon, 2010 a and the latter is valid based on priority. M. serrata Dai et al. is treated as a junior synonym of M. striifrons here based on the similar characters of the aedeagus, with some teeth on the shaft dorsally. Thus, based on the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature, 4th edition, Art. 60.2, the junior homonym, M. serrata Dai, Li & Xing [nec Kwon] does not need to be replaced because the synonym, M. striifrons , is available and becomes the valid name for the taxon.