Stenopsoides turneri Evans, 1942

Semeraro, Linda, Fletcher, Murray J., Malipatil, Mallik B., Constant, Jerome & New, Timothy R., 2021, Revision of a unique Australian leafhopper genus Stenopsoides Evans (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae: Idiocerinae: Macropsini), Zootaxa 4999 (2), pp. 117-131 : 120

Stenopsoides turneri Evans, 1942

( Figs 1D,H,L , 2A–E , 6 )

Stenopsoides turneri Evans 1942: 153 [description]; Evans 1947: 180 [face illustrated], 181 [genus and species listed], 183 [mentioned primitive characters]; Evans 1966: 156 [mentions cephalic characters], 157 [key to macropsine genera], 158 [re-description], 160 [face illustrated]; Evans 1975: 415 [features of the head], 436 [table of systematic position, distribution, primitive/ specialised ratings, period of origin].

Description. Body length ♀ 6.6–6.7 mm (n = 2). Body generally yellow. Face with cibarial muscles yellow; vertex mostly yellow with brown pitting, sparse brown pitting laterally along frontoclypeus, anteclypeus, lorum yellow. Pronotal tubular extension with a pair of dark brown stripes laterally, brown at apex; pronotum with brown coarse pitting; mesonotum including anterior lateral triangles, and scutellum yellow, concolorous. Tegmen mostly transparent with hint of yellow, veins yellow with some faint brown dots along the margins, cell along costal margin with minute setae and slightly longer setae along R veins (R1a, Rb & Rs veins), costal cell translucent yellow with fine brown dots. Legs entirely yellow.

Head. ( Figs 1A,D,H , 2A,C,D ) Distance between coronal pits equal to inter-ocellar distance; ocellus slightly closer to eye compared to midline of face, inter-ocellar distance around 2.4 times ocellar-ocular distance; frontoclypeus wider than long and 0.7–0.8 times width of face between eyes; lorum wider than long; maxillary plate distinctly visible posterior to lorum; anteclypeus only very weakly curved mesad, slight constriction preapically, expanded laterally at apex.

Thorax. ( Figs 1D,L , 2A,B,C ) Pronotal extension directed anteriad, apically slightly curved dorsad, slightly flattened dorsoventrally and rounded at apex; pronotum strongly rugose with coarse pitting, striae not distinctly visible; slight dorsal median ridge anteriorly; posterior margin of pronotum broadly procurved. Mesonotum + scutellum smooth, without pitting or only slightly rugose; width across base of mesonotum equal to length. Tegmen length 3.9 times its width (n=1). Legs metafemur with apical setal formula 2+1+0; metatibia with 6 macrosetae (n=1) on anterodorsal margin; 3 fine setae on anterior face of metatibia (n=1).

Abdomen. ( Fig. 2E ) Female seventh sternite (7S) as in generic description, width around 2.9 times maximum height. Ovipositor apex not protruding, slightly short of pygofer apex in ventral view (n=1).

Distribution. Western Australia ( Fig. 6 ).

Host. Unknown.

Type material examined. HOLOTYPE ♀, AUSTRALIA: Western Australia, Dedari , 40 mls (64kms) W of Coolgardie, 11–21.i.1936, R.E. Turner, ( BMNH) . PARATYPE 1♀, AUSTRALIA: collection details as per holotype ( LS No. 00120, BMNH) .

Additional material examined. 1♀, AUSTRALIA: Western Australia, Moora, 08.1959, J.W. Evans, ( ASCT HE 21153 , AMSA) .

Dedari is a pumping station for the Kalgoorlie–Coolgardie water pipeline ( Day & Fletcher 1994). For the specimens from Dedari and Moora the following coordinates respectively (31° 05’34.15”S, 120°41’35.40”E and 30°38’27.76”S, 116° 00’28.75”E) were extrapolated from the data on the label and Google Earth and these were used in the distribution map. The kilometres were calculated from miles based on the metric conversion of 1 mile = 1.6 kilometres.

Differential diagnosis. Stenopsoides turneri may be distinguished from the 3 newly described species of Stenopsoides by the pronotum bearing a pair of lateral brown stripes and the shape of the pronotal extension at apex being slightly curved dorsad, dorsoventrally flattened and expanded at apex, while it is either tapered and rounded or truncate apically in other species. The tegmen has brown spots restricted to the costal region and along the veins, but in S. punctatus Semeraro sp. nov. they are distributed all over the tegmen or are entirely absent in S. newi Semeraro sp. nov. and S. truncatus Semeraro sp. nov. The body length of Stenopsoides turneri is longer than S. punctatus Semeraro sp. nov. and S. truncatus Semeraro sp. nov., but overlaps in body length with S. newi Semeraro sp. nov..

Figures

FIGURE 1. Key features, A–D. lateral habitus, E–H. face, I–L dorsal head, pronotum and scutellum; A, E, I. Stenopsoides newi Semeraro sp. nov.; B, F, J. Stenopsoides punctatus Semeraro sp. nov.; C, G, K. Stenopsoides truncatus Semeraro sp. nov.; D, H, L. Stenopsoides turneri Evans.

FIGURE 2. Stenopsoides turneri Evans, A. lateral habitus, B. dorsal habitus, C. ventral head (face) and pronotum, D. face, ventral view, E. female seventh abdominal sternite (7S), pygofer and ovipositor, in ventral view.

FIGURE 6. Distribution map of Stenopsoides in Australia based on reference collection specimens.