Mendozellus asunctia Cheng

Duan, Yani, Dietrich, Christopher H. & Zhang, Yalin, 2017, Two new species of Mendozellus Linnavuori (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae: Deltocephalinae: Deltocephalini) with redescription of Mendozellus asunctia Cheng, Zootaxa 4232 (2), pp. 231-240 : 233-235

publication ID	https://doi.org/ 10.11646/zootaxa.4232.2.6
publication LSID	lsid:zoobank.org:pub:E5682F21-9A18-4C6E-A4B7-531FF229B9CE
DOI	https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.6017100
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/445087B8-FFC8-FFD1-FF43-49E2FE0E1E66
treatment provided by	Plazi
scientific name	Mendozellus asunctia Cheng
status

Treatment

Mendozellus asunctia Cheng View in CoL

( Figs 1–3 View FIGURE 1 View FIGURE 2 View FIGURE 3 )

Mendozellus asunctia Cheng, 1980: 86 View in CoL .

Length. Male: 2.0– 2.4 mm; female: 2.6–3.0 mm.

Coloration and morphology. Ground color pale-yellow to brownish marked with orange to dark-brown; vertex, pronotum, mesonotum and scutellum with wide medial pale stripe. Vertex with variable marks usually consisting of four small apical spots, two oblique preapical bars mesad of anterior eye angles, and two small oblique lines farther posterad. Pronotum with six longitudinal stripes ( Fig. 1 View FIGURE 1 A–E). Face mostly stramineous to dark brown, with paired white arcs on frontoclypeus ( Fig. 1 View FIGURE 1 G). Forewing stramineous to brown with veins contrastingly pale ( Fig. 1 View FIGURE 1 A–F). Mesosternum stramineous to dark brown. Tibiae with fuscous marks ( Fig. 1 View FIGURE 1 F).

Head wider than pronotum, anterior margin forming approximately right angle in dorsal view, vertex longer than distance between eyes ( Fig. 1 View FIGURE 1 A–E). Anteclypeus tapering to apex, extending beyond normal curve of genae. Lorum semicircular, slightly narrower than anteclypeus, well separated from lateral margin of face ( Fig. 1 View FIGURE 1 G). Pronotum slightly shorter than vertex in male ( Fig. 1 View FIGURE 1 A–B), as long as vertex in female ( Fig. 1 View FIGURE 1 C–E). Forewing exposing apex of pygofer, with four short apical and three anteapical cells, middle anteapical cell divided by crossvein, inner anteapical cell closed basally, appendix reduced ( Fig. 1 View FIGURE 1 A–F).

Male genitalia. Pygofer lightly sclerotized dorsally, pygofer lobe short, caudal margin angulate, with numerous macrosetae in distal half ( Fig. 2 View FIGURE 2 A–B). Subgenital plate subtriangular, lateral margin weakly incurved, apex acute, with 2–3 macrosetae arising laterally ( Fig. 2 View FIGURE 2 C). Style preapical lobe nearly rectangular; apophysis stout, slightly laterally curved with imbricate microsculpture; basal arms widely divergent ( Fig. 2 View FIGURE 2 D). Aedeagus very short, truncate apically, widest proximally in lateral and dorsal view, bent dorsad near base in lateral view, apex with small apical tooth-like processes on each side; gonopore apical, large ( Fig. 2 View FIGURE 2 E–F).

Female ovipositor. Sternite VII with posterior margin undulate, with two posterolateral lobes attached on inner surface ( Figs 1 View FIGURE 1 H–I, 3F). First valvula dorsal sculpturing granulose to maculose, submarginal for most of length ( Fig. 3 View FIGURE 3 C–E). Second valvula with dorsal hyaline area broad, distal blade broader than basal section, dorsal margin with approximately 16 small obliquely triangular teeth with small serrations between teeth, apex acuminate ( Fig. 3 View FIGURE 3 A–B).

Material examined. ARGENTINA: Chaco P.N . Chaco: 1♂, 70m, 26°48′50"S, 59°36′52"W, 12-I-2008, C.H. Dietrich, vacuum, Ar 10-13, INHS GoogleMaps ; 1♀, 70m, 26°48′50"S, 59°36′52"W, 12-I-2008, C.H. Dietrich, vacuum, Ar10- 11, INHS; Jujuy: 2♂, rt 9 25km, N Yala, 2,200m, 23°57′2"S, 65°27′57"W, 18-I-2008, C.H. Dietrich, vacuum, AR20-1, INHS GoogleMaps ; 2♀, rt 9 23km, N Yala, 2,150m, 23° 57′41" S, 65° 27′38" W, 18-I-2008, C.H. Dietrich, vacuum, AR21-1, INHS; 2♂, 13 km N EI Carmen, 1,300m, 24°16′44"S, 65°16′32"W, 18-I-2008, C.H. Dietrich, vacuum, AR22-1, INHS; 4♂, 2♀, 13 km N EI Carmen, 1,300m, 24°16′44"S, 65°16′32"W, 18-I-2008, C.H. Dietrich, sweeping, AR22-2, INHS; 1♀, La Cienaga 4 km S EI Carmen, 1,250m, 24°25′5"S, 65°17′27"W, 18-I-2008, C.H. Dietrich, vacuum, AR231, INHS.

Distribution. Argentina, Paraguay.

Remarks. This species was originally described from Paraguay by Cheng (1980). Some intraspecific variation in wing development and coloration was found and Cheng's original drawings are not detailed, so we redescribe this species. The specimens examined represent the first records of the species from Argentina. The ovipositor is illustrated for the first time.