Telogmometopius Jacobi, 1922

Liang, Ai-Ping, Jiang, Guo-Mei & Webb, M. D., 2006, Revision of the Oriental spittlebug genera Baibarana Matsumura and Telogmometopius Jacobi (Hemiptera: Cercopidae: Rhinaulacini), Journal of Natural History 40 (35 - 37), pp. 2071-2099 : 2085-2086

Telogmometopius Jacobi

Telogmometopius Jacobi 1921, p 43 ; Wu 1935, p 48; Schulze, Kükenthal and Heider 1938,

p 3406; Neave 1940, p 417; Lallemand 1949, p 56, 57; Metcalf 1961, p 327. Type species: Telogmometopius obsoletus Jacobi, 1921 , by original designation and monotypy.

Description

Small to medium-sized, slender, finely pubescent spittlebugs, length (from apex of vertex to tip of fore wings): „ 5.0–8.4 mm, ♀ 5.3–8.5 mm.

General colour grey brown or brown; vertex and pronotum usually ochraceous, probably olivaceous yellow in life.

External features as in Baibarana with the following differences. Head ( Figures 2 , 9 ) relatively narrow, broad in profile; posterior margin of vertex more or less straight; ocelli situated slightly basad of mid-distance from anterior to posterior margin of vertex; postclypeus ( Figures 4 , 10, 11 ) strongly compressed laterally and medially longitudinally keel-like. Ultrastructure of antennal pedicel: very sparsely setose and sculptured with scalelike pattern, apex hollowed with inner surface strongly spiralled ( Figure 12 ); flagellum base nearly smooth, sensory organs in subglobose base including one long blunt, peg-like, basiconic sensillum located in a broad, shallow pit adjacent to a group of about five, small, coeloconic sensilla on rim ( Figures 12, 13 ). Rostrum tip ( Figures 17, 18 ) consisting of two lateral lobes separated by a dorsal stylet groove, each lateral lobe with about 12 peg sensilla, numerous short cuticular teeth and some divided acanthae near inner edge. Fore wings with relatively distinct venation. Male pregenital segment very short, much shorter than pygofer in ventral view.

Male genitalia as in Baibarana with the following differences. Lateral plates very small. Styles strongly expanded over distal half in lateral aspect with apex excavate with two lobes, outer lobe with two small, dorsally directed teeth on outer dorsal edge. Aedeagal shaft with basal part horizontal, thereafter strongly and narrowly curved anteriorly, with an apical or dorsal subapical, anteriorly directed, sinuate or coiled, filamentous process.

Biology

In common with most spittlebug genera, no biological data are currently available for species of Telogmometopius . Species of the genus may be associated with bamboos (see collecting data under T. sabahensis ). Collecting data show that adults can be collected in all seasons and certain species, e.g. T. obsoletus and T. himalayensis , can be attracted and collected at light (see collecting data below).

Distribution

Oriental Region, including southern China (Tibet, Yunnan, Guizhou, Sichuan, Hubei, Gansu, and? Jiangxi), Burma, Vietnam, Laos, Thailand, and northern Borneo. The identity of one female specimen from Vietnam ( Tam Dao , 950 m, 15–30 September 1989, V. Novotny, IZCAS), cannot be verified due to the absence of associated males .

Remarks

The monobasic genus Telogmometopius Jacobi was placed by Lallemand (1949) and Metcalf (1961) in the Afrotropical tribe Bandusiini Lallemand , together with the Afrotropical genus Bandusia Stål. We here transfer Telogmometopius to the tribe Rhinaulacini based on the following characters: postclypeus weakly bulbous; hind tibiae with one lateral spur; subgenital plates with an expanded basal region and a spine-like apical process; lateral plates present; aedeagal shaft elongate, cylindrical, and strongly curved; distribution and type of antennal sensilla (see Liang 2001; Liang and Jiang 2001; Liang and Fletcher 2002; Liang and Webb 2002; A.-P. Liang, unpublished data).

Telogmometopius can be distinguished from other Oriental cercopid genera by its strongly laterally compressed postclypeus, with a median carina, keel-like in ventral view ( Figures 10, 11 ) and in the male genitalia by the small lateral plates and very elongate aedeagus with the basal part horizontal and strongly and narrowly curved anteriorly with an apical or subapical filamentous process.

Figures

Figures 1–8. Baibarana and Telogmometopius species. (1) Baibarana rufofasciata, dorsal habitus. (2) Telogmometopius carinilabratus, dorsal habitus. (3) B. uchidai, head, ventral view. (4) T. carinilabratus (China: Yunnan), head, ventral view. (5) B. uchidai, head and pronotum, lateral view. (6) T. obsoletus, head and pronotum, lateral view. (7, 8) T. carinilabratus (China: Yunnan): (7) fore wing; (8) hind wing.

Figures 9–16. Telogmometopius obsoletus, scanning electron micrographs: (9) vertex and pronotum, dorsal view; (10) head, ventral view; (11) head, frontoventral view; (12) apical part of pedicel and expanded flagellar base of antenna, showing one basiconic sensillum and smooth surface of expanded flagellar base; (13) expanded flagellar base of antenna, showing one basiconic sensillum and coeloconic sensilla; (14) male genital capsule, ventral view, showing male genitalia with basal, posteriorly directed aedeagal shaft not being protruding ventrally, not being separated by subgenital plates and being invisible from ventral view; (15) apical part of abdomen, lateral view, showing male genital capsule; (16) male genital capsule, lateral view, showing male genitalia with aedeagal base directed posteriorly and then anteriorly recurved and not protruded ventrally between subgenital plates.

Figures 17–24. Telogmometopius and Baibarana species, scanning electron micrographs. (17–21) T. carinilabratus: (17) rostral tip, showing peg-like (basiconic) sensilla; (18) lateral peg-like (basiconic) sensilla on rostral tip; (19) male genital capsule, ventral view, showing male genitalia with elongate, posteriorly directed, basal aedeagal shaft; (20) apical part of abdomen, lateral view, showing male genitalia with elongate, posteriorly directed, basal aedeagal shaft; (21) genital style, lateral view. (22–24) B. rufofasciata: (22) male genital capsule, ventral view, showing male genitalia with strongly arched aedeagal shaft; (23) male genital capsule, left lateral view, showing large lateral plate and strongly arched aedeagal shaft; (24) male genital capsule, lateral view, showing male genitalia with strongly arched aedeagal shaft.