GEDANOTROPIDINI, Szwedo & Stroiński, 2017

Szwedo, Jacek & Stroiński, Adam, 2017, Who’s that girl? A singular Tropiduchidae planthopper from the Eocene Baltic amber (Hemiptera: Fulgoromorpha), Palaeontologia Electronica 16 (2), pp. 1-20 : 4-5

Tribe GEDANOTROPIDINI trib. nov.

zoobank.org/ 2E6C6A9A-CBDD-434B-85C5-8E87146EE45E

Type genus. Gedanotropis gen. nov., designated herein.

Etymology. The generic name is derived from the Ancient Greek stem ‘trop-‘ (nominativus), ‘tropid-‘ (genetivus), of the word ‘ΤΡόΠΙΣ; ΤΡόΠΙΔοΣ’ – trópis, trópidos (keel of the ship), i.e. according with ICZN (2000) Article 29.3.1, the stem ‘tropid-‘ must be used for creation family-group taxon name.

Diagnosis. Vertex, disc of pronotum and disc of mesonotum in ascending, stepwise planes. Tegmen macropterous with full venation developed; costal area present, with transverse veinlets; nodal line absent. Gonoplac rounded, its median, membranous part without denticles.

Description. Frons with median carina; clypeus with median carina and without lateral carinae. Antennal plate organs present in apical and dorsal portion to half of pedicel length. Mesonotum without median carina, lateral carinae converging anteriad. Vertex, disc of pronotum and disc of mesonotum in ascending, stepwise planes. Mesonotum elevated, with intercarinal median disc flattened. Tegmen wide, costal area with transverse veinlets; anterior margin strongly curved at base, clavus long, with apex exceeding ¾ of tegmen length; tornus absent. Stem ScP+R and stem RP(+MA) leaving basal cell at a single point; stem MP short, branch MP 1+2 forked basad of branch MP 3+4 forking. Clavus with transverse veinlets. Metatibia with lateral spines. Gonoplac rounded; posterior margin without teeth; membranous part medially without denticles ( Figures 2-4 ).

Remarks. The tribes of Tropiduchidae , as understood nowadays, are defined by combination of various characters. Vertex, disc of pronotum and mesonotum of Tropiduchidae are placed in a single plane, making the stepwise planes in the newly described tribe exceptional and apomorphic. Representatives of the family vary in length and structure of tegmina, with costal area present or absent, with or without transverse veinlets. In ‘typical’ Tropiduchinae , the nodal line is present and developed variously, however in Elicinae the nodal line could be absent or partly developed. The variability is observed also in presence or absence and degree of development of transverse veinlets on clavus. Also the armature of metatibia vary strongly among tribes of Tropiduchidae . In Fennah’s 1982 classification scheme a combination of male gonostyli and female gonoplac is an important character at the tribal level. Unfortunately, only female characters are available here. Rounded gonoplac is characteristic for the Elicinae , but lack of any teeth or denticles and membranous median portion are apomorphic character states for the new tribe.

Type horizon. Middle Eocene.

Figures

FIGURE 2. Gedanotropis sontagae gen. et sp. nov. 1, Head, pronotum and mesonotum, dorsal view; 2, face, ventrolateral view; 3, tegmen (venation partly reconstructed); 4, hind wing (visible portion); 5, left hind leg; and 6, female genital block.

FIGURE 3. Gedanotropis sontagae gen. et sp. nov. tegmen venation with veins, cells and areas indicated.

FIGURE 4. Gedanotropis sontagae gen. et sp. nov. 1, Anterior portion of the body; 2, head in lateral view; 3, habitus of the specimen; 4, tegmen and hind wing; 5, body in lateroventral view; and 6, female genital block (ventrolateral view).