Dryadomorpha tricornis, Gnezdilov, 2024

Gnezdilov, Vladimir M., 2024, A new species and new records of the leafhopper genera Dryadomorpha Kirkaldy, 1906 and Stenogiffardia Evans, 1977 (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae: Deltocephalinae) from Equatorial Africa, Zootaxa 5463 (1), pp. 145-150 : 146-147

Dryadomorpha tricornis sp. n.

( Figs 1–11 )

Description. Coloration. Head, pro- and mesonotum, thorax, and abdomen greenish yellow ( Figs 1, 2 ). Antenna greenish yellow light brown. Rostrum with dark brown to black second segment and brown third one. Fore wings from olive brown to dark brown. Hind wings opaque, with light brown veins. Legs greenish yellow to light brown, with light brown spines and dark brown spots around setae on tibiae. Fore trochanters dark brown.

Structure. Crown strongly produced, 1.3 times as long as pronotum at midline ( Fig. 1 ). Frontoclypeus elongate. Anteclypeus elongate, enlarged apically. Laterofrontal sutures reaching ocelli. Lorae elongate oval, large, far not reaching gena margins. Rostrum short, reaching the fore trochanters only. Mesonotum nearly as long as pronotum medially. Hind wings nearly as long as fore wings. Hind femur with 2+1+1 spines apically. First metatarsomere longer than second one. Arolium of pretarsus large, reaching apices of claws, with deep median notch (in dorsal view) ( Fig. 11 ). Each dorsolateral plate of arolium with a long seta.

Male genitalia structure ( Figs 3–10 ). Pygofer with about five macrosetae on broad triangular lobes ( Fig. 3 ), with a strong digitate process along the dorsal margin. Valve large, obtusely angulate posteriorly ( Fig. 9 ). Subgenital plates long beyond the length of pygofer, and with inner margin straight and narrow apically, with scattered fine setae. Style with apical denticle process straight, slightly beak-shaped at apex ( Figs 4, 8 ) and with lateral lobe nearly rectangular. Connective Y-shaped, with stem long and arms short ( Fig. 5 ). Aedeagus curved dorsally, with three spine-shaped processes including a single apical dorsal process curved dorsally and two subapical ventral processes protruding forward ( Fig. 6 ), aedeagal shaft tubular and narrow in ventral view, curved dorsally ( Fig. 7 ), gonopore apical. Apodemes of sternite II short, rounded, not reaching beyond hind margin of sternite ( Fig. 10 )

Total length. 7.0–7.3 mm.

Etymology. The species named after three spine-shaped processes of the aedeagal shaft.

Type material. Holotype, male, “ Forêt / inondée à / la lumière” // “I. R.S.A.C. – Mus. R.A.C. / Équateur: terr. Bikoro, / Mabali / IX.1959 N. Leleup ” ( RMCA).

Paratype: female, “ Forêt / inondée à / la lumière” // “I. R.S.A.C. – Mus. R.A.C. / Équateur: terr. Bikoro, / Mabali / IX.1959 N. Leleup ” ( RMCA) .

Comparison. This species is closely related to D. brunneocephala Webb, 1981 from the Central African Republic based on the aedeagus with three spine-shaped processes, but can be distinguished by the apical position of the dorsal aedeagal spine (far below apex in D. brunneocephala ) and the straight apical process of the style (curved laterally in D. brunneocephala ) ( Webb 1981b, figs 1, 3). This species resembles D. quadricornis ( Linnavuori, 1969) but can be distinguished from the latter by the aedeagus with a single dorsal apical process rather than two dorsal subapical processes.

Figures

FIGURE 1–2. Dryadomorpha tricornis sp. n., holotype. 1—dorsal view, 2—lateral view. Scale bar—1 mm.

FIGURES 3–11. Dryadomorpha tricornis sp. n., holotype, male genitalia and pretarsus. 3—genital capsule, lateral view; 4— style, dorsal view; 5—connective, dorsal view; 6—aedeagus and connective, lateral view; 7—aedeagus, ventral view; 8—style, ventral view; 9—valve and subgenital plates, ventral view; 10—apodemes of sternite II, 11—pretarsus, dorsal view. Not to scale.