Micropedeticus, Stiller, 2009

Stiller, M., 2009, Revision of Elginus Theron (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae: Deltocephalinae) with the description of two new genera and comments on the grassland leafhopper fauna in South Africa, Zootaxa 2135 (1), pp. 1-56 : 30-31

Micropedeticus gen.n.

Type species: Micropedeticus ochrus sp.n. ( Figs 45, 46 , 274–283 ).

Gender masculine.

Etymology. Greek, mikros, small, pedetikos, good at leaping.

Dimensions. Male & female. Up to 3.2 mm.

Head wider than pronotum. Vertex produced in front, 1.0–1.5 times as long medially as length next to eyes; vertex rounded to face; frontal region shagreen, disc smooth. Face usually unmarked, clypeus sometimes with feint horizontal arcs; clypellus broad (1.5 times as long as wide), slightly tapering, not extending beyond lower margin of gena. Gena obtusely emarginate. Profemur with very short setae in row AV, about 8 intercalary setae and one AM1 seta. Protibial setal formula 1+4, mesotibial setal formula 4+4, mesofemur setal formula 2+2+1, middle pair of subequal length, distal seta longest. Tegmina with 4 apical and 3 anteapical cells, outer cell of variable size, costal vein yellow-orange, other veins and cells transparent; appendix reduced. Hind wing normal in macropterous specimens, and in submacropterous female specimens, hind wing about half as long as tegmina; with jugal lobe folded over anal area in both cases. Ocelli marginal; ocellus separated from adjacent eye by 1.6 times its diameter.

Abdominal apodeme. Produced posteriorly, anterior and posterior apodeme extending into sternite I and II respectively ( Figs 274, 275 ).

Genital capsule. Male. Aedeagus symmetrical, linear in dorsal view; apex forked, recurved ventrally. Connective with arms fused, ( Fig. 278 ). Plate triangular, apex rounded. Valve narrow. Pygofer lobe acutely triangular, apex blunt, laterally setose ( Fig. 281 ); ventrally opposable, in repose, closure is effected by plates, with overlapping ventral flap of pygofer lobes. Anal tube short, recessed less than half-way into pygofer; tergite X well sclerotized, internally produced into a frame-work articulating with dorsal apodeme of aedeagus ( Figs 280, 281 ). Style differentiated into apophysis, preapical lobe, anterior and medial lobes.

Genital capsule. Female. Sternite VII posterior margin broadly rounded ( Fig. 283 ).

Relationships. This genus is a typical member of the tribe Paralimnini . No known member of this tribe has similarly enlarged abdominal apodemes. The aedeagus with its apical spines is a character that occurs in a number of genera in this tribe, such as Afrosus Linnavuori , Platentomus Theron , Ragia Theron and Restiobia Davies. These genera could be considered distant relatives. Cedarotettix Theron and Hengchunia Vilbaste also have the shaft bearing apical or subapical spines, but have additional basal paraphyses. Similarities in colouration, size and shape are found in some undescribed species of Pravistylus Theron ( Theron, 1975) and Nicolaus Lindberg ( Stiller, 1998) and with Theronus priapus gen.n. & sp.n. ( Figs 47–49 ), but these genera have totally different genitalia.

Figures

FIGURES 41–46. Elginus species and Micropedeticus, habitus views. Fig. 41, E. unispinus, female; Fig. 42, E. unispinus, dark nymph; Fig. 43, E. unispinus, pale nymph; Fig. 44, E. vulgaris, male; Fig. 45, M. ochrus, male; Fig. 46, M. ochrus, female.

FIGURES 274–283. Micropedeticus ochrus. Fig. 274, abdominal apodeme, posterior; Fig. 275, abdominal apodeme, anterior; Fig. 276, aedeagus, dorsal view; Fig. 277, aedeagus, lateral view; Fig. 278, connective; Fig. 279, plate and valve; Fig. 280, pygofer, dorsal view; Fig. 281, pygofer, lateral view; Fig. 282, style; Fig. 283, sternite VII, female.

FIGURES 47–50. Theronus priapus and Lecacis species, habitus views. Fig. 47, T. priapus sp.n., male; Fig. 48, T. priapus, female brachypter; Fig. 49, T. priapus, female macropter; Fig. 50, L. platypennis Theron, male.