Neodelphax, Marino De Remes Lenicov & Brentassi, 2017

Marino De Remes Lenicov, Ana M. & Brentassi, M. Eugenia, 2017, New taxa and combinations in Neotropical Delphacini (Hemiptera: Fulgoroidea), Zootaxa 4281 (1), pp. 280-290 : 281-282

Neodelphax new genus

Type species: Neodelphax sakakibarai Remes Lenicov & Brentassi , sp. n.

Description. Body robust, black to stramineous with distinctive dark marks at apex of clavus, nodal line and apical angle of forewing in macropterous form; carinae of head and pronotum, legs, antennae, rostrum and anal style yellowish. Head, including compound eyes, slightly larger than pronotum, vertex subquadrate, weakly projecting between eyes in dorsal view. Carinae of head strong and conspicuous, submedian carinae forked approximately in middle of vertex, joined onto frons below midlength, far below lower level of eyes; branches parallel and approximated. Frons with lateral margins subparallel, slightly narrowed between eyes. Lateral carinae of pronotum curved, diverging, not reaching posterior margin; median carina reaching hind margin at shallow notch. Lateral carinae of mesonotum straight, reaching posterior margin, median carina becoming obsolete in scutellum. Forewings of brachypter male opaque, concolorous with body; in females clear or light brown; slightly rounded, leaving exposed three tergites. Apex of hind tibiae bearing 5 (3+2) spines, 7 (5+2) on basitarsus and 4 on second tarsomere. Calcar with 22–28 teeth.

Males darker than females, with abdomen and lateral portion of mesonotum more strongly embrowned.

Male terminalia: Genital segment ventrally longer than dorsally (about 3:1), pygofer with anal foramen rhomboidal, in dorsal view strongly excavate on both margins; in lateral view, dorso-caudal margin regularly curved, continuing downwards with scabrous, carinated and lightly projected margin; in caudal view, ventral margin deeply excavated with small, denticulate median process (often very little notorious). Diaphragm bridge subrectangular, armature much broader than its height, weakly to strongly sclerotized, middle of dorsal margin slightly lipped in lateral view. Parameres dorsolaterally directed in lateral view, diverging in caudal view; abruptly and strongly produced laterad near apex and slightly recurved at tip; basal angle developed in a medioventrallydirected edge; inner lateral margin smooth. Phallotheca tubular, terete to subterete, laterally slightly compressed, dorsally directed, armed with spinose process originated from lateral side, with small denticles on both margins near the apex, phallotrema apical, open on left side; suspensorium short, plate-like. Anal segment broad, ventrally membranous, bearing strongly developed lateral lobes ending in a strong spinose process. Anal style relatively small, slightly taller than wide.

Female genitalia: Abdomen with a wide, central, membranous part between pregenital sclerites. Genital scale strongly developed, triangular to subrectangular, with spinose process on caudal margin. Valvifers VIII elongate, broadening towards the base, with distinctive basal lobe on the inner margin. Gonapophyses IX slender and slightly curved, dorsally finely denticulated, with 20–40 small sharp teeth on distal ½.

Etymology. The generic name is a combination of the Greek νέος (néos), meaning new, plus delphax , a common termination used in delphacids. The name is to be treated as masculine [( Delphax was affirmed as masculine by ICZN (1961)].

Remarks. Neodelphax species can be easily recognized by the distinctive frontal carination, with the submedian frontal carina forked below the eyes (an uncommon feature in Delphacini ); by the regularly convex dorsocaudal margin of the pygofer and the spinous caudal processes on the anal segment well developed. It also has the phallotheca semitubular and dorsally directed bearing a spinose process from the lateral side and small apical or subapical teeth. The female can be distinguished by the well developed genital scale, which is, caudally armed with spinous processes combined with the basally wide valvifers VIII. Neodelphax species share some external features with the recognized Palearctic species of Dicranotropis s.s. but can be separated from the latter by the lack of its distinctive genitalic features provided by the shape of the pygofer which is projected caudally on the dorsocaudal margin and with a spined process in medioventral position; the phallotheca compressed and ventrally bent; parameres sub-basally with scabrous surface and acute spine-shaped process (with smooth edge in Neodelphax ) and the anal segment with small tooth in sub-basal position in male; the caudal margin emarginated of the genital scale in female is also absent. Two species from Neotropic placed in Dicranotropis : D. bipectinata Muir , from Ecuador and D. basifuscata (Fowler) from Mexico, have been examined only based on the original descriptions and some few illustrations. They show quite remarkable anatomical differences, particularly in the shape of pygofer, that is elongate and caudally projected, and the position of the phallotheca, ventrally directed, what actually justifies their exclusion from Neodelphax .

The three species presently included in this genus are N. sakakibarai sp. n., N. fuscoterminata (Berg) comb. n. and N. acheron (Fennah) , comb. n.

Distribution. Argentina and Chile.