Afrachilus Fennah, 1965

Stroiński, Adam, Brysz, Alicja M. & Szwedo, Jacek, 2025, Afrachilini trib. nov. of Achilidae from Southern Africa (Hemiptera: Fulgoromorpha: Fulgoroidea), European Journal of Taxonomy 1026, pp. 275-303 : 279-280

Genus Afrachilus Fennah, 1965

Afrachilus Fennah, 1965: 81 , figs 11–16 [described, female].

Afrachilus – Fennah 1967a: 659, fig. 2a–e [described, male]; 1969: 87, 115. — O’Brien 1971: 4. — Koçak & Kemal 2010: 11. — Dmitriev 2022: 12.

Type species

Afrachilus mirabilis Fennah, 1965 ; by original designation and monotypy.

Revised diagnosis

Superficially resembles Haitiana Dozier, 1936 ( Plectoderini ) by virtue of its elongated antennae and deep incision on lower margin of its compound eye. The head with acrometope, and eumetope distinctly separated by transverse carination; eumetope subdivided into upper portion (aneumetope) and lower portion (kateumetope), differing in sculpture and coloration. The lora lying almost in same plane as disc of postclypeal part of the face. The rostrum surpassing the mesocoxae but not reaching the metacoxae. Compound eyes deeply incised ventrally. Pronotum with at least one carina placed laterally on each side between eye and tegula; pustulae present between lateral margin of disc and carina collateralis. Metatibiae laterally unarmed, apically with seven or eight teeth.

Male terminalia (after type species Afrachilus mirabilis in Fennah 1967a: 659): anal segment of male in dorsal view more than twice as long as broad at apex, lateral margins straight, diverging distally, apical margin truncate or very shallowly convex, anal foramen at apex, anal style long, longer than pygofer, in dorsal view about twice as long as broad at widest part, in lateral view depressed. Pygofer relatively short, dorsolateral angles produced caudad; no medioventral process developed. Aedeagus long, subequal in width throughout, shallowly curved upward distad, tapering to a point at apex; a pair of slender spinose processes emerging ventrolaterally, directed dorsocaudad. Genital styles rather more than twice as long as broad, ventral margin convex, apical margin truncate, dorsal margin thickly callused, produced laterad at one quarter from apex in a short spinose process, and mesad in a broad thumb-shaped lobe.

Diversity and distribution

The genus Afrachilus and its two known so far species: A. mirabilis Fennah, 1965 and A. montanifynbosensis sp. nov. are known from localities in Western and Eastern Cape Province, Republic of Southern Africa.