Proekes hemiplatyphalis, Stiller & Webb, 2022

Stiller, Michael & Webb, Michael D., 2022, Leafhoppers of the Fynbos Biome of South Africa: Colistra, Proekes, Proekoides and a new genus (Insecta, Hemiptera, Cicadellidae, Deltocephalinae, Bonaspeiini), Zootaxa 5199 (1), pp. 1-79 : 65-66

Proekes hemiplatyphalis sp. n.

( Fig. 22J–M , 26A–F )

Material examined.

Type locality. Holotype male, South Africa, Western Cape province, Barrydale, 33 km SW, -33.95, 20.370, 7 Feb. 2021, M. Stiller; sweeping Erica sp. Ericaceae & Brunia sp. Bruniaceae , CCDL28396 , SANC.

Type specimen. Holotype male, glued to triangle card, pinned, with genitalia in a separate microvial. Original label: “ R.S. A. / Barrydale / 33 km SW / -33.95 20.370 / 7.ii.2021 / M. Stiller” “sweep Erica sp. Ericaceae & Brunia sp. Bruniaceae ” “ SANC Pretoria Dbase# CCDL 28396”.

Paratypes. 11♂♂, 10♀♀

South Africa, Western Cape province:

4♂♂, 8♀♀; 16 km SW Barrydale; -33.963, 20.566; 6 Feb. 2021; M. Stiller leg.; sweeping Erica sp. Ericaceae ; CCDL 28395; SANC.

7♂♂, 2♀♀; ibid holotype; CCDL 28396; SANC.

Diagnosis. Crown angle in male 83–86°, female 82–84°. Length from apex of crown to apex of abdomen in male 4.16–4.48 mm, female 4.18–4.36 mm. Subgenital plate with 20–26 macrosetae in distal two thirds. Aedeagus with shaft in lateral view sublinear, compressed, medial width in lateral view 1.54–2.02 times wider than medial width in dorsal or ventral view ( Fig. 26A–D ); apex of shaft at anterior and posterior margins with short, paired teeth, or sometimes anterior margin without teeth; anterior margin at base with symmetric or asymmetric 1–2 paired teeth; posterior margin medially commonly with paired, elongate teeth, (not longer than medial width of shaft in lateral view) or rarely absent; dorsal apodeme reduced; preatrium elongate, 0.40–0.44 times as long as greatest length across base of aedeagus in lateral view.

Etymology. Named in Greek for the apex or head, cephalis, of the shaft of the aedeagus that is about half, hemi, as wide or broad, platy, as thick, contracted to hemi-platy-phalis. Gender feminine.

Description.

Male and female.

Morphology.

Head. Crown angle in male 83–86° and female 82–84°; crown length/crown length next to eye in male and female=1.67–1.75.

Ocellus. Male ocellus diameter 23–35 µm; interocular distance 72–84 µm, female ocellus diameter 28 µm; interocular distance 72–84 µm; ocellus diameter/interocular distance in male and female=0.32–0.41.

Tegmina. Male length/width=2.41–2.57, female length/width=2.47–2.56.

Hind wing. Male length/width=3.92–4.43, female length/width=3.86–4.47.

Tegmina-hind wing relation. Male ratio of length tegmina/length hind wing=1.12–1.19; width tegmina/width hind wing=1.81–2.07. Female ratio of length tegmina/length hind wing=1.09–1.20; width tegmina/width hind wing=0.74–1.19.

Measurements.

Male (n=13). Apex of crown to apex of tegmina 4.16–4.48 mm; apex of crown to apex of abdomen 3.95–4.68 mm; crown length 0.81–0.85 mm; crown length next to eyes 0.47–0.50 mm; pronotum length 0.45–0.50 mm; head width 1.47–1.56 mm; pronotum width 1.30–1.39 mm; ocellus diameter 28 µm; interocular distance 72–84 µm; crown angle 83–86°; crown length/crown length next to eye=1.67–1.76; head width/pronotum width=1.11–1.14; ocellus diameter/interocular distance=0.33–0.39; crown length/pronotum length=1.66–1.83; pronotum length/pronotum width=0.34–0.37; length to tegmina/length to abdomen=0.94–1.06; length to tegmina/width greatest=2.81–2.90; length to abdomen/width greatest=2.68–3.05.

Female (n=7). Apex of crown to apex of tegmina 4.18–4.36 mm; apex of crown to apex of abdomen 4.97–5.25 mm; crown length 0.83–0.88 mm; crown length next to eyes 0.49–0.52 mm; pronotum length 0.46–0.48 mm; head width 1.50–1.56 mm; pronotum width 1.32–1.38 mm; ocellus diameter 23–35 µm; interocular distance 72–84 µm; crown angle 82–84°; crown length/crown length next to eye=1.67–1.74; head width/pronotum width=1.13–1.14; ocellus diameter/interocular distance=0.30–0.44; crown length/pronotum length=1.77–1.87; pronotum length/ pronotum width=0.34–0.36.

Terminalia.

Male.

Segment 10. Conical, greatest width /least width=1.49–1.68, lateral margins straight, greatest length/greatest width=1.16–1.33; greatest width segment 10/width across pygofer at point greatest width segment 10=0.53–0.61.

Subgenital plate. Length/width=1.37–1.56; 20–26 macrosetae in distal three quarters, length 108–184 µm, few short setae at apex.

Style. Greatest length/average width=5.44–5.95, length apophysis/greatest length=0.18–0.22 ( Fig. 26E ).

Connective.Articulated with preatrium. Width arm/width stem=1.79–2.06; length arms/length stem=1.00–1.94; angle of arms 82–99°; greatest length/greatest width=0.49–0.65; length stem/width greatest=0.18–0.31; Fig. 26F .

Aedeagus. Aedeagal shaft in lateral view sublinear, slightly compressed ( Fig. 26A–D ), width medially/width medially in dorsal or ventral view=1.54–2.02, apex wider than medially (1.25–1.47 times wider apically than medially). Shaft in anterior view, apex laterally with short, right-angled, paired teeth, variable in orientation; base of shaft with paired, variably symmetric, contiguous teeth, or sometimes single tooth. Atrium laterally, near base of shaft with paired teeth, variable in symmetry, orientation and length (about as long as basal teeth on shaft). Shaft in posterior view, shaft with median to subbasal, paired teeth or single tooth, or absent. Preatrium elongated, 0.40–0.44 times as long as greatest width across base of aedeagus, articulated with connective. Dorsal apodeme reduced.

Female.

Sternite 7. Transversely rectangular, slightly convex medially. Length/width=0.47–0.51; width across apex/ width across base=0.58–0.65; medial length/average lateral length=0.92–0.97.

Valvula 3. Extended well beyond posterior margin of pygofer, 1.44–1.51 times longer than greatest length of pygofer in lateral view, 35–49 macrosetae at apex and subapex, length 23–34 µm; valvula length/width=6.42– 6.73.

Valvifer 1. Longer than wide (length/width=1.52–1.70), variable dorsal margin, narrowly rounded, rectangular anteriorly or dorsal and ventral margins sublinear.

Valvifer 2. Uniformly curved anteroventral margin and straight posterodorsal margin (length/width=2.65–2.79), sculpture submarginal with few circular pore-like structures.

Remarks. This species is recognized by the narrower shaft, measured medially in lateral view, relative to the medial width of the shaft in anterior or posterior view. The shaft in lateral view is wider apically than medially (1.23–1.47 times wider apically than medially). The length of the preatrium relative to the length across the base the of the aedeagus is larger (0.40–0.44) than that in P. cephaleus (0.16–0.34). The shaft in P. cephaleus is much wider, with specimen variability not indicating that this species represents a variant of P. cephaleus . The aedeagal shaft of P. diacaphalis sp. n. and P. tetracaphalis sp. n. is narrower, with elongate teeth, longer or as long as the width of the shaft in lateral view. The nymph in Fig. 22M was collected with adults at one site (16 km SW Barrydale), but possibly associated with Kimbella species. Different Erica species probably occurred at the two sites.

Figures

FIGURE 22. Proekes species habitus views. A–I, P. cephaleus (Naudé, 1926), male, female and nymph. A, male, dorsally, Hawekwa specimen. B, male, dorsally, Fisantekraal specimen. C, female, dorsally, Slagboom specimen. D, female, dorsally, Caledon specimen. E, F, nymphs, pale and dark Fisantekraal specimens, respectively. G, female terminalia, ventrally, Caledon specimen. H, head and pronotum dorsally, Slagboom specimen. I, female, face, Caledon specimen. P. hemiplatyphalis sp. n., female, male and nymph. J, K, female, dorsally, laterally respectively. L, male, dorsally. M, nymph. A–G, J–M, scale=1 mm.

FIGURE 26. Proekes hemiplatyphalis sp. n., line drawings, male. A, aedeagus, laterally, posterior paired tooth. B, aedeagus, anteriorly. C, aedeagus, laterally, edentate posterior margin. D, aedeagus, anteriorly. E, style, dorsally. F, connective.