Pravistylus pelorophallus, Stiller, 2010

Stiller, M., 2010, Revision of the Southern African leafhopper genus Pravistylus (Hemiptera, Cicadellidae, Deltocephalinae) 2468, Zootaxa 2468 (1), pp. 1-81 : 41-42

publication ID	https://doi.org/ 10.11646/zootaxa.2468.1.1
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/03EFD356-FFF3-FFFB-6CFF-742F892BD2F2
treatment provided by	Felipe
scientific name	Pravistylus pelorophallus
status	sp. nov.

Treatment

Pravistylus pelorophallus View in CoL sp. n.

( Figs 1 View FIGURE 1 aa; 2 u; 3 ai; 4 ag; 5 aa; 6 af & ag; 7 bp; 8 az & ba)

Diagnosis. Aedeagus, in lateral view, with shaft very long, thin, about 4 times as long as distance between apex of dorsal apodeme and preapical lobe ( Fig. 3 View FIGURE 3 ai). Plate triangular, with apex digitate, 1.1–1.3 times as long as wide ( Fig. 2 u View FIGURE 2 ). Style with distal part far from base, with apophysis about two thirds as wide as the width across preapical lobe ( Fig. 5 View FIGURE 5 aa).

Etymology. Greek, huge (peloros) for the oversized aedeagus (phallus), occupying much of the pygofer.

Male and female. Ochraceous, sometimes with paired fuscous markings on vertex and inner anteapical cell. Hind wing about 0.2 times as long as tegmina ( Figs 8 View FIGURE 8 az & ba).

Male. Dimensions. (n = 5) Length: apex of vertex to apex of tegmina 2.9–3.1 mm; apex of vertex to apex of abdomen 2.7–3.0 mm; vertex medially 0.4 mm; vertex next to eye 0.3 mm; pronotum medially 0.3 mm. Width: head 0.9 mm; pronotum 0.8–0.9 mm. Ocellar diameter 23.5–29.7 µm; ocellocular distance 42.0 µm.

Genital capsule. Pygofer, in lateral view, with ventral posterior margin somewhat convex, membranous, posterior margin sclerotized and wedge-shaped membranous region submarginally; dorsal posterior margin lobate ( Fig. 1 View FIGURE 1 aa). Pygofer lobe equidistantly triangular, bluntly rounded; about half as wide as pygofer ( Fig. 1 View FIGURE 1 aa). Plate triangular, apex digitate, slightly deflected laterally; medial margins subparallel, close together ( Fig. 2 u View FIGURE 2 ); plate 1.1–1.3 times as long as wide. Aedeagal shaft, in lateral view, arising medially from atrium; preatrium long, narrow; dorsal apodeme narrow; shaft very long, thin, about 4 times as long as length of dorsal apodeme to preatrium; shaft base C-shaped, close to dorsal apodeme, with apical quarter straightened; gonopore apical, oblique, ventral ( Figs 3 View FIGURE 3 ai, 4 ag). Style distal part far from anterior medial arm, apophysis about two thirds as wide as width across preapical lobe, apex of apophysis acutely angled, teeth along posteroventral margin ( Fig. 5 View FIGURE 5 aa). Connective stem slightly narrower than the width across the arms ( Fig. 6 View FIGURE 6 af); in lateral view, curved ( Fig. 6 View FIGURE 6 ag).

Female. Dimensions. (n = 8) Length: apex of vertex to apex of tegmina 3.0– 3.2 mm; apex of vertex to apex of abdomen 3.1–3.6 mm; vertex medially 0.5 mm; vertex next to eye 0.3 mm; pronotum medially 0.3– 0.4 mm. Width: head 0.9–1.0 mm; pronotum 0.8–0.9 mm. Ocellar diameter 19.2–29.8 µm; ocellocular distance 35.3–45.2 µm.

Genitalia. Sternite 7 base rectangular, hind margin ligulate (width at apex 0.5 times ligula length), base triangular, apex rectangular, notch wide, shallow (length of ligula about as long as length of base) ( Fig. 7 View FIGURE 7 bp).

Material examined. Holotype male. South Africa, KwaZulu-Natal. Lower Loteni east, 29°33ʹS, 29°44ʹE, 1492 m, 26.xii.2004, M. Stiller, sweeping grass, regrowth after fire ( SANC) GoogleMaps . Paratypes. 4♂, 8♀.

KwaZulu-Natal. 4♂, 8♀, same data as holotype ( BMNH, SANC) GoogleMaps .

Remarks. The unique feature of P. pelorophallus is the very long, thin, tubular aedeagus ( Fig. 3 View FIGURE 3 ai), that occupies much of the pygofer ( Fig. 1 View FIGURE 1 aa), and to a lesser extent, the shape of the pygofer and pygofer lobe ( Fig.1 View FIGURE 1 aa). A number of species have similar plate shapes, such as P. oxyphysis ( Figs 2 o & p View FIGURE 2 ), P. interdiscus ( Figs 2 r & s View FIGURE 2 ), P. serratus sp. n. ( Fig. 2 v View FIGURE 2 ), P. caenophallus ( Fig. 2 y View FIGURE 2 ) and P. odontopygeus ( Fig. 2 x View FIGURE 2 ). The length to width ratio of the plate of all of these latter species is larger, ranging from 1.4–1.9 times as long as wide. The plate of P. pelorophallus is 1.1–1.3 times as long as wide. All of these latter species have the apex of the plate curved medially or posteriorly, and never laterally. Also in all of these latter species the style and especially the aedeagus is different. The style in P. pelorophallus is as in Fig. 5 View FIGURE 5 aa, and in P. oxyphysis as in Figs 5 y & z View FIGURE 5 , in P. interdiscus as in Fig. 5 r View FIGURE 5 , in P. serratus as in Fig. 5 i View FIGURE 5 , in P. caenophallus as in Fig. 5 View FIGURE 5 ac and in P. odontopygeus as in Fig. 5 x View FIGURE 5 . The aedeagus in P. pelorophallus is as in Figs 3 View FIGURE 3 ai & 4 ag, and in P. oxyphysis as in Figs 3 View FIGURE 3 ac & 4 aa, in P. interdiscus as in Figs 3 View FIGURE 3 aa & 4 y, in P. serratus as in Figs 3 View FIGURE 3 ae & 4 ac, in P. caenophallus as in Figs 3 View FIGURE 3 ak & 4ai and in P. odontopygeus as in Figs 3 View FIGURE 3 ah & 4 af.