Erasmoneura tricuspidata, Zahniser, 2017

Zahniser, James N., 2017, A new species and a new form of leafhopper from the Great Smoky Mountains National Park (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae: Typhlocybinae), Zootaxa 4329 (1), pp. 81-85 : 82

Erasmoneura tricuspidata sp.n.

Description: Body length 2.8 mm. Forewing outer apical cell about 2X as long as wide; second apical cell basally truncate (ir crossvein present). 2S abdominal apodemes large, broad, reaching 3S posterior margin. Pygofer not extended to apex of subgenital plate; pygofer lobe rounded; dorsal emargination extended to base of segment. Pygofer basolateral setae in distinct group, small; distal setae undifferentiated. Pygofer dorsal appendage with distinct basal suture, but not movably articulated, simple, extended beyond pygofer apex, straight in dorsal view, curved upward in lateral view; ventral appendage absent. Style apex with 3 points; second point very short, toothlike; third point elongate, about as long as half distance between other two points; angle between basal and third points about 90°. Dorsal apodeme of aedeagus broadly expanded in lateral view, with distinct V-shaped ligaments, connected to anal tube and pygofer appendages; preatrium longer than shaft; shaft symmetrical, straight and broad in lateral view, round in crossection, smooth, with tip depressed and abruptly curved dorsad; aedeagus with unpaired ventral process placed basally, shorter than shaft; distal processes long, apical, slender.

Coloration: Dorsum yellowish with reddish and brownish color pattern; vertex mostly dark; anteclypeus pale, concolorous with rest of face; pronotum almost entirely dark; mesonotum entirely dark; thoracic venter with dark mesosternum, remainder pale. Forewings with oblique vittae forming continuous zigzag pattern, without crossbands, without numerous irregular red dots. Clavus largely or entirely bright red or brown. Forewings mainly dark with pale lateral specks and two big diamond or pentagonal spots at middle; dark spot on costal margin; apical cell II with distal spot; inner apical cell without brown spot.

Type locality: Holotype ♂, USA, Tennessee, Sevier Co., Twin Creeks, Malaise trap, 35°41'6" N 83°29'56" W, 5 XI–5 XII 2001, col. IC Stocks, ( Great Smoky Mountains National Park).

Distribution: The species is known only from the type locality.

Host plant: Unknown.

Notes: The new species is similar to E. bipentagona Beamer in habitus and color pattern. The main difference is the shape of the aedeagus, which has an unpaired basal process (paired in E. bipentagona ) and long distal processes (very short in E. bipentagona ). The species name refers to the shape of the aedeagal shaft having 3 processes. The holotype specimen (whole body) was cleared with KOH before it was recognized as a new species. Because this is the only known specimen of the new species, it is not possible to provide a photograph showing the natural coloration and the body measurement and description of the color pattern may not be directly comparable to such information in the previous literature provided for other described species of the genus.