Lethierium grandilobum, Gnezdilov, 2022

Gnezdilov, Vladimir M., 2022, Revision of the genus Lethierium Dlabola, 1980 (Hemiptera: Auchenorrhyncha Issidae), with description of two new species from Central Morocco, Zootaxa 5155 (4), pp. 517-538 : 527-534

Lethierium grandilobum sp. nov.

( Figs 12–15 , 47–52 )

Diagnosis. General coloration straw yellow. Metope with straight upper margin. Male anal tube with a rounded process on its lateral margins. Aedeagus with strongly curved ventral hooks, thicker in their middle parts. Lobes of phallobase basement enlarged apically. Style with weakly concave hind margin; capitulum on long neck.Total length: males—3.5 mm, females—4.0–4.5 mm.

Description. Generally similar to L. cedricolum . Metope wide, gradually enlarged below the eyes, with its lateral margins converging to clypeus; upper margin straight ( Fig. 14 ). Metope with trace of median carina in its upper third. Upper part of metope visible from above. Coryphe three times as wide as long medially, with keel-shaped margins ( Fig. 12 ). Pronotum with a median groove, nearly twice as long as coryphe. Mesonotum 1.5 times as long as pronotum at midline, with lateral carinae. Forewings with distinct knee prominence. Basal cell nearly triangular.. Forewing vein sequence ( Figs 13, 15 ): R 3, M 4–5, CuA 1. Radius and media running from the basal cell subparallel or at very acute angle. Radius firstly furcating before knee prominence, R 1 not reaching wing margin, R 2 furcating on knee prominence. Media firstly furcating right after knee prominence; M 1 and M 2 furcating right after wing middle. Hind tibia with two lateral spines subapically and with ten spines apically. First metatarsomere with six intermediate spines.

Coloration. General coloration straw yellow, with light brown to dark brown spots on clavus and dark brown dots on corium medially and in the cells of membrane. Metope with dark brown traces of larval sensory pits. Pedicel light yellow to light brown, with light sensory organs. Second segment of rostrum brown, third one dark brown to black apically. Flagellum black. Apices of leg spines black. Claws dark brown. Abdominal sternites IV–VI straw yellow, with dark brown to black areas surrounding sensory pits. Abdominal tergites straw yellow to dark brown, with light yellow median line. Gonoplacs dark brown, each with large light yellow lateral spot. Female anal tube straw yellow to light brown.

Male genitalia ( Figs 47–52 ). Anal tube elongate, slightly narrowing basally and apically (in dorsal view) ( Fig. 48 ), with a rounded process on each its lateral margin (in lateral view) ( Fig. 47 ). Anal column short and wide, ¹⁄ of anal tube length. Aedeagus with strongly curved ventral hooks, arising at its middle, thicker in their middle parts. Lobes of phallobase basement massive, enlarged and rounded apically ( Fig. 49 ). Ventral phalobase lobe with an apical notch ( Fig. 50 ). Style with weakly concave or nearly straight hind margin and widely rounded caudo-dorsal angle ( Fig. 51 ). Capitulum of style on long neck, flattened antero-apically, not narrowing apically (in dorsal view) ( Figs 51, 52 ).

Female genitalia. Hind margin of sternite VII with large semicircular labial process medially as in L. cedricolum . Ovipositor structure generally as in L. juniperi . Anal tube convex (in lateral view), long, 3.5 times as long as wide medially, narrowing apically, with rounded apex (in dorsal view). Anterior connective lamina of gonapophysis VIII with three teeth in lateral group.

Type material. Holotype, ♂, “Idni 1600 m / Ht Atlas Maroc / G. Remaudière 15.VIII.49” ( MNHN) . Paratypes: 2♀, “Idni 1600 m / Ht Atlas Maroc / G. Remaudière 15.VIII.49” ( MNHN and ZIN) ; 1♂, “ Maroc: Asni / 3–11. VI.1934 / 1250 m. A. Ball / 27 M 111 // R. Mus. Nist. Nat. / Belg. I. G. 10. 417” ( IRSNB) ; 2♀, “Marrakech / Asni / 3-5-33 / Brem-Coll.” ( MNHN, ex. Ribaut Collection, and ZIN) ; 1♀, “Marrakech / Asni 5.33 / Brémond Coll.” ( MNHN, ex. Ribaut Collection ) .

Notes. The species is closely related to L. cedricolum ( Dlabola, 1989) , both species are known from central Morocco, but from different mountain Ranges—High Atlas and Middle Atlas. Dlabola (1989) included one female from Asni in the type series of Hysteropterum cedricolum as the paratype. Apparently this female also belongs to the new species described above.

Figures

FIGURES 12–15. Lethierium grandilobum sp. nov., 12–14—holotype, 15—female paratype, Marrakech. 12—dorsal view; 13, 15—lateral view; 14—frontal view.Abbreviation: kp — knee prominence. Scale bar—1 mm.

FIGURES 47–52. Lethierium grandilobum sp. nov., holotype, male genitalia. 47—anal tube, pygofer, and penis, lateral view; 48—anal tube, dorsal view; 49—penis and connective, lateral view; 50—penis and connective, ventral view; 51—style, lateral view; 52—style, dorsal view. Out of scale.