Locris Stål, 1866

Bucher, Manon, Bouteille, Emilien & Cesne, Maxime Le, 2024, Malagasy spittlebugs (Hemiptera: Cercopidae), a taxonomic review of genera from Madagascar, European Journal of Taxonomy 935, pp. 166-202 : 179-181

Genus Locris Stål, 1866

Fig. 6

Locris Stål, 1866: 56 .

Locris – Bouteille et al. 2021: 40–41 , figs 6a–d, 7a–d.

Type species

Locris rubra ( Fabricius, 1794) .

Material examined

Locris bipunctata ( Signoret, 1860)

MADAGASCAR • 1 ♂; “ Ambabalame ; V. Lallemand det.; Coll. Mus. Congo; 6664 H; Muséum Paris”; MNHN (EH) 24628 • 1 ♂; “ Lavaudon ; Coll. E. de Bergev ”; MNHN (EH) 24115 • 1 ♂; “ Amber-Geb. ; Edm. Schmidt det.; Miz Pan Warszawa 12/1945 2487” • 1 ♂; “ Amber-Geb. ; Edm. Schmidt det.; 970; Miz Pan Warszawa 12/1945 2488” • 1 ♂; “ Amber-Geb. ; Edm. Schmidt det.; Miz Pan Warszawa 12/1945 2489” .

Locris nigrolimbata ( Lallemand, 1910)

KENYA • 1 ♂; “Afrique orientale Anglaise St. 60; 600 m a.s.l.; Mar. 1911; Alluaud and Jeannel; Coll. Mus. Congo; Coll. V. Lallemand; R det. 6665”; MRAC • 1 ♂; “Afrique orientale Anglaise , WaKikuyu, Fort-Hall, St. 80; 1330 m a.s.l.; Jan. 1912; Alluaud and Jeannel; Coll. Mus. Congo; Coll. V. Lallemand; R det. 6665”; MRAC • 1 ♂; “ Nairobi; Apr. 1923; G. Babault leg.; Locris johannae ssn . nigrolimbata ”; MNHN (EH) 24629 .

TANZANIA • 1 ♂; Mts. Uluguru , Kimboza ofr. Héliophile; 600 m a.s.l.; 24–30 Jul. 1971; L. Berger, N. Leleup and J. Debecker leg.; Coll. Mus. Tervuren; H. Synave det.; MNHN (EH) 24635 .

Locris vicina ( Signoret, 1860)

MADAGASCAR • 1 ♂; Parc de Zombitse Leobondro , rég. Atsimo-andrefana, bord rivière; 22°40.460′ S, 44°51.633′ E; 633 m a.s.l.; 20 Mar. 2006; A. Soulier-Perkins leg. and det.; MNHN (EH) 24659 • 1 ♂; Ambodimanga; 1906; S.I. Hammerstem leg.; Edm. Schmidt det.; Miz Pan Warszawa 12/1945 2490 • 1 ♂; Ambodimanga; 1906; S.I. Hammerstem leg.; Edm. Schmidt det.; Miz Pan Warszawa 12/1945 2491 .

Synthetic description

Locris is a large African genus with more than 80 species currently described ( Soulier-Perkins 2023). It is known in Madagascar by three species. Stål (1866) initially described Locris in a very brief manner, making it impossible to currently determine the genus with his original publication. Lallemand proposed a refined description of this genus in 1949 on the basis of morphological characters that are not all completely consistent, according to Bouteille et al. (2021). It is true that in addition to a list of general characters supposed to describe the genus, Lallemand (1949) also listed a series of exceptions in order to include more species, probably making the genus paraphyletic. The homogeneity of this genus and its taxonomic unity is therefore questionable. Bouteille et al. (2021) revised the three Malagasy species of Locris and provided descriptions of their genitalia with new characters. Nevertheless, the lack of systematic information for the genitalic characters of the entire genus highlights the need for further taxonomic studies. A synthesis based on previous taxonomic descriptions and material examined is presented below:

HEAD. Postclypeus rounded in lateral view with longitudinal carina in median part and transverse ridges. Rostrum short, barely extending to base of median trochanter. Antennae short. Vertex as broad as long with length equal to half length of pronotum. Ocelli closer to each other than to compound eyes.

THORAX. Pronotum large with straight posterior margin. Scutellum as long as large with 3 dimples; 2 small dimples above anterior margin and a bigger one on median part. Hindlegs with one spine on metatibiae.

TEGMINA. Tegmina 3 times as long as wide. Cu and M linked from base to middle of tegmina. Apical veins form dense network on apex.

MALE GENITALIA. No sterno-lateral plates. Subgenital plates wide and sometimes silky at base, forming thin and long filament ( Lallemand 1949) curved up or downwards on its apical half. Parameres silky and wide from pygofer’s attachment to its tip and they can form a cup prolonged by one or two structures that can have a little spine curved up- or downwards ( Bouteille et al. 2021). Aedeagus can have little bumps on top. Apex with hanging structure ( Bouteille et al. 2021) which varies in size and shape, with presence in many species of bifid branch connected in middle. Apex sometimes silky and wider than rest of aedeagus ( Bouteille et al. 2021).

Distribution ( Fig. 6 )

Tropical Africa, South Africa and Madagascar.

Number of species: 87, 3 in Madagascar.

Locris bipunctata ( Signoret, 1860)

Locris bipunctata bipunctata ( Signoret, 1860)

Locris bipunctata atra (Lallemand, 1950)

Locris nigrolimbata ( Lallemand, 1910)

Locris vicina ( Signoret, 1860)

Figures

Fig. 6. Distribution map of Locris Stål, 1866.