Afroelfus, Gnezdilov, 2012

Gnezdilov, Vladimir M., 2012, A new stenopterous genus of the tribe Gaetuliini Fennah (Hemiptera, Fulgoroidea, Tropiduchidae) from southern Africa - particular intercontinental convergence, African Invertebrates 53 (2), pp. 637-637 : 638

Tribe Gaetuliini Fennah, 1978

Genus Afroelfus gen. n.

Etymology: The generic name is derived from ‘Africa’ and ‘elf’ (fantastic character). Type species: Afroelfus bothryogaster sp. n.

Diagnosis: Head and body covered by setae, more dense on metope, clypeus, anal tube, and gonoplacs. Metope wide, flat, joint with coryphe at obtuse angle (in lateral view), with median carina running through post- and anteclypeus and sublateral carinae ( Figs 2, 3 , 11 ). Lateral keels and median carina of metope elevated. Scape short, cylindrical. Pedicel nearly globular, with sensory organs. Coryphe transverse, very narrow, with slightly concave anterior margin and distinctly concave posterior margin ( Figs 1 , 10 ). Coryphe with keeled margins. Pronotum with median carina, anterior margin convex, posterior margin concave ( Fig. 10 ). Paradiscal fields of pronotum are covered by eyes. Paranotal lobes wide, elongate. Mesonotum has no carination, nearly as long as pronotum medially, with widely rounded apex. Meso- and metanotum are divided by deep furrow ( Fig. 1 ). Metanotum with two furrows converging apically in the shape of a triangle. Forewings with setae on costal and claval margins on both sides, 1.5 times as long as the body, very narrow, with only 2 longitudinal veins joint apically and rudimentary triangular clavus ( Figs 1, 2 , 9 ). Hind wings rudimentary, in shape of small scales. Hind tibia with 7 apical spines and single lateral spine distally. First and second metatarsomeres equal in length, with ventral surface covered by long setae. First metatarsomere with 2 latero-apical spines and entire row of 7 or 8 intermediate spines with subapical setae. Second metatarsomere with only 2 latero-apical spines. Pretarsus expands the apices of claws, with two long, narrow dorsolateral plates. Abdomen squat, weakly convex (in lateral view) ( Fig. 2 ). Abdominal sternite III with a row of 7 sensory pits and the sternites IV–VI each with a row of 8 sensory pits on their hind margins medially ( Fig. 5 ). Hind margin of sternite VII widely concave. Hind margin of pygofer with pair of semicircular processes alongside anal tube ( Figs 4 , 12 ). Gonoplacs hemisphaerical, with no carination. Anal tube wide, short, narrowing apically ( Fig. 12 ). Anal column short. Comparison: As judged by the wide metope with median carina, narrow coryphe, and squat body, the new genus is closely related to the genera Gamergus Stål, 1859 and Gamergomorphus Melichar, 1906 from southern Africa. The latter is also characterized by stenoptery ( Melichar 1906), but less so than the new genus.

Figures

Figs 1–4. Afroelfus bothryogaster gen. et sp. n., holotype: (1) dorsal view; (2) lateral view; (3) frontal view; (4) ovipositor, lateral view.

Figs 9–12. Afroelfus bothryogaster gen. et sp. n., holotype: (9) fore wing (scale bar = 1 mm); (10) head, pro-, and mesonotum, dorsal view (scale bar = 0.5 mm); (11) head, frontal view (scale bar = 0.5mm); (12) anal tube and pygofer, dorsal view (scale bar = 0.1 mm).

Fig. 5. Afroelfus bothryogaster gen. et sp. n., holotype, abdomen in ventral view.