Geelus slangdraad, Stiller, 2020

Stiller, Michael, 2020, A new leafhopper genus Geelus and 12 new species (Hemiptera, Cicadellidae Deltocephalinae) from Southern Africa, Zootaxa 4786 (3), pp. 301-344 : 333-334

publication ID	https://doi.org/ 10.11646/zootaxa.4786.3.1
publication LSID	lsid:zoobank.org:pub:94F4B2D8-3941-493A-B9AA-80553E22759C
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/56A2773D-8746-492B-92FF-34AA0D16C39F
taxon LSID	lsid:zoobank.org:act:56A2773D-8746-492B-92FF-34AA0D16C39F
treatment provided by	Plazi
scientific name	Geelus slangdraad
status	sp. nov.

Treatment

Geelus slangdraad View in CoL sp.n.

( Figs 10E View FIGURE 10 , 17 View FIGURE 17 A–I)

Diagnosis. Aedeagal shaft tubular, in lateral view sinuous, base right-angled to elongate dorsal apodeme. Pygofer lobe narrow, apex rounded, dorsomedial process curved posteroventrad. Female sternite 7 with rectangular, elongate, protruding ligula recessed shallowly in narrow notch.

Etymology. Afrikaans nouns in apposition, slang, snake, serpentine and draad, wire, for the sinuous shape of the aedeagal shaft. Gender masculine.

Male. Abdominal apodemes. Posterior view as in Fig. 17G View FIGURE 17 .

Measurements. n=8. Length from apex of crown to apex of tegmina 4.60–4.95 mm. Crown median length 0.41–0.45 mm. Crown length next to eye 0.33–0.36 mm. Pronotum length 0.46–0.49 mm. Head width across eyes 1.34–1.43 mm. Pronotum width 1.29–1.36 mm. Ocellus diameter 42.0 μm; interocular distance 64.0–73.0 µm. Api- cal angle of crown 116.7°±1.5°.

Pygofer lobe. Process orientation, posteroventrad; process edentate; process origin, dorsomedial; process curved; pygofer lobe widely merged with pygofer, lobe triangular, apex broadly rounded; anterior apodeme short, dorsal. Pygofer lobe apex extended well beyond apex of subgenital plate ( Figs 17F, 17H View FIGURE 17 ).

Anal tube. Conical ( Fig. 17F View FIGURE 17 ).

Subgenital plate. Number of macrosetae, 4–6; medioposterior angle obtuse; length: width, 0.5–0.7; position of macrosetae, distal half ( Fig. 17E View FIGURE 17 ).

Valve. Shape obtuse triangular ( Fig. 17E View FIGURE 17 ).

Style. Apophysis with subapical, ventral tooth, close to apical ventral tooth, giving apex bilobate appearance; apophysis as wide as width across preapical lobe; ratio length to width of apophysis 1.6–2.0 ( Fig. 17D View FIGURE 17 ).

Connective. Stem length relative to arm length, one third length of arms; stem width relative to width across arms, of similar width ( Fig. 17C View FIGURE 17 ).

Aedeagus. Shaft thin, tubular; apex of shaft square, shaft edentate; shaft sinuous in lateral view; dorsal apodeme, in lateral view, elongate, rectangular, right angled to base of shaft, preatrium short ( Figs 17A, 17B View FIGURE 17 ).

Female. Measurements. n=3. Length from apex of crown to apex of tegmina 4.92–5.15 mm. Crown median length 0.45–0.47 mm. Crown length next to eye 0.37–0.39 mm. Pronotum length 0.49–0.51 mm. Head width across eyes 1.46–1.50 mm. Pronotum width 1.41–1.44 mm. Ocellus diameter 30.7–43.9 μm; interocular distance 72.7–85.9 µm. Apical angle of crown 116.6°±1.4°.

Sternite 7. Shape of posterior margin triangular, elongate, rectangular ligula apically; ligula with narrow, shallow notch posteromedially; ligula recessed about half its length into apex of sternite, distal half protruding ( Fig. 17I View FIGURE 17 ).

Valvifer 1. In lateral view, ventral margin produced narrowly; dorsally, merged broadly (similar to that of G. kinkeldraad , Fig. 6K View FIGURE 6 ).

Material examined. Holotype male. South Africa, Northern Cape Province, CCDL08592 , Garies, -30.56, 17.98, 8.ix.2016, J.G. Theron ( SANC) . Paratypes. 6♂, 3♀. Northern Cape Province , 4♂, 3♀, ibid. holotype ; 2♂, CCDL08593 , Klipvlei, -30.50, 17.83, xi.1931, South African Museum expedition ( SANC) .

Remarks. All available specimens were dissected. The aedeagus of this species is thin, with the elongate dorsal apodeme, as in G. dundraad , G. platdraad , G. vurkdraad and G. driehoekdraad , but the shaft is sinuous. Unique in this species is the short apophysis of the style, with two ventral teeth, giving the apophysis a bilobate appearance. The subgenital plate is short as in G. haakdraad , and shorter than in other species of Geelus , but with a single row of macrosetae, whereas G. haakdraad has many rows. Female sternite 7 is unique with the protruding, modified ligula, unlike that of other species of Geelus with a ligula that is recessed into a wide notch. Habitus in Fig. 10E View FIGURE 10 is similar to other species of Geelus .