Tomaspisinella Lallemand

Andrew Hamilton, K. G., 2016, Neotropical spittlebugs related to Neaenini (Hemiptera, Cercopidae) and the origins of subfamily Cercopinae, Zootaxa 4169 (2), pp. 201-250 : 223-224

Tomaspisinella Lallemand , redefined

Tomaspisinella Lallemand, 1927: 117 . Type-species by original designation: T. parva Lallemand, 1927 .

Hemitomaspis Lallemand, 1949: 31 , syn.nov. Type-species by original designation: Tomaspis caligata Jacobi, 1908 .

Distribution. Neotropical, from Costa Rica south to Venezuela.

Diagnosis. Superficially similar to Menytes ( Fig. 14 A) but without sulcate face; color usually black to brown (except jocosa sp. nov.), body shorter, broader across the head, with convex tegmina ( Fig. 35) and distinctive antenna ( Figs 19 A–C) with postpedicel retracted into pedicel, as in Orthoraphini (Aphrophorinae) and basiconic sensillum elongate and setiform, as in Menytes and Simorhina (Neaenini) and Sphenorhina Amyot & Serville (Ischnorhinini) .

Description. Head distinctly to slightly narrower than pronotum ( Carvalho & Webb 2005, figs 280–281); eyes varying from globose to transverse; crown short, weakly concave; antennal ledge arched above coronal margin; frons convexly inflated. Pronotum with anterior margin steeply declivous ( Fig. 5 C), anterior border weakly to distinctly bowed; lateral margins as long as eyes to much shorter than half length of eyes, surface variable from medially carinate and transversely rugulose ( Fig. 26) to smooth with scattered pits ( Fig. 27) or densely setose ( Fig. 35, Merinx subg. nov.), the nominate subgenus having fine setae ( Fig. 5 C). Tegmina convex, shiny to hirsute; hind wing with 3 apical cells (Cu is unbranched; appendix large, even width around tip of wing. Fore femora distinctly longer than hind femora. Hind tibiae with 2 spines on outer edge, both long in smallest species, but basal one tiny in largest species; hind tibial pectin with 8–9 spines; hind basitarsal pecten of 6–7 black-tipped spines, that of second tarsomere with 8–9 such spines (hind legs missing from type of T. parva ); arolia variable from much shorter than claws (in the type-species) as in Ischnorhinini, to longer than the claws (in Merinx subg. nov.). Male pygofer usually elongate and deeply notched dorsally on each side of anal tube ( Figs 28–35 A) as in Menytes ; subgenital plates absent or broad, fused to pygofer, nearly vertical, upper angles with decurved, pointed tips, sometimes with long, median processes ( Fig. 34 D); styles unarmed or absent; phallobase short, sometimes fused to theca to form aedeagus; shaft unarmed or with paired, retrorse processes ( Figs 28 C, 34–35C).

Included species. The original description included Tomaspisinella caligata (Jacobi) T. parva Lallemand , T. minuscula (Jacobi) and 2 species now assigned to Zuata . Carvalho & Webb (2005) added T. apicifasciata (Fowler) , known only from the female type, and these identities (except that of minuscula ) have been confirmed by examination of the antennae. T. punctatissima (Stål: Lepyronia ) comb.nov. and T. ignobilis (Fowler) , comb.nov. were formerly placed in Hemitomaspis Lallemand and are here transferred to Tomaspisinella . These together with 6 new species increase the genus to 12 species. The typical subgenus appears to be paraphyletic with respect to 3 other apomorphic subgenera, with T. lucifer sp. nov. intermediate in pronotal characters and T. diabolos sp. nov. intermediate in genital characters.