Cephisus Stål

Hamilton, Andrew, 2012, Revision of Neotropical aphrophorine spittlebugs, part 1: Ptyelini (Hemiptera, Cercopoidea), Zootaxa 3497, pp. 41-59 : 47

Cephisus Stål

Cephisus Stål, 1866:67 . Validation by inclusion of species: Stål 1866:384. Type-species by monotypy: Aphrophora siccifolia Walker, 1851 .

Distribution. New world tropics north to southern Texas and Arizona.

Diagnosis. The only aphrophorine spittlebug in the new world with a median carina on the face. Crown declivous; face more or less carinate on midline, at least on lower half of frons; head much narrower than pronotum; antennal ledges finely unicarinate; frons with low, rounded median ridge; clypellus tip narrow, extending between fore coxae; lora discoid; genae strongly constricted next to widest part of lora, broad below; rostrum extending to mesocoxae, or to mesotrochanters in C. siccifolia (Walker) . Pronotum with shallow to prominent median fossa near fore border. Tegmina strongly narrowed to obliquely truncate tips. Hind wings with circumambient vein sinuate at end of each cell between Cu1 and vannal fold ( Fig. 4 B). Hind tibiae each with a double pecten of 14–15 black-tipped spines; basal tarsomeres each with 1 pecten row of 6–7 such spines; 2nd tarsomeres each with 7–9 tiny spines set in deeply V-notched border. Male anal tube surmounted by hoodlike articulated base ( Fig. 6 A); segment X very short; subgenital plates truncate; styles very large, with long setae on inner faces, apices with tiny process on caudal margin and large dorsal process hooked mesad ( Figs 7–15 C); theca long, curved caudad, armed with 2 long spines, mesal pair retrorse, lateral pair divergent or curled around shaft (Figs (6–15)A–B).

Remarks. Similar to the Old World genus Cnemidanomia , but face medially carinate, body broader, with pronotum distinctly wider than head ( Fig. 2 ), hump-backed, usually with long lateral margins of pronotum, and male anal tube with hoodlike articulated base ( Fig. 6 A) probably homologous with basal half of segment X in Cnemidanomia ( Fig. 17 B).

Figures

FIGURE 2. Head and pronotum, dorsolateral (perpendicular) aspect. A. C. laticeps, holotype; B. C. siccifolia; C. C. sanguisuga from Amazonian basin; D-F. C. variolosus complex (D. specimen near C. brevipennis from Guerrero; E. specimen # CNCHB 1905 – 11 from Chiapas; F. specimen # CNCHB 1906 – 11 from Veracruz).

FIGURES 3 – 4. Morphology of head (3) and wings (4) of Ptyelini. 3 A. face of Cephisus sanguisuga, holotype; 3 B. head and pronotum, ventrolateral aspect, of C. xanthocephala, holotype; 3 C. head and propleuron of unidentified Cercopinae; 4 A. tegmen of C. siccifolia, ventral aspect showing ventral flange (“ Sc ” of authors); 4 B. hindwing of same; 4 C. same, of Ptyelus sp.; 4 D. same, of Eulepyronia grossa Schmidt, holotype.

FIGURES 5 – 15. Male genitalia of Ptyelini in lateral aspect (A), caudal aspect of theca (B) and widest aspect of style (C). 5. genital capsule of Ptyelus; 6. same, of Cephisus; 7. syntype male of C. sanguisuga; 8. C. diminutus, holotype; 9. C. laticeps, holotype; 10. C. xanthocephala; 11. C. magnificus, holotype; 12. C. variolosus; 13. C. siccifolia; 14. C. jacobii; 15. C. brevipennis, holotype.

FIGURES 16 – 19. Habitus of genera of Ptyelini (A), male genitalic capsule in lateral aspect (B) and male theca (C) in caudal aspect. 16. Mandesa; 17. Cnemidanomia; 18. Novaphrophara; 19. Hymettus.