Dicranotropis montana (Horvath, 1897) Horvath, 1897

Ren, Feng-Juan, Xie, Qi, Qiao, Li & Qin, Dao-zheng, 2014, Kakunataibaiensis sp. n. and a newly recorded species of Dicranotropis (Hemiptera, Fulgoroidea, Delphacidae) from China, ZooKeys 444, pp. 119-130 : 121-124

Taxon classification Animalia Hemiptera Delphacidae

Dicranotropis montana (Horvath, 1897) new record to China Figs 17-34

Stiroma montana Horvath 1897: 625.

Dicranotropis tenellula Dlabola 1965: 84; Emeljanov 1977: 109, synonymized by Asche 1982: 30.

Dicranotropis gratiosa Dlabola 1997: 315, synonymized by Holzinger 1999: 259.

Dicranotropis montanus Vilbaste 1965: 15, synonymized by Asche 1982: 30.

Dicranotropis montana (Horvath), Asche 1982: 30; Holzinger 1999: 259; Holzinger et al. 2003: 267; Nickel 2003: 55; Trivellone 2010: 100.

Description.

Macropterous male: Body length (from apex of vertex to the tip of forewing): male 3.40-3.64 mm, female 3.44-3.90 mm; forewing length: male 2.72-2.96 mm, female 3.04-3.24 mm. Brachypterous male: Body length (from apex of vertex to the tip of abdomen): male 2.24-2.56 mm, female 2.64-2.96 mm; forewing length: male 0.99-1.08 mm, female 1.04-1.24 mm.

Color. General color of male (macropterous) blackish brown. Ocelli reddish black, eyes grayish black. Vertex anteriorly, frons, clypeus, lateral area of pronotum behind eyes black. Antennae yellowish brown except apex of scape and base of pedicle fuscous. Pronotum between lateral carinae and laterobasal angles sordid whitish. All carinae and margins of vertex, frons and clypeus whitish. Rostrum fuscous at apex. Mesonotum mostly dark brown, scutellum whitish apically. Abdomen dark. Legs brown to yellowish brown. Tegmina subhyaline, veins yellowish brown. Female with ovipositor brown. Male (brachypterous) with the same color as macropterous except pronotum, mesonotum and tegmina yellowish brown, abdomen of female mostly yellowish white, abdomen with small brown spots dorsally and ventrally on each segment.

Structure. Head including eyes slightly narrower than pronotum (about 0.92:1). Vertex shorter in midline than wide at base (about 0.62:1), narrower at apex than at base (about 0.89:1). Submedian carinae originating from near 1/4 base of lateral carinae, not uniting at apex of vertex. Y-shaped carina distinct (Figs 17, 19, 21). Frons longer in midline than maximum width about 1.64:1, widest above the level of ocelli, carinae conspicuous, median carina forked at basal fourth (Fig. 22). Postclypeus broader at base than frons at apex, postclypeus and anteclypeus together approximately 0.80 × the length of the frons (Fig. 22). Rostrum almost reaching mesotrochanters. Antennae terete, reaching frontoclypeal suture, scape longer than apical width (about 1.59:1), shorter than pedicle (about 0.64:1) (Figs 18, 20, 22).

Pronotum shorter than vertex in midline (about 0.91:1), lateral carinae straight, not reaching to posterior margin (Figs 17, 19, 21). Mesonotum medially ca. 1.34 times longer than vertex and pronotum together, lateral carina reaching posterior margin, median carina obscure apically (Figs 17, 21). Macropterous forewings surpassing tip of abdomen approximately 2/5 of its total length (Figs 17, 18), longer than widest part (about 2.86:1). Spinal formula of hind leg 5 –7– 4, post-tibial spur shorter than metabasitarsus, sparsely with about 8 tiny teeth along hind margin.

Male genitalia. Male pygofer in profile wider ventrally than dorsally, anterior margin distinctly convex submedially (Fig. 24); in posterior view opening of pygofer obcordate, medioventral process absent (Figs 23, 25), below laterodorsal angle interiorly with a spine-like process on each side, transverse-directed (Figs 23, 25). Suspensorium n-shaped, dorsally arched medially with two small triangular processes on both ends (Fig. 31). Diaphragm broad, mediodorsal processes strongly sclerotized and laterally beset with many granulations, incised medially (Figs 23, 25). Opening for parameres large, dorsal margin nearly straight, lateral margins slightly sinuate (Fig. 25). Parameres long, contiguous at bases, narrowed and divergent apically, inner margins expanded subapically, in profile apical margin emarginated in two triangular processes (Fig. 27). Aedeagus tubular, short and broad, with five rows of teeth on surface, including four longitudinal rows and one transverse row basad of gonopore (Figs 28, 29, 30). Male anal segment ring-like, laterodistal angles produced into a short, stout spinose process on each side (Figs 23, 24, 26, 27).

Species examined.

23 ♂♂ 22 ♀♀ (macropterous) and 35 ♂♂ 46 ♀♀ (brachypterous), China: Hebei Province, Mt. Xiaowutai, 24-VI-2009, coll. D. Z. Qin.

Distribution.

China (Hebei), Russia, Austria, Switzerland, Germany, France, Italy, Hungary, Romania, Mongolia.

Host plant.

Unknown.

Discussion.

Dlabola (1965) established Dicranotropis tenellula Dlabola based on the specimens from Mongolia; Vilbaste (1965) described Dicranotropis montana Vilbaste from Russia but it was regarded as a junior synonymy of Dicranotropis tenellula Dlabola by Emeljanov (1977). Asche (1982) treated both Dicranotropis tenellula Dlabola and Dicranotropis montana Vilbaste as junior synonyms of Dicranotropis montana (Horvath, 1897). However, the treatment of Dicranotropis tenellula Dlabola was not accepted by Anufriev and Emeljanov (1988). Holzinger et al. (2003) studied the Dicranotropis species in central Europe, in Dicranotropis montana (Horvath) part, they redrew the male genitalia of this species and noted: "according to Emeljanov and Gnezdilov (pers. common.), the central Asian Dicranotropis tenellula Dlabola, 1965 is not conspecific with Dicranotropis montana (Horvath, 1897)". After checking the specimens deposited in NWAFU, and also these illustrations of male genitalia provided by Dlabola (1965, 1997), Vilbaste (1965), Anufriev and Emeljanov (1988), Holzinger (1999) and Holzinger et al. (2003), we found Dicranotropis tenellula Dlabola to be very similar to Dicranotropis montana (Horvath) and very difficult to distinguish. We hope the status of Dicranotropis tenellula can be reconsidered and firmly established using more advanced methods in the future. Here we consider Dicranotropis tenellula Dlabola as a junior synonym of Dicranotropis montana (Horvath).