Anyllis leiala Kirkaldy, 1906

Liang, Ai-Ping & Wang, Rong-Rong, 2012, A revision of the endemic Australian spittlebug genus Anyllis Kirkaldy (Hemiptera: Aphrophoridae) with descriptions of two new species, Journal of Natural History 46 (15 - 16), pp. 1005-1023 : 1013-1016

Anyllis leiala Kirkaldy

( Figures 1E,F , 3A–G )

Anyllis leiala Kirkaldy, 1906: 386 ; Metcalf, 1961: 63; Liang and Fletcher, 2003: 86, fig. 2; Liang et al., 2005: 305. Syntype one male, Australia (Queensland: Kuranda) (BPBM) [examined].

Aphrophorinella tonnoiri Lallemand 1946: 195 ; Metcalf, 1962: 551. Syntypes six males, nine females, Australia (Tasmania) (BMNH) [examined]. [Synonymized by Evans 1966: 317.]

Description

Length (from apex of vertex to tip of forewings): males (n = 36), 5.1–5.9 mm; females (n = 15), 5.8–6.8 mm.

General colour ochraceous brown, carinae on vertex and pronotum suffused with brown, scutellum with brown suffusion medially; head beneath dark brown to black, frons suffused with black, and antennal sockets, scape and pedicel blackish; rostrum with apical segment dark brown; thorax beneath dark brown with pleurae partly ochraceous; legs and claws dark brown, femora with apical part and hind tibiae and tarsi pale yellowish, fore and middle tibiae brown, tips of spines on hind tibiae and tarsi black; forewings ( Figure 1E,F ) dark brown, clavus ochraceous, apex of clavus marked with hyaline white, with three hyaline white areas on costal area: the first very narrow and small, situated at basal costal area; the second near middle, short and sub-rectangular; the third subapical, larger than the second, nearly oval; hindwings pale brown, covered with brown hairs, veins brown; abdomen fuscous with segmental margins ochraceous.

External structure as in the generic description. Head ( Figures 1E , 3A ) maximum width (including eyes) 4.0–4.7 times as long as median length. Vertex ( Figures 1E , 3A ) with median carina distinct, median length 0.3–0.4 times as long as length of pronotum medially. Frons ( Figures 1F , 3B ) in the males strongly compressed and depressed laterally, median longitudinal carina distinct. Pronotum ( Figures 1E , 3A ) with median longitudinal carina reaching to posterior margin of pronotum, median length 0.5–0.6 times as long as maximum width.

Male genitalia with pygofer ( Figure 3C ) high, slightly wider ventrally than dorsally, anterior margin concave submedially, posterior margin slightly produced posteriorly subapically in lateral view. Basal anal processes ( Figure 3C,E ) elongate and curved, inner margins covered with distinct fine spines. Subgenital plates ( Figure 3C,D ) relatively long, apically bilobed, both plates separated from each other and leaving a V-shaped empty space between them. Genital styles ( Figure 3C,D,F,G ) relatively slen- der, with apical half narrowed towards apex, curved and apically bidentate. Aedeagal shaft ( Figure 3C,G ) short and sinuate, distinctly arched posteriorly medially in lateral view, anterior edge covered with many fine spines in lateral view.

Type material examined

Anyllis leiala Kirkaldy 1906 , Syntype one male, Queensland: Kuranda, August 1904 (Perkins) (BPBM). Aphrophorinella tonnoiri Lallemand 1946 , syntypes six males, nine females, Tasmania: Cradle Mountain, Alpine Creek, Mt Hartz, A.L. Tonnoir; Margate, Muir; Mt Wellington, C. Davis; New South Wales: Mt Victoria, J.W. Evans (BMNH).

Anyllis leiala Kirkaldy 1906 , Syntype one male, Queensland: Kuranda, August 1904 (Perkins) (BPBM). Aphrophorinella tonnoiri Lallemand 1946 , Syntypes six males, nine females, Tasmania: Cradle Mountain, Alpine Creek, Mt Hartz, A.L. Tonnoir; Margate, Muir; Mt Wellington, C. Davis; New South Wales: Mt Victoria, J.W. Evans (BMNH).

Other material examined

Australia, Tasmania: four males, Lake Leake, T., 600 m, 27 February 1963 (I.F.B. Common and M.S. Upton); two males, Eaglehawk Neck, T., 26 February 1963, I.F.B. Common and M.S. Upton; three males, Lyell Hwy. at Franklin R., 55 km, esastsoutheast Queenstown, 400 m, 19 February 1980 (A. Newton and M. Thayer) (all in ANIC), open Eucalyptus forest, window trap; [green label]. If designated as holotype specimen must be returned to Australia ( AMNH). Australia, Victoria: five males, Mt Wellington, T. 720 m, 25 February 1963 (I.F.B. Common and M.S. Upton) ( ANIC). Australia, New South Wales: one male, 8 km northwest of Coffs Harbour, NSW, 1 November 1965 (M.S. Upton); one male, same data as preceding but 240 m; one male, one female, 35.34 ◦ S, 148.47 ◦ E, Mt Gingera, ACT, 23 February 1984 (A. Calder and M. Stevens); three males, one female, 36.12 ◦ S, 148.43 ◦ E, Dainers Gap, NSW, 6 February 1974 (P. Morrow), Ex Eucalyptus pauciflora, 1585 m , E. pauciflora , E. stellulata and E. perriniana forest; one male, same data as preceding but 14 February 1973; two males, same data but 20 March 1974; one male, same data but February 1973; one male, same data but 21 February 1973; one male, same data but 21 February 1974; one male, same data but 22 January 1974; one male, same data but 28 February 1973; one male, same data but 29 January 1973 (all in ANIC); two males, Illawarra, NSW, no date (H. Petersen) ( USNM); one male, NSW, Kuringai Chase, 8 November 1967 (J. and M. Sedlacek) ( BPBM); one male, NSW Roy. Nat. Park, 40 km south of Sydney, 23 April 1960 (C.W. O’Brien), dry sclerophyll forestry ( AMNH); one male, Sydney, November 1967 (J. and M. Sedlacek) ( BPBM).

Distribution

Australia (throughout the eastern part of Australia from north Queensland to Tasmania).

Remarks

Anyllis leiala is one of the most common species of Australian spittlebugs. It is frequently attracted to lights and can be swept from a wide range of shrubby native plants ( Fletcher 2010; Liang and Fletcher 2003). This species can be distinguished from other known species in the genus by its strongly compressed and depressed frons with distinct median carina and the minutiae of the male genital structure ( Figure 3C–G ). It is similar to A. gibbosus sp. nov., but can be separated from the latter by its body being distinctly smaller and relatively oval in dorsal view ( Figure 1E,F ), the pygofer with the basal anal processes with inner margins covered with distinct fine spines ( Figure 3C,E ) and the aedeagal shaft relatively narrow, sinuate, mesially distinctly arched posteriorly in lateral view and the anterior edge without a gibba-like process subapically ( Figure 3C,G ).

Figures

Figure 1. Anyllis species, dorsal and lateral habitus. (A–D) Anyllis gibbosus sp. nov.; (A, B) male, paratype; (C, D) female, paratype, Australia: Queensland; (E, F) Anyllis leiala, male, Australia: New South Wales; (G, H) Anyllis pseudotiegsi sp. nov., male paratype, Australia: Tasmania; (I, J) Anyllis spinostylus, male paratype, Australia: Tasmania; (K, L) Anyllis tiegsi, male, Australia: New South Wales.

Figure 3. Anyllis leiala. (A) Head, pronotum and scutellum, dorsal view; (B) head, ventral view; (C) male genital capsule, lateral view; (D) male genital capsule, ventral view; (E) anal segment and basal anal processes, ventral view; (F) genital styles and base of aedeagus, ventral view; (G) aedeagus and left genital style, left view. Scale bars: A, B 0.25 mm; C–G 0.125 mm.