Drakensbergena Stiller, 2009, sp.n.
Creators: name: Stiller, Michael
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2009
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Hemiptera
Cicadellidae
Drakensbergena

description: Key to species of Drakensbergena females, excluding D. bisulca sp.n. for which the female is unknown
1. Antenna very long, 0.7–0.8 times as long as body (length of antenna 4.0– 6.6 mm) (Figs 24–26, 37)........................ 2
– Antenna short, 0.1–0.4 times as long as body (length of antenna 0.7–1.4 mm) (e.g. Figs 2, 5, 17, 30, 35, 42, 47) .... 3
2. Vertex elongate, medial length of vertex 1.7–1.8 mm; sternite VII rectangular, with posterior margin irregular; notch absent; antenna 4.5–6.6 mm long (Figs 24–25) .............................................................................. D. gigascutica sp.n.
– Vertex short, medial length of vertex 1.1–1.2 mm; sternite VII with wide rounded notch (Fig. 154); less than half as deep as median length; antenna 4.0– 4.6 mm long (Fig 37) ...................................................... D. ochracea Linnavuori
3. Large species, length 10.0 mm or more (Figs 1, 2, 5, 6) ............................................................................................. 4
– Small species, length 5.0– 7.2 mm (e.g. Figs 10, 23, 33, 42, 50, 52)........................................................................... 5
4. Length from vertex to abdomen 10.3–10.8 mm; sternite VII rectangular with wide, shallow V–shaped notch (Fig. 6); known from the Eastern Cape; associated with Merxmuellera species (Poaceae) .............................. D. austrina sp.n.
– Length from vertex to abdomen 10.8–10.9 mm; sternite VII rectangular with wide, deep V–shaped notch (Fig. 2); known from Bulwer and Monks Cowl Nature Reserve; associated with Festuca species (Poaceae) ............................ ......................................................................................................................................................... D. armstrongi sp.n.
5. Sternite VII transverse, rectangular, much wider than long, (3.5 times as wide as long), small notch medially (Fig.152) ............................................................................................................................................... D. lobulata sp.n.
– Sternite VII generally square (1.2–1.9 times as wide as long), notch of variable depth, notch sometimes arising from wide or narrow ligula (e.g. Figs 146, 151, 155, 157).................................................................................................... 6
6. Posterior margin of sternite VII produced into a notched ligula with narrower base than greatest width of sternite (Figs 148, 149, 155, 156, 158, 159) .............................................................................................................................. 7
– Posterior margin of sternite VII not produced into a narrower ligula, lateroposterior margins rounded, irregular or convergent (Figs 146, 147, 150, 151, 153, 157, 160) ................................................................................................. 11
7. Ligula narrow, about half as wide as greatest width of sternite VII (Fig. 148); about half as long as basal length of sternite VII ..................................................................................................................................... D. deorsuspina sp.n.
– Ligula wide, about three quarters as wide as greatest width of sternite VII; of variable length relative to basal length of sternite VII, that is either one third or more than three quarters as long as basal length (Figs 149, 155, 156, 158, 159) ............................................................................................................................................................................... 8
8. Ligula with lateral margins converging, apices of lobes on either side of notch rounded; notch V-shaped; ligula about one third as long as basal length; medial length at notch 0.5–0.6 times as long as greatest lateral length (Fig. 158).... .......................................................................................................................................................... D. retrospina sp.n.
– Ligula with lateral margins straight, apices of lobes acute; of variable length relative to basal length of sternite VII (Figs 149, 155, 156, 159) .............................................................................................................................................. 9
9. Ligula at 1.5–1.9 times as long as basal length; notch wide, V-shaped; medial length at notch 0.5–0.7 times as long as greatest lateral length (Figs 155, 156) ................................................................................... D. phaeogramma sp.n.
– Ligula much shorter, at most half as long as basal length; notch variable ................................................................. 10
10. Notch laterally shallow, medially deeper, rounded; medial length at notch 0.7–0.8 times as long as greatest lateral length (Fig. 149) .............................................................................................................................. D. festucacola sp.n.
– Notch broadly rounded, medial length at notch 0.5–0.6 times as long as greatest lateral length (Fig. 159).................. ............................................................................................................................................................ D. simulata sp.n.
11. Ligula with very deep notch, medial length at notch 0.1–0.5 times as long as greatest lateral length (Figs 150, 157) .................................................................................................................................................................................... 12
– Ligula with shallower notch, medial length at notch 0.6–0.8 times as long as greatest lateral length (e.g. Figs 146, 159, 160) ..................................................................................................................................................................... 13
12. Lobes on either side of notch acute, base of notch wide, square; sternite sclerotized; known distribution southern Drakensberg; median length at notch 0.1–0.4 times as long as greatest lateral length (Fig. 150).................................. .............................................................................................................................................. D. fuscovittata Linnavuori
– Lobes on either side of notch narrowly rounded, base of notch widely rounded; sternite weakly sclerotized; known distribution Ngome; medial length at notch 0.4–0.5 times as long as greatest lateral length (Fig. 157)........................ ................................................................................................................... D. prolixa sp.n. (Part) (Ngome population)
13. Greatest width across apices of notch at least three quarters as wide as greatest width across sternite VII (Figs 146, 151) ............................................................................................................................................................................. 14
– Greatest width across apices of notch at most one third as wide as greatest width across sternite VII (Figs 147, 153, 160) ............................................................................................................................................................................. 15
14. Lateral margins of sternite irregular, converging; notch V-shaped; medial length at notch 0.7–0.8 times as long as greatest lateral length (Fig. 146); recorded from central Drakensberg ................................................ D. breviata sp.n.
– Lateral margins of sternite straight; notch broadly rounded; medial length at notch 0.6–0.7 times as long as greatest lateral length (Fig. 151); known from Golden Gate and Harrismith ................................................... D. labeona sp.n.
15. Sternite roughly rhomboid, posterior and lateral margins straight; posterior margin with shallow V-shaped notch; medial length at notch 0.8 times as long as greatest lateral length (Fig. 160) ...................................... D. spinula sp.n.
– Sternite not rhomboid, more square, with irregular lateral margins, notch rounded .................................................. 16
16. Sternite VII with lateral margins irregular.................................................................................................................. 17
– Sternite VII with lateral margins straight, converging slightly; notch wide (Fig. 147), V-shaped; variable medial length of notch, 0.7–0.8 times greatest lateral length in specimens from Bulwer; 0.3–0.5 times greatest lateral length in specimens from Prentjiesberg .......................................................................................................... D. cuneifer sp.n.
17. Notch rounded, narrow; medial length at notch 0.7–0.8 times as long as greatest lateral length (Fig. 153); known from the Drakensberg in Mpumalanga Province .............................................................................. D. longinqua sp.n.
– Notch V-shaped, wide; with base rounded; medial length at notch 0.6 times as long as greatest lateral length; known from Geluk Farm near Vryheid in KwaZulu-Natal Province ................... D. prolixa sp.n. (Part) (Vryheid population)
description: Published as part of Stiller, Michael, 2009, A revision of the South African leafhopper genus Drakensbergena Linnavuori (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae: Drakensbergeninae), pp. 1-39 in Zootaxa 2132 on pages 6-7, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.188410