Cyrta Melichar
Creators: name: Wei, Cong
name: Zhang, Yalin
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2008
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Hemiptera
Cicadellidae
Cyrta

description: Cyrta Melichar
Cyrta Melichar 1902: 136 (61). Type species: Cyrta hirsuta Melichar
Placidus Distant 1908: 342. Type species: Placidus hornei Distant. Syn. n.
Head small, distinctly narrower than pronotum (Fig. 1 A). Vertex shorter or slightly longer than width between eyes; anterior margin rounded, sloping to front; posterior margin slightly concave; coronal suture distinct, extending nearly to anterior margin. Ocelli on vertex, near anterior margin, situated approximately their own diameters from corresponding eye. Face similar in length to width; lateral frontal suture extending well beyond corresponding ocellus; transclypeal suture indistinct; anteclypeus broadening apically, apical margin slightly convex, usually with pair of stout setae; gena flat; lora broad; rostrum long, about two thirds of anteclypeus; labrum about two thirds of labium; antenna about as long as body, arising adjacent to midpoint of inner margin of eye; antennal ledge indistinct; antennal pit shallow (Fig. 1 B). Pronotum about 2.5~ 3X broader than median length; posterior margin slightly concave; lateral margin long with carina present, curved to eye anteriorly (Fig. 1 A). Scutellum slightly longer than pronotum; basal width similar to width of head; transverse depression somewhat indistinct; posterior half weakly elevated and inclined from transverse suture; posterolateral ledge indistinct; tufts of hairlike setae present or absent on lateral margin (Fig. 1 A). Forewing with five apical cells; middle and outer subapical cells closed, inner subapical cell open; claval veins connected by crossvein to each other and to claval suture; appendix broad with margin rounded, extended to fourth apical cell; claval margin strongly elevated and crimped at apex. Hind wing venation complete. Legs densely setose. Fore femur with setae short to long: anterior surface with intercalary (IC) setae irregularly arranged and anteromedial (AM) setae long (Fig. 2 A); dorsal surface with dense setae from base to apex, irregularly arranged, length of setae gradually increased apically, several very short anterodorsal (AD) setae basally (Fig. 2 B); ventral surface with anteroventral (AV) setae long, posteroventral (PV) setae dense and irregularly arranged (Fig. 2 C). Fore tibia with AD and PD seta short to very long, irregularly arranged (Figs 2 D, 2E); AV and PV setal row extended from base to apex with AV setae relatively short (Fig. 2 F). Hind femur slightly broadened distally, with several distal setae elevated on strong bases and several short setae subbasally (Fig. 2 G). Hind tibia flattened and slightly bowed; several supernumeral setae present between AD and PD rows; PD setae very long (Fig. 2 H).
Male pygofer side moderately long, with macrosetae and short setae near dorsal and apical margin; dorsal margin more or less straight; apical margin broadly or narrowly rounded (Fig. 3 A); inner process present or absent (Figs 3 A, 9F, G); posterior interconnecting membrane with weakly developed sclerotised areas comprising a long medial area (dorsal connective) between dorsal apodeme of aedeagus and Xth segment (Figs 1 C, H). Valve large, posterior margin roundly or angularly produced distally in ventral view (Figs 1 D, G). Subgenital plate subtriangular, extending near or slightly beyond apex of pygofer, several short to moderately long setae on ventral surface (Figs 1 D, G); not fused, or fused basally to each other or to valve (Fig. 9 F); sometimes with a sclerotised band medially basally articulated with style (Fig. 3 C). Connective somewhat Tshaped; stem very long, well sclerotised medially, membranous laterally; arms strong (Figs 1 C, E). Style with inner basal arm short, outer basal arm elongate; preapical lobe slightly developed with several setae adjacent to apical process; apical process long, extending near to apex of connective, abruptly or slightly expanded and crenulate subbsally, thereafter evenly tapered to apex (Fig. 1 E). Aedeagus simple, with shaft moderately broad and long in lateral view (Fig. 1 C), rarely with a pair of lateral processes (Fig. 5 A); basal apodeme well developed, connected with dorsal connective; gonopore apical (Fig. 1 C). Xth segment large, elongate (Fig. 1 I).
Female 7th sternite much longer than 6th sternite; posterior margin roundly convex laterally, strongly concave medially (Fig. 4 C). Female pygofer with ventroposterior margin incurved (Fig. 4 A). First valvulae sculpture scale-like, comprising striations, aligned longitudinally basally and oblique distally (Fig. 4 B). Second valvulae with blade-like area extending over distal half, with teeth somewhat fine and the dorsal margin of teeth finely serrate, dorsal sclerotised and hyaline areas present (Fig. 4 D). Third valvulae with expanded distal region extending over distal half (Fig. 4 E).
Distribution. Afghanistan, India, Nepal, China, Indonesia (Sabah).
Remarks. Based on an examination of the type of its type species (C. hirsuta) and other species, the identity of Cyrta is revised and the genus is found to be a senior synonym of Placidus (see also Discussion - Identity of Evans’s Placidus hornei) and, with the exception of its type species, all other species previously placed in Cyrta (see Zhang et al. 2002) belong to a new genus (Paracyrta), described below. Cyrta can be distinguished from Para c yrta by its uniformly coloured pronotum, the presence of tufts of hairlike setae on the scutellum, the longer setae on the tibia, the shorter male pygofer and the longer apical extension of the style apical process. One new species of Cyrta (C. conduplicata) is the first species of the genus to be described from the Pacific (Sabah). Two species previously placed in Placidus, P. leucomaculatus Li & Zhang 2006 and P. m a c u l a t e s Li & Zhang 2007 (in Li et al. 2007), belong to another new genus (Wei et al. in press).
description: Published as part of Wei, Cong & Zhang, Yalin, 2008, The identity of the oriental leafhopper genera Cyrta Melichar and Placidus Distant (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae: Stegelytrinae), with description of a new genus, pp. 1-27 in Zootaxa 1793 on pages 2-3, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.182576