Rectapona Domahovski & Cavichioli 2018, gen. nov.
Creators: name: Domahovski, Alexandre C.
name: Cavichioli, Rodney R.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2018
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Hemiptera
Cicadellidae
Rectapona

description: Genus Rectapona gen. nov.
urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:2D994B4C-2BDE-4D16-856C-72C6F7652ACB
Figs 23–43, 46–47
Type species
Rectapona nigrifascia gen. et sp. nov.
Diagnosis
Colorful and flattened leafhoppers (Figs 46–47). Head (Fig. 23), with median length of crown half as long as interocular width; crown surface flat, texture with inconspicuous striations, longitudinal striae between ocelli and transverse striae on remaining portion; ocelli small, closer to median line than to eyes and nearer posterior than anterior margin of crown; laterally (Fig. 25), with crown-face transition foliaceous, with two very close carinae. Forewing (Fig. 26) with rectangular shape, costal and anal margins parallel on basal two-thirds. Sternite VIII (Fig. 27) hiding basal half of subgenital plates. Pygofer (Fig. 29) simple, without processes. Aedeagus (Figs 34–35) without atrial processes; preatrium very developed; dorsal apodeme strongly developed laterodorsally.
Etymology
The generic name Rectapona, comes from the Latin word ‘ recta ’ meaning ‘straight’. It refers to the unusual shape of the forewing with the costal margin straight. The suffix ‘ -pona ’ is common in names for genera of Gyponini related to Hecalapona DeLong & Freytag, 1975.
Description
MEASUREMENTS. Body length: male 7.2 mm; female 7.9–8.1 mm (n =2).
HEAD (Figs 23–25). Dorsal view: produced anteriorly, median length of crown half as long as interocular width; anterior margin broadly rounded; crown with surface flat, texture with inconspicuous striations, longitudinal striae between ocelli and transverse striae on the remaining portion; transocular width of head eight-tenths humeral width of pronotum; ocelli small, closer to median line than to eyes and closer to posterior margin of crown. Frontal view: with face wider than high; clypeus ca 1.4 times as long as wide, lateral margins parallel, apex straight; maxillary plates very narrow, not produced ventrally as far as clypeus apex; gena with ventrolateral margins not excavate; frons ca 1.4 times longer than maximum width; flat, slightly excavated below anterior margin of crown; lateral margins distant from eye margin as maximum clypeus width; frontogenal suture not reaching anterior margin of crown; antennal ledge carinated and parallel to lateral margin of crown. Lateral view: crown-face transition foliaceous, with two very close carinae.
PRONOTUM (Fig. 23). Transverse striae on disc and posterior third; lateral margins longer than eye length, convergent anterad; posterior margin slightly excavated; laterally (Fig. 25) rounded and strongly declined anterad; head and pronotum in continuous slope.
MESONOTUM (Fig. 23). Wider than long.
FOREWING (Fig. 26). Rectangular shape, costal and anal margins parallel on basal two-thirds; with or without extra crossveins on apical or subapical cells; venation distinct; appendix moderately developed bordering first and second apical cells, apex rounded.
LEGS. Profemur four times as long as high; AV row absent and PV row formed by seven–eight setae; protibia triangular-shaped in cross section, dorsal surface flattened and carenate laterally; AV row formed by short setae in basal half and two–three thick and long setae in distal portion; PD row formed by four very short setae; PV row with only two very short setae at distal half; metafemur with setal formula 2:2:1; metatibia AD row without intercalary setae between macrosetae; PV row with setae of apical half long and thin, homogeneous in length and thickness, except for ticker apical seta; first tarsomere with outer row of setae absent and inner row formed by four very short setae, apex with four platellae; second tarsomere apex with two apical platellae.
MALE TERMINALIA. Sternite VIII (Fig. 27) hiding basal half of subgenital plates. Pygofer (Fig. 29) simple, without processes. Aedeagus (Figs 34–35) without atrial processes; preatrium very developed; dorsal apodeme strongly developed laterodorsally.
FEMALE TERMINALIA. Second valvula (Fig. 40) higher near mid-length, with small teeth evanescent posterad, only on dorsal margin. Gonoplac (Fig. 42) without macrosetae.
Distribution
Brazil (Paraná and São Paulo).
Remarks
Rectapona nigrifascia gen. et sp. nov. is a colorful leafhopper that probably belongs to the Hecalapona complex, which comprises the following genera: Carapona DeLong & Freytag, 1975, Hecalapona DeLong & Freytag, 1975, Hirsutapona Freytag, 2013, Hyperapona Freytag, 2013, Kalopona Freytag, 2015, Nulapona DeLong & Freytag, 1975, Planipona Freytag, 2015, Sagaripona Freytag, 2015, Spinanella DeLong & Freytag, 1972 and Versutapona Freytag, 2015 (Freytag 2015). They are easily differentiated from the other genera of Gyponini by the following features: (1) body flattened dorsoventrally; (2) head produced anteriorly with median length of crown approximately half as long as interocular width or longer; (3) crown surface texture smooth, without striations or with inconspicuous striations, which are longitudinal between ocelli and transverse on the remaining portion; (4) crownface transition foliaceous, with two or three carinae; (5) maxillary plates very narrow, not produced ventrally as far as clypeus apex; (6) antennal ledge carinated and parallel to lateral margin of crown; (7) protibia commonly triangular-shaped in cross section; (8) protibia PV row reduced, formed by few setae restricted to distal half. Platypona DeLong, 1982, not included in the Hecalapona complex by Freytag (2015), and the new genus described herein, also have the characteristics listed above. The color of the species of the complex is typically yellowish (green in life), yellowish-orange or greenish, without maculae or with few black maculae. The distribution pattern is mainly tropical with very few species occurring in subtropical areas.
Rectapona gen. nov. is probably more closely related to Platypona (three species described from Peru) and Spinanella (monotypic, from Venezuela), which are the only genera that show elaborated color patterns, also sharing similarities in the structure of the male genitalia. The new genus has the folowing similarities with Platypona: (1) male sternite VIII (Fig. 27) produced posterad, overlapping basal half of subgenital plates; (2) subgenital plate (Figs 29–30) not produced posteriorly as far as pygofer apex; with setae near and on external margin; internal and external margins straight, parallel at base and midportion; apex tapered and subacute; (3) connective (Figs 31–32) with arms broad and directed dorsally. However, Platypona shows the following differences to Rectapona gen. nov.: (1) head more produced anteriorly with median length of crown more than half as long as interocular width; (2) ocelli bigger, located distant from posterior margin of crown and equidistant between median line and eye internal margin; (3) forewing with appendix very narrow; (4) male sternite VIII longer than wide; (5) pygofer with a conspicuous hook-shaped process arising dorsally; (6) style with outer lobe reduced; (7) aedeagus with long atrial processes and aedeagal shaft elongated.
The aedeagus of Spinanella resembles the new genus genitalia, with preatrium very developed and aedeagal shaft short without apical processes. Spinanella has a pair of long processes arising from the ventral portion of aedeagus closer to preatrium than to the base of shaft, while Rectapona has a single, short and blunt process on shaft base. Besides that, Spinanella has the fowling differences to Rectapona gen. nov.: (1) head more produced anteriorly with median length of crown more than half as long as interocular width; (2) ocelli distant from posterior margin of crown; (3) pygofer with a conspicuous slender process on posterodorsal margin, more than half length of pygofer, directed posterad; (4) subgenital plate very long and wide, produced posterad as far as the apex of the pygofer process.
description: Published as part of Domahovski, Alexandre C. & Cavichioli, Rodney R., 2018, Two new remarkable genera and two new species of Gyponini (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae: Iassinae) from Brazil, pp. 1-17 in European Journal of Taxonomy 476 on pages 9-12, DOI: 10.5852/ejt.2018.476, http://zenodo.org/record/1489694