Pravistylus caenophallus Stiller 2010, sp. n.
Creators: name: Stiller, M.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2010
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Hemiptera
Cicadellidae
Pravistylus
Pravistylus caenophallus

description: Pravistylus caenophallus sp. n.   
(Figs 1 d; 2 y; 3 ak; 4 ai; 5 ac; 6 ai; 7 e & f; 8 e)  
 Diagnosis. Aedeagus modified, shaft dorsomedially with bilobate process, apex of shaft complex, with gonopore ventral (Figs 3 ak, 4 ai). Plate triangular, apex truncate (Fig. 2 y).   
 Etymology. Greek, for the modified or new (kainos) aedeagus (phallus).   
 Male and female. Pale ochraceous (Fig. 8 e). Hind wing about one quarter as long as tegmina.   
 Male. Dimensions. (n = 11) Length: apex of vertex to apex of tegmina 2.1–2.2 mm; apex of vertex to apex of abdomen 2.7–2.8 mm; vertex medially 0.5 mm; vertex next to eye 0.3 mm; pronotum medially 0.3 mm. Width: head 0.8 mm; pronotum 0.7 mm. Ocellar diameter 28.0–29.4 µm; ocellocular distance 35.7–48.3 µm.   
 Genital capsule. Pygofer, in lateral view, with ventral posterior margin slightly expanded; subapical dorsal posterior margin lobate (Fig. 1 d). Pygofer lobe uniformly triangular, about half as wide as pygofer (Fig. 1 d). Plate triangular, apex truncate or sometimes rounded; apices of unequal length; 3–7 macrosetae medially; subbasal and medial lateral margin with tufts of fine setae (Fig. 2 y); plate 1.6–1.8 times as long as wide. Aedeagus, in lateral view, with shaft arising medially from atrium; preatrium rounded; dorsal apodeme curved posteriad; shaft with base straight, dorsally with single keel-shaped, bilobate process (Fig. 3 ak); apex of shaft complex, asymmetrical, expanded transversely into laterally directed points; gonopore ventral (Fig. 4 ai). Style distal part moderately separate from anterior medial lobe; apophysis elongate, digitate, with about four teeth ventrally; preapical lobe acute (Fig. 5 ac). Connective stem bifurcate, slightly constricted at base; apex of stem about as wide as width across arms (Fig. 6 ai).   
 Female. Dimensions. (n = 5) Length: apex of vertex to apex of tegmina 2.1–2.4 mm; apex of vertex to apex of abdomen 2.9–3.1 mm; vertex medially 0.5 mm; vertex next to eye 0.3 mm; pronotum medially 0.3 mm. Width: head 0.8–0.9 mm; pronotum 0.7–0.8 mm. Ocellar diameter 18.9–31.5 µm; ocellocular distance 39.9–55.3 µm.   
 Genitalia. Sternite 7 base rectangular; ligula base triangular, wide, apex rectangular (Fig. 7 f) or subparallel (Fig. 7 e), notch at apex; ligula shorter than greatest length across base of sternite 7.   
 Material examined. Holotype male. South Africa, Mpumalanga. Elandskrans Resort, Waterval Boven, 25°39ʹS, 30°21ʹE, 1450 m, 19.ii.2005, M. Stiller, sweeping grass and forbs, 1400m – 1500m (SANC). Paratypes. 12♂, 5♀. Mpumalanga. 12♂, 5♀, same data as holotype (BMNH, SANC).   
 Remarks. This species is characterized by the modified aedeagus (Fig. 3 ak). Only two other species show some form of modification to the aedeagus. These are P. scolophallus sp. n. (Fig. 3 aj) and P. odontiophallus sp. n. (Figs 3 m, 4 k & l). In P. odontiophallus sp. n. the apex of the shaft is depressed and always with one side bearing small teeth. In P. scolophallus sp. n. the preatrium is produced into a long, thin spine. In all other species the shaft is not modified. The plates of P. trunculidiscus sp. n. (Fig. 2 j) and P. odontopygeus sp. n. (Fig. 2 x) have similar shapes and length to width ratios to that of P. caenophallus (Fig. 2 y). In some regards this species is similar to a new species of Vilargus Theron that will be described later. The shape of the plate and aedeagus of this new species of Vilargus are similar to that of P. caenophallus. At present Vilargus females are defined by a notched posterior margin of the sternite 7. The distinct ligula of the sternite 7 of P. caenophallus sp. n. (Figs 7 e & f) justifies its placement in Pravistylus.
description: Published as part of Stiller, M., 2010, Revision of the Southern African leafhopper genus Pravistylus (Hemiptera, Cicadellidae, Deltocephalinae) 2468, pp. 1-81 in Zootaxa 2468 (1) on pages 12-13, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.2468.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/10094177