Xerophytacolus tubuverpus, sp.n.
Creators: name: Stiller, Michael
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2012
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Hemiptera
Cicadellidae
Xerophytacolus
Xerophytacolus tubuverpus

description: Xerophytacolus tubuverpus sp.n.
(Figs 12–14, 98–122)
Diagnosis. Aedeagal shaft tubular, uniformly curved dorsolaterally (Figs 109, 110). Pygofer lobe with apex of median process curved ventrad (Figs 107, 108). Plate apex truncate; laterally weakly striate; basally lateral and medial margins convergent, subparallel (Fig. 106). Sternite 7 of female with wide, shallow rounded notch, about as wide as sternite (Fig. 113).
Etymology. Latin, tubus pipe, verpus penis, for the tubular shape of the paired aedeagal shafts.
Male. Measurements. (n=10) Length: apex of vertex to apex of tegmina 2.40–2.53 mm; apex of vertex to apex of abdomen 2.00– 2.12 mm; vertex 0.52–0.60 mm; next to eye 0.33–0.35 mm; pronotum 0.38–0.41 mm; scutellum 0.40–0.48 mm. Width: head 0.85–0.90 mm; pronotum 0.82–0.89 mm; scutellum 0.55–0.62 mm. Ocellus: diameter 2.64–3.13 µm; ocellocular distance 1.24–1.73 µm.
Male. Genitalia. Pygofer lobe with median process, attached subbasally on inner margin, apex curved ventrad (Figs 107, 108) with narrow, variable process directed dorsoanteriad (Fig. 108). Anal tube incised half way into pygofer (Fig. 105). Aedeagal shafts tubular, parallel at base, curved dorsad and divergent apicad (Figs 109, 110), gonopore apical, oblique. Connective weakly sclerotized (Fig. 111). Style apophysis apex blunt, small subapical ventral spine (Fig. 112). Plate apex truncate, right-angled, weakly sclerotized (Fig. 106), 12–17 macrosetae. Anterior and posterior abdominal apodemes in posterior view as in Figs 103 and 104, in dorsal view similar to the apodemes of Xc. claviverpus (Figs 79, 80).
Female. Measurements. (n=6) Length: apex of vertex to apex of tegmina 2.56–2.83 mm; apex of vertex to apex of abdomen 2.31–2.68 mm; vertex 0.60–0.71 mm; next to eye 0.34–0.37 mm; pronotum 0.41–0.44 mm; scutellum 0.42–0.50 mm. Width: head 0.91–0.96 mm; pronotum 0.87–0.93 mm; scutellum 0.54–0.65 mm. Ocellus: diameter 2.87–4.13 µm; ocellocular distance 1.23–1.80 µm.
Female. Genitalia. Sternite 7 with wide, rounded notch (Fig. 113). Valvula 3 with about 7 setae in apical half (Fig. 114), additional fine setae basally. Valvula 2 (Fig. 122) serrate dorsally on apical third, serration very fine, on rounded protrusions (Figs 120, 121, serration at apex, Fig. 119, serration medially). Valvula 1 lanceolate (Fig. 116), imbricate microsculpture (Figs 115, 117, at apex, Fig. 118, more rectangular medially).
Material examined. Holotype male. South Africa, Gauteng. Faerie Glen Nature Reserve, Pretoria, 25°46ʹS, 28°17ʹE, 1450 m, 18.iii.1998, M. Stiller, on Xerophyta retinervis (SANC). Paratypes. 113, 7Ƥ, 14 nymphs. Gauteng. 33, 1Ƥ, 1 nymph, Pienaarspoort, 25°44ʹS, 28°27ʹE, 1400 m, 23.iii.1993, sweeping grass; 1Ƥ, 4 nymphs, Faerie Glen Nature Reserve, Pretoria, 25°46ʹS, 28°17ʹE, 1450 m, 12.iii.1998; 43, 2Ƥ, 7 nymphs, ibid., holotype; 23, Rietfontein suburb, Pretoria, 25°41ʹS, 28°14ʹE, 1300 m, 26.xii.2001; 1Ƥ, Zonderwater, south of Cullinan, 25°42ʹS, 28°31ʹE, 1488 m, 14.xii.2005; 13, 1Ƥ, Ezemvelo Nature Reserve, at small dam, 25°43ʹS, 28°58ʹE, 1320 m, 4.iv.2006. Limpopo. 1Ƥ, Kransberg summit, NE of Thabazimbi, 24°28ʹS, 27°37ʹE, 2000 m, 23.iv.2005. Mpumalanga. 1Ƥ, Balmoral vicinity, 25°52ʹS, 28°55ʹE, 1460 m, 17.ii.2005, sweeping grass with some Xerophyta retinervis present; 13, Loskopdam Nature Reserve, 25°31ʹ2.8ʺS, 29°15ʹ2.3ʺE, 1174 m, 8.iv.2012. All collected by M. Stiller, on Xerophyta retinervis, except where stated otherwise (BMNH, INHS, SANC).
Remarks. This species and Xc. claviverpus are similar in color and shape, with distinguishing features present in male and female genitalia, and which are discussed in the remarks under the description of Xc. claviverpus.
description: Published as part of Stiller, Michael, 2012, New leafhopper genera and species (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae) which feed on Velloziaceae from Southern Africa, with a discussion of their trophobiosis, pp. 35-54 in Zootaxa 3509 (1) on pages 53-54, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.3509.1.2, http://zenodo.org/record/213100