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

description: Pravistylus eductus (Naudé)   
(Figs 1 i–k; 2 e–g; 3 n & o; 4 m & n; 5 a & b; 6 l & m; 7 o–t; 8 m –q)  
 Deltocephalus eductus Naudé 1926, 45.   
 Pravistylus eductus (Naudé); Theron 1975, 195.   
Holotype female. South Africa, Free State Province, Petrusburg, 22–25.iv.1918, J.C. Fauré. SANC.  
 Diagnosis. Plate apex sclerotized, usually acute, rarely rectangular, deflected laterad, lateral subapical margin uniformly and shallowly sinuate; length of plate 1.7–1.9 times as long as wide (Figs 2 e–g). Pygofer with ventral, posterior, membranous region without setose, sclerotized ligula (Figs 1 i–k). Aedeagal shaft, lateral view, arising medially from atrium; shaft C-shaped (Figs 3 n & o, 4 m & n). Female sternite 7, ligula of variable length, width, usually triangular, rarely elongate, with subparallel margins; posterior margin with narrow, shallow notch (Figs 7 o–t).   
 Male and female. General body colour pale ochraceous. Vertex usually with rectangular fuscous marking anteromedially of ocellus, numerous irregular fuscous markings on vertex, pronotum and scutellum. Fuscous markings in many cells of tegmina. Most specimens brachypterous; macropterous specimens rare, colour pattern usually similar to brachypter but with darker or lighter markings on the vertex (Figs 8 m, o & q, brachypter; Figs 8 n & p, macropter).   
 Male. Dimensions. (n = 137) Length: apex of vertex to apex of tegmina 2.1–2.5 mm; apex of vertex to apex of abdomen 2.2–2.6 mm; vertex medially 0.4 mm; vertex next to eye 0.3 mm; pronotum medially 0.3 mm. Width: head 0.7–0.8 mm; pronotum 0.7 mm. Ocellar diameter 30.3–24.1 µm; ocellocular distance 31.5– 45.8 µm.   
 Genital capsule. Pygofer ventral posterior margin with variable bulbous lobe; dorsal posterior margin lobate (Figs 1 i–k,). Pygofer lobe variable: (a) asymmetric, dorsal margin rounded, ventral margin produced triangularly beyond dorsal margin (Fig. 1 i); (b) lobe triangular; width at base about half as wide as pygofer (Fig. 1 j); (c) reduced (Fig. 1 k). Plate apex sclerotized, deflected laterad or posteriad, apex rectangular (Fig. 2 f) or acute (Fig. 2 e), rarely rounded (Fig. 2 g, one plate apex rounded); medial apical margin usually curved laterad; lateral subapical margin uniformly sinuate; length of plate 1.7–1.9 times as long as wide; 3–9 uniseriate macrosetae medially, fine setae marginally. Aedeagus, in lateral view, C-shaped, apex usually bulbous, shaft about twice as long as dorsal apodeme; shaft arising medially from atrium; preatrium elongate (Figs 3 n (shaft short, regular apex) & o (shaft long, bulbous apex)); dorsal view, dorsal apodeme wide at base, narrowly rounded at apex (Figs 4 m & n). Style distal part usually close to anterior medial lobe, sometimes more widely separated; apophysis with base parallel, apex produced laterally, acute; ventrally with 1–5 ventral, subapical teeth (Figs 5 a & b). Connective, lateral view, straight (Fig. 6 m); in dorsal view with stem slightly narrower, shorter than arms (Fig. 6 l).   
 Female. Dimensions. (n = 117) Length: apex of vertex to apex of tegmina 2.2–2.7 mm; apex of vertex to apex of abdomen 2.6–3.0 mm; vertex medially 0.4–0.5 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 23.6–30.6 µm; ocellocular distance 34.8–50.6 µm.   
 Genitalia. Sternite 7 ligula of variable length, width, usually triangular, rarely margins subparallel, elongate; posterior margin uniformly rounded; notch shallow, width variable (Fig. 7 o, narrow notch, Fig. 7 p, wide notch; Figs 7 q & r, ligula subparallel, elongate; Fig. 7 s, short ligula, wide notch; Fig. 7 t, long ligula, wide notch).   
 Type material examined. Holotype female. South Africa, Free State. “ South Africa, Petrusburg, [c. 29°06ʹS, 25°28ʹE], O(range).F(ree).S(tate)., 22–25-4-(19)18, J.C. Faure ” [first label, black type-set text, white paper]; “ Holotype ” [type-set] “ Deltocephalus exquadratus ” [hand-written (Theron)], “ Naude, 1926 ” [black type-set text, red paper] [type collection number 438] SANC. Determination label, “ Pravistylus eductus (Naudé) ” [hand-written, Theron], “ Det. J.G. Theron ” [type-set, black ink, white card]. Paratype. 8♀. same data as holotype [labels as for holotype] SANC. Specimens in good condition, apparently faded. Naudé’s original label not present, type-set locality and type labels made by Theron on all specimens.   
 Additional material examined. 338♂, 297♀ and 7 nymphs from 133 localities in all nine provinces in South Africa (AMNH, BMNH, INHS, SANC).   
 Remarks. This species is similar to P. exquadratus, but can be distinguished by the combination of characters mentioned above in the diagnosis, as well as colour. Pravistylus eductus usually has rectangular fuscous markings near the ocelli, as well as numerous fuscous markings on the vertex, pronotum and scutellum (Figs 8 m –q). Most specimens of P. eductus are brachypterous, whereas P. exquadratus is always macropterous. In P. exquadratus the markings are distinctly longitudinally striate, or in pale specimens there are no or few striate markings (Figs 8 r–u). Also in P. exquadratus the sclerotized ligula invading the membranous ventroposterior part of the pygofer and is a reliable feature in this species, but difficult to see, especially on undissected specimens, as it bears macrosetae that are as long as the more basal and dorsal setae on the rest of the pygofer. This ligula is absent in P. eductus. Specimens of P. brachyplacus have similar markings on the vertex (Figs 8 c & d) to that of P. eductus, but the genitalia, and especially the plate (Fig. 2 aq) differ distinctly.
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 18-19, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.2468.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/10094177