Pseudophacopteron caffrariense Capener 1973
Creators: name: Malenovský, Igor
name: Burckhardt, Daniel
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2009
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Hemiptera
Phacopteronidae
Pseudophacopteron
Pseudophacopteron caffrariense

description: Pseudophacopteron caffrariense Capener   
(Figs. 59, 65, 80, 154–156, 216, 225–226)  
 Pseudophacopteron caffrariensis Capener, 1973: 48, Figs. 58–67. Holotype ♀, South Africa, Eastern Cape, Steytlerville, 16 February 1966 (A. L. Capener) [NCIP, not examined].   
 Pseudophacopteron caffrariense, Burckhardt & van Harten 2006: 192 (differential diagnosis to P. verrucifrons).   
 Pseudophacopteron caffrariense, Malenovský et al. 2007: 1896 (differential diagnosis to P. cuniculus).   
 Description. Adult. Described and figured also by Capener (1973). Colour. Genae, frons and clypeus ochreous to orange brown. Vertex, pronotum and mesopraescutum broadly pale yellow medially, orange brown laterally (Fig. 65). Mesoscutum orange brown with a pale yellow triangular patch along midline anteriorly. Mesoscutellum, metascutum, metascutellum and metapostnotum ochreous to orange brown. Lateral sclerites of thorax pale yellow to orange brown. Antenna pale yellow, segments 4–8 narrowly brown to dark brown apically, segments 9–10 entirely dark. Legs dirty yellow; metacoxa and metafemur with extensive dark brown markings; fore and mid femora with a dark brown streak subapically; tibiae with a brown streak near base. Fore wing membrane clear, transparent, with oval brown patches around apical parts of veins Rs, M 1+2, M 3+4, Cu 1a, Cu 1b, M fork and touching point of Rs and M 1+2 (patches around apical part of Rs, M fork and touching point of Rs and M 1+2 confluent), a dark brown infuscation along R 1, and an irregular light brown infuscation in cell cu 2 along veins M+Cu 1 and Cu 1 (Fig. 59). Veins off-white, middle of vein C+Sc, R+M+Cu 1 fork, veins M+Cu 1, R 1 and apical portion of Rs brown to dark brown, and small, well-delimited dark brown or black spots on M fork, Cu 1 proximal to its branching off, touching point of Rs and M 1+2, and two spots medially on M 1+2, M 3+4, Cu 1a and anal vein. Hind wing clear, transparent. Abdominal tergites yellow to ochreous, last two tergites brown dorsally. Sternites pale yellow, with small brown patches laterally. Male terminalia pale yellow with proctiger and parameres dark brown apically. Female terminalia pale yellow, proctiger brown basally.   
 Morphology. Vertex with two large anterior tubercles in front; relatively flat dorsally, slightly convex on either side of concave midline, with small triangular tubercles present laterally (Fig. 65). Median epicranial suture distinct in basal and apical thirds. Genae below toruli swollen and blunt. Antenna slender, segments cylindrical, weakly widening to apex; two rhinaria subapically on each of segments 4–8 (Fig. 225), one rhinarium on segment 9; terminal setae distinctly differring in length, the longer terminal seta shorter than segments 9 and 10 together (Fig. 226). Fore wing with fine surface spinulation present in cells cu 1, cu 2, and base of c+sc (Fig. 80). Mesotibia with subapical comb on outer margin consisting of six densely arranged stout setae. Metatibia with 11–12 apical spurs. Metabasitarsus relatively short, lacking lateral sclerotised spurs (figured by Capener 1973). Male subgenital plate, in lateral view, with dorsal margin sinuate (Fig. 154). Male proctiger, in lateral view, relatively broad basally, narrowing to apex. Paramere relatively short, robust; in lateral view, with anterior margin regularly convex and posterior margin straight, apex subacute (Fig. 155). Distal segment of aedeagus as in Fig. 156. Female proctiger and subgenital plate with long apical extensions (Fig. 216). Female subgenital plate, in lateral view, with ventral margin straight and apex pointed; in ventral view, triangular with a narrowly rounded apex. Measurements and ratios in Tabs. 2–4.   
 Larva unknown. The fifth instar larvae doubtfully associated with P. caffrariense by Capener (1973, Fig. 68) belong to a Diaphorina sp. (Psyllidae: Diaphorininae) [NCIP, slide-mounted together with 2 ♂ paratypes of P. caffrariense].   
 Host plant. Pappea capensis (Sapindaceae) (Capener 1973).   
 Biology. Unknown. Probably not gall-inducing (Capener 1973).   
 Distribution. South Africa.   
 Material examined. Paratypes: SOUTH AFRICA: 4 ♂, 4 ♀, Eastern Cape Province, Steytlerville, 16 February 1966, on Pappea capensis (A. L. Capener); 4 ♂, 3 ♀, same data but 18 February 1966. Dry- and slide-mounted [BMNH, NCIP, ZISP].   
 Comments. P. caffrariense is probably closely related to P. hollisi and P. cuniculus with which it shares the two large anterior tubercles on the vertex, a similar fore wing pattern and the more or less angular dorsal margin of the male subgenital plate. P. caffrariense (as well as P. hollisi) differs from P. cuniculus in the narrower fore wing, the apically blunt genal tubercles below the toruli, the absence of rhinaria on antennal segment 3, the shorter antennal terminal setae which differ in length, and the shape of male paramere. See under P. hollisi.
description: Published as part of Malenovský, Igor & Burckhardt, Daniel, 2009, A review of the Afrotropical jumping plant-lice of the Phacopteronidae (Hemiptera: Psylloidea), pp. 1-74 in Zootaxa 2086 (1) on pages 40-41, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.2086.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/5310382