Menytes Hamilton, 2016, gen.nov.
Creators: name: Andrew Hamilton, K. G.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2016
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Hemiptera
Cercopidae
Menytes

description: Menytes gen.nov.
Type-species: Menytes lathrius sp.nov.
Etymology. menytes (m), informer.
Distribution. Amazon basin of Ecuador.
Diagnosis. Intermediate between the very different genera Simorhina and Tomaspisinella, and with unique antennae.
Description. Superficially similar to a small Aphrophora but strongly hirsute (Fig. 14 B). Head distinctly narrower than pronotum; eyes transverse; crown moderately short, with tylus and crown depressed and strongly elevated antennal ledge (Fig. 14 E); facial part of frons medially sulcate (Fig. 14 D); antenna with slender, elongate sensillum (Fig. 14 F) as in Simorhina and Tomaspisinella, but with the postpedicel large, almost as wide as pedicel (Fig. 14 G), entirely exposed and with very many large pits occupying the whole surface with coeloconic sensilla having unique spiral bases (Fig. 14 H). Pronotum with anterior margin steeply declivous (Fig. 14 B), anterior border weakly bowed; lateral margins more than half length of eyes. Tegmina elongate, hirsute, with obscure veins. Hind wing with triangular basal lobe bearing an erect hook at tip and 2 recumbent smaller hooks on distal edge; straight veins defining 4 apical cells; appendix narrowest around tip of wing (Fig. 14 C). Fore femora subequal to hind femora. Hind tibiae with 2 almost equally long spines on outer edge (Fig. 14 D), basal one 0.2 × and distal one 0.25 × as long as tibia; hind basitarsal pecten of 6 black-tipped spines, that of second tarsomere with 11 such spines. Male pygofer elongate, deeply notched dorsally on each side of anal tube; subgenital plates oblique, with decurved tips (Fig. 27 A–B) separated by V-shaped notch (Fig. 27 D); styles truncate at base, tapered to sharp tip extending nearly as far as subgenital plates; phallobase tubular; theca laterally compressed except for bulbous tip (Fig. 27 C), shaft sinuate, unarmed (Fig. 27 A–B).
Remarks. The spiral bases of the coeloconic sensilla set in large pits are unique. The sulcate face, concave crown and arched pronotum of Menytes are synapomorphies with Simorhina (Fig. 15 B). Synapomorphies with Tomaspisinella include strongly hirsute body (Fig. 18 B) and elongate pygofers (Carvalho & Webb 2005, figs 4, 5, 8). Tomaspisinella have the postpedicel retracted into the apical cup of the pedicel, while the postpedicel of Simorhina represents a more plesiomorphic condition (Fig. 15 G). Some other distinctive characters are synapomorphic with allied genera or homoplastic with unrelated spittlebugs (for example, the depressed crown is also characteristic of Liorhinella, and the wedge-shaped style is similar to one found in an undescribed Epipygid). Phylogenetically, Menytes represents a sister-lineage of Simorhina linking that autapomorphous genus to Tomaspisinella.
There is only one known species in this genus.
Menytes lathrius sp. nov.
Etymology. lathrios (adj.) secret, hidden.
Description. Brown, antennal ledges tawny; venter marked with yellow on tip of frons, black on rest of face, pro- and mesopleura and tarsi; tegmina with broken, ivory band across apical quarter extending from costal dash to a chain of 2–3 small spots on each tegmen. Length: male 6.7 mm; female unknown.
Type. Holotype male, ECUADOR: Pastaza — Cusuimi, Rio Cusuimi, 150 km SE Puyo, 15–31 May 1971 (B. Malkin); in FMC.
description: Published as part of Andrew Hamilton, K. G., 2016, Neotropical spittlebugs related to Neaenini (Hemiptera, Cercopidae) and the origins of subfamily Cercopinae, pp. 201-250 in Zootaxa 4169 (2) on pages 219-220, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4169.2.1, http://zenodo.org/record/262585