Tetramelasma scolosatha Stiller 2011, sp. n.
Creators: name: Stiller, M.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2011
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Hemiptera
Cicadellidae
Tetramelasma
Tetramelasma scolosatha

description: Tetramelasma scolosatha sp. n.   
(Figs 7a–i; 8a–k)  
 Diagnosis. Male pygofer with spine on medial surface of ventral bulbous lobe with small, posterior, subapical tooth, apex acuminate (Fig. 7b). Aedeagal shaft with single, dorsal, flattened, subbasal tooth (Fig. 7e&f). Style apophysis barrel-shaped, concave, row of uniformly spaced and sized teeth medially (Fig. 7d). Plate very short (Fig. 7b).   
 Etymology. Compound word in Greek, skolos, thorn, sathe, penis, for the prominent, dorsal, single tooth on the aedeagus. Gender feminine.   
 Colour. Male & female . Pale greyish yellow, with paired markings on apex of vertex. Apical pair generally wedge shaped and smaller than circular, basal pair. Vertex disc with brownish marking. Two pairs of brownish bands on pronotum. Tegmina with pale yellowish veins, apical cells distally lined with fuscous marking (Fig. 7a).   
 Male. Tegmina & hind wing. Tegmina as in Fig. 7g; hind wing ½ as wide as tegmina, ¾ as long, jugal lobe reduced (Fig. 7h&i depicting vein variation).   
 Dimensions. (n=24) Length from apex of vertex to apex of tegmina 2.8–3.0 mm; length from apex of vertex to apex of abdomen 2.5–2.8 mm; median length of vertex 0.4 mm; length of vertex next to eye 0.2–0.3 mm; median length of pronotum 0.3 mm; maximum width across head 0.9–1.0 mm; width across pronotum 0.7–0.8 mm; ocellar diameter 26–29 µm; ocellocular distance 34–44 µm.   
 Genital capsule. Pygofer with spine on medial surface of prominent, bulbous ventral pygofer lobe (Fig. 7b), spine widening towards apex, small, posterior, subapical tooth, apex pointed. Pygofer posterior lobe roughly triangular, ventral margin convex, dorsal margin slightly concave (Fig. 7b). Plate with posterior margin not attaining anterior margin of ventral pygofer lobe (Fig. 7c); posterior medial margin truncate, posterior lateral margin rounded, protruding slightly, dorsal process rounded. Aedeagal shaft with single, dorsal, flattened, subbasal tooth (Fig. 7e&f). Style apophysis barrel-shaped, concave, row of uniformly spaced, sized teeth medially (Fig. 7d).   
 Female. Dimensions.  (n=12) Length from apex of vertex to apex of tegmina 2.9–3.3 mm; length from apex of vertex to apex of abdomen 2.9–3.2 mm; median length of vertex 0.4–0.5 mm; length of vertex next to eye 0.3 mm; median length of pronotum 0.3 mm; maximum width across head 1.0 mm; width across pronotum 0.8–0.9 mm; ocellar diameter 28 µm; ocellocular distance 34–45 µm.   
 Genitalia. Sternite 7 medially with wide, V-shaped notch; lateral process elongate, acuminate (Figs 8a, b&d, Wapadsberg, wide lateral apices; Fig. 8c, Loodsberg, narrow lateral apices), rarely bipinnate. Valvula 1 lanceolate (Fig. 8e), imbricate sculpture (Fig. 8f). Valvula 2 with fine serration (Fig. 8g &h), valvifer 2 as in Fig. 8i. Valvula 3 with fine setae (Fig. 8j&k).   
 Material examined. Holotype male. South Africa, Eastern Cape Province. Loodsberg Pass summit, 31.8333S, 24.85E, 1791 m, 20.iv.2006, M. Stiller, sweeping grazed pasture, common grasses: Merxmuellera disticha, Themeda triandra (SANC). Paratypes. 60♂, 25♀, 9 nymphs. Eastern Cape Province. 8♂, 5♀, 9 nymphs, Wapadsberg Pass, between Graaff-Reinet and Cradock, 31.928333S, 24.906667E, 1700 m, 2.i.2006, sweeping grass; 23♂, 5♀, Ibid. holotype; 1♂, Loodsberg Pass summit, 31.83598S, 24.86076E, 1807 m. 27.i.2011, DVac, grass and shrubs; 6♂, 4♀, Rooihoogte near Wapadsberg Pass, 31.93096S, 24.95766E, 15 m, 27.i.2011, DVac, Merxmuellera sp. dominant grass; 19♂, 10♀, Rooihoogte between Wapadsberg Pass and Loodberg Pass, 31.79732S, 24.9254E, 1517 m, 27.i.2011, DVac, Merxmuellera sp. dominant grass; 3, ♂ 1♀, Wapadsberg Pass, below summit towards Grafft Reinent, 31.93379S, 24.87117E, 1597 m, 27.i.2011, DVac, grazed pasture, Merxmuellera sp. dominant grass; all collected by M. Stiller (SANC, BMNH, INHS).   
 Remarks. Tetramelasma scolosatha and T. nodosatha are similar. Both have a similar denticulation of the dorsal apophysis of the style (Figs 4c; 7d), shape of the spine on the ventral pygofer lobe (Figs 3d, 7b) and shape of the plate (Figs 3c&d; 7b&c). However the dorsal tooth on the aedeagal shaft is the distinguishing feature in T. scolosatha (Fig. 7e&f). The shape of the sternite 7 of the female of T. scolosatha (Fig. 8a–d) bears some resemblance with that of T. nodosatha (Figs 5a–f; 6c–g) but is considered sufficiently different to further justify the separate status of the species. In T. scolosatha the lateral processes are narrowly triangular and continuous with the basal anterior and posterior margins. In T. nodosatha the lateral processes are more variable, and arise dorsally from the basal anterior and posterior margins of the sternite (Fig. 5c–f) or are much wider and continuous with the basal anterior and posterior margins (Fig. 6c–g).   
 This species probably has a wider distribution as its associated vegetation type (Karoo Escarpment Grassland, defined by Mucina & Rutherford (2006)) has a wider distribution, to the east but also in isolated mountainous habitats as far west as Beaufort West. The presently known distributions of T. scolosatha and T. nodosatha do not overlap, which further facilitates species recognition. No dissected (8♂, 5♀ dissected) or examined specimen of T. scolosatha showed obvious signs of parasitism.
description: Published as part of Stiller, M., 2011, A new leafhopper genus and four new species from the Grassland Biome of South Africa (Hemiptera, Cicadellidae), pp. 35-51 in Zootaxa 2794 (1) on pages 46-48, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.2794.1.2, http://zenodo.org/record/5290217