Doratura vefele Bückle & Guglielmino 2022, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Bückle, Christoph
name: Guglielmino, Adalgisa
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2022
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Hemiptera
Cicadellidae
Doratura
Doratura vefele

description: Doratura vefele sp. nov.
(Figs 2F; 9L; 15A–D; 17A–D, M, N; 18A–C; 19F)
Description. Coloration (Figs 15A–D). With the general characters described for the genus Doratura (see above). Hind region of vertex sometimes with small spot on each side near hind margin, sagittal region sometimes fuscous or provided with double indistinct longitudinal marking; pronotum light without markings or ± fuscous with small transverse spots, two in central region and about three laterally on each side. Fore wings hyaline pale or distinctly fuscous, above all near hind margin, lateral margin whitish, veins ± distinct in the apical half. Abdomen light with eight longitudinal rows of ± distinct markings, central ones very close to each other, divided by noticeably light middle line, middle ones formed of small spots, lateral two rows more distinct and formed of longitudinal stripes; in dark specimens inner two rows fused to two continuous large dark bands.
Measurements. Males: Total body length: 3.65–3.85 mm; width over wings: 1.40–1.58 mm; width of head: 1.31–1.36 mm; length of vertex: 0.62–0.65 mm; length of forewings from shoulder to apex: 1.38–1.56 mm; length of hind tibia: 1.92–2.15 mm.
Females: Width over wings: ca. 1.7 mm; width of head: 1.46–1.53 mm; length of vertex: 0.72 mm; length of forewings from shoulder to apex: 1.69–1.77 mm; length of hind tibia: 2.23–2.42 mm.
Male Genitalia. Aedeagus shaft, lateral view (Figs 17A, C): Ventral margin of shaft nowhere sinuous, evenly convex without scabrous crest, maximum width of shaft near base; in ventral view (Figs 17B, D) apically of basal shield quite narrow, slightly widening towards apex with short narrowing apical portion, basal shield rather small with oblique lateral margin and indistinct lateral angles. Socle well developed, ± as in D. stylata. Styles (Figs 17M, N) in dorsal view with denticle near mid-length, portion basally of denticle of ± equal width, almost straight, apical portion long and quite narrow, bent in lateral direction. Connective (Fig. 2F) comparatively short, branched portion slightly longer than basal one, branching ± rectangular. Pygofer with 3–4 macrosetae on each side in dorso-caudal position. Genital plates (Fig. 18A–C) short and wide, with indistinct sutural angle, posterior margin running in lateral direction without evident exterior angle, lateral margin sinuate.
Female genitalia. Pregenital sternite (Fig. 19F) with hind margin slightly convex in the middle. Ovipositor in lateral view protruding beyond posterior angle of pygofer somewhat less than a third of its length from hind margin of pregenital sternite to ovipositor tip.
Fifth instar (Fig. 9L). Coloration as in D. stylata, vertex distinctly longer.
Diagnosis. D. vefele sp. nov. is related to D. stylata, D. exilis and D. impudica. It shares with these species the shape of styles with long and narrow apical portion, the aedeagus with shield-shaped baso-ventral widening and without thorn- or tooth-like protuberances, the general shape of the genital plates and the shape of the female pregenital sternite. It differs from D. exilis, D. stylata and D. impudica by proportionally shorter genital plates (Figs 18A–C) and above all the longer and almost triangular vertex (Figs 15A–D) (rather short and rounded apical vertex margin in the other three species), furthermore by the apicad less tapering aedeagus (in lateral view) with small basal shield (Figs 17A, C). In addition, it is distinguished in respect of D. exilis by the conspicuously larger body size, and proportionally longer wings (Figs 15A–D). D. vefele displays some affinity to D. roesle sp. nov. (see below) in its aedeagus morphology, light coloration and above all in its long vertex. It is distinguished, however, in respect of this species by its larger body size and by its proportionally longer fore wings with ratio length (from shoulder to hind margin) to width of head 1.03–1.21 (in D. roesle 0.8–0.91).
Distribution (Fig. 56). Until now known only from southern Spain and Morocco.
Ecology. Steppic vegetation. The type material was collected in about 900–1000 m altitude.
Phenology. Apparently, the first adults occur at the end of May (Morocco). Other adults were collected in the middle of August (South Spain).
Type series. Holotype male: Morocco, FASMaAlP 81–113, Marokko, Abzweig sö. Tahanaout, Dorf, [31°20‘11‘‘N 7°56‘24‘‘W, Radius 1 km, alt. 1000–1050 m], Friedhofshang, reicher Steppenhügel, Halfagras [Macrochloa tenacissima], Juniperus, Sorbus?, Artemisia grau, Chamaerops, Opuntia, 25.05.1981, leg./coll. R. Remane, Museum Dresden.— Paratypes: Morocco, same data as holotype; 4 males, 1 female.— Morocco, FASMaAlP 81– 107, Marokko, Abzweig sö. Tahanaout, [31°20‘11‘‘N 7°56‘24‘‘W, Radius 1 km, alt. 1000–1050 m], Friedhofshang, reicher Steppenhügel, Halfagras [Macrochloa tenacissima], Juniperus, Sorbus?, Artemisia grau,, Chamaerops, Opuntia, 24.05.1981, leg./coll. R.Remane, Museum Dresden; 1 male.— Spain, DFSP 72–215, Spanien, ~ 10 km südl. Huescar, [37°43‘29‘‘N 2°32‘34‘‘W, Radius 3 km, alt. 850–950 m], Steppe m[it]. Tamarix, 16.08.1972, R. Remane; 1 male, 1 female.
The type material is deposited in Senckenberg Naturhistorische Sammlungen Dresden, Museum für Tierkunde, Dresden, Germany (MTD).
Etymology. The species is named after the protagonist in a short story of the German writer Berthold Auerbach. The species name is a noun in apposition.
Remarks. The specimens from Morocco are quite light, sand coloured without any metallic green tinge on the fore wings; their vertex displays no transverse row of spots at mid-length. This material consists of a nymph, and only one female in addition to six males; some adults were still incompletely sclerified (in dried state to some degree deformed). Apparently, the material was collected (24.–25. May) soon after emergence of the first adults.
description: Published as part of Bückle, Christoph & Guglielmino, Adalgisa, 2022, Revision of the genus Doratura Sahlberg (Hemiptera, Cicadellidae, Deltocephalinae) with particular regard to its distribution in Italy and description of four new species, pp. 1-116 in Zootaxa 5112 (1) on pages 24-26, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5112.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/6340589