Ikelibeloha Zahniser & Nielson 2012, gen.n.
Creators: name: Zahniser, J. N.
name: Nielson, M. W.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2012
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Hemiptera
Cicadellidae
Ikelibeloha

description: Ikelibeloha gen.n.   
(Figs. 1–13)  
 Type species: Ikelibeloha cristata sp.n.   
 Description. Head. Head (Figs. 1,2,7) distinctly narrower than pronotum; anteriorly-posteriorly compressed. Crown extremely short; median length less than length next to eyes; delimited anteriorly by a single distinct transverse carina turning ventrad laterally and not reaching eyes; yellowish with darker spots medially on each side and next to eyes; surface irregular; texture finely shagreen in darker areas, glabrous or coarsely striate in lighter pigmented areas. Ocelli (Fig. 7) distant from eyes, closer to each other than to eyes; bases stalked, arising from deep circular pits. Face (Fig. 7) below anterior carina finely shagreen with shallow oblique furrows; texture laterad of ocelli glabrous to rugose with coarse oblique furrows. Frontoclypeus (Fig. 7) long, narrow; with median pit between ocelli; with short, curved lateral carinae next to antennae meeting lateral frontal suture and antennal ledge; texture shagreen or glabrous to rugose. Lateral frontal suture distinctly sulcate below antenna; weakly carinate above antenna; sharply angled at meeting point with antennal ledge; extending or nearly extending to ocellus. Antennal ledges sharply carinate. Antennal bases stalked; antennae long, about 2x width of head. Clypellar suture obscure. Clypellus narrow at base, abruptly expanded apically; apex slightly notched. Lora somewhat tumid, elevated above genae; lateral margins deeply sulcate. Genae broad; margin obtusely angulate, not emarginate below eyes; with deep oblique and swirling furrows; with fine erect seta somewhat distant from laterofrontal suture.   
Thorax. Pronotum (Figs. 1,2) very large, produced into angulate crest dorsally; texture punctate; with median longitudinal keel. Mesonotum (Figs. 1,2) large, bulbous; deep reddish-brown. Mesoscutellum (Figs. 1,2) produced, with median longitudinal carina on posterior half.  
 Wings. Forewing (Fig. 2) squarish apically; appendix extending around apex; bases of C, claval suture, A1, and A2 thick, with punctate indentations; r-m crossvein obliquely meeting R before separation of R veins; R1, R2 +3, and R4 +5 diverging from nearly same point; base of outer anteapical cell sharply angled; with or without extra costal vein; inner anteapical cell closed (m-cu crossvein present), somewhat expanded apically; with A1-A2 crossvein. Hindwing venation of normal deltocephaline type (e.g. Plate 39, Fig. 9a of Fieberiella florii in Oman [1949]); with 4 apical cells; with perpendicular r4+5 - m1+2 crossvein; with oblique m3+4 - cuA crossvein.   
Legs. Profemur row AV with only scattered fine hairlike setae; intercalary row with one row of long fine setae; row AM with AM1 present near midheight of femur and with or without additional fine setae proximally. Protibia somewhat flattened dorsally; without large macrosetae. Mesotrochanter with scattered fine setae. Mesofemur row AV without distinct setae. Metafemur apical macrosetae 2+1+1+1 (females) or 2+1+1 (male); sometimes with few smaller scattered setae. Metatibia somewhat expanded proximally; dorsal surface flat, without setae between rows; row PD setae not alternating much in length, entire row situated on distinctly raised ledge; row AD with macrosetae intercalated with smaller setae; row AV setae extending from apex to base ~3/4 length of tibia; apical pecten setae relatively small, tapered, of even length. Metatarsomere plantar surface with setae indistinct; apex with 4–5 platellae, outermost seta platellate.  
Female. Pygofer subquadrate; without macrosetae (Fig. 10). First valvifer rhomboidal in shape (Fig. 10). First valvula not strongly convex (Fig. 10); dorsal sculpturing pattern strigate, reaching dorsal margin (Fig. 11). Second valvula broadening subbasally, broad throughout length (Fig. 12); dorsal teeth obtusely triangular, not serrated, present on over 2/3 of length; in profile, teeth from left and right valvulae alternating (Fig. 13). Third valvula with several small setae ventrally near apex.  
Male. Pygofer posterior margin incised dorsally to about midlength; apex with group of short stout setae; without basolateral membranous cleft (Figs. 3,8). Valve large; lateral margin long, articulating with pygofer; produced, pointed apically; surface with distinctive microtrichia (Fig. 9). Subgenital plates more or less triangular; ~2x longer than wide; without macrosetae; surface with distinctive microtrichia (Fig. 9). Connective with long stem; anterior arms widely divergent; with ventrally directed anteromedial lobe (Fig. 4). Style linear, anteromedial lobe not pronounced; apophysis with well developed preapical lobe separated from distal hook by weakly sclerotized area; distal hook strongly curved, cheliform, forming narrow angle with preapical lobe (Fig. 4). Aedeagus short, stout; with one shaft and gonopore (Figs. 5,6). Segment X short; with darkly sclerotized band dorsally and laterally 4–5x wider than long; remaining parts lightly sclerotized (Figs. 3,8).  
 Distribution. Madagascar, Province d’Antsiranana   
 Remarks. The specimen illustrated in Fig. 7 has the frontoclypeus texture glabrous to rugose, while the other 3 specimens have the frontoclypeus mostly shagreen.   
 Etymology. The genus is named for the Malagasy word meaning “little big headed one”. The gender is feminine.
description: Published as part of Zahniser, J. N. & Nielson, M. W., 2012, An extraordinary new genus and three new species of Acostemmini (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae: Deltocephalinae) from Madagascar with comments on the morphology and classification of the tribe, pp. 28-52 in Zootaxa 3209 (1) on pages 33-35, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.3209.1.2, http://zenodo.org/record/5248266