Stirellus capitatus Distant 1918
Creators: name: Duan, Yani
name: Webb, M. D.
name: Zhang, Yalin
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2016
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Hemiptera
Cicadellidae
Stirellus
Stirellus capitatus

description: Stirellus capitatus (Distant, 1918)
(Figs. 4–6)
Viridomarus capitatus Distant, 1918: 70, Fig. 37.
Viridomarus brevialatus Xing et al, 2009: 590, Figs. 8–14, 23, syn. nov. Viridomarus laticellus Xing et al, 2009: 592, Figs. 15–21, 24, syn. nov. Stirellus capitatus, Li et al, 2011: 271, Fig. 5 –272.
Length. Male: 3.1–4.1mm; female: 3.6–4.8mm.
Color. General color stramineous (Figs. 4–5). The lateral margins of vertex usually pale stramineous, with tip of vertex blackish brown, usually with two light brown lines under the blackish brown (Figs. 4 A–D, 5A–D).
Body. Vertex longer than twice width between eyes, elongately subtriangular, narrowed to apex which is broadly subacute (Figs. 4 A–D, 5A–D). Ocellus far away from eye on anterior margin (Fig. 5 E). Eye relatively small (Figs. 4 A–D, 5A–D). Anteclypeus tapering to apex, not extending beyond normal curve of genae (Figs. 4 E, 5F). Pronotum nearly as long as 0.5x median length of crown. Mesonotum and scutellum shorter than pronotum (Figs. 4 A–D, 5A–D). Forewing macropterous to submacropterous, usually exposing apex of abdomen in female and sometimes in male (Figs. 4 A–D, 5A–E).
Male. Pygofer side with few macrosetae dorsally, apex angulate (Fig. 6 A–B). Subgenital plate strongly convex laterally, macrosetae nearly uniseriate centrally (Fig. 6 D). Style apophysis digitate, laterally curved (Fig. 6 E–F). Connective stem shorter than arms (Fig. 6 G). Aedeagal shaft long, strongly bent dorsally at near base and then sloping and bent ventrally, tip pointed and slightly curved dorsad (Fig. 6 H–J).
Female. Hind margin of seventh sternum straight (Fig. 5 G).
Material examined. Syntypes: 1Ƌ, 1♀ (on same card), of Viridomarus capitatus Distant, S. India, Chikkaballapura, T.V. Campbell (BMNH). Other material: China, Hainan Prov.: 1♀, Mt. Jianfeng, 4 January 1981, coll. Chen Zhenke (SYU); 16Ƌ, 21♀, Xishayongxing Island, 20 March 1965; 8Ƌ, 2♀, Sanya City, Yacheng Town, 10–17 June 1985, coll. Zhang Yalin; 1Ƌ, 3♀, Sanya City, Yacheng Town, 14/ 16 June 1985 coll. Zhang Yalin, at light; 11Ƌ, 15♀, Bawangling, 20 May 2007, coll. Duan Yani; 1Ƌ, Baisha County, Mt. Yinggeling, 20 May 2007, coll. Duan Yani; Hunan Prov.: 1Ƌ, Chenzhou City, 7 August 1985, coll. Zhang Yalin & Chai Yonghui; Yunnan Prov.: 1♀, Yuanmou County, 26 July 2005, coll. Li Qiao; 1Ƌ, 2♀, Yuanmou County, 17–29 November 2005, coll. Li Qiao.
Distribution. India; Thailand; China (Hainan, Hunan, Yunnan).
Remarks. This species was described from an unknown number of specimens (syntypes) with data: “South India; Chikkaballapura (T.V. Campbell)”. A male and female syntype are present in the BMNH. This species can be identified by tip of vertex blackish brown and its relatively long head. Specimens from Thailand (BMNH) have also been seen. Xing, Dai & Li (2009) established V. brevialatus and V. laticellus based on differences in the length of the forewing and shape of the apex of the male pygofer side. However, from examining many specimens from China, we found these characters to be variable in S. capitatus, hence the above synonymy. Comparisons were made with the types of S. capitatus and our Chinese material together with the original figures of V. brevialatus and V. laticellus.
description: Published as part of Duan, Yani, Webb, M. D. & Zhang, Yalin, 2016, Review of the leafhopper tribe Stenometopiini (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae: Deltocephalinae) from China with description of four new species, pp. 101-138 in Zootaxa 4171 (1) on pages 108-111, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4171.1.4, http://zenodo.org/record/255851