Pravistylus interdiscus Stiller 2010, sp. n.
Creators: name: Stiller, M.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2010
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Hemiptera
Cicadellidae
Pravistylus
Pravistylus interdiscus

description: Pravistylus interdiscus sp. n.   
(Figs 1 n; 2 r & s; 3 aa; 4 y; 5 r; 7 ab–af; 8 y)  
 Diagnosis. Medial margins of plates parallel or divergent, straight or convex; apex rounded or truncate, transition distinct between digitate apex and lateral and medial subapical margins; apices posteriad or curved mediad (Figs 2 r & s). Style distal part far from base (Fig. 5 r). Aedeagus, lateral view, widely U-shaped (Fig. 3 aa).   
 Etymology. Latin, plate (discus) and intermediate (inter), for the plate that is intermediate in shape between a number of other species.   
 Male and female. Ochraceous. Markings on vertex dark brown or light brown; indistinct, sometimes paired, wedge shaped markings at apex; rectangular paired marking near ocellus; paired irregular marking on disc near coronal suture; 3 pairs longitudinal light brown markings on pronotum; rarely with dark brown stripes. Tegmina with fuscous markings in most or all cells. Pale form of male as in Fig. 8 y.   
 Male. Dimensions. (n = 19) Length: apex of vertex to apex of tegmina 2.5–2.8 mm; apex of vertex to apex of abdomen 2.3–2.7 mm; vertex medially 0.4–0.5 mm; vertex next to eye 0.3 mm; pronotum medially 0.3 mm. Width: head 0.9 mm; pronotum 0.7–0.8 mm. Ocellar diameter 26.0–29.2 µm; ocellocular distance 27.8–41.4 µm.   
 Genital capsule. Pygofer, in lateral view, with dorsal posterior margin lobate; ventral posterior margin broadly rounded, expanded, with microtrichia (Fig. 1 n). Pygofer lobe acutely or narrowly triangular, about one quarter width of pygofer (Fig. 1 n). Plates roughly triangular, with medial margins curved, generally divergent, subapically slightly concave; apices digitate, of variable length, narrowly rounded (Fig. 2 r) or acute (Fig. 2 s); apices sometimes curving towards each other or directed posteriad; 4–7 macrosetae medially; plate 1.4–1.9 times as long as wide. Aedeagal shaft, in lateral view, arising ventrally from atrium; preatrium short, widely U- or C-shaped; gonopore lateroventral, elongate (Figs 3 aa, 4 y). Style distal part far from anterior medial lobe; apophysis curved, tapered acutely, lateroventral margin toothed (Fig. 5 r). Connective, in lateral view, straight.   
 Female. Dimensions. (n = 12) Length: apex of vertex to apex of tegmina 2.4–3.0 mm; apex of vertex to apex of abdomen 2.8–3.0 mm; vertex medially 0.4–0.5 mm; vertex next to eye 0.3–0.4 mm; pronotum medially 0.3 mm. Width: head 0.9–1.0 mm; pronotum 0.8–0.9 mm. Ocellar diameter 23.1–29.4 µ m; ocellocular distance 29.0–41.0 µm.   
 Genitalia. Sternite 7 median ligula base broad, almost as wide as base of sternite; apical rounded notch (Fig. 7 ab, short ligula, specimen from Mbundini; Figs 7 ac & ae, elongate ligula, specimen from Royal Natal Park; Fig. 7 ad (notch closed), specimen from Royal Natal Park; Fig. 7 af, ligula of intermediate length, specimen from Witsieshoek).   
 Material examined. Holotype male. South Africa, KwaZulu-Natal. Royal Natal National Park, camp site, 28°42ʹS, 28°57ʹE, 13.xi.1999, M. Stiller, sweeping, short grass in fire break, and unburned grass (SANC). Paratypes. 29♂, 16♀, 4 nymphs. KwaZulu-Natal. 1♂, 2♀, Tendele, 28°42ʹS, 28°55ʹE, 19.i.1981, J.G. Theron, sweeping; 9 #, 4♀, same data as holotype; 2♂, 1♀, Witsieshoek Mountain Resort, 28°40ʹS, 28°53ʹE, 2140 m, 15.iv.2002, DVac, short grass and forbs, windward, w-slope, wet grass; 1♂, 1♀, Witsieshoek Mountain Resort, 28°43ʹS, 28°53ʹE, 2420 m, 16.iv.2002, DVac, long grass on steep S-facing slope Pentaschistis tysonii common; 1♂, Mike’s Pass, Cathedral Peak Nature Reserve, 28°59ʹS, 29°13ʹE, 2094 m, 16.iv.2002, DVac, grass on moist, shaded NW-facing slope; 2♂, road between Dargle and Boston, 29°35ʹS, 30°01ʹE, 1730 m, 25.iv.2002, DVac; all M. Stiller, E. Breytenbach; 6♂, 4♀, junction between Mbundini and Fangs Passes, upper Mnweni Valley, 28°52ʹS, 28°58ʹE, 2000 m, 25.iv.2004, M. Stiller, sweeping, Diheteropogon amplectans dominant; 3♂, 2♀, Dlamini’s Kraal, Mnweni Valley, 28°48ʹS, 29°05ʹE, 1550 m, 27.iv.2004, M. Stiller, sweeping, wet grass; 1♂, Cathedral Peak, 28°58ʹS, 29°14ʹE, 1900 m, 17.xi.2005, MDTP survey, yellow pan trap; 4♂, 2♀, 3 nymphs, Cathedral Peak, 28°53ʹS, 29°15ʹE, 1807 m, 19.xi.2005, MDTP survey, sweeping, also white and blue pan traps; 1♂, Rockeries Pass, below summit, 28°53ʹS, 29°10ʹE, 16.iv.2006, M. Stiller, sweeping (BMNH, INHS, SANC, DCEE).   
 Remarks. This species is difficult to distinguish as its plate shape (Figs 2 r & s) is similar to that of P. oxyphysis sp. n. (Figs 2 o & p). The plates of some specimens of P. interdiscus with apices directed posteriad are more similar to those of P. oxyphysis. In P. oxyphysis the medial margins of the plate are contiguous or only slightly divergent, but always straight. The apex of the plate of P. oxyphysis is formed by the sinuous lateral margin and the straight medial margin. In P. interdiscus the apex of the plate is produced by the sinuous medial margin and sometimes a straight or sinuous lateral margin. Furthermore the apices sometimes curve medially in P. interdiscus, whereas in P. oxyphysis they are always directed posteriad. Another difference between these two species is in the apophysis of the style, shape and position of the pygofer lobe and to an extent in the shape of the aedeagus. In the style of P. oxyphysis the denticulation is near the ventromedial margin, with the apophysis straight and acute (Figs 5 y & z). In P. interdiscus the denticulation is on the ventrolateral margin, with the apophysis curved (Fig. 5 r). Pravistylus interdiscus has been found only in a few localities in KwaZulu-Natal, whereas P. oxyphysis occurs more widely in other provinces and in KwaZulu-Natal Province. Additionally these two latter species may be distinguished easily by the colour pattern and wing length. Pravitylus interdiscus has fuscous markings, and is submacropterous (Fig. 8 y); P. oxyphysis does not have fuscous markings, and is brachypterous (Figs 8 au–aw). Females of P. interdiscus (Figs 7 ab–af) and P. oxyphysis (Figs 7 bm–bo) share a similar shape of the sternite 7, although the ligula of P. interdiscus is sometimes longer. Some female specimens of P. interdiscus from the Royal Natal Park have two forms of the sternite 7. It either has a narrow, triangular ligula with a notch or the ligula is broadly triangular with a minute or closed notch (Fig. 7 ad). Similar female specimens with the closed notch occur in P. micropygeus sp. n. (Fig. 7 av). However, the shape of the plate (Fig. 2 ac) of males of P. micropygeus (pygofer, Fig. 1 t; aedeagus lateral view, Fig. 3 y; aedeagus dorsal view, Fig. 4 w; style, Fig. 5 u) are readily distinguishable from the plate (Figs 2 r & s) of males of P. interdiscus (pygofer, Fig. 1 n; aedeagus lateral view, Fig. 3 aa; aedeagus dorsal view, Fig. 4 y; style, Fig. 5 r).
description: Published as part of Stiller, M., 2010, Revision of the Southern African leafhopper genus Pravistylus (Hemiptera, Cicadellidae, Deltocephalinae) 2468, pp. 1-81 in Zootaxa 2468 (1) on pages 23-24, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.2468.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/10094177