Arthropoda Linnavuori 1979

Drakensbergenini Linnavuori, 1979

Fig. 21

Type genus: Drakensbergena Linnavuori, 1961.

Diagnosis

Drakensbergenini are small to large, ivory, ochraceous, to dark brown brachypterous leafhoppers, often with a dark brown median stripe from apex of crown to abdomen. They can be identified by the produced head, ocelli on the crown, tumid frontoclypeus, strongly tapering clypellus, and brachypterous forewings.

Description

HEAD. Head subequal to or wider than pronotum; somewhat to strongly produced. Discal portion of crown shagreen. Anterior margin of head shagreen or foliaceous; often shagreen and rounded to face laterally and foliaceous apically. Frontoclypeus tumid; texture shagreen. Clypellus strongly tapering apically; apex following or slightly surpassing normal curve of gena. Lorum distinctly narrower than clypellus near base. Antennal bases near upper or anterodorsal corners of eyes. Antennae short, less than 1.5 x width of head or long, 1.5 x width of head or longer. Gena strongly incised laterally (nearly forming right angle); with fine erect seta beside laterofrontal suture. Antennal ledge weakly developed (carinate or weakly carinate). Ocelli reduced or present; distant from eyes; on crown.

THORAX. Pronotum lateral margin carinate or rarely ecarinate; lateral margin shorter than basal width of eye.

WINGS. Forewing brachypterous; coriaceous; wings usually fused; veins obscure.

LEGS. Profemur with AM1 absent or reduced; intercalary row reduced or absent; row AV with relatively long macrosetae. Protibia dorsal surface rounded, convex. Metafemur apex macrosetae 2+1 or 2+1+1. Metatarsomere I expanded apically; plantar setae simple, tapered.

MALE GENITALIA. Valve articulated with pygofer; lateral margin short, articulating with pygofer at a point. Pygofer basolateral membranous cleft present; macrosetae absent or reduced (≤ two rows). Subgenital plates free from each other; articulated with valve; without macrosetae. Style broadly bilobed basally, median anterior lobe pronounced. Basal processes of the aedeagus/connective absent or reduced. Aedeagus with single shaft and gonopore; apex bifid. Connective anterior arms somewhat divergent, Y- shaped; stem often appearing to be formed by two longitudinal bars; articulated with aedeagus. Segment X long; sclerotized dorsally and laterally.

FEMALE GENITALIA. Pygofer with macrosetae reduced or absent. Ovipositor not protruding far beyond pygofer apex. First valvula not strongly convex; dorsal sculpturing pattern concatenate, reticulate, granulose, or maculose; sculpturing reaching dorsal margin or submarginal; without distinctly delimited ventroapical sculpturing. Second valvula abruptly broadened medially or subapically or broad, gradually tapered; without dorsal median tooth; dorsal teeth on apical 1/3 or more; teeth small, regularly or irregularly shaped. Third valvula with two irregular setal rows along entire ventral margin.

Geography and ecology

Distribution: Afrotropical region (South Africa and Lesotho). Drakensbergena spp. feed on grasses in the high elevation grassland biome of southern Africa.

Remarks

Drakensbergenini contains the type genus and 18 species.This group was considered a separate subfamily by Linnavuori (1979a) but placed as a tribe of Deltocephalinae by Zahniser & Dietrich (2010). Stiller (2009) described 16 new species of the genus. Phylogenetic analyses and morphological characters (produced head, profemur intercalary row reduced, AM1 seta reduced or absent, AV setae relatively long, metafemur apical setae 2+1+1 or 2+1) suggest that this tribe is related to Eupelicini.

Selected references

Linnavuori (1979a), Stiller (2009).

Included genera

Drakensbergena Linnavuori, 1961