Tuesday 11 November 2014

Two new species of Leafhoppers from China.


Leafhoppers are small members of the True Bug order Hemiptera, closely related to Cicadas. They are typically small and inconspicuous as individuals, seldom more than a few millimetres in length, but in large numbers can be harmful to plants and are often considered to be agricultural pests.

In a paper published in the journal ZooKeys on 28 August 2014, Xiaofei Yu and Maofa Yang of the Institute of Entomology at Guizhou University and the Guizhou Provincial Key Laboratory for Agricultural Pest Management of the Mountainous Region, describe two new species of Leafhopper from China. Both are placed in the genus Empoasca and subgenus (Empoasca), which already contains over 400 species globally and 53 species from China.

The first new species is named Empoasca (Empoasca) dorsodenticulata, in reference to denticles which are found on the dorsal surface of the aedeagal shaft, part of the male reproductive apparatus. Empoasca (Empoasca) dorsodenticulata is a 4.0-4.1 mm green or yellowinsh Leafhopper with green and white markings. The species is described from three male specimens collected from different sites in Guiazhou Province; the female of unknown.

Empoasca (Empoasca) dorsodenticulata in (top) lateral and (bottom) dorsal views. Yu & Yang (2014).

The second new species is named Empoasca (Empoasca) spiculata, again in reference to the structure of the aedeagal shaft, which in this case has ventral spicules. Empoasca (Empoasca) spiculata is a 3.9-4.1 mm Leafhopper, yellowish in colour, with yellow and white markings. The species is described from six male specimens collected from Luya and Lvliang Mountains in Shanxi Province; the female of this species is also unknown.

Empoasca (Empoasca) spiculata in (top) lateral and (bottom) dorsal views. Yu & Yang (2014).

See also…

http://sciencythoughts.blogspot.co.uk/2013/01/new-species-of-leafhopper-from-laos.html
New species of Leafhopper from Laos, southeast Asia.
Leafhoppers (Cicadellidae) are small members of the True Bug Order Hemeptera, with specialized mouthparts for sucking sap. They are extremely abundant across the globe, with over 20 000...
 
http://sciencythoughts.blogspot.co.uk/2012/12/new-species-of-leafhopper-from-brazil.html New species of Leafhopper from Brazil. 
Leafhoppers (Cicadellidae) are small members of the True-bug order, Hemiptera, with hind legs modified for jumping. They feed on plants by draining the sap with...

Leafhoppers are small Insects belonging to the True Bug order, Hemiptera. They are mostly herbivorous, using needle-like mouthparts to drill into plants and drain their sap. Leafhoppers form large colonies on...


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