Neoaliturus alboflavovittatus ( Lindberg, 1954 )

Tishechkin, D. Yu., 2021, Redescription of Neoaliturus alboflavovittatus (Lindberg, 1954) (Homoptera: Auchenorrhyncha: Cicadellidae: Deltocephalinae: Opsiini) based on the material from Kazakhstan, with the establishment of a new synonym, Russian Entomological Journal 30 (2), pp. 140-142 : 140-142

Neoaliturus alboflavovittatus ( Lindberg, 1954)

Figs 1–12 .

Circulifer alboflavovittatus Lindberg, 1954: 226 .

Neoaliturus dumetosus Mityaev, 1975: 582 , syn.n.

MATERIAL EXAMINED. Paratypes, 10 ♀♀, Southern Kazakhstan, the Charyn River Valley , Sarytogay , 13.VI.1963, from Lycium ruthenicum, I.D. Mityaev ; 7 ♀♀, Southern Kazakhstan, Turkestan Region , the right bank of the Syr-Darya River near Baltakol Village , 16.V.1966, from Lycium, I.D. Mityaev ; 2 ♂♂, 4 ♀♀, Southern Kazakhstan, the flood-land of the Syr-Darya River in the environs of Shardara (= Chardara) Town, 18.VI.1983, from Lycium, I.D. Mityaev .

All materials were identified by I.D. Mityaev and are deposited in the Zoological Museum of M.V. Lomonosov Moscow State University.

DESCRIPTION. Females from the type series pale yellow with chocolate brown forewings. Apical parts of forewings paler, veins pale, all cells have oval or round white spots of different size; the largest spots located along back margin of clavus ( Fig. 1 ). In females from the Syr-Darya River Valley forewings much paler, sometimes almost yellow, with white spots in cells less distinct ( Figs 2–3 ).

Male darker than female, with brown pattern on head, pro- and mesonotum, forewings brown with white spots as in females from the type series ( Fig. 4 ).

Basal half of main part of penis wide, apical half rather narrow, with two processes bent backward; penis stems form full semicircle ( Figs 5–6 ). Genital plate narrow triangular, style of typical shape for this genus ( Fig. 7 ). Pygofer lobe with almost reduced process in ventral part of back margin ( Fig. 8 )

Body length (including forewings): ♂♂, 2.6–3.1 mm; ♀♀ paratypes, 3.4–3.6 mm, ♀♀ from the Syr-Darya River Valley , 3.1–3.4 mm. It should be noted that the original description indicates that the body length of females is 3.1– 3.2 mm [ Mityaev, 1975].

BIOLOGY. The specimens studied were collected from Lycium . In Kazakhstan, N. alboflavovittatus was recorded from Artemisia spp. ( Asteraceae ) and halophytic Chenopodiaceae [ Mityaev, 2002]; in Iran, it was swept on weeds in palm and citrus orchards or collected in light trap on potato fields [ Pakarpour Rayeni, Seraj, 2016], which indicates its wide host preferences. Since various species of Lycium are widely represented in the desert zone, including the Canary Islands [ Arechavaleta et al., 2010: 149; Verloove, 2017], the finding of N. alboflavovittatus on Lycium outside Southern Kazakhstan is also quite possible.

DISTRIBUTION. The Canary Islands [ Lindberg, 1954], Iran [ Mityaev, 2002, 2015; Pakarpour Rayeni, Seraj, 2016], Southern Kazakhstan [ Mityaev, 2002, 2015 and the present paper]. Also, was recorded from Northern, Central and Eastern Kazakhstan [ Mityaev, 2002, 2015], but we have not seen any specimens from these regions.

REMARKS. Both in coloration and in the shape of male genitalia, N. dumetosus fully corresponds to the description of N. alboflavovittatus [ Lindberg, 1954] (cf. Figs 5–8 and 9– 12 ); for this reason we establish a synonymy of these two names. The only difference is that specimens from the Canary Islands are larger ( ♂, 4.1 mm; ♀, 4.5 mm), but this can be explained by the fact that the climate of the Canary Islands is much warmer than in Kazakhstan, where this species exists at the extreme northeastern boundary of its range.

Since the penis stems in N. alboflavovittatus form a semicircle, according to Emelyanov [1999], this species must be attributed to the subgenus Neoaliturus s.str.

Figures

Figs 1–12. Neoaliturus alboflavovittatus Lindb. 1 — female paratype of N. dumetosus, dorsal view; 2–3 — females from the Syr-Darya River Valley; 4 — same, male; 5, 9 — penis, back view; 6 — same, lateral view, 7 — right half of valve, genital plate and style; 8, 12 — pygofer lobe; 10 — style; 11 — right half of valve and genital plate. Figs 9–12 — after Lindberg [1954], modified. Рис. 1–12. Neoaliturus alboflavovittatus Lindb. 1 — самка, паратип N. dumetosus, вид сверху; 2–3 — самки иЗ долины Сыр-Дарьи; 4 — то же, самец; 5, 9 — пенис сЗади; 6 — то же, сбоку, 7 — праваЯ половина вальвы, генитальнаЯ пластинка и стилус; 8, 12 — долЯ пигофора; 10 — стилус; 11 — праваЯ половина вальвы и генитальнаЯ пластинка. Рис. 9–12 — по Линдбергу [Lindberg, 1954], с иЗменениЯми.