Doratura (Doratura) butzele, Guglielmino & Bückle, 2021

Guglielmino, Adalgisa & Bückle, Christoph, 2021, Two new species of the genus Doratura Sahlberg (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae: Deltocephalinae) from the Mediterranean Region, Israel Journal of Entomology (Oxford, England) 51 (6), pp. 77-84 : 78-80

Doratura (Doratura) butzele n. sp.

( Figs 1–4)

Doratura paludosa : sensu Graeffe, 1903: 50 (misidentification), nec Melichar, 1897.

LSID: urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:B89D6E2E-A8D7-49D1-AE48-0E9A6E6A884B .

Etymology: The species is named after a dear friend and colleague in Sicily. The species name is a noun in apposition.

Diagnosis: Doratura butzele n. sp. is closely related to D. paludosa Melichar, 1897 , from which it differs above all by its aedeagus morphology. In D. paludosa , the aedeagus is slender in lateral view, widened only in its central portion, its ventral margin is more or less abruptly curved in the middle, its dorsal margin is proximally straight, curved in its distal portion; spinules are present over the whole surface up to the apex, only a short proximal sector remains devoid of them. In D. butzele n. sp., the aedeagus is distinctly stouter, rather evenly curved along the whole ventral margin, with its dorsal margin proximally curved, and spinules are present only in the central portion, with the apical portion always smooth and shiny. Slight differences may be observed also in the styles, which have their medial outlines more evenly curved in D. paludosa , while they are somewhat angular and more distinctly narrowed proximally in D. butzele n. sp. But the shape of styles is somewhat variable in both species, and therefore the mentioned differences are often not very evident. The sutural angles of the genital plates are generally more rounded in D. butzele n. sp., but also this character is variable and insufficient for a safe identification, which is possible only based on the aedeagus shape. The female pregenital sternite has a small, but distinct semicircular notch (in D. paludosa it is generally only shallow, indistinct, or completely lacking).

Description: Measurements (mm): Males: Total body length 3.00–3.35, width over wings 1.27–1.34, width of head including eyes 1.06–1.15, length of vertex 0.43–0.48, length of forewings from insertion point to apex 0.91–0.99, length of hind tibia 1.68–1.73. Females: Total body length 3.85–4.80, width over wings 1.25–1.39, width of head including eyes 1.12–1.23, length of vertex 0.45–0.53, length of forewings from insertion point to apex 0.88–1.01, length of hind tibia 1.68–1.95.

Male genitalia: Aedeagus shaft with ventral area in the middle elevated, crestshaped, surface in great part covered by distinct spinules except for basal third and apical fifth, the latter areas shiny and without microsculpture; in lateral view ( Fig. 1) stout, very slightly widening in its basal half, evenly narrowing in its distal half, with sharp or hook-shaped tip, and dorsal border basally distinctly concave, in its central region somewhat curved or almost straight, in its apical fifth slightly concave; in ventral view basally narrowed in apical direction, in the middle of its distal half distinctly widened, near tip strongly narrowing. Socle well developed, fold between shaft and socle oblique, with distinct angle to dorsal border of shaft. Styles ( Fig. 2) rather short, evenly curved in their distal parts, with inner denticle distal of midlength, evenly narrowing from denticle to apex, slightly widened between denticle and base, distally of this widening narrowed. Genital plates ( Fig. 3) with more or less rounded sutural angle, posterior margin obliquely running in laterocaudal direction until more or less indistinct exterior angle, lateral margin sinuate.

Female genitalia: Pregenital sternite ( Fig. 4) with lateral margin slightly converging in caudal direction, obtuse posterior angles, straight or slightly concave hind margin and small, generally distinct, approximately semicircular notch in the middle of hind margin. Ovipositor in lateral view protruding beyond posterior angle Of pygOfer ¼–⅓ Of Its cOmplete length frOm hInd margIn Of pregenItal sternIte tO ovipositor tip.

Holotype: ♂ Italy: Puglia (Foggia), Gargano, road Cagnano – S. Giovanni Rotondo, 400 m before fork to S. Marco in Lamis, Bosco Quarto [41.7556°N 15.8161°E], ~ 650 m, 2.vi.2010, Guglielmino & Bückle (loc. 508), open area with Asphodelus , ferns inside a forest with Quercus , Crataegus .

Paratypes: Italy: 15♂ 6♀, same data as hOlOtype; 4♂, AbruzzO (L’AquIla), between SecInarO and MOlIna Aterno [42.1538°N 13.7129°E], ~ 700 m, 15.viii.1998, Guglielmino & Bückle (loc. 15), meadows with Acer and Quercus ; 4♂ 6♀, AbruzzO (ChIetI), ROad SS650 tO Pescara, fOrk tO MOntemItrO [41.8986°N 14.6393°E], ~ 100 m, 15.vII.1998, GuglIelmInO & BÜckle (lOc. 90), vegetatIOn near TrIgnO rIver; 4♂, Molise (Isernia) Fiume Trigno near fork between Poggio Sannita and Bagnoli del Trigno [41.7347°N 14.4457°E], ~ 400 m, 23.viii.2006, Guglielmino & Bückle (loc.309), river vegetation with Populus nigra , Salix , Quercus , Inula , Artemisia , Phragmites , POaceae etc.; 23♂ 12♀, PuglIa (FOggIa), GarganO, ROad SS528 (km 34.2) MOnte S.AngelO – VIcO, 1.2 km after fOrk tO CarpInO [41.7471°N 15.9889°E], ~ 700 m, 7.vi.2010, Guglielmino & Bückle (loc. 520), dry meadow bordered by Quercus ilex and Oaks; 16♂ 5♀, Puglia (Bari), Gravina, Parco Nazionale Alta Murgia , Road SP35, 5 km south of junction to SP151 (Altamura–Ruvo) [40.9371°N 16.4475°E], ~ 400 m, 10.vi.2010, Guglielmino & Bückle (loc. 525), dry meadOw wIth ruderal vegetatIOn; 10♂ 7♀, PuglIa (TarantO), Castellaneta, BOscO deI TerzI [40°41'26.6"N 16°57'22.9"E], 270 m, 19.vI.2011, GuglIelmInO & BÜckle (lOc.551), Open fOrest wIth Quercus , Crataegus , Rubus , POaceae , ApIaceae , thIstles, Asteraceae , LamIaceae ; 6♂ 6♀, BasIlIcata (POtenza), MOnte POllInO, road to Colle d’Impiso 6 km from junction of road Viggianello – S. Severino [39.9558°N 16.1412°E], ~ 1250 m, 4.viii.2009, Guglielmino & Bückle (loc. 473), open pasture with Juncus , Carex , Poaceae etc.; 12♂ 6♀, CalabrIa (COsenza), MOnte POllInO, rOad frOm CIvIta tO COlle MarcIOne, 2.2 km abOve fOrk frOm rOad tO FrascInetO [39.8267°N 16.3052°E], ~ 550 m, 10.vIII.2009, GuglIelmInO & BÜckle (lOc. 485), arid area with tufts of Poaceae , Juniperus , Pistacia lentiscus , Quercus ilex , Spartium , Helichrysum ; 5♂, Calabria (Cosenza), Monte Pollino, road from Morano–Mormanno, slope east of tunnel Campotenese [39.8870°N 16.0458°E], ~ 1050 m, 18.vi.2010, Guglielmino & Bückle (loc. 541), meadows with isolated pines, Poaceae , Fabaceae , Lamiaceae and less dry areas on the margin of mixed forest.

Distribution: Doratura butzele n. sp. was found in Italy in Veneto, Piedmont, Abruzzo, Molise, Apulia, Campania, Basilicata, Calabria and Sicily. Outside of Italy, the species occurs at least in Croatia (Istria), Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, and probably in Slovenia (Graefe, 1903, misidentified as D. paludosa ). The species has been recently found also in Lower Austria (Gernot Kunz, pers. comm.), in a ground squirrel enclosure, possibly introduced.

Ecology: In Northern and Central Italy (Veneto, Piedmont, Abruzzo, Molise), the species was found only at low altitudes between the sea level and 700 m. In CalabrIa, It Occurs at lOw altItudes, but alsO at mOderately hIgh altItudes up tO 1400 m in the Mt Pollino region and up to 1800 m in the Sila mountains ; in Sicily, the highest collection sites are on Mt Etna at 1450 m. The species is generally found in dry habitats as borders of lowland riverbeds, grasslands near the seashore, ruderal places, in the southern regions also on dry mountain slopes .

Biology: The species was collected from the beginning of June until the end of October. Probably it has two generations (there may be one generation in the mountain regions only) and hibernates in the egg stage.