Melanoliarus (Melanoliarus) complectus ( Ball, 1902 )

Hendrix, Solomon V. & Bartlett, Charles R., 2025, Reclassification of the Planthopper Genus Melanoliarus Fennah, 1945 (Hemiptera: Fulgoromorpha: Cixiidae), primarily North of Mexico, with Notes on American Pentastirini, Zootaxa 5619 (1), pp. 1-87 : 62-64

Melanoliarus (Melanoliarus) complectus ( Ball, 1902)

Oliarus complectus Ball, 1902: 152 (original description).

Oliarus cinereus Wolcott, 1921: 18 ( Fig. 34 ), synonym by Caldwell & Martorell 1951: 138.

Oliarus (Melanoliarus) campestris Fennah, 1945: 141 , synonym by Caldwell & Martorell 1951: 138.

Cixius franciscanus Stål, 1859: 273 , synonym by Van Duzee, 1917: 309 (error: Ball 1934, Mead & Kramer 1982: 386, Bartlett et al. 2014: 93).

Remarks. Oliarus cinereus was described from “cane fields” in Puerto Rico, one of the few species of Pentastirini reported from the island ( Hendrix & Bartlett 2024a; table 1). As the original description does not mention a type series, the status of the species remained obscure. Caldwell & Martorell (1951) regarded this species as a synonym of Oliarus complectus Ball, 1902 per the original description of the locality and general abundance of the species, but did not seem to explicitly confirm the synonymy using specimens or male terminalia. Mead & Kramer (1982) did not mention the species. It is unclear if the synonymy was overlooked, not accepted, or beyond their intended scope. We located a single male syntype specimen of the species at the USNM ( Fig. 34 ). Here, we designate a lectotype for Oliarus cinereus to stabilize the concept of the taxon (label data provided in Material Examined). The features of this specimen appear consistent with Caldwell & Martorell’s (1951) assertion that it is a junior synonym of Melanoliarus complectus . The unit tray including this specimen included specimens without determination labels with red “cotype” labels. These specimens bear the same locality label as the Oliarus complectus lectotype and allotype, collected in Port-au-Prince, Haiti (see Ball 1934: 273, Mead & Kramer 1982: 487) and we suspect that these are paralectotypes of O. complectus .

IIb. Additional new combinations

Figures

FIGURE 34. Oliarus cinereus lectotype, here designated (male), A) dorsal habitus view, B) lateral view, C) frontal view, D) head and thorax, E) labels.