Symplanella brevicephala ( Chou, Yuan & Wang, 1994 )

Chen, Xiang-Sheng & Gong, Nian, 2025, Taxonomic study of the Caliscelidae (Hemiptera: Fulgoromorpha: Fulgoroidea) from China, Zootaxa 5670 (1), pp. 1-129 : 79-82

Symplanella brevicephala ( Chou, Yuan & Wang, 1994)

( Figures 65–67 , 68A, B )

Symplana brevicephala Chou, Yuan & Wang, 1994: 48 .

Symplanella brevicephala Zhang & Wang, 2009: 177 ; Chen, Zhang & Chang, 2014: 176; Zhang et al., 2020: 161.

Description. Measurements. Body length including forewing: male 5.8–6.0 mm (N = 4), female 6.2–6.3 mm (N = 5); forewing length: male 4.9–5.2 mm (N = 4), female 5.3–5.4 mm (N = 5).

Coloration. Body mainly brown with somewhat green. Second segment of antenna with a black transverse spot near apex. Frons brown. Clypeus dark brown, median carina yellow. Eyes dark brown, ocelli orange red. Legs yellowish-brown. Forewing hyaline, veins brown. Abdomen dark brown.

Head and thorax. Width of vertex including eyes as wide as pronotum. Vertex narrower in middle line than broad at widest part (0.8:1), anterior margin roundly convex, posterior margin angularly concave, disc depressed. Frons 1.4 times longer in middle line than widest part, 3-carinate. Clypeus with median carina. Rostrum reaching posterior trochanters. Pronotum shorter in middle line than vertex (0.9:1), anterior margin angularly convex, posterior margin broadly concave. Mesonotum 1.3 times longer than pronotum and vertex combined. Forewings 4 times longer than wide; veins obviously forming a nodal line, ScP + R and MP with common stem; after the nodal line, RP single, MP with three branches, CuA with two branches; Pcu uniting A1 at basal 1/2 of clavus. Hind wing 2.1 times as long as broad at widest part, ScP, MP and CuA with two branches, RP single. Spinal formula of hind leg 6–0–0.

Male genitalia. Anal segment in dorsal view bullet shaped, apical margin roundly convex; with length 2.3 times longer in middle line than widest part; in lateral view broad at basal half, abruptly narrowed at apical half, dorsal margin almost straightly, ventral margin broadly concave in the middle. Pygofer in lateral view with dorsal margin distinctly shorter than ventral margin, laterodorsal angles finger-shape, posterior margin slightly concave in the middle; in posterior view with length 2.1 times than widest part; in ventral view, posterior margin roundly concave in the middle, anterior margin slightly convex. Genital style in lateral view with dorsal and ventral angles rounded, posterior margin sinuated; in ventral view nearly tooth-shaped. Aedeagus in ventral view with base mostly broad apical 1/2 abruptly narrowed, stick-like, apical margin rounded, each side with one spine-like process; phallobase lobe-like; aedeagus in lateral view with base slightly broad, apical part mostly curve and slender; phallobase slender, beanpod-like. Connective in lateral view narrow and slender, apical half reflexed ventrad and cephalad.

Female genitalia. Anal segment in dorsal view with length in middle line as long as widest part, apical margin angular convex; anal pore near apex; in lateral view small, dorsal margin and ventral margin subparallel.Abdominal sternite VII in ventral view with width 1.3 times as long as length, posterior margin roundly concave, behind the posterior margin with a hat-shaped ossification flake. Gonapophysis VIII elongate, with six spines at apical margin. Gonapophysis IX with two symmetrical lobes, each lobe nearly rectangle with many spines at dorsal margin, dorsal margin strongly convex, ventral margin straight. Gonoplac with outer surface shagreen; in lateral view broad, nearly triangle, dorsal margin roundly concave.

Host plant. Bamboo ( Figure 68C ).

Distribution. China (Yunnan Province).

Material examined. 11♂♂ 20♀♀, China: Yunnan Province, Mengla County, Menglun Town , 2017-VIII-24, Nian Gong, Qiang Luo and Yongjin Sui ; 14♂♂ 23♀♀, China: Yunnan Province, Baoshan City, Mangkuan Town , 2018-VI-8, Nian Gong and Hong-Xing Li ; 6♂♂ 11♀♀, China: Yunnan Province, Baoshan City, Baihualing , 2010- VII-14, Pei Zhang .

Remarks. S. brevicephala ( Chou, Yuan & Wang, 1994) is closely related to S. nigricans Gong, Yang & Chen, 2020 but differs in: 1) frons and clypeus mostly dark brown (frons mostly yellowish-brown, clypeus dark in S. nigricans ); 2) forewing of M with three branches after nodal line (with four branches after nodal line in S. nigricans ); 3) anal segment rather long (short in S. nigricans ).

Note. The above description is derived from Chou, Yuan & Wang, 1994, for the first time in English.

Figures

FIGURE 65. Symplanella brevicephala (Chou, Yuan & Wang, 1994) A. Male habitus, dorsal view; B. Male habitus, lateral view; C. Female habitus, dorsal view; D. Female habitus, lateral view. Scale bars:0.5 mm (A–D).

FIGURE 66. Symplanella brevicephala (Chou, Yuan & Wang, 1994) Male. A. Head and thorax, dorsal view; B. Face; C. Head and thorax, lateral view; D. Forewing; E. Hindwing; F.Anal segment, dorsal view; G. Male genitalia, lateral view; H. Pygofer, posterior view; I. Genital styles, lateral view; J. Pygofer and genital styles, ventral view; K.Aedeagus, lateral view; L. Aedeagus, ventral view. Scale bars: 2 mm (D, E); 0.5 mm (A–C, G, H, J); 0.3 mm (F, I, K, L).

FIGURE 67. Symplanella brevicephala (Chou, Yuan & Wang, 1994) Female. A. Genitalia, lateral view; B. Genitalia, ventral view; C. Anal segment, dorsal view; D. Abdominal sternite VII, ventral view; E. Gonapophysis VIII, lateral view; F. Gonapophysis IX, lateral view. Scale bars: 0.5 mm (A, B, D); 0.2 mm (C, E, F).

FIGURE 68. Habitat of Symplanella brevicephala (Chou, Yuan & Wang, 1994) A, B. Living female adult; C. General environment and host plant. 17 Nov. 2018, Xishuangbanna Tropical botanical Garden, Mengla County, Yunnan Province, photograph by Xiang-Sheng Chen.