Goldeus pegolinus Casiraghi & Poggi, 2025
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publication ID |
https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5666.2.10 |
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publication LSID |
lsid:zoobank.org:pub:F09709FB-4FFF-424F-A46F-DFD7A3DBD70E |
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persistent identifier |
https://treatment.plazi.org/id/03F987FE-FFC1-AE3F-4AB5-5568095E537F |
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Plazi |
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scientific name |
Goldeus pegolinus Casiraghi & Poggi |
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sp. nov. |
Goldeus pegolinus Casiraghi & Poggi , sp. nov.
urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:719EA89F-E164-4D92-94CF-01401097F808
MATERIAL EXAMINED
Holotype:
♂, Spain, Comunidad Valenciana, prov. Alicante, Pego , 53 m amsl, 38.838722, -0.085750, 27.III.2023, A. Casiraghi leg. ( MSNB, registration number MZB 2025-0001 View Materials ). GoogleMaps
Paratypes:
2 ♂♂, Spain, Comunidad Valenciana, prov. Alicante, Pego , 53 m amsl, 38.838722, -0.085750, 27.III.2023, A. Casiraghi leg. ( MSNB, registration numbers MZB 2025-0002 View Materials and MZB 2025-0003 View Materials ) GoogleMaps .
5 ♂♂, 1 ♀, 1 5 th instar nymph, ibidem, 10.XI.2022, A. Casiraghi leg. ( CFP) .
2 ♂♂, ibidem, 10.XI.2022, A. Casiraghi leg. ( CAC) .
3 ♂♂, 3 5 th instar nymphs, ibidem, 27.III.2023, A. Casiraghi leg. ( CFP) .
1 ♂, 27.III.2023, A. Casiraghi leg. ( CAC) .
1 ♂, 28.IV.2023, A. Casiraghi leg. ( CAC) .
DIAGNOSIS
Goldeus pegolinus sp. nov. is close to the two other Iberian endemic taxa of the genus, namely G. dlabolai Quartau and G. hispanicus Dlabola , which have aedeagus C-shaped and curved cephalad as the new taxon.
G. pegolinus differs from G. dlabolai in the shape of the aedeagus which, in the latter species, is bigger and thicker, not narrowed and elongated in its distal third, and without concavity on its ventral margin in lateral view (compare Figs 2A–B View FIGURE 2 with Figs 2C–D View FIGURE 2 ). Another difference concerns the shape of the female sternite VII, the hind margin of which, in G. dlabolai , has only a central concavity, while in G. pegolinus it has three. Furthermore, the males of G. pegolinus (medium length 1.92 mm), are smaller than those of G. dlabolai (medium length 2.05 mm), while it seems to be the opposite for females (2.54 mm in G. pegolinus and 2.37 mm in G. dlabolai ).
G. pegolinus differs from G. hispanicus in the shape of the aedeagus which, in the latter species, is without thorn-shaped processes, without concavity on its ventral margin in lateral view, and with much thinner and not widened shaft in ventral view (compare Figs 2A–B View FIGURE 2 with Figs 2E–F View FIGURE 2 ). Furthermore, the males of G. pegolinus (medium length 1.92 mm) are evidently smaller than those of G. hispanicus , for which Dlabola (1974) reports a length of about 3 mm, measured from the apex of vertex to the tip of abdomen, and a forewing length of 1.7 mm; from this data, by interpolation, a length of about 2.4 mm, measured from the apex of vertex to the tip of forewings, can be estimated. The female of G. hispanicus is still unknown.
DESCRIPTION
Length from apex of vertex to tip of forewings). 1.87–2.07 mm (mean 1.92 mm) in males and 2.54 mm in the only female found.
Coloration. Ground coloration of body light brownish. Vertex with brown spots distributed in 2 longitudinal stripes, pronotum with 6 brownish longitudinal strips and dark brown spots near anterior edge, mesonotum and scutellum brown spotted near lateral angles, forewings with some brown-bordered cells ( Figs 1A–C View FIGURE 1 ). Frontoclypeus with dark transverse streaks, varying in number depending on the individuals. Anteclypeus with central dark spot. Anteclypeus and lora with fine and irregular dark margins. Abdominal tergites widely, and variably darkened and spotted, lighter in the caudal half of the abdomen ( Fig. 1A View FIGURE 1 ). Abdominal sternites widely and variably darkened. Subgenital plates with a dark spot near its apex. Legs light brownish with dark spots. Hind tibia with dark-bordered medial margin. No evident sexual dichromatism.
Structure. Habitus as in Fig. 1A View FIGURE 1 . Head produced, wider than pronotum, vertex with anterior margin forming blunt 90º angle ( Fig. 1B View FIGURE 1 ). Vertex weakly concave, as wide between the eyes as long medially; transition from vertex to frontoclypeus forming acute angle in lateral view. Ocelli present. Frontoclypeus uniformly weakly convex. Pronotum 0.8 times as long as vertex medially. Semi-brachypterous relative to forewings, micropterous relative to hindwings; forewings apically rounded, with cells completely developed ( Fig. 1C View FIGURE 1 ); hindwings very short, vestigial ( Fig. 1D View FIGURE 1 ).
Male genitalia. Pygofer without processes, with numerous and dense macrosetae on its entire surface; pygofer lobe rounded. Subgenital plates as in Fig. 1F View FIGURE 1 , with 7–9 lateral uniseriate macrosetae. Genital valve wide, triangular, with rounded apex. Connective anterior arms closely appressed anteriorly, linear. Style as in Fig. 1G View FIGURE 1 , broadly bilobed basally, with preapical lobe pronounced. Aedeagus C-shaped, curved cephalad, with preatrium shorter than shaft ( Figs 1H View FIGURE 1 , 2A View FIGURE 2 ); in lateral view, shaft strongly narrowed and elongated in its distal third, slightly widened apically and with paired oblique weak lateral ridges ( Fig. 2A View FIGURE 2 , arrow 2); shaft showing a weakly but evident concavity on its ventral margin at level of its proximal third in lateral view; gonopore apical ( Figs 1H View FIGURE 1 , 2A View FIGURE 2 ); shaft ventrally with two pairs of thorn-shaped processes, the distal one straight, directed caudad and with slight lateral triangular expansion at base, the proximal one curved, directed ventrad and laterad ( Figs 1H View FIGURE 1 , 2A–B View FIGURE 2 ); no evident aedeagus variability in examined specimens.
Female genitalia. Hind margin of sternite VII with three weak concavities, one central and two laterals, edge of central one finely furrowed and darkened ( Fig. 1E View FIGURE 1 ).
ETYMOLOGY
The species name refers to the type locality, Pego ( Spain, Comunidad Valenciana, prov. Alicante ) .
BIOLOGICAL AND ECOLOGICAL DATA
There is no data yet available on the life cycle of this species, so it is not possible to know the exact number of its generations per year. The adults were collected in March, April, and November. Some 5 th instar nymphs were found in March and November, together with the adults, so there are at least two generations per year. From the specimens collected, there would appear to be a sex ratio strongly unbalanced towards males (15 ♂♂ and only 1 ♀), but this could be due to having collected the material when the new generation appeared, with still some nymphs present and males developing somewhat before females, as often is observed in deltocephaline leafhoppers.
Specimens were collected from spontaneous cover crops present untouched in the orchard for over a year and a half.Among the numerous weed species, the dominant ones are represented by a Poaceae species, Oloptum miliaceum (L.) Röser & Hamasha, and, from November to March, by Oxalis pes-caprae L., an Oxalidaceae native to South Africa but naturalised in Valencian citrus orchards. Another Poaceae , Brachypodium distachyon (L.) P. Beauv., was briefly present in one of the sampled areas, but only after April 2023. In the orchards and wastelands near the citrus grove, other Poaceae , such as Hyparrhenia hirta (L.) Stapf and Cynodon dactylon (L.) Pers., frequently grow, but no individuals of G. pegolinus were found associated with these two species during the sampling (both present in the sampled area). Considering that, from the little data available, Goldeus species apparently live on Poaceae , it can be hypothesized that the most abundant and common grass in all areas where samples were obtained, O. miliaceum , could be a suitable host for G. pegolinus .
DISTRIBUTION
G. pegolinus is known up to now only from the type locality ( Spain, Comunidad Valenciana, prov. Alicante, Pego ) .
Remarks
It is worth mentioning that Quartau (1972) reports for G. dlabolai a considerable variability in the curvature of the shaft and in the size and number of the thorn-shaped processes (see Quartau 1972, Figs 21–22), while no variability was detected in the observed males of G. pegolinus .
The inability to fly (in brachypterous and semi-brachypterous species) and the consequent possible isolation of populations have probably favoured the origin of endemic taxa with restricted ranges in the genus Goldeus . This phenomenon seems particularly evident in the Iberian Peninsula, for which three endemic species are known so far, namely G. dlabolai , recorded only from two localities in Lisbon District ( Portugal), G. hispanicus , recorded only from one locality in Andalusia ( Spain), and G. pegolinus , recorded only from one locality in Comunidad Valenciana ( Spain). It is likely that there are other taxa yet to be discovered. About that, J.A. Quartau (personal communication) informed us that in southern Portugal there is probably another undescribed species.
No known copyright restrictions apply. See Agosti, D., Egloff, W., 2009. Taxonomic information exchange and copyright: the Plazi approach. BMC Research Notes 2009, 2:53 for further explanation.
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