Erythrogonia dietrichi, Quintas & Silva & Takiya & Mejdalani, 2025

Quintas, Victor, Silva, Adriane P., Takiya, Daniela M. & Mejdalani, Gabriel, 2025, Exploring the diversity of leafhoppers from Brazil: five new species of Erythrogonia Melichar (Insecta: Hemiptera: Cicadellidae: Cicadellini), Zootaxa 5686 (2), pp. 249-269 : 259-261

Erythrogonia dietrichi sp. nov.

Length. Male holotype 7.3 mm.

( Figs. 11 , 39–43 )

Head ( Figs. 11 , 39 ). Median length of crown approximately 0.7 of interocular width and 0.4 of transocular width; ocelli located approximately on imaginary line between anterior angles of compound eyes, each ocellus equidistant from median line of crown and adjacent anterior eye angle; coronal suture distinct; coronal surface smooth, without shallow median concavity. Face with muscle impressions of frons distinct; epistomal suture obscure medially; clypeus continuing profile of frons on upper portion and more nearly horizontal on lower portion.

Thorax ( Fig. 11 ). Pronotum, in dorsal view, with pronotal width smaller than transocular width of head; lateral margins convergent anteriorly; posterior margin approximately rectilinear; dorsolateral carina complete, almost rectilinear, slightly declivous anterad. Mesonotum with scutellum not transversally striate. Forewing with membrane well-delimited, including all apical cells except base of fourth; veins mostly distinct, not elevated. Other features of head and thorax as in the generic description ( Young 1977, p. 767).

Male terminalia. Pygofer ( Fig. 40 ), in lateral view, well-produced posteriorly; apex narrowly rounded; posterior margin obliquely truncate; without processes; macrosetae distributed mainly on posterior portion and extending anteriorly along ventral margin. Subgenital plate ( Fig. 41 ), in ventral view, elongate and slender, subtriangular, not extending as far posteriorly as pygofer apex; basal half moderately expanded, distal half narrowed; apex obtuse; dorsal surface with distinct projection at median portion associated with style apex; plate fused to its counterpart at base; with uniseriate macrosetae. Connective ( Fig. 41 ), in dorsal view, subrectangular, with median keel. Style ( Fig. 41 ), in dorsal view, extending posteriorly much beyond apex of connective; apophysis elongate, its apical portion digitiform; with preapical lobe; apex obtuse. Aedeagus ( Figs. 42, 43 ) symmetrical; shaft, in lateral view, tubular, with dorsal projection at apex; gonopore located apically; basal portion with pair of conspicuous, elongate processes, extending beyond apex of shaft. Paraphyses absent.

Female unknown.

Color ( Figs. 11 , 39 ). Crown mostly dark brown to black, with pair of subtriangular ivory spots on posterior portion, separated from each other on median line by coronal suture. Eyes dark brown to black. Pronotum reddish-brown, with large subquadrate ivory spot at median portion, extending from anterior margin and almost reaching posterior margin. Mesonotum reddish-brown. Forewing reddish-brown; median portion of clavus with large ivory spot that crosses claval sulcus and extends to corium; apical portion of corium with elongate, transverse ivory spot. Ground color of face pale yellow. Lateral and ventral portions of meso- and metathorax with pale yellow areas; legs mostly pale yellow.

Etymology. The new species name, dietrichi , is given in honor of Dr. Christopher H. Dietrich (Illinois Natural History Survey, Urbana-Champaign) in recognition of his outstanding contribution to our knowledge of leafhopper diversity and friendship.

Material examined. Brazil, state of Goiás. Male holotype: “BR/GO—PORTELÂNDIA \ RIACHO DE LAGE \ L07 \ 19.II.2012 \ LS [Luciano Sgarbi], APMS [Allan Paulo Moreira Santos], ER [Erikcsen Raimundi] cols.” ( DZRJ) .

Taxonomic notes. Erythrogonia dietrichi sp. nov. is very similar to E. dottaga Medler, 1963 in the external morphology. However, the new species can be distinguished by its pygofer with apex narrowly rounded and posterior margin obliquely truncate ( Fig. 40 ), as well as by the dorsoapical projection of the aedeagus ( Fig. 42 ).

Figures

FIGURES 7–11. Dorsal habitus of holotypes of five new Brazilian species of Erythrogonia (antennae and legs omitted). 7, E. peclyae sp. nov. (Roraima); 8, E. dalvae sp. nov. (Amazonas); 9, E. adolfoi sp. nov. (Acre); 10, E. dmitrievi sp. nov. (Maranhão); 11, E. dietrichi sp. nov. (Goiás). Scale bars = 1 mm.

FIGURES 39–43. Erythrogonia dietrichi sp. nov. Male. 39, face, anterior view; 40, pygofer, lateral view; 41, subgenital plates, styles, and connective, dorsal view; 42, anal tube and aedeagus, lateral view; 43, aedeagus, ventral view. Scale bars = 0.5 mm.