Abstract
Two new Brazilian sharpshooter species of the genus Tretogonia Melichar, 1926 are described and illustrated: Tretogonia diminuta sp. nov. and T. elegantula sp. nov., both from the State of Paraná. A redescription of T. dentalis Emmrich, 1988 is provided based on a male from the State of Mato Grosso do Sul. This is the first Brazilian record of T. dentalis, a species originally described from Paraguay. Photographs and line drawings are provided for the three species, as well as notes on the taxonomy and biology of the genus.
Highlights
The subfamily Cicadellinae is composed of leafhoppers that feed on the xylem of vascular plants and includes some vectors of xylem-borne phytopathogenic bacteria; the copious amounts of watery excreta forcibly excreted by these insects during feeding has given rise to their common name of sharpshooters (Nielson & Knight 2000; Redak et al 2004; Carvalho & Mejdalani 2006)
The Proconiini can be distinguished from the Cicadellini by the following features (Young 1968): (1) antennal ledges protuberant in dorsal view, (2) hind legs at rest position not attaining the lateral lobes of the pronotum and (3) male pygofer and subgenital plates with dispersed microsetae
We describe two new species of Tretogonia from South Brazil, T. diminuta sp. nov. and T. elegantula sp. nov., both collected in the State of Paraná
Summary
The subfamily Cicadellinae is composed of leafhoppers that feed on the xylem of vascular plants and includes some vectors of xylem-borne phytopathogenic bacteria; the copious amounts of watery excreta forcibly excreted by these insects during feeding has given rise to their common name of sharpshooters (Nielson & Knight 2000; Redak et al 2004; Carvalho & Mejdalani 2006). The subfamily includes only two tribes (Young 1968), the cosmopolitan Cicadellini and the New World Proconiini. European Journal of Taxonomy 513: 1–14 (2019) The latter, which includes the genus treated is especially diverse in the Neotropical region. With adults usually varying in length from 10 to 22 mm (Evans 1947), the Proconiini are among the largest leafhoppers. Their morphology shows quite peculiar and curious features, such as the elongate head process of Raphirhinus Laporte, 1832, the keeled pronotum of Proconia Peletier & Serville, 1825 and the greatly flattened and expanded anterior tibiae of Peltocheirus Walker, 1858 (see digital images of these remarkable genera in Wilson et al 2009)
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