Bamboosella Sanna & Webb, 2025

Bamboosella Sanna & Webb , gen. nov.

Type species: Bamboosella dimorpha Sanna, Holzinger & Callot , spec. nov.

TAXONOMY

Superfamily Membracoidea Rafinesque, 1815

Family Cicadellidae Latreille, 1825

Subfamily Deltocephalinae Fieber, 1869

Tribe Mukariini Distant, 1908 View in CoL

DIAGNOSIS

Dorso-ventrally flattened leafhoppers. Integument dorsally uniformly yellowish-brown, without stripes or spots ( Fig. 1A–B View FIGURE 1 , 6 View FIGURE 6 ). Anterior margin of head with two transverse carinae; postclypeus tumid; ventral part of face flat and lying nearly horizontally; ocelli distant from eyes ( Fig. 1C View FIGURE 1 ). Aedeagus fused with connective, slightly to strongly asymmetrical, with single shaft, with pair of apical or subapical processes. Metabasitarsomere with 1 seta + 5 patellae + 2 setae on apical transverse row ( Fig. 1H, J View FIGURE 1 ).

DESCRIPTION

Adult: Body brownish yellow, flattened dorso-ventrally. Head from slightly narrower to slightly wider than pronotum. Ocelli on anterior margin of head. Vertex subtriangular, anteriorly rounded, shorter than width between eyes, with anterior and submarginal carinae between apex and ocelli ( Fig. 1C View FIGURE 1 ). Face rounded, distinctively inflated from side; antennae arising from ~1/3 eye length from upper corner of eye in facial view, 2nd antennal segment not visible from above; lateral frontal sutures well developed ( Fig. 1D View FIGURE 1 ). Pronotum with anterior margin roundly produced, posterior margin concave. Forewings elongate, longer than the abdomen, with four apical cells and three subapical cells, first subapical cell open, second closed and third closed and elongate; appendix well developed ( Fig. 1E View FIGURE 1 ). Hindwing with four closed apical cells, veins R4+5 and M1+2 from slightly separated to stalked ( Fig. 1F View FIGURE 1 ). Profemur with 2 dorsoapical setae, AM1 well developed, intercalary (IC) row with 6–10 setae, AV1 present and row AV with 4–7 long and thin setae. ( Fig. 1G, I View FIGURE 1 ). Protibia with 4–5 macrosetae in row PD, one apical seta in row AD and with 12–14 macrosetae in row AV together with 2–3 apical setae. Metafemur apical setal formula 2+2+1. Hind tibia flattened and nearly straight, PD 19–24, PV 36–39, AV 11–13, and AD 9–11 with 1 to 4 small setae between successive macrosetae. Metabasitarsomere with 1 seta + 5 patellae + 2 setae on apical transverse row and 2 rows of 5–8 short stout setae on plantar surface ( Fig. 1H, J View FIGURE 1 ).

Male genitalia: Pygofer with an internal process from ventral margin; with one to five macrosetae from ventral margin, adjacent to base of process ( Fig. 2F–G View FIGURE 2 , 3C, F, G View FIGURE 3 , 4C, F, I View FIGURE 4 ). Subgenital plates with scattered fine setae of variable length along dorsal border and apex and 1–4 macrosetae on ventral tip of each plate ( Fig. 2F, H View FIGURE 2 , 3E View FIGURE 3 ). Anal tube elongate, strongly sclerotized dorsally, often with 1–2 long subapical setae laterally on ventral half of basal segment ( Fig. 2F View FIGURE 2 , 3C View FIGURE 3 ). Style relatively slender, preapical lobe prominent with 3–4 long setae, apophysis elongate, apex curved laterally, acute ( Fig. 2E View FIGURE 2 , 3A View FIGURE 3 ). Connective U-shaped, fused with aedeagus. Aedeagus from strongly to slightly asymmetrical, directed to right from ventral view ( Fig. 2A, C View FIGURE 2 , 3A View FIGURE 3 , 4A, C, G View FIGURE 4 ).

Female genitalia: Sternite VII almost as long as wide, longer than sternite VI, posterior margin from convex to concave ( Fig. 5A View FIGURE 5 ). Pygofer with numerous macrosetae distally. Ovipositor protruding slightly beyond pygofer apex ( Fig. 5B View FIGURE 5 ). First valvulae with dorsal sculpturing obliquely strigate-concatenate reaching dorsal margin ( Fig. 5C–D View FIGURE 5 ). Second valvulae widest at mid-length, very broad, fused basally along dorsal margin around 1/3 of its length; with numerous very fine dorsal teeth along distal 0.6 length of valvulae; blades slightly misaligned; dorsal hyaline area between fused part of valvulae and beginning of teeth ( Fig. 5E–F View FIGURE 5 ).

BIOLOGY, HOST PLANTS AND DISTRIBUTION

Bamboosella gen. nov. is recorded from France, Italy, Switzerland and Slovenia. It is oligophagous on several species of the bamboo genus Phyllostachys (Bambusoideae) , where specimens remain closely appressed to the upper surface of leaves.

As most species of Phyllostachys are native to central and southern China ( Wu et al. 2006), this, or a neighbouring country, is the likely origin of the new taxa.

ETYMOLOGY

The generic name, which is feminine, is a combination of the English word “bamboos” with the Latin feminine suffix “-ella” (added to a noun to form a diminutive of that noun), referring to the common name of feeding plants of this genus.

REMARKS

Bamboosella gen. nov. can be easily distinguished among all described Mukariini due to the body uniformly brownish yellow without visible marking, the aedeagus with asymmetrical shaft which originates from the left side of the atrium, and the different setal formula of the apical transverse row of the metabasitarsomere, which in other Mukariini presents three platellae with one short stout seta on either side ( Viraktamath & Webb 2019).