On the identification of two Brazilian leafhoppers: redescription of Scoposcartula frontaliana comb. nov. and description of the female of S. talitae (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae: Cicadellini)

Mejdalani, GabrielAlexandre Carvalho, Rachel

This paper deals with two species of Scoposcartula Young, 1977 that are very similar to each other externally (form and color pattern): S. frontaliana (Metcalf, 1955) comb. nov. (from the state of Bahia, NE. Brazil) and S. talitae Leal, Mejdalani & Cavichioli, 2005 (from the state of Espírito Santo, SE. Brazil). The former species, previously positioned in Amblyscarta Stål, 1869, is redescribed and a male specimen is selected as the lectotype. The previously unknown female of the latter species is described for the first time. Scoposcartula frontaliana can be distinguished from S. talitae by features of the male and female genitalia. The most remarkable difference is in the male pygofer, which has a conspicuously concave posterior margin in S. frontaliana, whereas it is convex in S. talitae. The posterior margin of the female sternite VII is convex in S. frontaliana, whereas in S. talitae it has a pair of shallow concavities and a median dentiform projection.

1. morphology
2. female genitalia
3. male genitalia
4. Brazil
5. Auchenorrhyncha
6. sharpshooter
7. lectotype