Location: Systematic Entomology Laboratory
Title: Three new species of the Neotropical genus Smilidarnis Andrade (Hemiptera: Membracidae)Author
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Submitted to: ZooKeys
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal Publication Acceptance Date: 1/15/2024 Publication Date: 2/20/2024 Citation: Mckamey, S.H. 2024. Three new species of the Neotropical genus Smilidarnis Andrade (Hemiptera: Membracidae). ZooKeys. 1174:85–95. https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1174.103324. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1174.103324 Interpretive Summary: Leafhoppers and treehoppers transmit plant diseases that cause millions of dollars of damage to agricultural crops every year. In order to predict which species may be new pests, species need to be described and given names. In this paper, one small group of uncertain relationships is revised, a revised diagnosis is given, and three species new to science are described. This information will assist researchers in assessing its relationships and facilitate agricultural risk assessments of the U.S. Animal and Plant Inspection Service. Technical Abstract: Smilidarnis duocornus, n. sp., S. erwini, n. sp., and S. robustus, n. sp. are described, illustrated, and included in a key to the five species here recognized in Smilidarnis. One member of this genus, from Ecuador (new country record for genus), is S. erwini, which differs from its congeners in having distinct coloration and being of intermediate size in terms of overall body length and the relative length of the lateral apical spines. Smilidarnis robustus (from Peru) and S. duocornus (from Brazil) differ from the other species of Smilidarnis in having the pronotum bearing a pair of suprahumeral spines. |
