Friday 28 December 2012

New species of Leafhopper from Brazil.

Leafhoppers (Cicadellidae) are small members of the True-bug order, Hemiptera, with hind legs modified for jumping. They feed on plants by draining the sap with modified mouthparts, leading many species to be regarded as agricultural pests. Immature leafhoppers (Nymphs) are similar to the adults, there is no metamorphosis on reaching maturity. The group are extremely successful, with over 20 000 described species, many of which are extremely widespread, and a fossil record dating back to the Early Cretaceous.

In a paper published in the journal ZooKeys on 15 November 2012, Adenomar Neves de Carvalho of the Instituto de Biodiversidade e Florestas at the Universidade Federal do Oeste do ParĂ¡, describes a new species of Leafhopper from the Roraima and Amazonas States of northern Brazil.

The new species is placed in the genus Paraportanus, which is widespread in Brazil and Peru, and given the specific name longispinus, meaning 'long-spines', a reference to the male reproductive organ. Paraportanus longispinus is a 5 mm yellow and brown Leafhopper.

Paraportanus longispinus, male specimen. Neves de Carvalho (2012).


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