Lyristes gemellus
| Lyristes gemellus | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Systematics | ||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||
| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Lyristes gemellus | ||||||||||||
| Boulard , 1988 |
Lyristes gemellus belongs to the family of leafhoppers (Cicadidae) within the order of Risso cicadas (Cicadomorpha).
anatomy
The species reaches a body length of a little more than 50 millimeters. It has the typical habit of the leafhoppers and from its sister species , the large or commons leafhopper Lyristes plebejus from which it has not been discriminated to 1988, according to certain external features not distinguishable (a crypto species ). It is slightly larger than this and is just as black in color, but with somewhat more extensive orange markings, often covered by white, waxy deposits. On the head, the orange-colored drawing elements are more extensive, especially in the crown area, the hair on the cheek plates is less dense, but longer. The legs are also colored orange, partly overflowing brown on the inside. The femora (thigh) have three thorns, the outermost of which is very small. The wings, folded like a roof over the body in the resting position, are crystal clear (hyaline), their base and the veins in the front half are orange, and at the base of the hemielytras and their clavus are partially black. On the abdomen, the white, wax-covered part is less extended backwards. The lid (operculum) of the sound-generating tymbal organ is longer scaled orange and rounded in the male and angular in the female.
The species is distinguishable in the male sex by the shape of the mating organs. The main difference between the very similar species Lyristes plebejus and Lyristes isodol is the singing of the males. The singing is noticeably slower than that of Lyristes plebejus .
distribution
The species was first described from Kemalpaşa in the province of Izmir, Turkey. The species can occur sympatric with Lyristes plebejus in Turkey , sometimes even on the same tree. As far as is known, it is widespread on the Turkish Aegean coast. However, only one species of the genus occurs on the islands ( vicarious or allopatric distribution pattern). Lyristes gemellus is given for the islands in the east of the Aegean , while Lyristes plebejus occurs in the western islands and mainland Greece. None of the species has been found on some central islands (the Cyclades , Karpathos, and Crete ). Evidence of Lyristes gemellus is available for Lesbos , Chios , Ikaria , Samos and Rhodes , as well as for Cyprus .
biology
As far as is known, the species lives on trees and other woody plants of all kinds. Like all singing cicadas, this species is also a xylem sucker . With the help of her trunk, the adult insects sting to the pathways of various trees and suck on nutrient salts rich plant juice. The subterranean larvae of the singing cicadas suck the sap from plant roots. In order to be able to move around better underground, their front legs have been converted into grave legs. The larva of Lyristes gemellus has not yet been described, so that possible peculiarities of the species are unknown.
Taxonomy and systematics
The species was only newly described by Boulard in 1988. Before that, it had not been distinguished from the widespread and very similar Lyristes plebejus .
The genus Lyristes is taxonomically disputed. Some taxonomists consider the name to be an invalid younger synonym of Tibicen Latreille 1825 (others also ascribe the name to Berthold, 1827), they then call the species Tibicen gemellus . The name Tibicen has long been popular with American researchers, while Lyristes is preferred by Europeans. Since both genera have the same type species ( Cicada plebeja Scopoli, 1763) only one of the two names can be available. The case has been brought to the International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature for decision, which has not yet ruled.
In a phylogenomic study of various singing cicadas from America and the Palearctic, Lyristes plrbejus and Lyristes gemellus were sister species.
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c d Michel Boulard (1988): Les Lyristes d'Asie Mineure (Hom. Cicadidae). 1. - Sur deux formes éthospécifiques syntopiques et description de deux espèces nouvelles. L'Entomologiste 44 (3): 153-167.
- ↑ Paula Cristina Sim˜oes & José Alberto Quartau (2013): Distribution of cicadas of the genus Lyristes (Hemiptera: Cicadidae) in the eastern Mediterranean area. Biologia 68 (5): 961-965. doi: 10.2478 / s11756-013-0243-x
- ↑ Kathy BR Hill, David C. Marshall, Maxwell S. Molds, Chris Simon (2015): Molecular phylogenetics, diversification, and systematics of Tibicen Latreille 1825 and allied cicadas of the tribe Cryptotympanini, with three new genera and emphasis on species from the USA and Canada (Hemiptera: Auchenorrhyncha: Cicadidae). Zootaxa 3985 (2): 219-251.