The stylet structure of a leafhopper (Eupteryx melissaeCurtis: Homoptera, Cicadellidae)

Abstract

The structure of the mandibular and maxillary stylets of the leafhopper Eupteryx melissae Curtis is described and comparisons made between them and the stylets of Heteroptera and other Homoptera with particular reference to the apical barbs, the marginal hairs and the stylet cavities. Maxillary barbs are absent but the flanges of both pairs of stylets bear microtrichia, those of the maxillaires much reduced. The axial stylet cavity of the mandibular is single, but that of the maxillary bifurcated distally: there is some evidence that the cavities of both pairs of stylets contain nerve fibres. The salivary canal is confined to the right maxillary stylet and both it and the food canal maintain constant dimensions along the stylet shaft so facilitating movement of one stylet upon the other, an important feature during plant penetration. There is some evidence, particularly from staining reactions, that the stylets contain resilin, but if present, it is overlaid and masked physically and functionally by chitinous cuticle.