Scaphoideus insignis (Distant)

Figs 88–96.

Hussa insignis Distant, 1918: 68 . SYNTYPE Ψ, INDIA [BMNH, not examined]. Scaphoideus insignis (Distant): Barnett, 1977: 494.

Coloration as described by Distant (1918). Head narrower than pronotum. Vertex as long as interocular width.

Male genitalia: Pygophore longer than high, caudal area slightly angled with two tufts of long setae. Subgenital plate triangular, apically narrowed with an acute apex; oblique row of four stout setae in basal half. Style broad at base with well­developed preapical lobe, apophysis long, slender, slightly more than half as long as total length, with short ventral tooth and ventral margin with pustules. Connective with arms approximating, short, fused with paraphyses, with strong basal apodeme, paraphyses fused in basal 0.66, slightly divergent in apical half and pointed apically. Aedeagus V­shaped, as long as dorsal apodeme, strongly laterally compressed, with two subapical toothlike processes on ventral margin and short triangular apical process on dorsal margin, gonopore subapical on ventral margin. Two well­developed sclerites arising from tenth segment with curved, acutely pointed, dark pigmented distal process in contact with dorsal apodeme.

Female genitalia: Hind margin of seventh sternum with a median V­shaped notch.

Measurements: Male 6.40 mm long and 1.38 mm wide across eyes. Female 6.60 mm long, 1.45 mm wide across eyes.

Material examined: INDIA: Tamil Nadu: 1ɗ, Shambaganur, 30.x.1975, C. A. Viraktamath (UAS); 1ɗ, 1Ψ, Cinchona, Anamalai Hills (3500 ft or 1062 m), iv/ v.1957, P.S. Nathan Coll. (IRSNB).

Remarks: S. insignis is the largest species of the genus occurring in the subcontinent. Its paraphyses are fused for most of their length, a character shared with S. hirsutus . However, S. insignis has entirely different male genitalia, and its male plates have shorter hairlike setae.