Sophonia, Walker, 1870

Jat, Monica, Meshram, Naresh M. & Dey, Debjani, 2023, A new species of leafhopper genus Sophonia (Evacanthinae: Cicadellidae: Hemiptera) from India, Zootaxa 5375 (3), pp. 439-444 : 440-441

Key to species of Sophonia from India (modified from Meshram, 2017)

1. Vertex as long as width between eyes..................................................................... 2

- Vertex longer than width between eyes.................................................................... 5

2. Male pygofer with processes............................................................................ 3

- Male pygofer without processes.......................................................................... 4

3. Male pygofer with long ventral and short dorsal process.............................. S. bifida Viraktamath & Wesley

- Male pygofer with ventral process long, thin and apex pointed, without dorsal process..................................................................................................... S. chandrai Meshram & Ramamurthy

4 Pygofer caudal lobe broadly rounded, preatrium with pair of processes.......................... S. modesta (Distant)

- Pygofer caudal lobe conically produced, preatrium without process............................. S. submodesta sp.nov.

5. Vertex and pronotum with either single or paired, black, longitudinal line(s) usually connected to black spot or spots near apex of vertex............................................................................................ 6

- Vertex and pronotum without black median line or spot near apex; vertex sometimes with median, bright crimson streak or orange stripe........................................................................................ 12

6. Vertex with two rather oval, contiguous spots, each connected to longitudinal, black line; aedeagal shaft bifid.................................................................................................. S. linealis (Distant)

- Vertex with single large, round, black spot at apex either connected to or short distance away from single or paired longitudinal line(s); aedeagal shaft not bifid.......................................................................... 7

7. Median black line(s) on vertex not connected to apical round spot............................................... 8

- Median, black line(s) of vertex connected to spot at apex..................................................... 9

8. Male pygofer without ventral or caudal process; aedeagus with each arm of dorsal apodeme bearing an elongate, caudally directed process.................................................................. S. longitudinalis (Distant)

- Male pygofer with ventral process; aedeagus with each arm of dorsal apodeme bearing dorsally directed short, slender membranous process................................................................. S. delhiensis Jat et al.

9. Vertex with single, median, black line; male pygofer process short and narrow, apophysis of style hooklike; apex of each arm of dorsal apodeme with three processes......................................... S. keralica Viraktamath & Wesley

- Vertex with two median, black stripe(s); male pygofer process broad and long; apophysis of style beaklike; each arm of dorsal apodeme with process on dorsal margin.................................................................. 10

10. Male pygofer process dorsal margin serrated, or with spinelike processes; aedeagus with process of dorsal apodeme exceeding width of shaft; aedeagal shaft with pair of long caudally directed processes...................................... 11

- Male pygofer process not serrated; aedeagus with process of dorsal apodeme not exceeding width of shaft; processes of shaft short with basal short ventral tubercle............................................ S. bakeri Viraktamath & Wesley

11. Male pygofer process dorsal margin serrated; process of dorsal apodeme exceeding width of shaft; shaft with pair of long caudally directed processes without any spine................................. S. longicephala (Ahmed & Mahmood)

- Male pygofer process long, pointed apically with subapical lobe tridentate preceded by a single spine proximally; aedeagal shaft with a pair of caudally directed slender, elongate processes, in lateral view each with subapical spine at midlength........................................................................................ S. tridenta Meshram

12. Male pygofer without processes; aedeagus with preatrial processes............................................. 13

- Male pygofer with process; aedeagus without preatrial processes.............................................. 14

13. Aedeagus with preatrium longer than broad in lateral aspect; longer process of dorsal apodeme not divided; vertex with short median crimson streak in apical 0.66 but not reaching apex..................................... S. insignis (Distant)

- Aedeagus with preatrium broader than long, longer process of dorsal apodeme bifid; vertex with median crimson streak bifid near apex............................................................... S. complexa Viraktamath & Wesley

14. Vertex with median broad orange stripe anteriorly narrowed and continued posteriorly on pronotum; posterior half on pronotum broadened and blackish, scutellum blackish; pygofer process short, bladelike and pointed at apex; aedeagal shaft tubular with ventrally directed plate-like apical process................................................ S. illuminata (Distant)

- Vertex, pronotum, and scutellum whitish yellow; pygofer process long, slender and elbowed; aedeagus not as above...... 15

15. Aedeagal shaft depressed, strongly curved anteriorly, apically expanded, and hood-like..................................................................................................... S. complicata Viraktamath & Wesley

- Aedeagal shaft not as above............................................................................ 16

16. Male pygofer process glabrous without basal spine; aedeagus with complex dorsal apodeme arms winglike, each arm with dorsomedian recurved processes, caudal process directed posteriorly and caudoventral short digitate process, shaft apex with two posteriorly directed processes........................................................ S. intricata Meshram

- Male pygofer process with basal spine; aedeagus membranous, dorsal apodeme with two arms well separated, winglike, each arm with dorsomedian processes curves caudally, caudal process directed anteriorly and in contact with dorsomedian, and caudoventral processes crossing over caudad of shaft, apex of shaft flared with two dorsally directed recurved processes....................................................................................... S. vidarya Meshram