Mileewa digitata, Yu & He & Yang, 2021

Yu, Xiao-Fei, He, Hong-Li & Yang, Mao-Fa, 2021, Three new species of Mileewa (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae: Mileewinae) from Tibet China, Zootaxa 4933 (3), pp. 435-443 : 436

Mileewa digitata sp. nov.

( Figs 1–2 )

Length: ³4.2–4.6 mm, ♀ 4.6–4.7 mm.

Coloration. Head, thorax and forewing black. Upper half of crown brownish (black in some males), bearing three yellowish longitudinal stripes and some irregular cloudy spots. Eyes and ocelli off-white. Scutellum yellow white in distal half, medium of basal half brown yellowish, with a distinct vertical line and two round black spots beside end of vertical line (thorax and scutellum totally black, without stripe in some males). Face, thorax in ventral view and legs yellow white, pretarsus black, abdomen yellowish ventrally, subgenital plates and pygofer dark brown. Forewing with scattered yellow-brown translucent spots in basal half, outer margin with transparent edge, posterior margin with two equirotal transparent markings at medium, distal area with two preapical crescent-shaped transparent markings.

External features. Head anterior margin roundly produced in dorsal view, median length of crown equal to interocular width; ocelli located on line between anterior eye angles; lateral frontal suture extending onto crown and attaining ocelli; coronal suture reaching two-third median length of crown. Face with frontoclypeus moderately convex, muscle impressions distinct, anteclypeus longitudinally swollen, clypeal suture obscure.

Male genitalia. Male pygofer trapezoidal in lateral view, dorsal margin straight, surface with few microsetae, ventral process slender not reaching posterior margin, curved dorsad. Anal tube appendage absent. Subgenital plates longer than pygofer, surface bearing biserial macrosetae and slender and short setae from basal 1/4 to apex. Connective trapezoidal, longer than wide. Style slender, apex with finger-like process directed dorsad, with few teeth. Aedeagus elongate, preatrium absent, dorsal apodeme developed, aedeagal shaft sinuate in lateral view, with numerous denticule in distal half, apex either with two long processes directed basad, five small asymmetric processes or a few teeth (see Remarks); gonopore preapical on posterior surface.

Etymology. The specific epithet is derived from the Latin word digitus meaning finger-like, referring to the finger-like process of the style.

Material examined. Holotype ³, China: Tibet, Motuo, Beibeng , 1 August 2020, coll. Xiaofei Yu & Zaihua Yang. Paratypes: 2³³, 18♀♀, the same data as holotype; 23³³ , 56♀♀, China: Tibet, Motuo , 27–31 July 2020, coll. Xiaofei Yu & Fangling Xu ; 10³³, 7♀♀, China: Tibet, Motuo, Beibeng , 1–3 August 2020 , lighted by Xiaofei Yu ; 1³ , 4♀♀, China: Tibet, Motuo, Beibeng , 13 August 2020, coll. Xianyi Wang ; 3³³, 6♀♀, China: Tibet, Motuo, Dexing (1068 m), 15 August 2020, coll. Xianyi Wang. ( GUGC) .

Remarks. This species is very similar to Mileewa octospina Yang, 2010 in external morphological characteristics, but differs from the later in having the ventral pygofer process very slender and apical processes of the aedeagus extended laterad. The variation found in the apex of the aedeagus, i.e., either with two long symmetrical processes, five small asymmetric processes or a few teeth, is treated as intraspecific.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Mileewa digitata sp. nov. A&E. Male adult, dorsal view; B&F. Male adult, lateral view; C&D. Face; G. Male genitalia, lateral view; H. Pygofer, lateral view; I. Subgenital plate, ventral view; J. Aedeagus, lateral view; L&K. Apical half of aedeagus, lateral view; M.Aedeagus and connective, dorsal view; N&O.Aedeagus, dorsal view; P&Q. Apical half of aedeagus, dorsal view; R. Style, lateral view; S&T. Apical half of style, lateral view; U. Anal tube, ventral view.

FIGURE 2. Mileewa digitata sp. nov. A. Male genitalia, lateral view; B. Pygofer, lateral view; C. Subgenital plate, ventral view; D. Style, lateral view; E&F. Apical half of style, lateral view; G. Aedeagus and connective, dorsal view; H&I. Aedeagus, dorsal view; J&K. Apical half of aedeagus, dorsal view; L. Aedeagus, lateral view; M&N.Apical half of aedeagus, lateral view; O. Anal tube, ventral view.