Malaxella flava Ding & Hu, 1986

Qin, Dao-Zheng & Zhang, Ya-Lin, 2009, A revision of Malaxella Ding & Hu (Hemiptera: Delphacidae) with description of a new species, Zootaxa 2208, pp. 44-50 : 45-48

Malaxella flava Ding & Hu, 1986

( Figs. 1–12 )

Malaxella flava Ding & Hu in Ding et al. 1986: 419.

Malaxa aurunca Yang & Yang, 1986: 59 , synonymised by Chen, 2003: 820.

Description. Body length: macropterous male 1.85–1.92 mm (n=4); macropterous female 2.10–2.33 mm (n=9).

Color. General color orange yellow. Eyes greyish. Ocelli red brown. Antennae with apex of segment I and base of segment II reddish, in some specimens the antennae reddish orange except the apex of segment II orange yellow. Tegmina subhyaline, veins concolorous, macropterous forewings with fine, brownish hairs. Dorsum and venter of abdomen orange. Male pygofer with ventral processes, apex of parameres and left laterodistal process of male anal segment blackish brown. Female ovipositor brownish orange.

Head. Including eyes narrower than pronotum about 0.75: 1 ( Fig. 1 ). Vertex longer medially than wide at base (about 0.86: 1), slightly narrower at apex than at base (0.85: 1). Frons in midline longer than maximum width (2.4: 1), widest at level of base of eyes and continuing nearly straight and converging towards apex of frons ( Fig. 2 ). Postclypeus and anteclypeus together approximately 0.86 of the length of the frons ( Fig. 2 ), in profile shallowly convex medially ( Fig. 3 ). Postclypeus distinctly wider than frons at apex ( Fig. 2 ). Antennae reaching apex of clypeus, segment I about 2.4 times longer than apical width, shorter than segment II about 1: 3.0 ( Fig. 2 ).

Thorax. Pronotum in midline slightly shorter than length of vertex about 0.88:1, posterior margin concave medially, lateral carinae slightly sinuate, diverging but not reaching posterior margin ( Fig. 1 ), pronotum width 0.74–0.75 mm, length 0.15–0.18 mm. Mesonotum medially ca. 1.6 times longer than vertex and pronotum together, lateral carinae slightly diverging caudad, lateral and median carina obsolete apically ( Fig. 1 ). Tegmina in macropterous form 3.20–3.48 mm long, surpassing tip of abdomen by one third of their total length, widest at apical fourth ( Fig. 4 ). Legs with tibia quadrate in cross section, metatibia 0.85–0.93 mm long, metabasitarsus (0.28–0.33 mm) nearly as long as tarsomere 2 (0.13–0.15 mm) + 3 (0.19–0.22 mm) combined, posttibial spur (0.25–0.28 mm) slightly shorter than metabasitarsus.

Male genitalia. Pygofer in lateral view slightly longer ventrally than dorsally, laterodorsal angles not produced caudad ( Fig. 6 ), in posterior view male pygofer with opening asymmetrical, bearing two spine-like processes on midventral margin ( Fig. 5 ). Diaphragm membranous ( Fig. 5 ). Parameres asymmetrical, fairly long, contiguous at base and apex reaching to the level of anal segment, the left paramere longer than the right one ( Figs 5, 11 ). Suspensorium fused with the aedeagus near its base ( Figs 7–9 ). Aedeagus produced ventrally near the base, then curved and gradually narrowing towards acuminate apex, in caudal view aedeagus arising from the middle of the aedeagus-suspensorium complex, slightly curved to the left, gonopore large, opening subbasally on dorsal surface ( Figs 7, 9 ). Male anal segment large, left laterodistal angle with a cluster of hairlike setae from which emerges a stout, ventrally directed process with a pointed apex ( Figs 5–8, 10 ).

Specimens examined. 4 males 7 females, China: Guangxi Autonomous Region, Guilin, 28 Aug. 1974, coll. Yao Zhou & Zheng Lu; 1 female, Hainan Province, Nada, 23–24 Aug. 1974, coll. Yao Zhou & Zheng Lu; 1 female, Hainan Province, Jianfengling, 18 May 1983, coll. Yalin Zhang (NWAFU).

Distribution. Southern China (Yunnan, Guizhou, Hainan, Taiwan, Guangdong and Guangxi).

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 12. Malaxella flava Ding & Hu. 1, head and thorax, dorsal view; 2, frons and postclypeus; 3, head and pronotum, left lateral view; 4, right tegmen, macropterous male; 5, male genitalia, caudal view; 6, same, left lateral view; 7, anal segment, suspensorium and aedeagus complex, caudal view; 8, same, left lateral view; 9, suspensorium and aedeagus complex, caudal view; 10, anal segment, right lateral view; 11, parameres, left lateral view; 12, aedeagus, left lateral view.