Epora montana Distant, 1912

Sohail, Kamran, Webb, Mick & Zhang, Yalin, 2020, Newly recorded genera in the planthopper family Tropiduchidae (Hemiptera: Fulgoroidea) from Pakistan with redescription of Epora montana Distant, Zootaxa 4763 (2), pp. 281-286 : 282

Epora montana Distant, 1912 , new record to Pakistan

( Figs 1 –17)

Epora montana Distant, 1912: 185 .

Epora subtalis Melichar, 1914: 51 , junior synonym of E. subtalis

Epora montana Distant, 1916: 48 , 51.

Redescription Figs (1–17)

Moderately large, body length (from apex of vertex to tip of forewing): male 6.9–7.0 mm (n=2); female 7.1–7.2 mm (n=2).

General color ochraceous; vertex, frons, pronotum, mesonotum and abdomen ochraceous or yellowish; compound eyes and ocelli yellowish; tegmina and veins pale ochraceous; legs ochraceous with spines on hind legs black tipped.

Head in facial view with frons elongate longer in middle than width with rigid median and lateral margins; lateral margins subparallel slightly curved below antennae; frontoclypeal suture distinct slightly incised, slit like processes on anteclypeus; rostrum short, three segmented, not reaching hind coxae; first antennal segment short, ring shaped, second segment subglobose larger than first segment. Head, in dorsal view (incl. eyes), narrower than pronotum, slightly produced in front of eyes; vertex with distinct central longitudinal carina broader at level of base than middle anteriorly arched and thickened; lateral margins parallel and rigid, posterior margin concave, sharply raised; disc slightly incised, median carina not approaching anterior margin. Compound eyes large, oval; ocelli small. Pronotum with two median carina not reaching anterior margins, lateral carina not parallel curved towards anterior margin; short lateral carina on both sides between compound eyes and tegula; anterior margin of pronotum arched, posterior margin notched and excavated; pronotum at level of base wider than vertex. Mesonotum with three distinct carina; median carina straight reaching apical margin, lateral carina arched reaching posterior margin; pro and mesonotum longer in midline than vertex. Front wing hyaline concave in apical margin, posterior margin straight; costal margin with 14-15 obliquely transversely veinlets with apical and sub apical elongate narrow cells. Sc+R vein bifurcate at basal quarter, Cu 1 forking at basal ¼, M vein joining nodal line, claval vein reached middle of clavus; hind wing transparent. Hind leg with 3 lateral tibial spines, spinal formula is 6-5-2.

Male genitalia (Figs 11–15): Pygofer in profile quadrangular. In lateral view, anal segment elongate, tubular not reaching apex of aedeagus; lateroapical angles roundly produced, anal foramen in apical 1/4. Aedeagus long tubular, membranous basally curved, medially narrow slightly wider towards apex; apically with spine like processes directed caudally and two spines like processes laterally (one short and one long) directed towards anal segment. Periandrium short well developed with several processes; single short process arising in middle of aedeagus curving ventromesad bifurcating into two short diverging spine-like branches and 3 long processes directed posteriorly one on left and two on right side of aedeagus. Aedeagus with lobe like process near bent on ventral aspect. Gonostyle symmetrical, longer than wide laterally apically convex; dorsally with triangular process in distal half and with hook-like sclerotized processes directed posteriorly. Corpus connective tubular curved medially.

Female genitalia (Figs 16, 17): In lateral view anal segment short, in dorsal view slightly round apically, anal style small and short. First valve (gonophyses VIII) saw like with 6 stout teeth’s on dorsal margin; ventrally with few small teeth’s. Second valve (gonophyses XI) triangular shape slightly sclerotized basally wider apically joined; third valve (gonoplace) membranous with 6 apical sclerotized stout teeth centrally curved projecting dorsally.

Material examined: 1♀ (Syntype), India, Nilgiri Hills, Hampson, Distant Coll. 1911-383, NHMUK 013588135 ( BMNH); 1♂, Calcutta, 22.v.1907, Distant Coll. 1911-383, NHMUK 013588136 ( BMNH). 2♂♂, 2♀♀, Pakistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province, Munjai, District Upper Dir 35°9'55.89"N 72°2'48.54"E, 1840m, 19-vi-2018, coll. Kamran Sohail ( NWAFU).

Distribution: India, Pakistan (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa)

Remarks: This species was described from an unknown number of specimens (syntypic) with the following data: “Nilgiri Hills (Hampson)”. The single syntype in BMNH is figured together with an associated male. This species was treated as a junior synonym of E. subtilis by Melichar (1914) but Distant (1916) separated them by size and wing venation and recorded E. montana as a valid species. Here, we distinguish the two species based on shape of the head, being shorter in E. montana , from Borneo (syntypes in BMNH), by its shorter head. This comparison is made with the original figure of E. subtilis ( Walker, 1857: 146, Pl. 7, Fig. 3) as the syntype in the BMNH and Hope Department, Oxford are without heads.

Figures

FIGURES 1 6. Epora montana (1 3. Syntype adult female, 1. Dorsal view; 2. Facial view; 3. Lateral view; 4–6. Nontype adult male, 4. Dorsal view; 5. Facial view; 6. Lateral view.