Hecalusina unispinosa, He & Zhang & Webb, 2008

He, Zhi-Qiang, Zhang, Ya-Lin & Webb, Michael D., 2008, An unusual new genus and species of Hecalini leafhopper from southern China (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae: Deltocephalinae), Zootaxa 1896 (1), pp. 25-30 : 27-30

Hecalusina unispinosa sp. n. ( Figs 1–25 )

Type material

Holotype: male, China, Yunnan Province, Mangshi , 19. viii. 2005, coll. Meng Li. Paratypes: China, 1 female, same data as holotype ; 1 female, Yunnan province, Hekou , 8. vii. 1974, coll. Chou Io & Feng Yuan ; 1 male, Qiongzhong county of Hainan province, 4. vi. 1983, coll. Yalin Zhang ; 2 male and 3 female, Guangdong province, Dinghu Mountain , 17/ 18. vii. 1985, coll. Yalin Zhang. All the types are deposited in NWAFU except 1 male and 1 female paratypes from Guangdong in BMNH .

Description

Colouration: Pale yellow, vertex and thorax stramineous with two indistinct yellow longitudinal bands, two on vertex and pronotum and three on scutellum. Forewing with veins white, margined with deep yellow and a fine dark line.

Structure: Male 6.0–6.5mm, female 7.0–8.0mm, to tip of forewings. External features and abdominal apodemes as in generic description.

Male genitalia: Pygofer side with an internal mesal blade-like membranous process and a ventrally directed spine ( Figs 22–23 ). Subgenital plate triangular, with a digitate sclerotized process arising from inner wall apically; laterally with 14 stout setae and number of hair-like setae ( Figs 24–25 ). Aedeagus with shaft elongate, tapering to acute apex, compressed basally, cylindrical apically, curved caudo-dorsally in apical 1/ 3rd, a dorsocaudally curved spine arising dorsomedially from base of shaft, gonopore apical on ventral surface; dorsal apodeme short, one-fifth length of shaft ( Fig. 17 ). Style subapical lobe weakly developed, apophysis digitate, slightly curved ( Fig. 19 ).

Female genitalia: Posterior margin of 7th sternite broadly concave with posterolateral corners extended posteriorly. Pygofer side with 2 rows of setae on posterior margin ( Figs 15–16 ). Ovipositor extending approximately 2.5× its own width beyond pygofer. Valvulae as in generic description.

Etymology

The name of species is derived from the Latin words “uni” and “spinosa”, referring to the single basal aedeagal spine.

Distribution Hainan, Yunnan and Guangdong provinces, China.

Acknowledgements

We wish to express our sincere appreciation to Dr. C. A. Viraktamath, University of Agricultural Sciences, Bangalore, for his checking of our material and making comments on the manuscript. The project was supported by “The survey of biological resource in Hainan and Xisha Islands (2006FY110500-3)” and “The Pilot Project of Standardized Curation, Data Integration and Resource Sharing of Zoological Collections (2005DKA21402)”.

References

Dash, P.C. & Viraktamath, C.A. (1997) New species of grass feeding hecaline leafhopper genera Glossocratus and Hecalus (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae) from India. Journal Bombay Natural History Society, 94, 127–138.

Hamilton, K.G.A. (2000). Five genera of new-world “shovel-headed” and “spoon-bill” leafhoppers (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae: Dorycephalini and Hecalini). The Canada Entomologist, 132, 452–453

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Morrison, W.P. (1973). A revision of the Hecalinae (Homoptera) of the Oriental Region. Pacific Insects, 15 (3& 4), 379– 438

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Zahniser, J.N. & Webb, M.D. (2004). Placement of the Faltala Oman Leafhopper Group (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae: Deltocephalinae) with Descriptions of Three New Species. Annals of the Entomological Society of America, 97 (4), 667– 674

Figures

FIGURES 1–16. Hecalusina unispinosa sp. n. 1, female adult, dorsal view; 2, female head and thorax, lateral view; 3, female face; 4, male adult, dorsal view; 5, male head and thorax, lateral view; 6, male face; 7, anterior tentorium; 8, male left fore femur; 9, male right forewing; 10, male right hindwing 11, 2nd valvulae; 12, apical part of 2nd valvulae; 13, 1st valvulae; 14, apical part of 1st valvulae; 15, female 7th abdominal sternite; 16, female abdominal sternum, ventral view.

FIGURES 17–25. Hecalusina unispinosa sp. n. 17–18, aedeagus, lateral and ventral view 19, style, dorsal view; 20, connective, dorsal view; 21, male 3rd abdominal sternal apodeme (asa=abdominal sternal apodeme, at=abdominal tergite, as=abdominal segment); 22, male pygofer, lateral view; 23, apical part of pygofer side, inner view 24, plate; 25, apical part of plate.