Agnesiella (D.) mitrata Huang & Zhang, 2022

Wang, Junjie, Liu, Jialing, Zhang, Yalin & Huang, Min, 2024, Eight new species and four new records of the leafhopper genus Agnesiella Dworakowska (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae: Typhlocybinae) from China, Zootaxa 5537 (1), pp. 49-75 : 62

Agnesiella (D.) mitrata Huang & Zhang, 2022

Agnesiella (D.) mitrata Huang & Zhang, 2022: 225

Agnesiella (D.) aldera, Yan et Yang, 2019: 152 [misidentification]

Remarks. Agnesiella (D.) mitrata is very similar to Agnesiella (D.) aldera Thapa, 1984 , and the two species show identical characteristics in terms of habitus and genitalic features: the pygofer process originates from the posteroventral margin of pygofer and directed posterolaterally ( Figs 82, 88 ); the apical part of style is approximately Y shaped ( Figs 83, 89 ); and the ventral process of aedeagal shaft has two short digitiform branches directing dorsad and ventrad respectively ( Figs 84, 90 ). But compared to A. (D.) aldera , A. (D.) mitrata exhibits the following finer differences from A. (D.) aldera : the pygofer process is closer to the posterior margin, sinuate and thinner ( Fig. 82 ); the subapical process of style is slightly longer, nearly equal in length to the apical part, and less 90° angled with apical part ( Fig. 83 ); the aedeagal shaft with subapical part more curved and with the ventral process thicker and shorter ( Fig. 84 ).

Upon a careful examination of the type specimen of Agnesiella (D.) mitrata Huang & Zhang, 2022 (deposited in NWAFU) and comparison with the illustrations and description ( Figs 82–87 ) of Agnesiella (D.) aldera Thapa reported by Yan & Yang (2019) as the first record from China, we determined that Yan & Yang (2019) misidentified the specimen of A. (D.) mitrata as A. (D.) aldera . Besides the identical features mentioned above between in A. (D.) mitrata and Yan's misidentified specimen, they also share the same body length (male) with 3.5mm and overlapping distribution (Yunnan Province of China). A. (D.) aldera is larger (3.75 mm body length of male) and known to occur only in Nepal and India.

Based on the above evidence, we treat the specimen reported by Yan & Yang (2019) as a misidentification to Agnesiella (D.) mitrata .

Material examined. ♂ (holotype), CHINA, Yunnan Province, Chuxiong City, Mt. Zixi , 2300m, 12 Nov 1999, coll. I. Dworakowska ; 1♂ 1♀, CHINA, Yunnan Province, Tengchong City , 1300m, 22 Nov 1999, coll. I. Dworakowska ; 1♂, CHINA, Yunnan Province, Dali City, Mt. Weibao , 1200m, 20 Jul 2001, coll. Qiang Sun ; 1♂, CHINA, Yunnan Province, Qujing City, Mt. Junzi , 1800m, 29 Jul 2018, coll. Zonglei Liang ; 1♂, CHINA, Yunnan Province, Gongshan Derung and Nu Autonomous County , Shuanglawa Village , 1800m, 17 Jun 2019, coll. Lü Lin ; 1♂ 1♀, CHINA, Yunnan Province, Xishuangbanna Nanban River Basin National Nature Reserve, Nanguohe Village , 1650m, 3 Jun 2022, coll. Zhou Xian ; 2♂, CHINA, Yunnan Province, Lincang City, G 323 National Highway , 1500m, 12 Jun 2022, coll. Junjie Wang ; 3♂ 1♀, CHINA, Yunnan Province, Gaoligongshan National Nature Reserve , 1650m, 16 Jun 2022, coll. Junjie Wang ; 2♂ 1♀, CHINA, Yunnan Province, Lijiang City, Xinzhu Village , 2360m, 3 Jul 2022, coll. Junjie Wang ; 1♂ 1♀, CHINA, Xizang Autonomous Region, Jilong County, Jilong Town , 2800m, 18 Jul 2022, coll. Qingquan Xue.

Figures

FIGURES 82–90. Hind part of male pygofer (lateral view), style (dorsal view), aedeagus (lateral view). 82–84. Agnesiella (D.) mitrata Huang & Zhang, 2022 (from Wang et al., 2022); 85–97. Agnesiella (D.) aldera Thapa, 1984 (misidentified, from Yan & Yang, 2019); 88–90. Agnesiella (D.) aldera Thapa, 1984 (from Thapa, 1984).