Soractellus Evans, 1966

Naveed, Hassan & Zhang, Yalin, 2018, Revision of the leafhopper genus Soractellus Evans (Cicadellidae: Deltocephalinae) with description of a new species from Pakistan, Zootaxa 4429 (3), pp. 595-599 : 595-596

Soractellus Evans, 1966

Soractellus Evans, 1966: 225

Type species. Soractellus brunneus Evans, 1966 , by original designation.

Description. Yellowish-brown to stramineous in colour. Head produced in front, slightly broader and longer than pronotum. Crown triangular, margin rounded to face. Eyes fairly large, ocelli small, separated from eye by distance more than their own diameter on anterior margin. Frontoclypeus narrow, longer than breadth between eyes, anteclypeus slightly narrowed apically. Pronotum with sides short, anterior margin produced and posterior margin concave. Scutellum triangular, with transverse suture curved and depressed, slightly shorter than pronotum. Forewing macropterous to brachypterous, with four apical cells and three anteapical cells, apical cells usually with dark bands, first two branches of vein R reflexed, appendix narrow. Fore femur with 2 dorsoapical setae, intercalary row contains 10 setae, and row AV with numerous fine setae. Fore tibia with row AV contains 12 macrosetae decreasing in length towards the base, and row AD with numerous short setae. Hind femur enlarged distally and slightly angled, apical setal formula 2+2+1. Hind tibia depressed and nearly straight, row PD with 10 macrosetae decreasing in length toward the base; row AD with 8 macrosetae infused by 2 to 4 small setae; metabasitarsomere with two setae on apical transverse row, and 4 stout setae arranged in a row at lateral margin.

Male genitalia. Pygofer lobe slightly longer than width, with many stout setae medially, processes absent. Valve large, subtriangular or triangular. Subgenital plate broadly rounded distally, with numerous fine setae arranged irregularly. Aedeagal shaft elongate, apex forked, gonopore near base of shaft on ventral margin. Connective loopshaped, with or without short stem, articulated with aedeagus. Style broad at base then narrowing to middle, apical half narrow.

Remarks. Soractellus can be distinguished from other Paralimnini especially genus Parapotes by the subgenital plate broadly rounded with numerous fine setae distally, and the aedeagal shaft elongate with apex forked and gonopore near the base.

Distribution. Australia, Africa, India, China, Pakistan.