Malaxa longispina Lv & Chen, 2025

Lv, Sha-Sha, Li, Hong-Xing, Yang, Lin, Zhang, Yu-Bo & Chen, Xiang-Sheng, 2025, Two new species of the genus Malaxa Melichar, 1914 from China (Hemiptera, Fulgoromorpha, Delphacidae, Tropidocephalini), ZooKeys 1229, pp. 275-287 : 275-287

Malaxa longispina Lv & Chen sp. nov.

Figs 4 , 5 , 16–25

Type materials.

Holotype: China • ♂: Guangdong Province, Shixing County, Luoba Town, Dashui Village ; 24 ° 46 ' N, 114 ° 17 ' E; sweeping, 18 June 2023; Sha-Sha Lv leg.; IEGU . Paratypes: China • 1 ♂, 3 ♀♀; Guangdong Province, Shixing County, Luoba Town, Dashui Village ; 24 ° 46 ' N, 114 ° 17 ' E; sweeping, 18 June 2023; Sha-Sha Lv, Feng-E Li and Yong-Jin Sui leg.; IEGU .

Diagnosis.

The salient features of the new species include: vertex (Figs 4 , 16 ) and frons (Fig. 18 ) light grayish-yellow; genae (Figs 5 , 18 ) with basal 3 / 4 black markings; pronotum (Figs 4 , 16 ) with outer sides of lateral carinae with black markings; forewings (Fig. 17 ) around ScP + R, ir, RP and MP 1 with light greyish-brown marking; medioventral process of pygofer (Fig. 25 ) nearly rectangular in ventral view; gonostyles (Fig. 22 ) with apical half forming a C-shaped in lateral view; aedeagus (Fig. 21 ) narrows sharply near the middle, with a slender process.

Description.

Measurements. Total length: male 3.3–3.4 mm (N = 2), female 4.1–4.3 mm (N = 3).

Coloration. General color greyish-white to yellowish-brown (Figs 4 , 5 ). Vertex (Figs 4 , 16 ) and frons (Fig. 18 ) light grayish-yellow, frons with two indistinct light brown stripes. Genae (Figs 5 , 18 ) with basal 3 / 4 black markings. Clypeus (Fig. 18 ) black at base, and rest light yellowish-brown. Eyes (Figs 16 , 18 ) gray to reddish-black. Pronotum (Figs 4 , 16 ) light grayish-brown, outer sides of lateral carinae with black markings. Mesonotum (Figs 4 , 16 ) yellowish-brown, outer sides of lateral carinae with brown to black markings. Apex of tegulae (Figs 4 , 16 ) black brown, rest light yellowish-brown. Forewings (Fig. 17 ) greyish-white, hyaline, veins gray to brown, areas after bifurcation of Pcu and A 1 with yellowish-brown spot, around ScP + R, ir, RP and MP 1 with light greyish-brown marking.

Head and thorax. Vertex (Fig. 16 ) shorter submedially than wide at base (0.96: 1), width at apex narrower than at base (0.62: 1), submedian carinae uniting slightly beyond middle, apex produced in front of eyes, apical margin straight, greatest length of basal compartment shorter than wide at base of vertex (0.59: 1). Frons (Fig. 18 ) longer in middle line than wide at widest portion (about 2.17: 1), widest at apex, median carina simple. Postclypeus (Fig. 18 ) wide at base as wide as frons at apex. Antennae (Figs 16 , 18 ) very long, cylindrical, surpassing apex of clypeus, scape longer than wide, shorter than pedicel (0.55: 1). Pronotum (Fig. 16 ) with lateral carinae not attaining hind margin, longer than vertex in midline (0.71: 1). Mesonotum (Fig. 16 ) with lateral carinae not attaining hind margin, longer than 1.61 times pronotum and vertex combined. Forewings (Fig. 17 ) slender, longer than maximal width (3.63: 1).

Male genitalia. Pygofer in lateral view (Fig. 19 ) ventral margin longer than dorsal margin, ventral angles slightly produced, in posterior view (Fig. 20 ) with opening longer than wide, in ventral view (Fig. 25 ) medioventral processes nearly rectangular, concave medially. Gonostyles (Figs 22 , 23 ) moderately long, in lateral view apical half bifurcated into two processes, forming a C-shaped, outer process long and bent, tapering to apex, inner process short, relatively rounded at apex; in posterior view curved, basal angles produced, outer process thick. Male genitalia (Fig. 21 ) with phallobase, aedeagus tubular, vaulted ventrally, basal part broad, narrows sharply near the middle, with a slender spinous process; phallobase long, curved ventrally, tapering to apex, basal part with two spiniform processes, dorsal margin with an angular process medially. Anal segment (Figs 19 , 24 ) small, ring-like.

Host plant.

Indocalamus sp. ( Poales : Poaceae : Bambusoideae).

Distribution.

China (Guangdong) (Fig. 1 ).

Etymology.

The species name is a combination of the Latin word “ long - ” and “ spina ” (with the connecting letter “ i ”, i. e., “ long spine ”), referring to the ventral margin of the aedeagus with a long spinous process medially. The name is intended to be feminine.

Remarks.

This species (Figs 16–25 ) is similar to M. bispinata Muir, 1926 ( Hou et al. 2013: figs 1–14), but differs from the latter in: (1) vertex and frons grayish-white (vertex with apical half and basal half of frons dark brown in M. bispinata ); (2) middle part of apical half of forewings with grayish-brown markings (middle part of apical half of forewings without grayish-brown markings in M. bispinata ); and (3) pygofer with two medioventral processes not distinct (pygofer with three medioventral processes very distinct in M. bispinata ).

Figures

Figure 1. Geographic distributions of species of Malaxa Melichar, 1914.

Figures 2–5. Malaxa chongzuoensis Lv & Chen, sp. nov., male 2 habitus, dorsal view 3 habitus, lateral view 4, 5 Malaxa longispina Lv & Chen, sp. nov., male 4 habitus, dorsal view 5 habitus, lateral view. Scale bars: 0.5 mm (2–5).

Figures 16–25. Malaxa longispina Lv & Chen, sp. nov., male 16 head and thorax, dorsal view 17 forewing 18 frons, ventral view 19 male genitalia, lateral view 20 male genitalia, posterior view 21 anal segment and aedeagus, lateral view 22 gonostyle, lateral view 23 gonostyle, posterior view 24 anal segment, lateral view 25 pygofer, ventral view. Scale bars: 0.2 mm (16–25).