Hecalus muzaffarabadensis, Naveed & Zhang, 2018

Naveed, Hassan & Zhang, Yalin, 2018, Review of the grass feeding leafhopper genus Hecalus Stål (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae: Deltocephalinae) with description of four new species from Pakistan, Zootaxa 4415 (3), pp. 580-590 : 585

Hecalus muzaffarabadensis , sp. nov.

( Fig. 3A–D ; Plate IH–J)

Length. Male: 6.2mm.

Colouration and Morphology: Shiny pale yellow in appearance (Plate IH). Crown with two transverse lines on anterior margin. Pronotum pale yellow, scutellum with fuscous yellowish spots. Forewings yellowish with pale veins (Plate IH–I). Crown subangularly produced and broadly triangular with dorsal marginal ridge. Ocelli on margin next to eyes. Genae strongly sinuate below eyes. Pronotum as wide as head, laterally carinate (Plate IH–J).

Genitalia: Pygofer lobe subacute apically, heavily setose in posterior half ( Fig. 3A ). Valve broadly triangular. Connective “Y”-shaped with short stem. Subgenital plates elongate, broader at base, tapered apically with 6–7 submarginal setae. Style with pointed apophysis, with scales, preapical lobe moderately developed ( Fig. 3B ). Aedeagus with dorsal apodeme finger-like, curved distad ( Fig. 3D ). Aedeagal shaft broadened medially; tapered distally with terminal pair of forked processes, ventral fork longer ( Fig. 3C ). Aedeagal shaft with pair of lateral flares around constriction near apex; keeled ventrally with many teeth ( Fig. 3C ); gonopore apical.

Type material: Holotype: 1♂, Pakistan, Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Muzaffarabad City , 737m, 30 June 2016, Coll. Hassan Naveed.

Remarks: This species is similar to H. furcatus Morrison, 1973 but differs in the shiny pale yellow colour of adult with two lines on the anterior margin of the crown; the aedeagus with a pair of lateral flares near the apex and the shaft keeled ventrally with many teeth and broadened medially. It also differs from H. bifidus Dash & Viraktamath, 1997 in its colour pattern and two lines on anterior margin of crown; and the aedeagus with a pair of lateral flares and shaft ventrally keeled with many teeth.

Etymology: The species epithet is based on the type locality, Muzaffarabad.

Figures

FIGURE 3. Hecalus muzaffarabadensis sp. nov. A. PygoPhore, lateral view; B. style, connective, valve and subgenital Plate, dorsal view; C. aedeagus, dorsal view; D. aedeagus lateral view.