Durgades nigropicta Distant

C. A. Viraktamath, 2011, Revision of the Oriental and Australian Agalliini (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae: Megophthalminae) 2844, Zootaxa 2844, pp. 1-118 : 47

Durgades nigropicta Distant

Figs 26, 56–59, 206–214, 566, 580, 595.

Durgades nigropicta Distant 1912: 609 ; 1916: 238, fig. 175. Viraktamath 2004: 371–373, figs 34–42. HOLOTYPE ♀, E. HIMALAYAS [BMNH, examined].

Durgades distanti Kameswara Rao and Ramakrishna, 1978b:358 . HOLOTYPE ♂, INDIA [NPC, examined] synonymized by Viraktamath 2004: 371.

Male (color). Kameswara Rao and Ramakrishnan (1978b) have described male of this species adequately.

Male genitalia. Pygofer gradually narrowed caudally and produced into slightly curved process terminated in stout spine. Subgenital plates shorter than pygofer, somewhat elongate, triangular with rounded apex. Styles caudally twisted laterally and posteriorly, mesal arm longer than outer arm, fairly attenuated, shaft of styles deeply constricted cephalad of twist. Connective broad, lateral margins sinuate. Aedeagus with well developed apodeme bearing one medially cleft lamellate process, each lobe of cleft bearing finger-like process, socle broad, stout, with strongly curved outer margin, shaft broad with three ridges around gonoduct, two lateral and one caudal and laterally appearing broad, with additional pair of dorsally directed processes.

Female (color). Testaceous, two tiny spots on vertex, markings on outer margin of ocelli, transverse narrow band between antennal ledges, facial sulci, areas of pronotum behind eyes parts of anal margin of forewings and parts of vein M, fuscous. Antennal pits and meso and metapleura dark brown; vertex, upper parts of face, clypellus, apices of lora, posterior and lateral margins of pronotum, lateral extremes of impressed line on scutellum, ochraceous. Abdomen irregularly marked with fuscous. Transverse carina of vertex not as acute as in males. Pronotum flat. Forewings extend beyond abdomen, but hind wings not reaching apex of abdomen.

Female genitalia. Seventh sternite longer than sixth, posteriorly marked with brown, hind margin convex, medially slightly excavated. Pygofer with fine setae, ovipositor longer than pygofer.

Measurements. Male and female 3.57–3.74 mm long, and 1.4 mm wide across eyes.

Material examined. HOLOTYPE ♀ of Durgades nigropictus Distant, E. Himalayas, Distant Coll. 1911 –383, Brit. Mus. ( BMNH) . HOLOTYPE ♂ of Durgades distanti , India: Assam: Shillong , 30.v.1918, A.G. R., ex Lantana ( NPC) . PARATYPE ♂, Cherrapunjee , 30.v.1918, A.G. R. ( NPC). Additonal material: INDIA: West Bengal: Darjeeling , 11 ♂, 6 ♀, 1 nymph, 23.x.1981; Tiger Hill, 2245m, 52 ♂, 23 ♀, 1 nymph, 24.x.1981; Ghoom, 2247m, 25 ♂, 19 ♀, 25.x.1981 Algarha, 1638m, 8 ♂, 3 ♀, 9 nymphs, 27.x.1981; Kurseong, 1 ♂, 1 ♀, 22.x.1981; Meghalaya: Cherrapunjee , 6 ♂, 1 nymph, 5.xi.1981; Shillong, 2 ♂, 3.xi.1981; 1 ♂, 5.xi.1981 all collected by C.A.Viraktamath and S. Viraktamath ( UASB). NEPAL : 4 ♂, 1 ♀, Ulleri, Godavari, 4.xi.1981, I. Dworakowska; Kathmandu , Chandragiri , 21.vii–25.xi.1979, V.K. Thapa ( UASB) ; 4 ♂, 1 ♀, Bokaihunde, 20 Km N of Trisuli (Nuawakot), 2100m , 13–17.xi.1965, L.W.Quate; 2 ♂, Dunche, 28 Km N of Trisuli (Nuawakot), 1950m , 7–12.xi.1965, L.W. Quate ( BPBM) .

Remarks. Distant (1916) redescribed and adequately illustrated this species. The female holotype has blackish brown spots on the pygofer and is comparatively small. However, the size of the female is quite variable and also there is variation in the curvature of the female seventh sternite, fusion of the claval veins and size of the inner anteapical cell of the forewings.