Alishania Vilbaste

Xing, Ji-Chun, Dai, Ren-Huai & Li, Zi-Zhong, 2010, The leafhopper genus Alishania Vilbaste in China (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae: Deltocephalinae), with description of a new species, Zootaxa 2344, pp. 65-68 : 65

Alishania Vilbaste

Alishania Vilbaste, 1969a: 5 .

Type species: Thamnotettix formosanus Matsumura, 1914 .

Type locality: Taiwan (Ali-shan).

Vertex and thorax yellowish brown, vertex triangular and produced. Head including eyes slightly wider than pronotum. Eyes black, large. Ocelli located on lateral margin of vertex, separated from adjacent eye by approximately their own diameter. Face with dark, transverse streaks. Frontoclypeus narrow, longer than width between eyes. Anteclypeus more or less parallel-sided. Antennae arising near lower corner of eye. Pronotum very large, longer than vertex, with irregular brown black stripes, anterior margin roundly produced and posterior margin concave. Scutellum triangular, slightly shorter than pronotum, with transverse suture curved and depressed. Forewings with four apical cells and two subapical cells, MCu subapical lack, appendix well developed, clavus without transverse veins. Hind femur formula 2+2+1.

Male pygofer side very long, with long macrosetae posteriorly. Valve large, its posterior margin sinuate or roundly produced (Figs.5,10). Subgenital plates each with large basolateral lobe, bases fused medially (Figs.6,11). Aedeagus with paired shafts, forked in ventral view, with two gonopores, articulated to connective (Figs.1,12,14). Style elongate, apophysis long, tapered to acute apex, medial margin with long appendage (Figs.3,4,15,16). Connective Y-shaped, stem longer than arms.

Remarks. This genus is similar to Ophiola Edwards, 1922 in appearance, but can be distinguished from the latter by the aedeagus having the shaft forked with two gonopores; the basally fused subgenital plates with large basolateral lobes; and the forewings with two subapical cells.

Distribution. Oriental Region ( China, Japan).

Discussion. Alishania Vilbaste is distributed in the Oriental Regions. The genus belongs to the tribe Opsiini base on the with two aedeagal shafts in the males with a gonopore near the apex of each. This view is consistent with Oman et al. (1990). This is the first report of discussion of the relationship of Alishania to Ophiola .The genus is especially well differentiated from other genera of Deltocephalinae by the unique male genitalia and the fore wings with two subapical cells.