Thomsonia asymmetrica Nikoshe & Meshram, 2020

Nikoshe, Akash P., Meshram, Naresh M., Stuti & Dey, Debjani, 2020, Indian Hecalina (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae: Deltocephalinae: Hecalini) with description of three new species, Zootaxa 4881 (3), pp. 573-585 : 581-582

Thomsonia asymmetrica Nikoshe & Meshram , sp. nov.

( Figs. 5, 10, 15 , 48–54 )

Green to yellow green ( Figs. 5, 10 ), 4 longitudinal pale yellow lines on vertex and pronotum, 3 on scutellum. Vertex margin anteriorly with transverse submarginal ventral fuscous line. Compound eyes blue, ocelli off white in color. Forewings green with apical 1/3 brown, white spots in apical and anteapical cells; brown spot at end of clavus; usually 3 additional brown spots on apical margin, veins R and R1 red.

Head including eyes 1.2x as long as width of pronotum. Head not produced in front, crown length 0.6x shorter than width between eyes. Face 0.9x as long as wide. Frontoclypeus longer than wide; frontal suture, terminating laterad of ocelli. Ocelli near anterior margin, very closely oppressed to eyes. Pronotum length 0.5x as long as wide and 1.3x length of scutellum.

Male genitalia. Pygofer ( Fig. 48 ) longer than wide, posterior margin oblique, with posterior ½ heavily setose. Valve subtriangular. Style ( Fig. 50 ) with bluntly angulate preapical lobe, apophysis short, beak-like, 0.16 of total length. Connective ( Fig. 54 ) with stem 1.2x shorter than arms.Aedeagal shaft in lateral view slender, slightly sinuate near midlength, apically membranous, with pair of long, slender asymmetrical subapical procesess, one recurved and other nearly straight, gonopore subapical on ventral margin basad of process ( Figs. 51–53 ).

Measurements (mm). Male 4.8 long, 1.4 wide across eyes, 1.0 wide across hind margin of pronotum.

Type material. Holotype ³, INDIA: Meghalaya: Barapani, Umiam District , (25°39’36.2”N 91°54’03.6”E), 14.xii.2017, Sweep net Coll. Stuti ( NPC).

Etymology. The species name alludes to the asymmetrical subapical processes of the aedeagus

Remarks. Thomsonia asymmetrica sp. nov. externally resembles T. gressitti (Distant) and T. porrecta (Walker) . The new species differs in having the aedeagal shaft sinuate medially with two asymmetrical subapical processes, one recurved and the other straight, compared to T. gressitti (Distant) which has pairs of apical and preapical processes. The new species differs in having asymmetrical apical processes of the aedeagus and the shaft sinuate in lateral view, compared with T. porrecta (walker) which has symmetrical apical processes of the aedeagus and the shaft straight in lateral view..

Figures

FIGURES 1–15. Males of Hecalina species 1–5. Dorsal habitus 1. Hecalus ghaurii Rao & Ramakrishnan; 2. H. lutescens (Distant); 3. H. shanayai sp. nov.; 4. H. tumidus sp. nov.; 5. Thomsonia assymmetricus sp. nov.; 6–10. Lateral habitus. 6. Hecalus ghaurii Rao & Ramakrishnan; 7. H. lutescens (Distant); 8. H. shanayai sp. nov.; 9. H. tumidus sp. nov.; 10. T. assymmetricus sp. nov.; 11–15. Face 11. Hecalus ghaurii Rao & Ramakrishnan; 12. H. lutescens (Distant); 13. H. shanayai sp. nov.; 14. H. tumidus sp. nov.; 15. T. assymmetricus sp. nov.

FIGURES 48–54. Genitalia male Thomsonia asymmetrica sp. nov. 48. Pygofer; 49. Subgenital plate; 50. Style; 51. Aedeagus dorsal view; 52. Aedeagus, lateral view; 53. Aedeagus, ventral view; 54. Connective.