Nicolaus bihamatus Xing & Li

Viraktamath, C. A. & Webb, M. D., 2014, Four new species of the grass feeding leafhopper genus Nicolaus Lindberg (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae: Deltocephalinae) from the Indian subcontinent, Zootaxa 3784 (5), pp. 528-538 : 533-534

Nicolaus bihamatus Xing & Li

( Figs 5 –10, 28–40, 65–68)

Nicolaus bihamatus Xing & Li 2011: 148 –149, figs 139: 1–5.

Coloration similar to N. cornutus but crown of head with submarginal brown stripe each side of median line anteriorly and tiny spot on gena adjacent lorum, black.

Head slightly longer than median length of pronotum. Pronotum about as long as combined median length of scutum and scutellum.

Male genitalia. Pygofer caudoventrally rounded with internal tooth-like short process. Subgenital plate with emargination on lateral margin near apex. Style with prominent subapaical lobe, apophysis slender, strongly laterally curved. Aedeagus with shaft membranous except for a narrow dorsal sclerotized rod; preatrial processes bladelike, with ventral margin convexly expanded subapically and apically abruptly broadened with two ventral denticles.

Female genitalia. Seventh sternite three times as wide at base as long medially, posterior margin medially slightly produced with median short incision. First pair of valvulae tapered gradually near apex. Teeth on the second pair of valvulae in distal half close together, distance between them less than length of each tooth.

Measurements. Male 5.1 mm long, 1.2 mm wide across eyes. Female 5.1 mm long, 1.3 mm wide across eyes.

Material examined. INDIA: Karnataka: 1 ♂, Biligirirangana Hills, 1100 m, 9.viii.1977, C.A. Viraktamath ( BMNH); 1 ♂, Gonibidu, 28.i.1983, Shashidhar; 1♀, Mudigere, RRS, 7.iv.1975, C.A. Viraktamath ( UASB). Meghalaya: 1 ♂, Shillong: Umiam, 25.x.2013, C.A. Viraktamath ( UASB). PAKISTAN: 2 ♂, Punjab, viii.1985, C.W. & L.B. O’Brien ( BMNH).

Remarks. This is a new record of the species from the Indian subcontinent. This species forms a group with N. inaffectus Stiller , N. trispinatus Stiller , and N. serratus sp. nov. in having a partially sclerotized elongate aedeagal shaft.

The species shows variation in the shape of the head among the specimens from Shillong and Karnataka. Both male and female from Karnataka have a longer and more pointed crown ( Fig.7 ) than the male from Shillong (Fig. 9). The specimens from India and Pakistan also show some variation in the structure of male genitalia ( Figs 31–33 and 38–39 ) and differ from typical specimens from China in the pygofer processes being internal rather than external, the slightly broader aedeagal shaft in ventral view and in the shape of the distal part of the preatrial processes. Therefore, identification of these specimens is tentative.

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 8. Species of Nicolaus. 1 & 2. N. abuensis sp. nov., female; 3 & 4. N. bidentatus sp. nov., male; 5 & 6. N. cornutus sp. nov., male; 7 – 10. Nicolaus bihamatus Xing & Li: 7 & 8. Female from Mudigere; 9 & 10. Male from Shillong.

FIGURES 28 – 40. Nicolaus bihamatus Xing & Li: 28. Head and thorax; 29. Face; 30. Male pygofer, lateral view (India); 31. Caudal region of pygofer, lateral view (India); 32 & 33. Variation in caudal region of pygofer, lateral view (Pakistan); 34. Connective, style, valve and subgenital plate, dorsal view (India); 35. Connective and aedeagus, ventroposterior view (India); 36 & 37. Lateral & latero-ventral views of aedeagus (India); 38 & 39. Variations in the distal apices of preatrial processes (Pakistan); 40. Female seventh sternite, mutilated along the hatched lines.