Durgades Distant

C. A. Viraktamath, 2011, Revision of the Oriental and Australian Agalliini (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae: Megophthalminae) 2844, Zootaxa 2844, pp. 1-118 : 41

Genus Durgades Distant

Durgades Distant 1912: 608 ; 1916: 237; Viraktamath 2004: 365–366. Type-species: Durgades nigropictus Distant , type by original designation.

Color. Males usually darker compared to paler females.

Morphology. Sexually dimorphic, males smaller than females. Head, thorax and forewings covered with sparse fine hair. Head wider than pronotum. Vertex extremely short, posterior margin often upturned in middle forming ridge and stops short at about 0.75 width of hind margin of protruding eyes ( Fig. 209). Ocelli closer to inner margin of adjacent eyes than to each other, located in shallow depression facing eyes. Face wider than long, surface finely granulose. Outer margin of genae sinuate below eyes. Lora extending beyond genae. Transclypeal sulcus incomplete. Clypellus narrowed both anteriorly and posteriorly, extending beyond lora. Frons with shallow depression between and below ocelli, forming poorly defined ridge, ocelli situated on anterior margin of ridge, often visible in dorsal aspect in males. Pronotum and scutellum finely granulose, former more than twice as wide as long, lateral margins short but distinct, surface transversely wrinkled and slightly depressed on either side of median line anteriorly and laterally near posterior angles. Scutellum slightly shorter or about as long as median length of pronotum, wider than long. Forewing venation prominent with fine setae along veins, claval veins either confluent or joined by one or two cross veins or separate. Forefemora with AM1 prominently stout, elongate; intercalary setae arranged in arched row, AV setae with one stout, long seta and one stout and short seta ( Fig. 26). Hind femoral spinultion 2+1. Hind tibial setal formula PD 9 ±1, AD 6 ±1, AV 7±1. Hind basitarsus with one platella on distal transverse row. Sternal apodemes at the base of abdomen poorly developed or absent, tergal apodemes well developed but short.

Male genitalia. Tergum of ninth segment of male membranous except for a very narrow anterior band. Pygofer either elongated caudally or upturned, or truncate, with spine-like processes or with dorsal marginal blade-like process. Subgenital plates more or less elongate, covered sparsely with scattered microscopic setae, yellow in color contrasted with brown or black pigmented valve and major part of pygofer. Styles bifid caudally with inner arm slighly longer than outer. Connective plate-like, heavily sclerotized and pigmented. Aedeagus symmetrical; aedeagal shaft and dorsal apodeme with processes; gonopore apical.

Female genitalia. Seventh sternite variable. First pair of valvulae slightly arched, spulptured area on 0.66 length of valvula, sculpture closely obliquely stacked with rather rectangular alveoli, submarginal in middle ( Figs 56, 57). Second pair of valvulae arcuate, of uniform width for most part but slightly wider near apex, with one basal prominent tubercle, teeth small, bearing denticles, ventroapical margin crenulated and serrate ( Figs 58, 59).

Distribution. Foot hills of Himalayas.

Remarks. Durgades resembles some species of Japanagallia Ishihara but differs in the structure of vertex, position of ocelli, and features of the male genitalia. Considerable variation in the forewing venation, even on the two wings of the same individual occurs.