Austroagallia nitobei (Matsumura)

C. A. Viraktamath, 2011, Revision of the Oriental and Australian Agalliini (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae: Megophthalminae) 2844, Zootaxa 2844, pp. 1-118 : 29-30

Austroagallia nitobei (Matsumura)

Figs 141–143.

Agallia nitobei Matsumura 1912: 316 . TYPE ♂, ♀, TAIWAN [EIHU, examined].

Austroagallia nitobei (Matsumura) : Viraktamath 1973: 307–308, figs 1, 2; Viraktamath & Sohi, 1980:285, figs. 1–4.

Color. Coloration as discussed by Viraktamath (1973) very variable, usually ochraceous with typical black spots on vertex and pronotum. Antennal pit with one small round spot at ventral extremity; in darker specimens, upper extremity near base of antennae narrowly black.

Male genitalia. Pygofer caudally conically rounded. Styles with inner arm as long as outer arm. Connective with caudal margin strongly bilobed. Aedeagus with well developed dorsal apodeme, shaft with fold-like tubercle, gonopore surrounded by elongate oval plate with crenulate margin ventrally. Anal collar process hook-like, hook spindle-shaped.

Female genitalia. Hind margin of seventh sternite almost straight.

Measurements. Male 3.30 (3.00–3.70) mm long, 1.02 (0.97–1.05) mm wide across eyes. Female 3.60 (3.30– 3.90) mm long, 1.1 (1.05–1.15) mm wide across eys.

Material examined. INDIA: Bihar: Pusa , 1 ♀, 30.v.1935, H.S. Pruthi ( NPC) ; 1 ♂, at light, Nehela bimaculicollis (Stål) . H.S. Pruthi det. (misidentification) ( FRI) ; Delhi: 1 ♂, New Delhi, NPC campus, 6.ix.1934, R. Saran, ex cowpea ; 12 ♀, 21.iv.1939, R. Saran, ex Lucerne and sannhemp ( NPC) ; 4 ♀, xi.1963, R. Menon ( NPC) ; 3 ♂, 17 ♀, 23.iv.1975, C.A. Viraktamath ( UASB) . Haryana: 1 ♀, Kalka, 29.i.1979, C.A. Viraktamath ( UASB) . Karnataka: 1 ♀, Bangalore, 25.viii.1975, C.A. Viraktamath ( UASB) ; 1 ♂, 4 ♀, Dharwar, 21.i.1973, C.A. Viraktamath; 1 ♂, 1 ♀, Gulbarga, 17.xi.1978, C.A. Viraktamath ( UASB) . Madhya Pradesh: 5 ♂, 1 ♀, Pachamarhi ( NMNH) . Punjab : Ludhiana 1 ♂, 28.vii.1968, ex Sesbania aegyptiaca ; 31 ♀, 22–30.vi.1968, ex Lucerne; 1 ♀, 6.vii.1968, cowpea; 53 ♀, 6–7.vii.1968, ex Cajanus cajan , M.I.P.K. Gill ( PAU) . Maharashtra: 1 ♂, 2 ♀, Rajagurunagar (Poona), 1975, on potato and grasses, CIE A7761 ( BMNH) . PAKISTAN: 1 ♂, Lahore , 18 ♂ and ♀, Karachi ( NMNH) . SRI LANKA: 3 ♂, 1 ♀, Peradeniya ( BMNH) ; 46 ♂ and ♀, Ratmalana ( CAS) . THAILAND: 2 ♂, Chiangmai ( NMNH ; 3 ♂, 5 ♀, Chumphon ( CAS) ; 8 ♂ and ♀, Rat Buri ( NMNH) . VIETNAM: 1 ♂, 12 ♀, M’Drak E. of Ban Me Thout, 4–600 m, xi–xii. 1960, C.M. Yoshimoto ( BPBM) .

Remarks. Viraktamath (1973) recognised variation in populations of this species from Sri Lanka, Thailand, Vietnam and India. This species resembles the Palaearctic A. avicula (Ribaut) both externally and in the aedeagus. In A. nitobei , the fold-like tubercle of the aedeagus is considerably basad, the aedeagal shaft is slender, and the apical process of the aedeagus is elongate and oval with a crenulated lower border. In A. avicula , the tubercle of the aedeagal shaft is considerably distad, the aedeagal shaft is comparatively robust and the apical process of the aedeagus is triangular and short.