Cofana nigrilinea (Stål)

Krishnankutty, Hu. M. & Viraktamath, Ra. A., 2008, Notes on the leafhopper genus Cofana Melichar (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae: Cicadellinae) from India with description of two new species, Zootaxa 1874 (1), pp. 35-49 : 40-42

Cofana nigrilinea (Stål) ( Figs. 4 , 27–34 )

Tettigonia nigrilinea Stål, 1870: 735

Cofana nigrilinea, Young, 1979: 7

Length: male, 6.6 mm; female, 7.4 mm. Pale ochraceous. Crown with anterior margin broadly pointed, with median apical black spot and two medium sized round spots each near lateral clypeal sutures that extend to ocelli, disk of crown with central round large black spot. Pronotum with distinct central longitudinal brown line extending to scutellum, anterior portion with brown patches arranged transversely and posterior margin with two brown round spots on either side of central line ( Fig. 27 ). Clypellus with central pale brown longitudinal line. Genae with brown markings. Forewing white.

Male genitalia. Pygofer trapezoidal with rounded caudo-dorsal margin and obliquely truncate caudal margin ( Fig. 30 ). Style in dorsal view with apex slender, smoothly curved laterally, truncate in lateral view ( Fig. 32 ). Aedeagal shaft in lateral view, bulbous at base, narrowed towards apex, with serrated dorsal and ventral margin, caudal region denticulate near base; dorsal apodeme as long as shaft, separated from shaft by less than maximum width of shaft; in caudal view shaft broad at base, gradually narrowed towards apex ( Figs. 28, 29 ). Abdominal apodemes long, slender, reaching mid length of fourth segment ( Fig. 33 ).

Female genitalia. Hind margin of female seventh sternite convex and undulate ( Fig. 34 ).

Material examined. 2 males, India: Karnataka, Kemmannagundi , 11.iv. 1975, 1430 m ; 2 males, 1 female, India: Karnataka, Kemmannagundi , 10.iv.1975 ; 1 male, Kemmannagundi , 9.iv.1975 (all collected by C. A. Viraktamath) ; 1 male, India: Karnataka, Mudigere , 21.v.1976 (B. Mallik) ; 1 male, India: Karnataka, Jog falls , 9.v. 1976, 534 m (B. Mallik) ; 1 male, India: Kerala, Meppadi , 18.x.1975 (B. Mallik) [UAS, INHS].

Distribution. New Guinea, Oriental region ( Young, 1979).

Remarks. Males of this species can be easily distinguished by the serrated ventral margin of the aedeagal shaft. Females of this species cannot be distinguished from those of C. lineata based on the shape of the seventh sternite.

Figures

FIGURES 1–8. 1–2, Cofana bidentata n.sp., male & female; 3, Cofana lineata (Distant); 4, Cofana nigrilinea (Stål); 5, Cofana spectra (Distant); 6, Cofana spiculata sp. nov.; 7, Cofana subvirescens (Stål); 8, Cofana unimaculata (Signoret).

FIGURES 27–34. Cofana nigrilinea (Stål)., 27, head; 28, lateral view of aedeagus; 29, caudal view of aedeagus; 30, dorsal view of pygofer; 31, ventral view of subgenital plate; 32, lateral view of style; 33, male abdominal apodeme; 34, female seventh sternite.