Xenovarta viraktamathi, Meshram & Hashmi, 2018

Meshram, Naresh M. & Hashmi, Tahseen Raza, 2018, First record of the leafhopper genus Xenovarta Viraktamath (Hemiptera, Cicadellidae, Deltocephalinae) from India with description of a new species, Zootaxa 4532 (3), pp. 444-446 : 446

Xenovarta viraktamathi sp.nov. ( Figs. 1–12 )

Pale green with red stripes ( Figs. 1&2 ). Vertex lateral margin with a red stripe terminating into two black dot in dorsal view and ventrally with single dot ( Fig. 3 ). Face yellow, anteriorly with boomerang shaped black spot with red margins ( Fig. 4 ). Pronotum anteriorly orange yellow, rest pale green with four red stripes. Scutellum pale with two obscure orange stripes. Front wing pale green with red stripes ( Fig. 4 ).

Head including eyes 0.9x width of pronotum, in dorsal view triangularly produced in front; vertex length as long as width across eyes; ocelli near anterior margin of vertex, close to eye; face 1.6x as long as wide; anteclypeus apically exceeding facial margin, slightly wider apically than at base, 0.34 times as long as frontoclypeus ( Fig. 4 ); frontoclypeus parallel sided; clypellus; antennae situated nearly upper margin of eye in facial view ( Fig. 3 ). Pronotum ( Fig. 3 ) 0.73x as wide as long and 0.76x width of scutellum; anterior margin of pronotum roundly produced between eyes.

Male genitalia: Pygofer ( Fig. 5 & 6 ) longer than wide, with posterior lobe produced and terminating in dorsally directed acute processes, one on either side. Segment X stout, dorsal half sclerotized, with a caudo-ventral bifid process ( Fig. 6 ). Valve fused to subgenital plates the latter fused to near apex with a poorly developed caudolateral process; with distal macrosetae and many fine ventral setae arranged irregularly ( Figs. 9 & 10 ). Style ( Fig. 11 ) with well-developed preapical lobe, with few short spine-like setae, apophysis digitate 0.23x of the total length. Connective stem as long as arms ( Fig. 12 ), arms closely appressed. Aedeagus ( Figs. 7 & 8 ), with shaft uniform in width throughout length in lateral and ventral view, abruptly tapered distally to acute apex, with pair of lateral subapical lamellate processes; gonopore large, subapical at base of lateral processes; preatrium absent; dorsal apodeme moderately well developed, tapered to narrowly rounded apex.

Measurements (mm) - Male: 7.52 long, 1.20 wide across eyes, 0.75 length of pronotum, 1.31 width of pronotum.

Type material. Holotype ♂, INDIA: Arunachal Pradesh: Basar (27°59′0″N 94°40′0″E; Altitude- 1896 ft), 30.vi.2018, net sweeping on bamboo plants, coll. Stuti & Tahseen ( NPC) . Paratypes 2 ♂, same data as holotype ( NPC). NCBI GenBank, accession number: MH 986788 .

Etymology. The species is named after Prof. C. A. Viraktamath in recognition of his monumental contributions to leafhopper taxonomy.

Remarks. Xenovarta viraktamathi sp.nov. runs to Xenovarta in Viraktamath’s (2004) key to genera, disagreeing in having a small ventral process on segment X. It also appears to differ from other species of Xenovarta in having the forewing apex rounded rather than truncate. It resembles Xenovarta acuta Viraktamath externally but differs from this and other species by the more rounded apex of the forewing and simple symmetrical aedeagus with a pair of subapical lateral processes.

Figures

FIGURES 1–12. Xenovarta viraktamathi sp. nov. male 1, 2. Habitus, dorsal and lateral view; 3. Head and Pronotum; 4. Face; 5. Genital capsule, lateral view; 6. Pygofer lateral view; 7, 8. Aedeagus lateral and dorsal view; 9, 10. Valve and subgenital plates, dorsal and lateral view; 11.Style; 12. Connective.