Signoretia Stål

Viraktamath, C. A. & Webb, M. D., 2016, Review of the genus Signoretia (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae: Signoretiinae) of the Oriental region with description of nine new species, Zootaxa 4193 (3), pp. 486-516 : 487

Genus Signoretia Stål

Signoretia Stål 1859: 289 ; Takiya et al. 2013: 315 . Type species: Thamnotettix malaya Stål. By original designation.

Diagnosis. Head weakly to strongly produced. Pronotum with sublateral longitudinal carinae absent or if present, weakly developed and not extended entire length. Forewings with claval veins separate.

Remarks. The genus can readily be distinguished from Preta Distant , the only other Oriental genus by the lack of paired complete carinae on the pronotum (present in Preta ) and separate claval veins on forewings (fused in Preta ).

The aedeagus ( Figs 102, 104 ) in the genus Signoretia is quite complex. Often the shaft and atrium are joined to a Y-shaped well sclerotized ventral process (“ventral paraphysis-like process” of Takiya et al. 2013) either by membranous or sclerotized structure or a distinct articulation. The latter in turn articulates with the connective anteriorly and the arms are variously directed. In some cases the arms cross over each other at the base and are covered either sparsely or densely with short setae on the dorsal surface ( Figs 136, 139 , 179, 180 ). The aedeagal shaft is often membranous or partially or completely sclerotized, with a dorsal apodeme connected by a membranous or sclerotized structure with segment X; ventrally the shaft is preceded by what appears to be a gutterlike long (rarely short) atrium that is connected ventrally to the ventral process. The atrium also may possess one or two pairs of short finger-like processes.

The genus now contains 16 Afrotropical and 20 Oriental species including the nine new species described below.

Figures

FIGURES 98 – 104. Signoretia aureola Distant. 98. Male genital capsule except subgenital plates, lateral view; 99. Process of segment X; 100. Connective, dorsal view; 101. Style, dorsal view; 102. Aedeagus, lateral view; 103. Ventral process of aedeagus, posterior view; 104. Adeagus, posterior view.

FIGURES 133 – 139. Signoretia mishmiensis sp. nov. 133. Male genital capsule, lateral view; 134. Subgenital plate, ventral view; 135. Style, dorsal view; 136. Aedeagus and ventral process, lateral view; 137. Aedeagus, dorsal view; 138. Connective, dorsal view; 139. Ventral process of aedeagus, ventral view.

FIGURES 176 – 182. Signoretia sinuata sp. nov. 176. Male genital capsule, lateral view; 177. Subgenital plate, ventral view; 178. Style, lateral view; 179. Connective and ventral process of aedeagus, ventral view; 180. Aedeagus and ventral process, lateral view; 181. Aedeagus, anterodorsal view; 182. Female seventh sternite, ventral view.