Dictyohimalaya Song & Liang, 2020

Song, Zhi-Shun, Jiang, Gong-Cheng & Liang, Ai-Ping, 2020, Dictyopharidae of Nepal (Hemiptera: Fulgoromorpha), with description of a new genus, Acta Entomologica Musei Nationalis Pragae (Acta. Ent. Mus. Natl. Pragae) 60 (2), pp. 545-552 : 547-549

Dictyohimalaya Song & Liang , gen. nov.

Type species. Dictyohimalaya nepalensis Song & Liang sp. nov., by present designation.

Diagnosis. Dictyohimalaya gen. nov. can be distinguished by the following combination of characters: cephalic process elongate and distinctly slender; vertex narrow, basal width slightly narrower than transverse diameter of eyes, posterior plane horizontal with pronotum, median carina relatively distinct on a bulge between eyes; frons with intermediate carinae approaching to anterior margin of eyes; pronotum with only median carina sharp and high, a short carina extending obliquely across paranotal lobes for about one-third of its length; mesonotum tricarinate, lateral carinae nearly straight and sub-parallel; forewings with pterostigmal area quadrilateral; fore femora not flattened and dilated, hind tibiae with seven apical teeth; aedeagus with endosomal processes very short, not extended from phallobase and invisible from outside; phallobase with an elongate sclerotized process from ventral base, directed ventrad, and inflated membranous apical lobes with long sclerotized spines.

Description. Coloration. General color brownish ochraceous marked with pale green and purplish-red on head and thorax, and dark brown on abdomen in dorsal view ( Fig. 1A ). Ocelli reddish.

Head produced into elongate, distinctly slender cephalic process. Vertex ( Fig. 2A ) narrow, basal width slightly narrower than transverse diameter of eyes; posterior plane horizontal with pronotum; lateral carinae strongly elevated, sub-parallel and broadly sulcate between eyes, distinctly narrowed in front of eyes, and nearly parallel to apex; posterior margin arcuately concave; median carina only relatively distinct on a bulge between eyes, with a lateral oblique depression on each side. Frons ( Fig. 2C ) widest below antennae, lateral carinae slightly converging towards base; frontoclypeal suture somewhat concave; median carina distinct and complete, intermediate carinae not sharp, sub-parallel, approaching to anterior margin of eyes. Postclypeus and anteclypeus convex medially, with distinct median carina. Rostrum moderately long, reaching middle of hind femora. Eyes oval and large. Ocelli relatively large. Antennae with scape very small; pedicel large and subglobose, with more than 50 distinct sensory plaque organs distributed over entire surface; flagellum long, setuliform.

Thorax. Pronotum ( Fig. 2A ) broad, distinctly shorter than mesonotum medially; anterior margin slightly convex medially, lateral marginal areas straight and sloping with two long longitudinal carinae on each side between eyes and tegulae, posterior margin broadly concave; median carina sharp and high, with a lateral pit on either side of carina; intermediate carinae absent; a short carina extending obliquely across paranotal lobes for about one-third of its length. Mesonotum ( Fig. 2A ) tricarinate, lateral carinae nearly straight and sub-parallel. Forewings ( Fig. 2D ) hyaline, venation with sparse transverse veins; MP bifurcating into MP 1+2 and MP 3+4 near middle and beyond CuA; number of apical cells between R and CuA equal to 15; Pcu and A 1 veins fused into a long Pcu+A 1 vein at apical 1/ 4 in clavus; pterostigmal area quadrilateral, with four cells. Legs moderately long; fore femora not flattened and dilated, without spines; hind tibiae with four or five lateral spines and seven apical teeth; hind tarsomeres I with about 18 apical teeth and hind tarsomeres II with about 15 apical teeth.

Male genitalia. Pygofer ( Figs 3A–C ), in lateral aspect, wider ventrally than dorsally, posterior margin distinctly convex medially, without process. Gonostyles ( Figs 3B, C ) symmetrical, base narrow, expanded toward apex, broadest at apical fourth; dorsal margin with upper process very long, acute apically, outer dorsal edge with spiny hook-like process near middle, directed ventrad.Aedeagus ( Figs 3D–F ) moderately large and symmetrical, endosomal processes very short, not extended from phallobase and not visible from outside; phallobase basally sclerotized and pigmented, produced into long sclerotized process from ventral base, directed ventrad; inflated membranous apical lobes with long sclerotized spines. Segment X ( Fig. 3A ) oval, in dorsal view, with apex deeply excavated to accommodate anal style; anal style elongate and large.

Female. Unknown.

Differential diagnosis. Dictyohimalaya gen. nov. can be distinguished from all other genera of Dictyopharini by the elongate sclerotized process on ventral base of the phallobase ( Figs 3E, F ). Dictyohimalaya is externally similar to Putala Melichar, 1903 (redescribed and illustrated by SඈඇǤ & LංൺඇǤ 2011), but can be separated from the latter by the following character states: posterior plane of vertex horizontal with pronotum (posterior plane elevated above pronotum in Putala ); intermediate carinae of frons approaching to anterior margin of eyes (approaching to frontoclypeal suture in Putala ); and pronotum with a short carina on paranotal lobes (pronotum without paranotal carina in Putala ).

Dictyohimalaya isalso similar to Raivuna Fennah, 1978 but it can be distinguished from the latter by the narrowed and distinctly slender cephalic process (cephalic process in front of eyes distinctly robust in Raivuna ); basal width of vertex narrower than transverse diameter of eyes (equal to or wider than transverse diameter of eyes in Raivuna ); and intermediate carinae of frons approaching to anterior margin of eyes (nearly approaching to frontoclypeal suture in Raivuna ).

Etymology. The generic name is a combination from the Greek noun δίκτυον (diktyon, = net), referreing to the Dictyopharidae family, and ‘Himalaya’. The latter is the highest mountain range in South Asia which separates the Indo-Gangetic Plain from the Tibetan Plateau and extends

across Nepal, the country of origin of the type species. Gender feminine.

Diversity and distribution. The genus is described as monotypic, containing one species so far known only from north-eastern Nepal.

Figures

Fig. 1. Habitus of Dictyopharidae in Nepal. A – Dictyohimalaya nepalensis Song & Liang, sp. nov., dorsal view; B–C – Raivuna sp. (B – dorsal view; C – ventro-lateral view). D – Orthopagus lunulifer Uhler, 1897, dorsal view. E–F – Tenguna medogensis Song & Liang, 2007 (E – dorsal view; F – lateral view). Scale bars: 2 mm.

Fig. 2. Dictyohimalaya nepalensis Song & Liang, sp. nov. A – head, pronotum and mesonotum, dorsal view; B – head and pronotum, lateral view; C – head and pronotum, ventral view; D – forewing. Scale bars: 1 mm.

Fig. 3. Dictyohimalaya nepalensis Song & Liang, sp. nov. A – male segment X and pygofer, dorsal view; B – male pygofer, gonostyles, and segment X, lateral view; C – male pygofer and gonostyles, ventral view; D – aedeagus, dorsal view; E – aedeagus, lateral view; F – aedeagus, ventral view. Scale bars: 0.5 mm.