Paraidioscopus unimaculatus (Melichar), 2022

Viraktamath, C. A. & H. M. Yeshwanth, 2022, Idiocerine leafhopper genus Paraidioscopus Maldonado-Capriles (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae: Eurymelinae) in the Indian subcontinent with description of one new species, Zootaxa 5222 (3), pp. 257-266 : 265

Paraidioscopus unimaculatus (Melichar)

Figs 1 GHL, 2C, M–P, 5A–G.

Diagnosis. Head and pronotum uniformly lemon yellow and immaculate. Mesonotum with large round median black spot on mesoscutum. Pygofer posterodorsal angle more or less rectangular, anal collar process long and distally bilobed, segment X about as long as broad. Subgenital plate about as long as pygofer, with marginal long setae in distal 0.33 and setae on dorsal surface in median 0.33 distance. Style strongly curved dorsally at midlength, serration on ventral surface extending to basal 0.75 region, dorsal marginal setae in distal 0.25, apex with one tooth on ventral surface. Aedeagus with well-developed dorsal apodeme, about 0.25 as long as shaft, stout; shaft broad in basal 0.2 and then slender and of uniform width and almost straight, curved dorsally and apex rounded, processes longer than shaft with serrated margin in median 0.33 length, gonopore at distal 0.66 length on ventral surface. Female sternite VII with convex posterior margin ( Fig. 2C ).

Female genitalia. Valvula II with more prominent, widely placed teeth in basal region, apical region with crenulate margin ( Fig. 2P ).

Material examined. SRI LANKA: 3♁, 2♀, Peradeniya , 6.vi.2007, Gnaneswaran ( UASB) .

Remarks. Melichar (1903) adequately described the coloration and structure of the species in German. Distant (1908: 188) translated the description into English but mesonotum was erroneously translated as ‘ocelli’. Viraktamath (1976) misinterpreted this and stated erroneously ‘face with a single round black spot between ocelli and erroneously ascribed the species to Distant instead of Melichar. Mr. M.D. Webb (personal communication) examined the type and shared the illustration of the aedeagus made during his visit to Moravian Museum Brno ( Webb et al. 1990). Later, Gnaneswaran sent specimens for identification from the type locality and the illustrations of the species provided are from this material. The structure of male pygofer, anal collar process, style and slender aedeagus with two long thin processes places this species in Paraidioscopus . It differs from the remaining two species of Paraidioscopus treated here and the type species in having the head and pronotum immaculate. P. tagalicus and P. unimaculatus have a median large round spot on the mesoscutum but differ in the shape of the anal collar process (bilobed in P. unimaculatus and unilobed in P. tagalicus ), the style apex (with a tooth on ventral surface in P. uninmaculatus but absent in P. tagalicus ) and the aedeagal shaft (sinuate in P. tagalicus but not sinuate in P. unimaculatus ). This species breeds extensively on the endemic plant Semecarpus coriaceus Thwaites in Sri Lanka ( Gnaneswaran 2021).

Figures

FIGURES 1A–J. Species of Paraidioscopus from Indian subcontinent, habitus (A–H), face (I–L). A–D & IJ, Paraidioscopus andamanicus sp. nov., male (AB, I) and female (CD & J); EF & K, P. harrisi Viraktamath, male; GH & L, P. unimaculatus (Melichar).

FIGURES 2A–P. Species of Paraidioscopus from Indian subcontinent, female sternite VII (ABC), female genital capsule, lateral view (D), valvulae I (EF, IJ, MN) and valvulae II (GH, KL, OP). A & D–H, P. andamanicus sp. nov.; B, I–L, P. harrisi Viraktamath; C, M–P. P. unimaculatus (Melichar).