Maiestas maculata (Singh-Pruthi)

Shah, Bismillah, Naveed, Hassan, Webb, Michael D. & Duan, Yani, 2021, Taxonomic review of the grassland leafhopper genus Maiestas Distant (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae: Deltocephalinae: Deltocephalini) from Pakistan with description of a new species and two new records, Zootaxa 5060 (3), pp. 401-416 : 404-405

Maiestas maculata (Singh-Pruthi) n. rec.

( Fig. 2 )

Cicadula maculata Singh-Pruthi, 1930: 58–59 , figs 80–81, plate V, fig. 2.

Thamnotettix prabha Singh-Pruthi, 1930: 62 , figs 85, 86, plate V, figs 6, 6a. Synonymised by Webb & Viraktamath, 2009: 41. Recilia prabha, Ghauri, 1980: 166–169 , figs 1, 3–11.

Deltocephalus (Recilia) maculata, Dash & Viraktamath, 1998: 32 , figs 260–269.

Maiestas maculata, Webb & Viraktamath, 2009: 22 , comb. nov.

Maiestas maculata, Zhang & Duan, 2011: 37–39 , figs 33–35, plate IV: E, plate V: P, plate VI: P.

Length. Male: 3.4mm

Description. Coloration. Pale to yellowish brown ( Fig. 2A–D ). Crown with variable black spots ( Fig. 2A, 2C ). Face stramineous to yellowish brown, with black patches adjacent to antennal bases ( Fig. 2D ). Pronotum occasionally with black patches. Visible mesonotum with basal angles black ( Fig. 2A, 2C ). Legs with or without blackish spots ( Fig. 2B ).

Morphology. Head as broad as pronotum ( Fig. 2A, 2C ). Forewing macropterous or submacropterous; inner anteapical cell open at base, sometimes outer anteapical cell absent ( Fig. 2A–B ).

Male genitalia. Subgenital plate moderately long, subtriangular, lateral margin somewhat convex ( Fig. 2F ). Style with preapical lobe short, apophysis digitate, long and faintly sinuate ( Fig. 2F ). Connective almost as long as aedeagus ( Fig. 2G ). Aedeagus boat-shaped dorsally ( Fig. 2H ), straight in lateral aspect and narrow at base, broader in middle and thereafter gradually narrowed to acute upturned apex ( Fig. 2I ).

Material examined. Pakistan: Azad Kashmir : 1♂, Banjosa, 33°48′36.9432 N, 73°49′14.304 E, sweep net, 26 July 2018, coll. Bismillah Shah ( AAU) .

Distribution. Pakistan (new record), China, India.

Remarks. This species, originally described from India (Calcutta and Sikkim) is recorded here for the first time from Pakistan. It can readily be distinguished from other species of the genus by its external appearance, e.g., with variable black patches on head and thorax, and shape of the aedeagus and style.

Figures

FIGURE 2. Maiestas maculata (Singh-Pruthi). A: habitus, dorsal view; B: habitus, lateral view; C: head and thorax, dorsal view; D: face; E: male genital capsule, lateral view; F: subgenital plate, valve and style, dorsal view; G: connective, dorsal view (detached from aedeagus); H: aedeagus, dorsal view; I: aedeagus, lateral view.