Daimachus Distant, 1916

Viraktamath, C. A. & Webb, M. D., 2019, Revision of the Ulopinae leafhoppers (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae) of the Indian subcontinent, I. Ulopini genera: Daimachus, Radhades and Ulopsina, Zootaxa 4613 (3), pp. 557-577 : 559

Daimachus Distant

Daimachus Distant 1916: 225 , Type species: Daimachus exemplificatus Distant , by original designation.

Pale brown to brown often with dark brown markings on head, thorax and forewings.

Head, thorax, forewings and venter of abdomen coarsely pitted. Head wider than pronotum. Crown broadly produced in front of eyes, about 2x as wide between eyes as long medially (except in D. matheranensis sp. nov.), anterior margin subtruncate, Ocelli on crown, nearer to anterior margin than to posterior and closer to adjacent eye than to each other, not surrounded by carinae. Eyes prominent, slightly projecting. Face (including eyes) wider than long, almost horizontal in lower 0.75, upper part somewhat oblique; antennal ledges very prominent; frontoclypeus slightly convex, frontal and transclypeal sutures prominent; clypellus narrow elongate, exceeding genal curve; lora prominent; labium reaching midcoxae; subgenal suture deep and prominent. Pronotum with or without median carina, about 2x as wide as long, anteriorly one pair of submedial foveae on disc of pronotum flat in forms without hind wings (brachypterous) and humped in posterior 0.75 in forms with hind wings (macropterous), anterior margin slightly convex in dorsal view, posterior margin slightly sinuate, lateral margins carinate, parallel sided in brachypterous forms and in macropterous forms posteriorly divergent or convergent. Mesonotum shorter, equal or slightly longer than median length of pronotum. Forewings in brachypterous forms, elytra-like, with venation slightly raised, tapered to apex, 2.0 to 2.4 times as long as wide; in macropterous forms with well-developed raised venation, without accessory cross veins, apex rounded, with 3 subapical and 4 apical cells, inner subapical cell open, claval veins separate. Hind wing apical margin strongly bilobed, submarginal vein incomplete and with two apical closed cells. Forefemur with scattered narrow setae, anterodorsal (AD), anteroventral (AV) and anteromedian (AM) setae not differentiated, intercalary row (IC) with 4 hair-like setae. Hind femur distal macrosetae 2+0, hind tibiae angular with 6–8 hair-like setae on rows AD, AV and PD, one or two distal setae of these rows stout ( Fig. 6A ); apical transverse row of cucullate setae flattened forming platellae with lateral spine-like setae. Metabasitarsus with two longitudinal rows of flattened scale-like plantar setae, apical transverse row with one mesal spine-like seta and one outer marginal platellae-like seta ( Fig. 6B ).

Male pygofer without macrosetae or processes, usually shorter than height in lateral view, tergum deeply excavated posteriorly to receive segments X and XI. Subgenital plate either held flat or vertical with or without basal transverse suture, distally either broadly or conically rounded, without macrosetae, exceeding pygofer in lateral view. Style usually linear, apophysis usually apically bilobed, without preapical lobe. Connective Y-shaped with or without anterior median lobe, articulated with aedeagus, arms either subequal to stem or shorter, stem sometimes with apex widened. Aedeagus with well-developed dorsal apodeme, preatrium not well-developed; shaft tubular ( D. robustus ) or laterally compressed, directed posteriorly then dorsally and strongly anteriorly recurved with apex held in tubular process of segment X in repose, with or without triangular processes on dorsal or ventral or both surfaces, gonopore apical or subapical on ventral surface.

Female sternite VII shorter medially than VI, posterior margin concavely excavated to various degrees in different species, sternite VIII well-developed. Valvula I slightly curved, with simple strigate sculpturing in distal 0.75 dorsally, sculpturing not reaching dorsal margin. Valvula II with toothed area in distal 0.5, preceded by hyaline area, teeth either of uniform size or with larger teeth with secondary dentition proximally and becoming smaller distally. Gonoplac in distal 0.33 broad with truncate anterior margin.

Remarks. Daimachus belongs to the tribe Ulopini and at present appears endemic to the Indian subcontinent with a single aedeagal shaft, forewings without accessory cross veins and both sexes are dimorphic in hind wing development. It differs from other genera of Ulopini in having the apex of the style bilobed and aedeagal shaft strongly curved with triangular projections on ventral and or dorsal surfaces.

The genus is represented by five species in the subcontinent including four new species in addition to the type species. Considerable intraspecific variation in coloration is seen and one species ( D. sudindicus sp. nov.) also occurs in brachypterous and macropterous forms with respect to the development of the hind wings; consequently these forms also differ in the structure of the thorax as described under the genus. D. matheranensis sp. nov. is represented only by the form with well-developed hind wings (macropterous).

Figures

FIGURES 6A–H. Daimachus exemplificatus Distant. A, apex of metatibia, ventral view; B, metabasitrsus, ventral view; C, genital capsule, lateral view; D, style and connective, dorsal view; E, subgenital plate, ventral view; F, style, lateral view; G, aedeagus lateral view; H, aedeagus, posterior view.