Sinoagallia, Dai, Wu & Zhang, Yalin, 2012

Dai, Wu & Zhang, Yalin, 2012, Taxonomic revision of the leafhopper tribe Agalliini (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae: Megophthalminae) from China, with description of new taxa, Zootaxa 3430, pp. 1-49 : 21

Genus Sinoagallia gen. nov.

Type-species: Sinoagallia serrata sp. nov.

Ground color pale brown with brown markings.

Robust, medium sized leafhoppers. Macropterous. Head wider than pronotum, crown short, rim-like, upturned, hind margin evenly curved behind eyes, narrower in middle than next to eyes. Eyes, small projecting from outline of head. Face broader than long, ocelli closer to adjacent eye than to each other. Antennal ledges oblique, well developed, close to eyes. Clypeus separated from face by weak sulcus below ocelli, dorsally very wide, transclypellar sulcus well developed, clypellus extending beyond outer margin of gena, strongly declivous at apex. Gena with concavity below eyes. Labium extending beyond bases of mesocoxae. Pronotum, scutellum and basal region of forewings strongly pitted. Pronoutm convex in lateral view. Scutellum slightly shorter than pronotum. Forewings coriaceous, with numerous cross veins making venation reticulate both on clavus and corium. Tibiae strongly angled especially, hind tibiae making upper face of tibia furrowed. Fore femur with well developed intercalary row and anteroventral setae ( Fig. 21 G). Hind femoral formula 2+1; hind tibial spinulation PD 13, AD 8, AV 10; hind basitarsus with numerous short hair-like setae, distal transverse row with two platellae.

Pygofer simple without processes and stout spines. Subgenital plates triangular, fused with valve and with each other on anterior margin, then separate, without stout spines or long hairs. Segment X very large, unpigmented for the most part except lateral area, occupying entire length of dorsal pygofer wall, without processes. Segment XI small. Style short, about half as long as connective, anterior area broad, posterior margin not forked. Connective rather Y-shaped, with broader stem and arms. Aedeagus articulated with connective, with well developed dorsal apodeme, aedeagus slender elongate, strongly recurved dorsally and then anteriorly piercing the segment X, extending anteriorly beyond anterior margin of pygofer, shaft serrated on one side, enveloped by a long membranous tube at the point where it pierces segment X, tube extending considerably beyond tip of shaft.

Distribution. China (Yunnan).

Etymology. The genus name is derived from two words Sino (meaning Chinese) and Agallia , gender feminine.

Remarks. Sinoagallia gen nov. has a strongly pitted pronotum, scutellum and basal half of the forewing as in Paulagallia Viraktamath, but is more robust and long, and also has entirely different male genitalia. The projecting but small eyes and short, upturned posterior margin of crown give the genus a strong resemblance to the largely sub-Himalayan genus Durgades Distant , but the pronotum in Durgades is flat and shagreen where as in Sinoagallia it is convex and strongly pitted. Forewing reticulate venation is also found in the Palaearctic genus Dryodurgades Zachvatkin , but the reticulate venation is more extensive in this genus and the male genitalia are entirely different. Among the Old World Agalliini , this is the only genus that has the apophysis of the style simple (in others it is forked distally), and a strongly recurved, blade-like aedeagal shaft that exceeds the anterior margin of the male pygofer and has strong serration on one side margin only.

Figures

FIGURE 21. Leg chaetotaxy and anal segments of Agalliini. A, D. Purvigallia maculata gen. et sp. nov.; B, E. Sungallia truncata gen. et sp. nov.; C, F. Skandagallia dietrichi gen. et sp. nov. G – I. Sinoagallia serrata gen. et sp. nov. [A – C. Metabasitarsus, ventral view; D – F. Apex of hind tibiae, ventral view; G. Fore femur chaetotaxy; H. Anal tube, dorsal view; I. Anal tube, lateral view.]