Tambila majuscula (Distant)

Shobharani, M., C. A. Viraktamath & Webb, M. D., 2018, Revision of the penthimiine leafhopper genus Tambila Distant (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae: Deltocephalinae) of the Indian subcontinent, Zootaxa 4514 (4), pp. 501-515 : 505

Tambila majuscula (Distant)

Figs 12–20 , 23–27 , 38–79 .

Penthimia majuscula Distant 1918: 18 .

Tambila majuscula (Distant) , Shobharani, Viraktamath & Webb 2018.

Tambila gravelyi Distant 1918: 23 –24. Syn. nov.

Colour variable from pale yellowish to reddish brown to dark brown with or without pale markings ( Figs 12–20 ).

Male genitalia. Xth segment greatly produced anteriorly ( Fig. 53 ) with ventral surface concave ( Fig. 54 ). Subgenital plate with rounded apex, lateral margin sinuate with stout setae at caudal 0.33, with a tuft of setae on outer margin apically ( Figs 55–56 ). Style with well developed preapical lobe, apical apophysis finger like, curved laterally with transversely rugose surface. Connective long with arms shorter than stem. Aedeagus simple, dorsal apodeme and preatrium short, shaft slightly dorso anteriorly curved, slightly narrowed caudally, basal plate like process broadly conically rounded; gonopore large, apical, on ventral margin.

Female genitalia. Seventh sternite longer medially than sixth, broad, three times as wide as long medially, lateral angles of posterior margin rounded, posterior margin medially produced with median concavity, lateral margins of concavity rounded, area adjacent to median projection slightly concave, median projection slightly longer than lateral rounded angles.

Measurement Male 5.6–5.8 mm long, head 2.3–2.4 mm wide across eyes, 2.6–2.7 mm wide across hind margin of pronotum. Female 6.2 mm long, head 2.4 mm wide across eyes and 2.7 mm wide across pronotum.

Material examined. INDIA: Karnataka: Holotype ♂, ‘ Chikkaballapura, S. India, T. V. Campbell’ ‘C B 7/4, 72 9 8 ' ‘ Penthimia majuscula Dist. Type’ ‘S. India. E. A. Butler, B. M. 1915 60’ ( BMNH) . Lectotype ♂ (here designated), ‘ Type H. T’ ‘ Tambila gravelyi Dist. type’ ‘ Indian Mus. Medha Yanna Valley, Satara Dist. 2200 ft, 17– 23.iv.12 H. F. Gravely 2967/21’ ( BMNH) . Other material examined: INDIA: Karnataka: several ♂, ♀, Bangalore different dates in March, April, June September and November; 1♂, 13 Km W Bagepalli, 14.iv.1977; 1♀, Dharmastala, 22.xi.1984, S. Viraktamath; 1♀, 12 Km W Jog falls , 18.xi.1976, B. Mallik ; 1♂, Jog falls , 534 m, 2.xii.1982, H.V.A. Murthy ; 1 ♀, 5 Km W Koppal, 29.xi.1982, H.V.A. Murthy; 1♀, Malayamaruta hills nr Mudigere, 29.v.2005, Shobharani, M; 1♀, Mudigere, 22.v.1976, B. Mallik; 19 Km W Mudigere, 9000 m, 6.iv.1980; 1♂, Raichur, 3.xi.1988, Shashidhar; 2♂, Raichur, 12 & 8.x.1988, Shashidhar; 1♀, Yellapur, 22.ix.1973; Kerala : 1♂, 3♀, Meppadi, 690m, 18.x.1975; 2♂, 1♀, Thekkady, 26 & 27.iii.1977; Tamil Nadu : 1♀, Shambhaganur, 1800m, 18.viii.1979, Dworakowska, all collected by C.A. Viraktamath unless mentioned otherwise ( UASB) ; 1♀, Fraserpet, Coorg, F.R.I. Sandal Insect Survey, 30.vi. ’30 ( NPC) ; Tamil Nadu: 1♂, Alagar Kovil, Madurai Dist. S. India, 8.iii. ’36 ( NPC) . Tamil Nadu: Moyar Campus , 2♀, Nilgirihills (2900 ft) vi.1954, Rec. P. S. Nathan. Singara, 1♀, Nilgirihills, (3400 ft.) v 1954, Rec. P. S. Nathan ( IRSNB) ; 1♀, Palnis (7000 ft.), Kodaikanal shola, 26.viii.1921, Fletcher ( NPC) .

Remarks. Tambila majuscula was described from a single specimen (referred to in Distant’s description as the ‘unique carded specimen’) with the following data: ‘South India; Chikkaballapura (T.V. Campbell)’. T. gravelyi was described from an unknown number of specimens (syntypic) with the following data: ‘ Bombay Pres., Sutara Distr.: Yenna Valley, Medha (F.H. Gravely)’. T. majuscula resembles T. greeni in male genitalia characters but differs in having a stouter style apophysis and the basal plate like process broadly conically rounded (compared to more angular in T. greeni . The apical apophysis of the style is more slender in the specimens from Thekkady compared, for example to the type of T. gravelyi from Yenna Valley, Satara. Colouration is also variable sometimes with dark brown markings on the head and the pronotum forming well defined patches. The mesonotum may or may not be pale or yellow and in some specimens the mesonotum has the same colour as the rest of the thorax. Some specimens have been collected from Jack fruit tree (Artocarrpus heterophyllus ) and sandal tree ( Santalum album ).

Figures

FIGURES 12–22. Species of Tambila dorsal view. 12–20, T. majuscula. 12–13: holotype male (12) and topotype female (13); 14, T. gravelyi, lectotype male dorsal view; 15–20, colour variation in T. majuscula: specimens from Dharmasthala female (15), Meppadi male (16), Jog Falls (18), Thekkady male (18), Bangalore male (19–20) dorsal and lateral view respectively; 21–22, T. variabilis, male and female habitus, respectively.

FIGURES 23–36. Species of Tambila. 23–27, female genitalia of T. majuscula from Meppadi, female sternite VII (23), valvula I (24–25) and valvula II (26–27). 28–32, apex of female abdomen, ventral view: 28, T. badia, lectotype; 29, T. conspersa, lectotype; 30, T. fletcheri, lectotype; 31, T. greeni, lectotype; 32. T. vittatifrons, lectotype. 33–36, T. opulenta lectotype male genitalia synonymized with T. greeni: 33, style, dorsal view; 34, 35, aedeagus, lateral view; 36, aedeagus, ventral view.

FIGURES 37–45. Penthimiini: 37, Penthimia sp., head and thorax, lateral view. 38–45, Tambila majuscula: 38, head and thorax profile; 39, face; 40, head and thorax, dorsal view; 41, forefemur; 42, forewing; 43–44, metabasitarsus, ventral view showing variation in the number of platellae; 45, male pygofer, lateral view.

FIGURES 46–55. Male genitalia of Tambila majuscula: 46–51 (lectotype of T. gravelyi). 46, style, lateral view; 47–48, aedeagus, lateral view; 49–50, aedeagus,ventral view; 51, connective, ventral view. 52–55 (Mauritius). 52, segment XI and apex of anal tube, lateral view; 53. segment X, lateral view; 54, segment X ventral view; 55, subgenital plate, ventral view.

FIGURES 56–63. Male genitalia of Tambila majuscula, holotype male: 56, subgenital plate ventral view showing the apical tuft of setae; 57, connective, dorsal view; 58–59, style, lateral view; 60–61, aedeagus, lateral view; 62–63, aedeagus, ventral view.

FIGURES 64–79. Variation in the male genital structures in Tambila majuscula: 64–73, lateral (even numbers) and ventral (odd numbers) view of aedeagus of specimens from Raichur (64–65), Jog Falls (66–67), Bangalore (68–69), Thekkady (70–71) and Meppadi (72–73). Male genitalia of specimens from Mauritius (74–76) and Réunion (77–79): style (74, 77), aedeagus lateral view (75–78), aedeagus, ventral view (76,79).