Tambila greeni Distant, 1908

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 : 504

Tambila greeni Distant

Figs 6–9 , 31, 33–36 .

Tambila greeni Distant 1908: 247 –248; 1918: 23.

Tambila opulenta Distant 1918: 23 . syn. nov.

Male. Head, pronotum, mesoscutum and scutellum reddish yellow. Crown about half as long as breadth between eyes, apex rounded, with two curved fasciae. Pronotum with two black fasciae commencing behind eyes, centrally connected, then angularly extended posteriorly on disk. Combined length of mesoscutum and scutellum about as long as crown, basal margin only slightly longer than lateral margins, mesoscutum centrally, longitudinally carinate. Body beneath black, margins of sternal, abdominal segments sanguineous. Legs mostly black, anterior legs, intermediate tibiae, tarsi, extreme apices of posterior femora sanguineous. Forewing black, minutely, obscurely spotted within, apical area paler, minutely spotted with grayish.

Female. Head yellowish brown with two reddish brown curved fasciae. Crown and pronotum obscurely punctate, latter a little transversely wrinkled. Pronotum reddish brown, one transverse spot at anterior margin, one large spot on either side of median line, yellowish brown. Mesoscutum and scutellum yellowish brown. Forewing pale brownish, finely punctate, costal and apical areas somewhat thickly, finely spotted with reddish brown, paler at apex. Body beneath reddish, margins of abdominal segments pale yellowish brown. Legs reddish yellow, one black spot on each side near anterior coxae.

Male genitalia. Xth segment greatly produced anteriorly with ventral surface concave. Style short with well developed preapical lobe, apical apophysis finger like laterally curved with rugose surface. Aedeagus simple, dorsal apodeme small, slender, atrium well developed; shaft slightly curved dorsoanteriorly, narrowed caudally with large gonopore on ventral margin, folded platelike area on dorsal margin near base acutely pointed in lateral view.

Female genitalia. Seventh sternite longer medially than sixth, lateral angles of posterior margin rounded, medially slightly produced with median concavity, lateral margins of concavity pointed, area adjacent to median projection shallowly concave, median projection shorter than lateral rounded angles.

Measurement. Male 5.2 mm long, head 2.2 mm wide across eyes and 2.4 mm wide across pronotum. Female 6.16 mm long, head 2.44 mm wide across eyes. 2.72 mm wide across pronotum.

Material examined. SRI LANKA: Lectotype ♀ Tambila greeni Distant (here designated) ‘Type’, ‘ Tambila greeni Dist. type’ ‘Kandy, Ceylon, 9.02’, ‘Distant Coll.1911 383’ (BMNH). ‘ Lectotype ♂, Tambila opulenta Distant (here designated), ‘ Tambila opulenta Dist. type’ ‘bred on Persia gratissima, Peradeniya , Ceylon, xi.1910 ’ ‘Distant Coll. 1911 383’ (BMNH).

Remarks. Tambila greeni was described from an unknown number of specimens (syntypic) with the following data: ‘ Ceylon; Kandy (Green)’, Tambila opulenta was described from an unknown number of specimens (syntypic) with the following data: ‘ Ceylon; Perandeniya (E.E. Green)’. The male genitalia of T. majuscula are similar to those of T. greeni except for the plate like area on the dorsal margin near base which is distinguishable in T. majuscula , whereas it is not very prominent in T. greeni . The examination of the types of T. opulenta and T. greeni revealed that they are the male and female of the same species, with similar colouration and hence the synonymy.

Figures

FIGURES 1–11. Species of Tambila, dorsal view. 1–2, T. badia lectotype female, habitus, and head and pronotum, respectively; 3, T. conspersa, lectotype female; 4–5, T. fletcheri, lectotype female, habitus, and head and pronotum; 6–7, T. greeni, lectotype female, head and pronotum, and habitus; 8–9, T. opulenta, lectotype female, habitus, and head and pronotum; 10–11, T. vittatifrons, lectotype, head and pronotum and habitus.

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.