Gunhilda noctua Distant

C. A. Viraktamath, 2011, Revision of the Oriental and Australian Agalliini (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae: Megophthalminae) 2844, Zootaxa 2844, pp. 1-118 : 57-58

Gunhilda noctua Distant

Gunhilda noctua Distant 1918: 88 . Pruthi 1934: 97–98, figs 114, a, b. HOLOTYPE ♀, INDIA: Nilgiri Hills [BMNH, examined].

“Black somewhat shining; vertex of head with the anterior margin ochraceous; face dull ochraceous, lateral areas with dark striations, cheeks black; femora black, their apices and the tibiae and tarsi dark ochraceous; vertex of head (excluding anterior margin) thickly finely punctate and with a central longitudinal carination; pronotum and scutellum closely transversely striate; tegmina thickly, coarsely punctate” ( Distant, 1918).

Head rounded but longer medially than next to eyes. Genae strongly concave beneath eyes. Lora narrow and long, reaching nearly half length between base of antennae and transclypeal sulcus. Elongate spot at base of antennae black. Clypellus extending beyond normal curve of gena, apically bilobed.

Female genitalia. Hind margin of seventh sternite with V-shaped median excavation.

Measurements. Female 3.0 mm long, 1.2 mm wide across eyes.

Material examined. HOLOTYPE ♀, INDIA: Nilgiri Hills, T.V. Campbell ( BMNH) . Additional material: 1 ♀, same data as holotype ( ZSI) .

Remarks. Distant (1918) misidentified the sex as male. The rounded head, pitted forewings and brachypterous form with truncate forewings exposing 6 abdominal tergites distinguish this species from all other species of Agalliini known form the Oriental region.