Igerna shillongensis Meshram

Meshram, Naresh M., Chandra Bose, N. S. & Parveen, Shama, 2015, Two new species of the genus Igerna (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae: Megophthalminae) from India, Zootaxa 3946 (2), pp. 241-250 : 243-249

Igerna shillongensis Meshram sp. nov.

( Figs. 5–8 ; 17–26; 32–36)

Male ( Fig. 17–18 ). Colour ochraceous with brown markings. Crown with pair of elliptical dark brown spots equally distant between eyes and median line. Frontoclypeus ( Fig. 32 ) with black thin line on ½ sulci posteriorly; clypellus pale brown with black apical half; genae ochraceous with dark brown, elongate spot on adjacent antennal ledges; lora pale brown. Pronotum with three markings as follows: one black line medially above the hind margin of pronotum reaching 2/3rd anteriorly; one pair of some triangular maculae at lateral area, touching the middle black line Mesoscutum pale brown with a pair of brown laterobasal triangular markings, scuto-scutellar suture dark brown; mesoscutellum pale brown. Forewings pale brown with veins brown. Female coloration similar to male ( Figs. 32–33 ).

Head broadly rounded, crown more or less uniform in length. Anteclypeus exceeding facial margin ( Fig. 19 ). Frontoclypeus broad with distinct transverse ridges and face with distinct median carina. Frontal suture extending onto vertex, terminating laterad of ocelli ( Fig. 19 ). Ocelli placed anteriorly on face, close to anterior margin of vertex than to antennal base, distance between eye and ocellus 3x to diameter of ocellus. Antennae situated somewhat at level with lower margin of eye in facial view. Scutellum 0.9x as long as pronotum, and 0.63x shorter than its width, transverse depression distinct and nearly reaching lateral margin. Pronotum 0.46x longer than broad and 5.5x longer than crown ( Fig. 19 ). Forewing without appendix ( Fig. 18 ).

Male genitalia. Pygofer ( Fig. 2 ) in lateral view, with stout microsetae; caudoventral margin shallowly excavated in middle. Subgenital plates ( Fig. 23 ) in ventral view, elongate, subtriangular, not fused to valve but fused to each other along basal third, narrowing gradually towards apical 1/3rd, subapical area directed outward; apex rounded; in lateral view, dorsal margin with short, scattered hairlike setae. Styles ( Figs. 7–25 ) in lateral view well developed, outer fork rounded and short, bearing scattered setae, inner fork shorter with basal portion strongly curved and apical portion subacute. Connective ( Fig. 26 ) in dorsal view, narrower anteriorly than posteriorly; posterior margin with single lobe. Aedeagus ( Figs. 6 , 24–25 ) in lateral view, lacking apical processes, apical margin slightly concave caudally, ventral margin with small groove in the middle; shaft in lateral view narrowed apically but broadened basally;

gonopore subapical. Anal collar process ( Figs. 8 ; 22) dorsal view, well developed, forked near apex, dorsal fork shorter than ventral fork.

Female genitalia. Seventh sternite ( Figs. 5 , 34 ) in ventral view with lateral angle of hind margin rounded and convex with median suboval lobe. Second valvulae ( Figs. 35–36 ) in lateral view, slightly dorsally curved from base, with broadest point on apical 0.25 length; with pigmented area before dorsal hyaline area; dorsal prominence present not well developed; teeth mostly subtriangular not bearing the denticles, positioned on distal half of dorsal margin, just behind dorsal hyaline area; shaft apex rounded.

Measurements (mm). Male 3.5 long, 1.1 wide across eyes, 0.8 wide across hind margin of pronotum. Female 3.87 long and 1.25 wide across eyes, 0.9 wide across hind margin.

Type material. Holotype ♂, INDIA: Meghalaya: Upper Shillong, (25.5667°N 91.8833°E, 1525 M), 25.ix.2013, Mercury vapor lamp Coll. N. M. Meshram ( NPC). Paratype 2 ♀ & 4 ♂ with same data as on holotype. NCBI GenBank, accession number: KJ751540

Remarks. Igerna shillongensis sp. nov. resembles I. priyankae Viraktamath (characters of I. priyankae in parentheses): Pygofer with caudoventral margin shallowly excavated in middle (without any excavation in middle); aedeagus without process on caudal margin near apex (caudal margin with ventrally directed process near apex); connective posterior margin with single lobe (connective bilobed caudally). Female seventh sternite with lateral angle of hind margin rounded and convex with median suboval lobe (seventh sternite quadrangular, hind margin concave, with median triangular lobe with acute apex).

Etymology. The species was named for the collection site, Shillong in Meghalaya India.

Molecular analysis. The results from maximum likelihood analysis of molecular data are given in Fig. 45 . MEGA V6.0 ( Tamura et al. 2013) was used to caluculate percent sequence variation between I. shilongensis sp. nov. and I. kolasibensis sp. nov. for mtCOI sequences. The percent sequence variation between the two new species is at least 2% ( Tamura & Nei, 1993). Outgroups were taken from NCBI GenBank (accession numbers indicated after taxon name).

Figures

FIGURE 45. Relationships of Igerna kolasibensis sp. nov. and Igerna shillongensis sp. nov. inferred using Maximum Likelihood method based on General Time Reversible + Gamma distribution model of mitochondrial COI sequences. Codes adjacent to species names refer to Genbank accession numbers. Numbers above branches are bootstrap percentages, below branches are branch lengths.

FIGURES 1 – 8. Male and female genitalia of new species 1 – 4 Igerna kolasibensis sp. nov. 1. Aedeagus lateral view; 2. Style; 3. Anal collar process; 4. Female, seventh sternite; 5 – 8 Igerna shillongensis sp. nov. 5. Female, seventh sternite; 6. Aedeagus lateral view; 7. Style; 8. Anal collar process.

FIGURES 17 – 26. Habitus, face and genitalia male Igerna shillongensis sp. nov. 17, 18. Habitus, dorsal and lateral view; 19. Face; 20, 21. Pygofer, lateral and dorsal view; 22. Anal collar process; 23. Subgenital plate; 24. Aedeagus with connective; 25. Aedeagus, with style; 26. Connective.

FIGURES 27 – 36. Habitus, face and female genitalia of new species 27 – 31 female Igerna kolasibensis sp. nov. 27, 28. Habitus, dorsal and lateral view; 29. Seventh sternite; 30, 31. Second gonapophyses; 32 – 36 female Igerna shillongensis sp. nov. 32, 33. Habitus, dorsal and lateral view; 34. Seventh sternite; 35, 36 Second gonapophyses.