Destinoides Cai and He

Jones, Joshua R. & Deitz, Lewis L., 2009, Phylogeny and systematics of the leafhopper subfamily Ledrinae (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae) 2186, Zootaxa 2186 (1), pp. 1-120 : 38

Genus Destinoides Cai and He

Destinoides Cai and He, 2000: 57 .

Type species. Destinoides fasciata Cai and He 2000: 57 , by original designation.

Synonymy. None.

Description. From Cai and He 2000: “This genus most closely resembles Destinoides [sic= “ Destinia ”] Nast, but can be readily distinguished by the forewings with reticulate venation, the hind margin of male abdominal sternum VII emarginate, the pygofers with plate-like processes, and by the slender aedeagus with processes on apex.”

Species. [2]: fasciata Cai and He ; latifrons (Walker) .

Range. China (Hainan, Xizang, Yunnan); India (Sikkim); Sri Lanka [ Ceylon]; Vietnam.

Host plants. Unknown.

Material examined. None.

Remarks. This taxon suffers from the same ambiguity as Destinia (see ‘Remarks’ for Destinia ), which is that none of its characteristic features are clear synapomorphies, but rather exist in some form or another in several other genera of Ledrini . It is not clear either whether the symplesiomorphic features mentioned by Cai and He represent even a unique combination. In the illustrations given by Cai and He (2000), the aedeagus is exceptionally (but not uniquely) slender, but not one of the other features mentioned in the description of the genus sets it apart, suggesting that this genus is synonymous with an existing taxon, perhaps Petalocephala . The weakness of the characterizations of existing genera, however, including Petalocephala , precludes making an accurate placement.