Nesocerus basiprocessus, Krishnankutty & Dietrich, 2011

Krishnankutty, Sindhu M. & Dietrich, Christopher H., 2011, Taxonomic revision and phylogeny of an endemic leafhopper genus Nesocerus (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae: Idiocerinae) from Madagascar, Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 162 (3), pp. 499-543 : 538

NESOCERUS BASIPROCESSUS SP. NOV.

( FIGS 5M, N , 14A–G )

Diagnosis: This species may be distinguished by the following combination of characters: pygofer pointed posterodorsally with subdorsal broad process and aedeagus with single ventral and paired dorsal processes arising at base of shaft.

Description: Length of male, 6.1 mm.

Coloration: Crown with two lateral and one median transverse black spots. Antennae with pedicel black, scape and flagellum light brown. Frontoclypeus with pair of black spots close to middle of eye. Laterofrontal suture bordered by black marking. Clypeogenal suture, gena, lorum without any markings. Clypellus mostly yellow with black marking along lateral margin and near apex. Pronotum with two black stripes; one median transverse band, other along posterior margin separated medially. Mesonotum with basal triangle orange, median spot near base, median longitudinal lines close to scutellar suture. Scutellum without markings. Legs pale yellow, Fore, mid, and hind femur with black marking near apex. Forewing mostly hyaline with claval vein white.

Structure: Clypellus with sides concave, apex as wide as base, in profile flat. Rostrum extending beyond mid coxae. Forewing with r-m1 crossvein absent. Metatibial setal rows PD, AD, and AV with 14, ten, and ten macrosetae, respectively.

Male genitalia: Pygofer broad with pair of pointed processes arising from posterolateral margin, dorsal one small and narrow, ventral one large and broad; posterolateral margin with short setae. Subgenital plate as in N. uniprocessus . Style in lateral view with narrow apodeme; apophysis slightly sinuate along dorsal margin, tapered beyond midlength to dorsally directed elongate apex; apex in posterior view reaching apex of shaft. Connective in dorsal view Y-shaped, articulated with preatrium of aedeagus. Aedeagus in lateral view with shaft broad, tubular, narrowly curved dorsad with two processes arising from base extending posterodorsad; ventral process single and dorsal process paired extending close to shaft; shaft in posterior view uniform in width throughout length. Gonopore apical on posterior surface.

Material examined: Holotype male, MADAGASCAR: Province Toamasina, botanic garden near entrance to Andasibe National Park , 1025 m, 18°55′34″S, 48°24′28″E, 15.viii.–1.ix.2001, M. Irwin, R. Harin’Hala, malaise trap, tropical forest, MA-01- 08B-10 ( CAS).

Etymology: The specific epithet refers to the basal processes of the aedeagus.

Figures

Figure 5. Nesocerus spp. nov., dorsal habitus and face of holotype male. A, B, Nesocerus asymmetricus; C, D, Nesocerus uniprocessus; E, F, Nesocerus compressus; G, H, Nesocerus flexus; I, J, Nesocerus breviprocessus; K, L, Nesocerus latus; M, N, Nesocerus basiprocessus; O, P, Nesocerus serratus; Q, R, Nesocerus convolutus.

Figure 14. Nesocerus spp. nov. Male pygofer in lateral view (A, H, O), male subgenital plate in ventral view (B, I, P) and lateral views (C, J, Q), aedeagus in lateral view (D, K, R) and caudal (E, L, S) views, style in lateral view (F, M, T), style and connective in dorsal view (G, N, U). A–G, Nesocerus basiprocessus; H–N, Nesocerus serratus; O–U, Nesocerus convolutus.