Nicolaus bidentatus, Viraktamath, C. A. & Webb, M. D., 2014

Viraktamath, C. A. & Webb, M. D., 2014, Four new species of the grass feeding leafhopper genus Nicolaus Lindberg (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae: Deltocephalinae) from the Indian subcontinent, Zootaxa 3784 (5), pp. 528-538 : 530-532

Nicolaus bidentatus sp. nov.

( Figs 3–4 , 19–27 , 61–64 )

Creamy white. Crown of head with submarginal slightly sinuate brown stripe anteriorly on each side of mid-line. Head about as long as pronotum. Pronotum about as long as combined median length of scutum and scutellum.

Male genitalia. Pygofer narrowed caudally, caudodorsal margin produced into spine directed dorsomedially.

Anal tube elongate. Subgenital plate short, rounded posteriorly, with sclerotized toothed ridge dorsally. Apophysis of style with toothed, pigmented mesal margin. Aedeagus membranous, preatrial processes with broad base, then narrowed to platelike structure having two prominent denticles on ventral margin.

Female genitalia. Hind margin of seventh sternite slightly produced caudally with median incision. First pair of valvulae abruptly narrowed before apex. Second pair of valvulae with teeth on distal half placed close together but with varying distances compared to those of N. abuensis .

Measurements. Male 4.4–4.7 mm long, 1.6 mm wide across eyes. Female 4.4 mm long, 1.4 mm wide across eyes.

Material examined. INDIA: HOLOTYPE ♂, Karnataka: Hagari, 30.xi.1981, A.R.V. Kumar ( BMNH). PARATYPES: INDIA: 1 ♂, 1 ♀, data as in holotype, but collected on 30.xi.1981 ( UASB); 1 ♀, Dharwar, 2.x.1969, Viraktamath; Raichur, 4 ♂, 1 ♀, 27.viii.1982; 2 ♀, 24.viii.1982, Shashidhar; 1 ♀, xi.1979, at light, C.A.Viraktamath ( BMNH, NPC, UASB).

Remarks. N. bidentatus resembles N. quadrispinosus Stiller , from the Democratic Republic of Congo, Central Africa, but differs in having a longer anal segment, differently shaped aedeagal processes and female seventh sternite.

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 8. Species of Nicolaus. 1 & 2. N. abuensis sp. nov., female; 3 & 4. N. bidentatus sp. nov., male; 5 & 6. N. cornutus sp. nov., male; 7 – 10. Nicolaus bihamatus Xing & Li: 7 & 8. Female from Mudigere; 9 & 10. Male from Shillong.

FIGURES 19 – 27. Nicolaus bidentatus sp. nov.: 19. Face, 20. Head and thorax, lateral view; 21. Head and thorax, dorsal view; 22. Male pygofer, lateral view; 23. Valve, subgenital plate and style, ventral view; 24. Connective and aedeagus, dorsoanterior view; 25 & 26. Lateral views of aedeagus; 25. Female seventh sternite, ventral view.

FIGURES 57 – 64. Female valvulae of Nicolaus. 57 – 60. Nicolaus abuensis sp. nov.: 57. First pair of valvulae, lateral view; 58. Apex of first pair of valvulae magnified; 59. Second pair of valvulae, lateral view; 60. Apex of second pair of valvulae, magnified. 61 – 64. Nicolaus bidentatus sp. nov. 61. First pair of valvulae, lateral view; 62. Apex of first pair of valvulae magnified; 63. Second pair of valvulae, lateral view; 64. Apex of second pair of valvulae, magnified.