Myittana (Benglebra) biflaka, Luo & Yang & Chen, 2019

Luo, Qiang, Yang, Lin & Chen, Xiang-Sheng, 2019, Two new species of the bamboo-feeding subgenus Myittana (Benglebra) from China (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae: Deltocephalinae), Zootaxa 4646 (1), pp. 164-172 : 165-167

Myittana (Benglebra) biflaka sp. nov.

Figs 1–12 , 25 , 29–32

Description. Body length: male 5.08–5.15mm (5 specimens), female 5.23–5.48 mm (14 specimens); forewing length: male 4.06–4.12 mm (5 specimens), female 4.26–4.40 mm (14 specimens).

Coloration. General color yellowish white to white ( Figs 1–2 ). Crown and pronotum with a pair of pale yellow longitudinal stripes on either side of median line, reaching middle of lateral margins of scutellum ( Figs 1, 4 ). Eyes light brown. Face yellowish white ( Fig. 8 ).

Head and thorax. Crown shorter than width between eyes (0.81:1); coronal suture longer than half of median length of crown (0.66:1); ocelli on crown near fore margin, distance from apex about 2 times longer than that from eyes ( Figs 1–4 ). Pronotum as wide as head including eyes, longer than median length of crown (1.74:1) ( Figs 1, 4 ). Scutellum triangular, narrower than pronotum (0.65:1) ( Fig. 4 ). Forewing about 3 times longer than widest part (2.68:1) ( Figs 1–2 ).

Male genitalia. Pygofer with process arising from ventral margin, directed posteromesally, lamellately expanded distally and tapering abruptly to acute apex ( Figs 9, 12 ). Valve triangular ( Fig. 7 ). Style with lateral lobe well-developed, apex bifid with two short stout processes ( Fig. 6 ). Aedeagus robust at base and abruptly constricted in apical one-third, laterally compressed, C-shaped in profile, gonopore apical ( Figs 8, 10–11 ).

Female genitalia. Sternite VII posterior margin with distinct median convex lobe ( Fig. 25 ). First valvula weakly curved and tapering apically with strigate sculpture extended to dorsal margin. Second valvula dorsal margin with numerous triangular and distinct regular teeth preceded by hyaline area on basal 2/3, each tooth with secondary dentition, distal 1/3 with very closely packed much smaller teeth ( Figs 31–32 ).

Material examined. Holotype: ♂, China: Yunnan, Lvchun County, Luowa (22°98’N, 102°43’E), 22 September 2015, Qiang Luo and Zheng-Xiang Zhou ; paratypes: 2♂, 4♀, same data as holotype ; 2♂, 12♀, Yunnan, Lvchun County , Huanglian Mountain (22°53’N, 102°16’E), 4 August 2012, Zhi-Min Chang and Wei-Bin Zheng.

Host Plant. Bamboo ( Neosinocalamus affinis (Rendle) Keng f.).

Distribution. China (Yunnan Province).

Etymology. The name is derived from prefix “bi” and the Latin word “flaka”, referring to the lamellately expanded pygofer process arising from ventral margin.

Remarks. This species is similar to M. (Benglebra) ventrospina ( Chen & Yang, 2007) comb. nov., but differ in: (1) male pygofer with a lamellately expanded process arising from ventral margin ( Figs 9, 12 ) (male pygofer with a stout spinous process arising from ventral margin in M. (Benglebra) ventrospina comb. nov.); (2) style apex with two stout processes ( Fig. 6 ) (apex with two processes, outer one finger-like, inner one long and acute in M. (Benglebra) ventrospina comb. nov.); (3) aedeagus robust at base and abruptly constricted in apical one-third, tapering apically ( Figs 10–11 ) (aedeagus simple, falculate, tapering apically in M. (Benglebra) ventrospina comb. nov.).

Figures

FIGURES 1–12. M. (Benglebra) biflaka sp. nov., male 1. Male habitus, dorsal view; 2. Male habitus, lateral view; 3. Head and thorax, lateral view; 4. Head and thorax, dorsal view; 5. Face; 6. Style, dorsal view; 7. Valve and subgenital plate, ventral view; 8. Shaft, caudal view; 9. Male pygofer, lateral view; 10. Connective and aedeagus, dorsal view; 11. Connective and aedeagus, lateral view; 12. Male pygofer, ventral view. Scale bars: 0.5 mm (1–5); 0.2 mm (6–12).

FIGURES 25–28. Female sternite VII, ventral view 25. M. (Benglebra) biflaka sp. nov.; 26. M. (Benglebra) curvata sp. nov.; 27. M. (Benglebra) introspina (Chen & Yang); 28. M. (Benglebra) ventrospina (Chen & Yang). comb. nov.. Scale bars: 0.2 mm (25–28).

FIGURES 29–36. First and second valvula. 29–32 M. (Benglebra) biflaka sp. nov.; 29. First valvula; 30. Detail of dorsal sculptured area of first valvula; 31. Second valvula; 32. Detail of dorsal sculptured area of second valvula; 33–36 M. (Benglebra) curvata sp. nov.; 33. First valvula; 34. Detail of dorsal sculptured area of first valvula; 35. Second valvula; 36. Detail of dorsal sculptured area of second valvular. Scale bars: 0.2 mm.