Pseudochoutagus Che, Zhang and Wang

Che, Yanli, Zhang, Yalin & Wang, Yinglun, 2011, A new genus of the tribe Issini Spinola (Hemiptera: Fulgoroidea: Issidae) from China, Zootaxa 3060, pp. 62-66 : 63

Pseudochoutagus Che, Zhang and Wang , new genus

Type species: Pseudochoutagus curvativus sp. nov.

Description. Body hemispherical. Head (including eyes) distinctly narrower than pronotum. Vertex much longer than broad, more or less triangular with median carina present in dorsal view, apex upcurved in lateral view. Ocelli present. Frons slightly elevated, disc finely granulose, median carina present. Frontoclypeal suture strongly arched. Clypeus with medial carina. Rostrum long, reaching to metatrochanter. Pronotum narrow, with two central pits; anterior margin distinctly convex; posterior margin nearly truncate. Mesoscutellum more or less triangular, with one pit along each lateral margin. Tegmen thickly and coarsely reticulate; claval suture present. Wing well-developed, longer than half length of tegmen, with two lobes, veins distinct and netlike. Legs relatively long, not dilated; lateral margin of hind tibia with two teeth. Spinulation formula of hind leg 7-11-2 (numbers of spines at apex of hind tibia, first and second tarsomeres, respectively). Male genitalia symmetrical; aedeagus tubular, with two spinous processes near mid-length.

Diagnosis. The genus is readily separated from others in the tribe of Issini by its long upturned vertex.

The new genus superficially resembles Choutagus Zhang, Wang and Che, 2006 (Hemisphaeriinae) in its extended head, but can be distinguished from the latter by: 1) tegmen with claval suture present (absent in Choutagus ); 2) hind wing bilobed (not bilobed in Choutagus ); 3) apex of vertex upturned (nearly horizontal in Choutagus ); 4) head and thorax without lateral carinae, and pronotum and mesoscutellum without median and lateral carinae (all carinae present in Choutagus ).

Within its own tribe, Pseudochoutagus is also similar to Thabena Stål, 1866 (Issini) according to the bilobed hind wings with deep cleft between the remigium and vannus, and a large process on the hind margin of female sternum VII. It differs from this genus by: 1) head (including eyes) distinctly narrower than pronotum (nearly equal in Thabena ); 2) vertex much longer than broad, more or less triangular and with median carina present (vertex approximately quadrangular, broader than long and median carina absent in Thabena ); 3) vertex with apex upcurved in lateral view (nearly horizontal in Thabena ).

Etymology. Pseudochoutagus refers to the superficial resemblance of this genus to Choutagus Zhang, Wang and Che. The gender is masculine.

Distribution. China (Hainan).