Hishimonus knightiellus Viraktamath & Anantha Murthy, 2014

Singaravel, M. & Singaravel, M., 2020, A new species of the genus Hishimonus Ishihara, 1953 (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae Deltocephalinae) with a new record from India, Zootaxa 4750 (1), pp. 131-137 : 135

Hishimonus knightiellus Viraktamath & Anantha Murthy, 2014 (Figs10-20)

Hishimonus apricus Knight, 1970:135 (Sec.hom.)

Hishimonus knightiella Viraktamath & Anantha Murthy, 2014:107 (n.nov. pro H. apricus Knight 1970 , nec H. apricus ( Melichar 1903)

Hishimonus knightiellus Viraktamath & Murthy 2014 : Du & Dai 2019: 10-11

Head, pronotum and scutellum yellow with green tinge (Fig. 10). Vertex with two small light brown spots near apex, two squarish light brown patches one on either side of coronal sulcus. Pronotum greenish brown, mottled with dark brown patches. Face pale yellow (Fig. 12). Forewings creamy white with pale brown spots between veins, distal half of apical cells more darkly mottled; median spot well defined with pale brown margin (Fig. 10-11).

Male genitalia: Pygofer (Fig. 13) laterally longer than wide, macrosetae confined to conically round posterior lobe. Valve 2.04x wider than long (Fig. 14). Subgenital plates broadly rounded at base, with terminal finger like process approximately 1/3 rd of the total plate length (Fig. 19). Style approximately 3.75x as long as wide at base; preapical lobe well developed with few hair like setae, apophysis digitate (Fig. 20). Stem of connective (Fig. 15) shorter than arms. Aedeagus in lateral view (Fig. 18) curved at base with acute apex, shaft with basal processes placed between shafts; aedeagal shaft in ventral view (Fig. 17) with inner margin diverging from base in basal half and curved inwardly, rounded apically, basal processes not widely splayed, closer to each other than to shaft, about half as long as shaft, blunt end, gonopore subapical on ventral margin.

Measurement. Male 3.44mm long, 1.06 mm wide across eyes.

Material Examined. INDIA: 1♂, Haryana: Panchkula 365m, 30.74°N, 76.80°E, 16.iii.2016, at light, Stuti ( NPC) .

Remarks. Hishimonus knightiellus was earlier described from Borneo, Malaysia, Sri Lanka and China (the type was not examined in the present work). It is here recorded for the first time from India (Haryana). It closely resembles H. spicans Viraktamath & Murthy but can be distinguished in having the pygofer lobe with many stout macrosetae over the dorsocaudal quarter; aedeagal basal processes not widely splayed, closer to each other than to shaft, about half as long as shaft, with blunt ends; and gonopore subapical on ventral margin (Figs 16 – 18). We provide photographic illustrations which complement the earlier descriptions given by Viraktamath and Anantha Murthy (2014).