Atkinsoniella valida Feng & Zhang

Feng, Ling & Zhang, Yalin, 2015, The leafhopper genus Atkinsoniella Distant (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae: Cicadellinae) with descriptions of two new species from China, Zootaxa 4028 (2), pp. 274-286 : 283-285

Atkinsoniella valida Feng & Zhang sp. nov.

( Figs. 1 E–H, 3)

Description. Crown, anterior portion of pronotum and scutellum whitish gray in dorsal view, ocelli whitetransparent without narrow border; a small black spot at apex of head, but without a median spot bordering basal margin; pronotum without spot; in ventral view; abdomen dull orange; forewing whitish gray near base, remainder of forewing dull orange; face whitish gray with a very small median black spot located in the basal part of clypeus; legs dull orange.

Head moderately produced with anterior margin broadly rounded in dorsal view; ocelli located in concavities and on line between anterior eyes, crown convex between ocelli; lateral clypeal sutures extending onto crown but not attaining ocelli; clypeus flattened medially with muscle impressions weak; pronotum slightly convex and width almost equal to crown, disk dorsum without sculpture, with anterior margin convex and posterior slightly concave in the median; scutellum convex before and behind transverse depression; forewing with four apical cells, base of the second and third cells almost aligned transversely.

Male abdominal second sternal apodemes extending beyond first conjunctiva behind their origin.

Male pygofer produced posteriorly, posterior margin narrowed, with macrosetae on posterior portion; pygofer processes arising basiventrally on each side, with macrosetae at base, extending posterioventrally, apex acute, without small dentate near subapically; plates with macrosetae uniseriate, with long microsetae near lateral margin and entire ventral surface in apical half; connective ‘Y’- shaped, extending posteriorly father than midlength of style but not as far as style apex; style slender, preapically curved and apically acute; aedeagus wide at base only slightly narrowed anteapically and dorsal margin undulate in lateral view; paraphysis stubbed, longer than aedeagus, preapically curved and apically acute.

Measurement. Length of male 7.2–7.5 mm.

Material examined. Holotype: ♂, China, Hainan Province, Jianfengling, 5 June 2007, coll. Duan Yani; Paratypes: 4 ♂♂, same data as holotype.

Remarks. This species is very similar to A. cyclops ( Melichar, 1914) , but it differs from the latter in having the aedeagus with dorsal margin undulate and paraphyses stubby. It is also similar to A. thalia ( Distant, 1918) but has the pygofer almost straight at apex with processes lacking small denticulae subapically; the paraphysis stubby and the aedeagus wide and long, only slightly narrowed anteapically.

Etymology. This new specific epithet is derived from the Latin word “validus”, referring to the stubby paraphysis.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Atkinsoniella longiuscula sp. nov. A, B, C, D; Atkinsoniella valida sp. nov. E, F, G, H; A, E, dorsal view; B, F, lateral view; C, G, face; D, H, head and pronotum.