Hecaloidella nitida, Osborn, 1934

Xu, Deliang, Webb, Michael D., Shang, Suqin & Zhang, Yalin, 2021, Review of the Pacific leafhopper genus Hecaloidella (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae Deltocephalinae: Selenocephalini) with description of sixteen new species, Zootaxa 4948 (3), pp. 381-403 : 389

H. nitida Osborn

Figs. 1C , 3A–M

H. nitida Osborn, 1934: 174 , fig 8; Zhang & Webb, 1966: 8, figs 2, 6, 10, 24, 99–104, 474; Shang & Zhang, 2012: 2–3, fig 1.

Redescription. Body length (including tegmina), male: 4.5–4.8mm; female: 5.2–6.2mm.

Head and thorax dorsally pale sordid yellow. Thorax and abdomen ventrally brown. Forewings brownish hyaline.

Male genitalia with subgenital plate elongate triangular basally with short digitate apex, with a few short fine setae laterobasally. Connective with arms separated distally or joined loop-shaped, stem extended caudally into a long dorsally curved process, distally with a dorsal medial keel. Aedeagus very small, disassociated from connective; shaft very short and stout, terminating in a pair of short recurved hook-like processes, with a short to long spine-like process basally; gonopore apical on ventral surface.

Material examined. Holotype: ♀, Samoa, Upolu , Malololelei, 2000ft, 23.xi.1924, P.A. Buxton and G.H. Hop- kins, NHMUK 010591769 ( BMNH) . Paratypes: 1♂, same data as holotype ( BMNH) ; 10♂ 12♀, Indonesia (Ma- luku), Utara and Tengah, C.J. Lomer, iv.1990, on clove ( BMNH, NMW) ; 3♂, Papua New Guinea ( Sudest Island ), Mt Riu, viii-ix.1956, L.J. Brass, 5 th Archbold Expedition to New Guinea ( AMNH) .

Remarks. This species together with the three following species ( H. caudospina , H. nudapenis and H. pacifica ) is distinguished by its very small aedeagus disassociated from the connective. It is most similar to H. pacifica in having the connective strongly curved dorsally but differs in its paler colour and having the aedeagus with the basal spine narrower and the distal processes apical rather than subapical. The species occurs in two forms in the male genitalia, one from Samoa (single specimen, paratype) with a short basal spine on the aedeagus ( Fig. 3I ) and another from other islands (see Material examined) with a longer spine ( Fig. 3J ).

Figures

FIGURE 1. Habitus images of Hecaloidella species; A, H. bimaculata (holotype); B, H. caudospina (holotype); C, H. nitida (holotype); D, H. nudapenis (holotype); E–G, H. pacifica (paratypes and immature); H, H. borneoensis (holotype); I, H. brevipenis (holotype); J, H. brevispina (holotype); K, H. longipenis (holotype); L, H. quadrispina (holotype); M, H. spinosa (holotype); N, H. brevis (holotype); O, H. brunnifacialis (topotype); P, H. knighti (holotype); Q, H. quadripicta (paratype); R, H. sandakanensis (holotype); S, H. singaporensis (paratype); T, H. brunifasciata (holotype).

FIGURE 3. H. nitida, A–D, holotype, E–I, paratype (Samoa); J–M, Maluku; A–B, head and thorax, dorsal and lateral view; C, face; D, forewing; E, male pygofer; F, style; G, subgenital plate, valve and style, dorsal view; H, connective, dorsal view; I, aedeagus, caudal view; J, aedeagus and connective, lateral view; K, aedeagus, lateral view; L, apex of connective, lateral view; M, connective, dorsal view.