Drabescus limbaticeps (Stål)

Viraktamath, C. A., Webb, M. D. & Yeshwanth, H. M., 2022, Review of the leafhopper genus Drabescus Stål (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae: Deltocephalinae) in the Indian subcontinent with description of one new species, Zootaxa 5128 (2), pp. 225-247 : 236-237

Drabescus limbaticeps (Stål)

Figs 1KL, 2I, 3F, 4FG, 5C, 9A–G.

Selenocephalus limbaticeps Stål 1858: 453 .

Drabescus limbaticeps (Stål) : Melichar 1903: 170; Distant, 1908: 307–308.

Drabescus conspicuus Distant, 1908: 306 ; Zhang & Webb 1996: 24, figs. 358–362, 530. Lectotype designated by Zhang & Webb 1996: 24. Synonymised by Zhang & Webb, 1996: 24 (incorrectly given as the senior synonym).

Crown reddish brown, with a transverse yellowish white band on transition to face fore margin bordered both dorsally and ventrally with dark brown, disc slightly paler. Eyes dark brown with lateral extension of band on fore margin extending laterally onto eyes paler. Face with portion dorsad of ventral margin of eyes and frontoclypeus reddish pale brown, median area of frontoclypeus darker; clypellus dark brown, genae, lora and antennae, yellow. Pronotum reddish brown spotted with yellowish white, anterior and lateral submargin with white border, lateral margin dark brown. Exposed mesonotum reddish brown spotted with white, basal triangles reddish brown with few white spots, lateral margins with yellowish white border with a few reddish-brown spots in posterior half of mesoscutum. Forewing hyaline with reddish brown tinge, venation dark brown spotted with white; apical cells and appendix darker. Legs ochraceous with reddish brown streaks. Thoracic pleurites and sternites yellow, mesopleurite with median dark brown large patch.

Crown slightly longer medially than next to eyes, transversely depressed, about 4× as wide between eyes as long medially, transition to face rimmed. Face with lateral frontal sutures almost straight, distance between antennal bases about 2.7× as wide as width of clypeus at apex; clypellus gradually widened apically, with a median ridge. Pronotum about 2.4× as wide as median length. Fore tibia not strongly expanded.

Male genitalia. Pygofer about 1.5× as long as height at base in lateral view, narrowed gradually posteriorly with posterodorsal angle conically rounded, with spine-like process extending beyond pygofer apex, ventral margin slightly concave before midlength. Valve about 2.5× as long as median length, posterior margin emarginated medially. Subgenital plate elongate, triangular, about 3× as long as basal width, with apex narrowed and forming an appendix. Style with well-developed subapical lobe, apophysis widened distally with rounded apex, slightly curved laterally and transversely striated. Connective with arms as long as shaft, anterior surface. without median lobe. Aedeagus with well-developed dorsal apodeme, about half as long as shaft; shaft directed posteriorly in basal quarter then dorsally and in apical quarter directed anteriorly, with pair of short (about 0.25 length of shaft) lateral spine-like processes arising about 0.25 distance from base and diverging in dorsal view, gonopore subapical on ventral margin

Female pregenital segment. Sternite VII about 3× as wide as median length, posterior margin notched sublaterally and medially with narrow V-shaped incision; median area dark brown, broadening posteriorly and occupying almost entire posterior margin.

Measurements. Male 4.8–5.2 mm long, 1.8–1.9 mm wide across eyes and 1.5–1.6 mm wide across posterolateral angles of pronotum. Female 8.4–8.6 mm long, 2.9–3.1 mm wide across eyes and 2.6–2.7 mm wide across posterolateral angles of pronotum

Material examined. SRI LANKA: LECTOTYPE ♂ of D. conspicuus , “Peradeniya ii.1901 ” ( BMNH).

INDIA: Karnataka: Yellapur, 1♀, 14.xi.1977, C. A. Viraktamath; Mudigere , 4–6.iv.1980 (1♀) . 15.iv.1980 (1♀), 15.vi.1980 (1♀), 19.vi.1980 (1♀), 12.xi.1983 (1♀), 15–16.x.2001 (1♀), 15.iii.2007) (1♂, 1♀), 15.xi.2010 (1♀); Chikballapur, 1♀, 27.ix.2005, Shobharani; Chetthalli, 1♀, 28.v.2012, A.R.V. Kumar; Vittla, 1♀, 60m, 29.ix.2011, Latha, C.; Kodayamale, 1♂, 28.xi.1984, Shashidhar; Nandi Hills, 1♀, 1460m, 6.vi.2011, A. N. Reddy; Sirsi, Sugavi, 1♀, 23.v.2005, Radhamani; Mandalapatti, 1283m, 1♂, 13.iv.2011, Yeshwanth, at light; Belagavi, 2♀, Castle Rock, 569m, 12–13.xi.2012, A.R.V.Kumar. Kerala: Thekkadi , 1♀, 20.iii.1977, C.A. Viraktamath; Marayur, 1 ♀, 24.iii.1977, C.A. Viraktamath; Nilambur, 1♀, 19.ix.2008, Meshram; Trivendrum, Vellayani, 1♀, 22.v.2014, C.A. Viraktamath . Tamil Nadu: Kolli Hills , 1♂, 30.xii. 1989; Thandigudi, 2♂, 11.xi.2010, A.N. Reddy; 7♀, 11.xi.2010, 18.v.2010, 12, xi.2019, 19.v.2010 ( NPC, UASB, NBAIR) .

Remarks. Both D. limbaticeps and its synonym D. conspicuus were described from an unspecified number of specimens (syntype (s)), the former with the following data: “ Ceylon. Coll. Dohrn”, and the latter with the following data: “ Ceylon; Peradeniya (Green)”. A variety of D. conspicuus , with part of the face testaceous, was figured by Distant. Zhang & Webb (1996) designated a male as the lectotype of D. limbaticeps and synonymised the species with D. conspicuus but treated the latter junior name as the valid name in error. Lu et al. (2019) corrected this error in their checklist. D. limbaticeps has very distinctive pronotal colour pattern (see Remarks under the genus) and relatively short sub-basal processes of the aedeagus compared to other species of Drabescus in the subcontinent. The habitus image of D. conspicuus (fig. 530) figured by Zhang & Webb (1996) is a paralectotype and not a paratype as mentioned by them.