Empoasca (Empoasca) spiculata Yu & Yang

Yu, Xiaofei & Yang, Maofa, 2014, Two new species of the leafhopper subgenus Empoasca (Empoasca) Walsh (Hemiptera, Cicadellidae, Typhlocybinae, Empoascini) from China, ZooKeys 437, pp. 25-32 : 27-28

Taxon classification Animalia Hemiptera Cicadellidae

Empoasca (Empoasca) spiculata Yu & Yang sp. n. Figs 9-17, 24-29

Type material.

Holotype. male, Luya mountain, Shanxi Province, 19 August 2011, coll. Hu Li; Paratypes: 5 males, Lvliang mountain, Shanxi Province, 22 August 2011, coll. Hu Li, Zhihua Fan and Xiaofei Yu (1 male, BMNH).

Length. Male 3.9-4.1 mm.

Yellowish (Fig. 24a). A yellow stripe along coronal suture (Figs 24a, 26a). Scutellum with a central whitish streak (Figs 24a, 26a). Forewing with RP and MP’ stalked at base or separated (Fig. 28).

Male ventral abdominal apodemes reaching segment 4 (Fig. 10). Male pygofer lobe tapered to rounded apex with ca. 15 setae, ventral pygofer appendage extended far beyond pygofer, procceses crossed in dorsal view, apex expanded and forked, lower branch serrate; dorsal bridge about 1/4 length of pygofer (Figs 9, 11, 12). Subgenital figs relatively broad with 20 macrosetae arranged obliquely in two basal rows centrally and a single distal row on lateral margin, and ca. 37 elongate fine setae from base to apex and medial margin with 5 basal group macrosetae followed by ca. 22 spine-like setae (Figs 9, 13). Paramere as Fig. 14. Aedeagus club-shaped in lateral view; shaft dorsally laterally compressed and less sclerotized, ventrally spiculate, with apex broadly rounded in ventral view; (Figs 9, 15, 16). Anal tube process falcate, apex spine-like (Figs 9, 17). Connective lamellate (Fig. 15).

Etymology.

The new species name alludes to the ventral spicules on the aedeagal shaft.

Remarks.

The new species differs from other members of the subgenus in having the ventral pygofer appendage forked, aedeagal shaft laterally compressed dorsally and ventrally spiculate.