Daochia fenestrata, Fang & Webb & Xing, 2020

Fang, Yongqin, Webb, Mick & Xing, Jichun, 2020, An unusual new leafhopper species of Daochia Wei, Zhang & Webb, 2006 (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae: Deltocephalinae: Stegelytrini) described from China, Zootaxa 4758 (2), pp. 378-386 : 381-385

Daochia fenestrata sp. nov.

Figs. 1–18

Description. Dorsum and face medially pale brown with yellow speckles; forewing veins yellow to red, corium dark brown with a few oblique whitish bands distally, with a large transparent patch at midlength.

Head distinctly narrower than pronotum. Vertex declivous and totally visible in facial view, median length shorter than width between eyes, disc concave, lateral margin elevated above eye and slightly produced beyond eyes; ocelli on fore margin close to eyes ( Figs. 1, 3 ). Face longer than broad, not incurved below eyes; postclypeus and anteclypeus fused, the former narrow, laterally slightly elevated above eye and both strongly elevated above adjacent lateral areas of face; anteclypeus tapered from base to near apex then lateral apical area convex and strongly depressed each side of straight medial margin with a spine-like seta at their junction; laterofrontal suture short, extending from antennal pit towards inner margin of ocelli; lorum narrow; rostrum short, similar in length to enlarged labrum ( Figs. 7, 8 ); antennae very long, extended slightly beyond length of body, arising adjacent to lower corner of eye. Pronotum about 3 times broader than median length, shagreen; posterior margin distinctly indented medially; lateral margin long, carina nearly straight. Proepisternum small. Scutellum longer than pronotum, basal width slightly longer than medial length, elevated posteriorly ( Figs. 2, 5 ). Forewing elongate with apical margin slightly incurved, venation strongly reticulate throughout.

Male genitalia. Pygofer side longer than high, dorsal bridge long; with moderately long macrosetae distally ( Fig. 9 ). Valve very short with anterior lateral apodemes. Subgenital plates fused over basal two thirds, free distal ends subtriangular with moderately long with macrosetae on ventral surface and several shorter setae laterally and apically ( Fig.10 ); inner margin subbasally with a triangular shaped lobe projecting into pygofer. Connective saddle-shaped with arms poorly differentiated, medially weakly sclerotized ( Fig. 11 ). Style elongate somewhat linear throughout length, extended to slightly beyond apex of connective, inner basal articulating arm short, anterior lateral arm elongate; apical process elongate, digitate with several sub-apical setae on inner margin ( Fig. 11 ). Aedeagus with pair of elongate sub-basal processes, extending to apex of shaft; shaft robust curved dorsad in lateral view, dorsal lateral margins expanded laterally at midlength, ventral surface with a medial subapical sheath enclosing basal processes, with group of papilla-like processes apically on ventral surface, apex of shaft with dorsolateral margins extended ventrally, hook-like, gonopore apical; basal apodeme elongate sulcate dorsally; atrial opening small (Figs. 12,13). Dorsal connective transverse, band-like in ventral view ( Fig. 9 ).

Female pygofer with ventroposterior margin slightly incurved ( Fig. 14 ). Seventh sternite well extended posteriorly with apical margin slightly concave medially ( Fig. 4 ). First valvulae with ventral ramus present; dorsal and apical sculpture strigate ( Figs. 15, 16 ). Second valvulae with dorsal sclerotized and hyaline area present, dorsal teeth over relatively short apical area, very fine ( Figs. 17, 18 ).

Measurement. Length (including tegmen): ♂, 7.9–8.6 mm; ♀, 9.9–10.4 mm.

Type Material. Holotype: 1♂, China: Guizhou Prov., Guiyang City, Forest park, 13 July 2015, coll. Yuan Liu ( GUGC) ; Paratypes: 2♀♀, Guizhou Prov., Wangmo County, Dayi , 23 August 2012, coll. Siyuan Xu ( GUGC) ; 3♂♂ 1♀, Guizhou Prov., Guiyang City, Forest park, 1 July 2013, coll. Meng Jiao ( GUGC and BMNH) ; 7♂♂ 4♀♀, same data as holotype, coll. Yuan Liu and Yangyang Liu ( GUGC) ; 1♂, Guizhou Prov., Libo County, Limingguan , 25 August 2015, coll. Jiajia Wang ( GUGC) ; 2♂♂, Guizhou Prov., Libo County, Maolan , 21 June 2016, coll. Qiongzhang Song ( GUGC) ; 1♂, Guizhou Prov., Ziyun County, Zongdi , 17 July 2016, coll. Yingjian Wang ( GUGC) .

Distribution. China (Guizhou).

Remarks. In addition to the spectacular appearance of the new species, certain features are unusual, i.e., the forewings have a transparent ‘window-like’ patch (a feature not known in other leafhoppers), the apex of the wing is truncate, the venation is reticulate and the forewings are held ‘moth-like’ when at rest ( Fig. 1 ). In addition, it has a narrow tapered postclypeus with transclypellar suture indistinct ( Fig. 8 ) and strongly indented posterior margin of the pronotum ( Fig. 5 ). Due to these features the generic placement of the new species was problematical and although a new genus was considered for it, certain features indicated its placement in Daochia . For example, a similar shaped postclypeus and anteclypeus in the new species, together with a strongly indented hind margin of the pronotum, are found in D. superba comb. nov. and an indet. female specimen of Daochia from Vietnam (noted by Wei, Zhang & Webb, 2010: 2067, under D. fyanensis Wei & Zhang, 2010 ). In other Daochia species, D. bicornis , D. fyanensis and D. reticulata (all Wei & Webb, 2010), the anteclypeus is much broader, particularly in the male but the transclypellar suture is also absent in D. bicornis and only visible laterally in D. fyanensis and D. reticulata . In addition, although the forewings in other Daochia species are held more vertically they are truncate and have reticulate venation as in the new species. Further evidence supporting the placement of the new species in Daochia comes from the unusual triangular shaped basal lobe of the subgenital plate projecting into the pygofer, which is present in the new species ( Fig. 9 ) and other species of Daochia (males of D. superba are unknown). Placement in the similar genus Honguchia Wei & Webb, 2010 (the previous placement for D. superba ), was also considered, but this genus differs in having the lateral margin of the postclypeus more strongly convex, apical veins of forewing modified (but not reticulate) and in the male genitalia by the much shorter styles.

Etymology. This new species is named after the transparent window-like patch on the forewing.

Figures

FIGURES 1–8. Daochia fenestrata sp. nov. 1. ♂, dorsal view; 2. ♂, lateral view; 3. ♂, head and thorax, lateral view; 4. ♀, genitalia, ventral view; 5. ♂, head and thorax, dorsal view; 6. ♂, fore femur, anterior surface; 7. ♂, face; 8. ♂, face, enlarged.

FIGURES 9–13. Daochia fenestrata sp. nov. 9. Male genital capsule and anal tube, lateral view; 10. valve and subgenital plate, ventral view; 11 Style and connective, dorsal view; 12. Aedeagus, ventral view; 13. Aedeagus, Lateral view.

FIGURES 14–18. Daochia fenestrata sp. nov. 14. Female genital capsule; 15. First valvula; 16. First valvula enlarged apex; 17. Second valvula; 18. Second valvula enlarged apex.