Oecleopsis articara Van Stalle, 1991

Guo, Hong-Wei, Wang, Ying-Lun & Feng, Ji-Nian, 2009, Taxonomic study of the genus Oecleopsis Emeljanov, 1971 (Hemiptera: Fulgoromorpha: Cixiidae: Pentastirini), with descriptions of three new species from China, Zootaxa 2172, pp. 45-58 : 48

Oecleopsis articara Van Stalle, 1991 , new record for China

Oecleopsis articara Van Stalle, 1991: 22 .

Description. Length (from apex of vertex to tip of fore wings): 3 5.7–6.4 mm, Ƥ 6.8–7.1 mm.

Face, vertex, pronotum, mesonotum and abdomen brown-black, carinae and borders yellowish; vertex about 3.5 times as long as broad, subapical carina deeply V-shaped; outer sides of vertex black with a yellow spot, genae yellow. Tegmina 3.3 times as long as broad, veins yellowish with dark granules; stigma dark brown; RA unbranched, RP apically trifurcated, MA apically trifurcated, MP apically bifurcated, CuA bifurcated; Sc+R forked distinctly distad of fork CuA1+CuA2; apex with eleven cells. Legs with femora brown, tibiae and tarsi yellowish. Chaetotaxy of hind tarsomere 7/5.

Male genitalia. Genital styles symmetrical. Aedeagus in total with three spines. Flagellum tapering, apex curved in a semi-circle. One spine on 1/2 distance of flagellum on left side and a long spine on apex of aedeagus on right margin.

Female genitalia. Caudal border of pregenital sternite shallowly excavated in middle, with two small convex submedian lobes. Anal segment rectangular.

Material examined. CHINA: 1 Ƥ, Sichuan, Emei Mountain,?- X-1976 (W. M. Zhang) ( NWAFU); 1 Ƥ, Hainan, Yinggeling, 24-V-2007 (Y. L. Wang & Q. Zhai) ( NWAFU); 1 Ƥ, Henan, Gongyi County, 25-IX-1981 (collector unknown) ( NWAFU).

Distribution. China (Sichuan, Henan, Hainan), Malaya, Borneo.

Remarks. Oecleopsis articara is closely related to O. petasatus , O. mori , O. sinicus and O. spinosus sp. nov. from which it can be distinguished by the number of spinose processes on the aedeagus: three in O. articara and more in other species, and by the apex of the flagellum which is not bifurcated and which is curved into a semi-circle. From O. bifidus , which also has only three spinose processes on the aedeagus, it can be distinguished by the absence of a bifurcate apex on the flagellum.

This species is recorded here for the first time from China.