Variolosa, Cao, Yanghui & Zhang, Yalin, 2013

Cao, Yanghui & Zhang, Yalin, 2013, Two new erythroneurine leafhopper genera and first record of Thailus Mahmood from China (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae: Typhlocybinae), with description of four new species, Zootaxa 3686 (3), pp. 363-372 : 364-367

Variolosa gen. nov.

Type species: Variolosa meni sp. nov.

Description. Body large, robust, with numerous conspicuous pits on surface of vertex, face, pronotum, mesonotum, basal 1/3 of forewing and abdomen. Head in dorsal view with anterior margin rounded, parallel to posterior margin, slightly narrower than pronotum. Face relatively short, anteclypeus narrow. Forewing with first and fourth apical cells broad, second and third cells narrow, fourth cell approximately same length as third, AA and AP veins absent. Hind wing without RA vein.

Male 2S abdominal apodemes narrow, extended to fourth sternite.

Male pygofer side well sclerotized, with numerous membranous pits, caudal margin truncate, inner side with two pairs of well pigmented separate lobes, dorsal pair darker, nephroid in dorsal view, fused to each other and basal opening of aedeagal shaft, ventral pair ornamented with small blunt denticuli dorsally, ventral part curled dorsolaterad and forming semi-cylinder; two pairs of appendages at lower part of pygofer present (upper pair here interpreted as pygofer dorsal appendage shifted well ventrad). Subgenital plate narrow, setosity poorly developed, with 3–4 macrosetae near lateral margin and some short rigid microsetae on distal disc. Style greatly reduced, linear. Connective distinctive, extremely large and compressed, manubrium, lateral arms and central lobe not differentiated. Aedeagus tubular; dorsal apodeme and preatrium rudimentary, gonopore terminal, ventral.

Etymology. The generic name is derived from the Latin word “ variolosus ” meaning “spotted” in view of the numerous pits on the body. The gender is feminine.

Diagnosis. The new genus is most closely related to Otbatara Dworakowska, 1984 in body shape, the presence of numerous conspicuous pits on the body, and shape and size of the style, but differs in having the pygofer side without macrosetae at the lower basal angle, with two separate lobes distally, the subgenital plates not fused and the connective compressed. Variolosa gen. n. is also similar to Eldama Dworakowska, 1972a in body shape, presence of numerous conspicuous pits, shape of the style, and reduced setosity of the subgenital plate, but the pygofer has two additional lobes, pygofer appendages are present and the connective is compressed.