Macrocixius Matsumura, 1914

Zhang, Pei & Chen, Xiang-Sheng, 2013, Taxonomic study on the planthopper genus Macrocixius Matsumura (Hemiptera: Fulgoromorpha: Cixiidae) with descriptions of two new species from China, Zootaxa 3646 (3), pp. 277-288 : 278

Genus Macrocixius Matsumura, 1914

Macrocixius Matsumura, 1914: 394 ; Tsaur and Hsu, 1991: 3.

Type species: Macrocixius giganteus Mastsumura, 1914 (original designation).

Diagnostic characters. The distinctive characters used by Mastsumura (1914) and Tsaur et al. (1991) are modified as follows.

Body siz e. Large-sized species. Total length varying from 8.8–12.5 mm.

Head. Head distinctly narrower than pronotum, transverse at base. Vertex concave posteriorly, generally fuscous, widening from subapical carina to both ends, base wider than apex, and with prominent median carina which is divided into two parts by subapical carina, the anterior part of the prominent median carina not touching subapical carina or vanishing, the posterior part of the prominent median carina not touching subapical carina; apical transverse carina nearly straight; subapical carina curving dorsally; area between apical transverse carina and subapical carina concave, sub-trapezoid; lateral margins behind subapical carina with two large subtriangular yellowish brown areas. Face narrowing basally, gradually widening to the level of the antennae then narrowing to frontoclypeal suture, apex wider than base, disc flattened; median carina distinct, percurrent on frons and clypeus, lateral carinae strongly elevated except on anteclypeus, frontoclypeal suture arched dorsally. Rostrum reaching hind femur, generally yellowish brown, apex black or dark brown.

Pronotum and mesonotum. Pronotum chevron shaped, each side with a prominent intermediate carina. Mesonotum tricarinate, convex anteromedially, smooth between lateral carinae; lateral carinae reaching anterior and posterior margins; bearing transverse striations on posteromedian area.

Wings. Forewing much longer than the abdomen, tectiform, slightly broader medially, covered with setae or not, with 7 subapical cells and 12 apical cells; indistinct tubercles along both sides of veins; first veinlet r+m basad of fork MA+MP; Rp 4-branched, MA 3-branched, Mp 2-branched; fork MA basad of fork MP; cross veins not in rows; some species with a narrow strip between bases of CuP and PCu; yellow alternating with fuscous on total length or apical half of veins, which with concolorous tubercles. Wing with MP and CuA1 partly fused.

Legs. Hind tibia yellowish brown, with about 3-4 lateral and 6 apical spines, apices of lateral and apical spines dark brown. Chaetotaxy of hind tarsi 8-9/7-9, 2nd hind tarsus with platellae.

Abdomen. Abdomen dorsoventrally compressed. Pygofer symmetrical, elongated, lateral lobes symmetrical; in ventral view, dorsal margin U-shaped. Medioventral process subtriangular, generally wider than long; in lateral view, basal half covered by lateral lobes of pyoger. Anal segment tubular with apical part reflexed and symmetrical in caudad view, relatively long; anal style finger-like, beyond anal segment. Genital styles symmetrical in ventral view, apex inflated and with setae. Aedeagus wide and large, in ventral view each side produced anteriorly; in right view, with four spines originating from apex of aedeagal shaft, near base of flagellum. Flagellum of aedeagus wide and large, with spines, some parts strongly sclerotized, not distinctly curving to one side; in dorsal view, dorsal margin with a wide and large S-shaped textures.

Distribution. Oriental and Palaearctic regions.

Remarks. This genus may be easily distinguished from other genera of Cixiini by the presence of 7 subapical cells and 12 apical cells on the forewing, by the wings with MP and CuA1 partly fused, by the shape of the median carina of vertex, by the apical margin of pygofer U-shaped in ventral view, by the aedeagus with an anteriorly directed triangular process on each side, and by the dorsal margin of flagellum with a wide and large S-shaped textures in dorsal view.