Dianica Zhang, 2018

Zhang, Bin, 2018, A new idiocerine leafhopper genus, Dianica, from China (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae), Zootaxa 4420 (4), pp. 588-592 : 589

Dianica Zhang gen. nov.

Type species: Dianica rugulosa Zhang sp. nov.

Description. Brown to chocolate brown, lacking any markings.

Medium sized leafhoppers. Crown of uniform length, upper part of face and crown transversely rugose. Face wider across eyes than long. Ocelli near ends of lateral frontal sutures, closer to adjacent eyes than to each other. Anteclypeus projecting beyond genae, expanded apically with apical margin deeply concave. Antenna short, without disc in male. Lora long, elevated above level of genae. Pronotum transversely rugose. Scutellum slightly broader than long, and longer than pronotum. Forewings with 4 apical cells and 3 subapical cells, outer subapical cell smallest, central and outer subapical cells closed, inner subapical cell open; appendix moderately broad. Hind femoral macrosetae 2+1, hind tibial macrosetae PD 22–25, AD 12–14, AV 13–14. Hind basitarsus with three platellae on distal transverse row.

Male genitalia. Pygofer without dorsal and ventral apodemes on anterior margin, dorsal margin distinctly shorter than ventral margin, lacking processes and setae. Anal collar well developed with elongate process. Male valve trapezoidal, posterior margin undulate. Subgenital plates longer than pygofer. Style with apophysis elongate and curved dorsally. Connective T-shaped without dorsomedial keel, stem long. Aedeagus simple with preatrium and dorsal apodeme poorly developed, aedeagal shaft slightly compressed laterally, gonopore apical.

Distribution. Oriental region.

Remarks. Dianica shares the transverse rugae of the head and thorax with Hyalinocerus, Niligiriscopus, Tasnimocerus and Jogocerus . It differs from Hyalinocerus and Niligiriscopus in having three subapical cells in the forewing and lacking definite dark markings on the pronotum, from Tasnimocerus in having the anteclypeus narrowed at base compared to apex and from Jogocerus in having three platellae on the hind basitarsus distal transverse row and lacking a pygofer process.

Etymology. The generic name is a combination of two words Dian + ica, meaning Yunnan Province and Latin suffix, referring to the Yunnan province where the type species was collected. The gender is feminine.