Penthimia ereba Distant

Shobharani, M., Viraktamath, C. A. & Webb, M. D., 2018, Review of the leafhopper genus Penthimia Germar (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae: Deltocephalinae) from the Indian subcontinent with description of seven new species, Zootaxa 4369 (1), pp. 1-45 : 10

Penthimia ereba Distant

Figs 12–17 , 44, 61, 63, 101–112, 228–231.

Penthimia ereba Distant, 1908: 245 .

Neodartus scutellatus Distant, 1908: 246 –247. Syn. nov.

Male. Black. Scutellum with two yellow spots on each lateral margin and a spot at apex. Forewing with fine yellowish-brown spots. Female. Head black, pronotum black variably marked with yellowish-brown on posterior margin. Scutellum bright yellow with basal angles black. Forewing spots more pronounced than in male and sometimes coalescing.

Vertex relatively long ( Figs 12–17 ).

Male genitalia. Pygofer with rounded caudal margin, ventrocaudal area with long stout setae. Subgenital plate more strongly narrowed caudally, with long stout setae on distal half. Connective with arms shorter than stem. Style with preapical lobe well developed, apical apophysis short, thumblike, slightly curved laterally, with pointed apex. Aedeagus with well developed dorsal apodeme, preatrium short, shaft compressed, curved caudo-dorsally with three to four rows of spicules on lateral margin ventrally, apex with U-shaped excavation; gonopore apical.

Length. Male: 3.3–4.1mm. Female: 3.8–4.4mm.

Type material examined. SRI LANKA: Lectotype ♂ P. ereba (here designated): ‘Type H. T’ ‘Habarane, Ceylon’ ‘Distant Coll. 1911-383’ ‘ erebus Dist. type’. Lectotype ♀ P. scutellatus (here designated): ‘Type H.T’ ‘ Neodartus scutellatus Dist. type’, ‘Neduukulam, 12.05’; MYANMAR: paralectotype ♀ P. scutellatus : ‘Myitta, Doherty’ (all BMNH).

Other material examined. INDIA: Karnataka: Chikkaballapur : 1♀, T. V. Campbell ( BMNH) ; 1♀, 3.viii.1976, B. Mallik; 2♂, 5♀, 9.xii.2005 and 3♂, 2♀, 27.ix.2005, Shobharani, M. (UASB);1♀, Devaraya Drug, T. V. Campbell 203 10(BMNH);1♀, 24 Km N Arsikere, 23.vii.1978; Bangalore , 2♀, 16.iv.1976 , 1♀, 26.v.1982, H.V.A. Murthy; 3♂, 2♀, 26.iv.2006, Girish, K. S; 2♀, 1.v.2006. Shobharani ; 6♀, 10.vii.2006, ex sandal, Shobharani, M ; 1♂, 13.iii.1974, Sivaramakrishnan; 1♂, 19 Km N Bagepalli, 14.iv.1977, 1♂, 20 Km S Belgaum, 12.xii.1983, S. Viraktamath; 1♀ Chintamani, 16.x.2006, Shobharani, M; 1♂, 4♀,10 Km N Hunsur, 16.i.1978; 1♂, 12–15 m S W of Hunsur, 18.i.1978; 1♀, 20 Km N W of Doddaballapur, 18.vi.1977; 1♂, Gulberga, 30.xi.1980, A.R. V. Kumar; 1♂,15 Km NE Ilkalgad, 17.ii.1977, K. D. Ghorpade; 1♂, Jog falls , 534m, 17.xi.1976 ; 1♂, 17.xi.1976, B. Mallik; 1♂, 20.xii.1983, S. Viraktamath; 1♂, 12 Km, W Jog falls, 18.xi.1976, B. Mallik; 1♂, 2♀,8– 12 Km of Karwar , 18.xii.1983, S. Viraktamath ;1♂, 1♀, 27 Km E Kollegal, 8.viii.1977; 1♀, Mudigere, 970m, 6.iv.1980; 1♂, 18 Km, W Mudigre, 900m, 7.iv.1980; 1♀, Nagarahole, 15.iii.2006, K. B. Raj; 1♂, 1♀, Nandi Hills, 1380 m, 9.vi.1977; 2♂, Nandi Hills, 1300m, 9.vi.1977; 1♀, 3.vii.1977; 1♂, Ramandrug, 990m, 17.vii.1982, Ghorpade; 1♂, 12 Km S W Shimoga, 6.i.1984, Ghorpade; 1♂,16 Km N Sullia, 8.ii.2005; 2♂, 1♀, 6 Km N Vijayapura, 9.vi.1977 (UASB); Gujarat: 1♂, 25.i.1981, S. Viraktamath ; Maharashtra: 1♂, Matheran, 915m, 23.xi.1977 ; 1♂, 24.xi.1977; Rajasthan: 3♀, Mt. Abu , 1200m, 25.i.1981 ; Tamil Nadu: 1♀, Coimbatore, 18.ix.13, A.G.R. Coll ; 1♀, 7.ix.12, A.G.R. Coll (BMNH); 1♂, Burliar, 860m, 5.vi.1977; 1♂, 5.vi.1977, all collected by C. A. Viraktamath except as mentioned otherwise (UASB); 1♂, Ayur, N. Salem, 4.i.1930, FRI, Sandal Insect survey (UASB).

Remarks. This species was described from an unknown number of specimens (syntypic) with the following data: ‘ Ceylon; Habarane (Green)’. Its synonym ( scutellatus ) was described from two specimens (syntypes) with the following data: ‘ Ceylon; Nanduukulam (Green). Tenasserim; Myitta (Doherty).’ Distant referred to one of the latter specimens in the following way: ‘scutellum base (in type) mutilated’. However, in the specimen he labelled as ‘type’ (selected here as lectotype), it is the apex of the scutellum which has been mutilated by the pin.

This species is sexually dimorphic with the male originally named ereba and the female scutellata , the former with the scutellum black and in the latter, bright yellow; both are considered the same species based on the similarity in shape of the vertex (see below). P. ereba resembles P. neoattenuata externally but it lacks a median dorsal ridge on the aedeagal shaft present in P. neoattenuata . It also resembles P. juno from Sri Lanka but the latter, known only from the female, is more uniformly dark with the posterior margin of the female pregenital sternite more deeply concave each side of midline. From these and other species it can be distinguished by its relatively long vertex, the reason presumably for the original placement of P. scutellatus in Neodartus which also has a relatively long vertex.

Figures

FIGURES 1–13. Habitus of species of Penthimia. 1–4. P. attenuata Distant: 1–2. Male, dorsal and lateral view; 3–4. Color variation in female. 5–9. P. compacta Walker, 5–6. Male, dorsal and lateral view; 7–9, colour variation in female. 10–11. P. curvata sp. nov., holotype male, dorsal and lateral view. 12–13. P.ereba, male, dorsal and ventral view.

FIGURES 14–26. Habitus of species of Penthimia. 14–17.P.ereba, colour variation in female; 18. P. fraterna Distant, female topotype, dorsal view; 19–20. Female P. funebris Distant, dorsal and lateral view. 21–22. Female P. maculosa Distant, dorsal and lateral view; 23–24. Holotype male P. meghalayensis, dorsal and lateral view. 25–26. Female P. mudononensis Distant, dorsal and lateral view.