Penthimia montana 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 : 14

Penthimia montana Distant

Figs 66 , 134–138 , 244–247 .

Penthimia montana Distant, 1918: 17 .

Penthimia nilgiriensis Distant, 1918:16 –17. S yn. nov.

Male: Crown orange-yellow variably marked with dark brown apically. Face black. Pronotum yellow variably tinged with green and usually with brown marking anteriorly. Scutellum orange-yellow with transverse suture and a spot on each side on disc dark brown sometimes markings coalescing, with variable dark brown basal triangles. Forewings brownish hyaline with dense orange-tessellate spots, sometimes with some darker brown marking distally. Body beneath black.

Female. Crown and pronotum yellow with variable orange markings. Scutellum orange-brown. Forewings brownish hyaline with dense yellow to orange-brown tessellate spots. Body beneath yellow to black.

Male genitalia. Valve with posterior margin broadly rounded. Subgenital plate with long fine setae. Connective with arms about as long as stem. Style linear with well developed preapical lobe, apical apophysis finger-like, curved laterally. Aedeagus with well developed dorsal apodeme and preatrium; shaft directed caudo-dorsally, then erect dorsally with serrated lateral margins, gradually tapering to apex, basal half smooth, distal half with large number of spicules, gonopore apical.

Length. Male 5.2–5.8mm. Female 5.8–6.4mm.

Type material examined. INDIA: Lectotype ♂ P. montana (here designated): ‘Type H.T’ ‘ Penthimia montana Dist. type [hw]’ ‘Lovedale, Nilgiri Hills, S. India, 7200ft [hw], T. V. Campbell’ ‘81 8‘, ‘L 5.15 81 8’ [handwritten under specimen card], ‘S. India, E. A. Butler 1915-60 ’. Lectotype ♀ P. nilgiriensis Distant (here designated): ‘Type H. T.’ ’Lovedale [hw], Nilgiri Hills, S. India, T. V. Campbell’, ‘45 6‘, ‘L 6.15, 45 6 ‘[handwritten under specimen card], ‘S. India, E. A. Butler, 1915-60 ’ ‘on Rhododendron [hw]’. Both BMNH with ‘L’ code numbers for Lovedale.

Other material examined. INDIA: 1♂, ‘ S. India, Lovedale, Nilgiri Hills, S. India , 7200ft [hw], T. V. Campbell’, ‘81 8‘ ‘L 6.15’ ‘ Penthimia montana Dist. [hw]’ ; 1♂, S. India, Nilgiri Hills, Lovedale, T. V. Campbell, ‘L 6.15’ ; 1♂, S. India, Madras, Coonoor, T. V. Campbell, ‘C. 5.15’ ; 1♀, ‘Lovedale [hw], Nilgiri Hills, S. India, 7200ft [hw]’ T. V. Campbell’, ‘85 6‘,‘L 5.15’ ‘ Brit. Mus. 1926-121’ ‘on Rhododendron [hw]’ ; 1♀, ‘ Lovedale, Nilgiri Hills, S. India, T. V. Campbell’ ‘85 6‘, ‘L. 5.15’ ; 7♀, S. India, Nilgiri Hills, Lovedale, T. V. Campbell’. All BMNH with ‘L’ and ‘C’ code numbers for Lovedale and Coonoor handwritten under specimen cards.

Remarks. Both this species and its synonym were described from an unknown number of specimens (syntype) with the following data: ‘Nilgiri Hills; Lovedale (T. V. Campbell)’. One specimen each of P. montana and P. nilgiriensis are considered syntypes as they have both BMNH registration labels dated before their publication date and original data labels. The remaining specimens listed under ‘Other material examined’ are topotypical but we cannot be sure of their status (see Material and Methods). This species and P. quadrinotata can be distinguished by their relatively pale dorsum (particularly females) but the former is larger and the genitalia is distinctly different. The aedeagal shaft of P. montana and P. fraterna is similar in having spicules and serrated lateral margins, however, they differ in the curvature of the shaft in lateral view and shape in caudal view (compare Figs. 118, 119 with 137, 138). Although P. nilgiriensis was described first by Distant (1918) we prefer to use the name P. montana as its type is a male

Figures

FIGURES 60–70. Leg chaetotaxy and female seventh sternites of Penthimia. 60–61. Chaedeatotaxy of forefemur: 60. P. compacta Walker; 61. P. ereba Distant. 62–63. Metabasitarsus apex: 62. P. compacta Walker; 63. P. ereba Distant. 64–70. Female seventh sternite: 64. P. funebris Distant; 65. P. juno Distant; 66. P. montana Distant; 67. P. noctua Distant; 68. P. quadrinotataDistant; 69. P. scapularis Distant; 70. P.alba Zahniser, McKamey & Dmitriev.

FIGURES 134–141. Species of Penthimia. 134–138. P. montana Distant: 134. Valve and subgenital plate, ventral view; 135. Connective,dorsal view; 136.Style,lateral view; 137.Aedeagus, lateral view; 138. Aedeagalshaft,posterior view.139–141.P. distanti Bakert: 139. Valve and subgenital plate, ventral view; 140. Style, lateral view; 141. Apical apophysis of style, lateral view.

FIGURES 235–245. Types of species of Penthimia. 235–236. Penthimia funebris Distant, lectotype female and label data; 237–239. Penthimia juno Distant, lectotype female and label data; 240–241. Penthimia maculosa Distant, lectotype male and label data; 242–243. Penthimia maculosa Distant, paralectotype female and label data; 244–245. Penthimia montana Distant, lectotype male and label data.

FIGURES 246–253. Types of species of Penthimia. 246–247. Penthimia nilgiriensis Distant, lectotype female and label data; 248–249.Penthia noctua Distant, lectotype female and label data; 250–251. Penthimia quadrinotata Distant, lectotype female and label data; 252–253. Penthimia alba Zahniser, McKamey & Dmitriev (new name for Penthimia thoracica Distant), lectotype female and label data.

FIGURES 113–119. Penthimia fraterna Distant. 113. Male pygofer, lateral view; 114. Subgenital plate and part of valve, ventral view; 115. Style, lateral view; 116. Apical apophysis of style, lateral view; 117. Connective, dorsal view; 118. Aedeagus, lateral view; 119. Aedeagal shaft, posterior view.