Pseudothaia Kuoh, 1982

Cao, Yanghui, Dmitriev, Dmitry A., Dietrich, Christopher H. & Zhang, Yalin, 2020, Review of the leafhopper genus Thaia Ghauri and related genera (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae: Typhlocybinae: Erythroneurini), Zootaxa 4868 (3), pp. 331-367 : 357-359

Pseudothaia Kuoh, 1982

Pseudothaia Kuoh, 1982: 402 ; Song & Li, 2014: 120

Type species: Pseudothaia striata Kuoh, 1982 , by original designation

Description. Body robust, ground color brown. Head as wide as or slightly wider than pronotum, crown fore margin subparallel to posterior margin or rounded apically, coronal suture distinct, extend to tip of vertex. Face convex in profile, anteclypeus oval, length slightly longer than width, lorum large. Pronotum with two large triangular impressions. Forewing with third apical cell widest, fourth apical cell not reached apex of wing, slightly shorter than third apical cell. Hind wing venation usual for Erythroneurini, RA vein absent.

Male abdominal apodemes 2S short and relatively narrow. Anal tube well sclerotized, with appendages basally.

Pygofer lobe with basal half and ventral appendage well pigmented, area between them membranous, setosity rudimentary; dorsal appendage absent; ventral appendage fused to pygofer lobe, extended from ventro-caudal margin, very solid, bifurcated. Subgenital plate flattened in lateral view, surpassing hind margin of pygofer lobe, fused with sternite IX basally but with some furrows, lateral margin nearly straight, apex narrowed and provided with thorn-like process distally; setosity consists of 2–4 macrosetae medially, some rigid setae along lateral margin and scattered on distal disc. Style slender and long, apex curved inwards, basal part short, preapical lobe poorly developed. Connective lamellate, manubrium and lateral arms carinate and pigmented, central lobe well developed. Aedeagus tubular with papillose apex; dorsal apodeme well developed, transversely expanded and extended caudad; preatrium moderately developed; gonopore terminal.

Remarks. The fusion of the subgenital plate to sternite IX is rare in Erythroneurini , but it is a stable character within this genus. Pseudothaia caudata Song & Li, 2013 is excluded from this genus due to the lack of this feature and other significant differences with the other two species of Pseudothaia , such as the vertically expanded distal disc of the subgenital plate and absence of the apical thorn-like process, the well-developed preapical lobe of the style and the compressed dorsal apodeme of the aedeagus.

Distribution. China.

Diagnosis. This genus is superficially similar to Thaia Ghauri , Parathaia Kuoh and Etmaria gen. n., but the subgenital plate of Pseudothaia is very distinctive: the base is fused to sternite IX and the distal disc is flattened as the base and has a thorn-like process apically. Also, the pygofer ventral appendage is quite solid and the style is much longer and has a rudimentary preapical lobe.