Plumosa nigrimaculata, Song & Li, 2008

Song, Yuehua & Li, Zizhong, 2008, First record of the leafhopper genus Plumosa Sohi (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae: Typhlocybinae) from China, with description of a new species, Zootaxa 1879 (1), pp. 49-51 : 49-51

Plumosa nigrimaculata sp. nov. ( Figs. 1–13 )

Morphology: Structural characters as in the genus description. Vertex ( Fig. 1 ) testaceous, with large blackish-brown patch at anterior margin and pair of small faint ovoid dots. Eyes black. Pronotum ( Fig. 1 ) broad, with obvious impressed pattern in the middle area, nearly diamond shaped; testaceous near anterior margin, middle area and posterior margin dark brown; scutellum testaceous, triangular, with black apex. Face ( Fig. 2 ) light brown. Frontoclypeal area blackishbrown, with several dark brown transverse streaks on each side; most part of anteclypeus brownish-black. Forewing ( Fig. 9 ) semitransparent, light brown, without markings.

Male genitalia: Abdominal apodemes short and thick, extending to 3rd segment ( Fig. 8 ). Posterior margin of 8th segment with long fine white setae ( Fig. 3 ). Pygofer ( Fig. 3 ) very broad, dark brown, with numerous long white setae on lateral surface and also with group of long fine setae at the base of pygofer close to ventral margin. Pygofer lobe ( Fig. 11 ), with dorsal appendage long and wide, curved down apically, area near base of dorsal appendage with two transverse bands. Subgenital plate ( Figs. 3, 12 ) brownish, with lamelliform process on inner lateral surface near apex, with numerous short microsetae basally along upper lateral margin and several long white fine setae at apex. Style ( Fig. 4 ) long and slender, with 3 small teeth apically. Aedeagal shaft in lateral view ( Fig. 6 ) wide, nearly L-shaped, produced in long dorsal distal lobe, with short thin tooth on dorsal margin and pair of small ventral processes basally. Gonopore ( Fig. 6 ) large, ventral, apical. Connective broad, lamelliform, nearly Y-shaped, with a short broad central lobe between two arms.

Measurement: Body length males 5.2–5.3 mm, females 5.4–5.5 mm.

Material examined: Holotype, male: CHINA: Hainan province: Mt. Wuzhi , 700 m, 15–VII–2007, coll. Yuehua Song. Paratypes: four males, three females ( IEGU) ; two males, two females ( INHS), same data as holotype .

Host plant: Bischofia javanica Blume. (Autumn maple tree)

Remarks: This new species resembles P. emarginata Sohi (1977) , sharing with the latter the similar crown, and the subgenital plate having a lamelliform process on the inner lateral surface subapically, numerous short microsetae basally along the lateral margin and long white fine setae at the apex. It can be distinguished from P. emarginata by its unique aedeagus ( Figs. 5, 6 ): aedeagal shaft with a short thin tooth on the dorsal margin and a pair of small ventral processes basally.

Etymology: The name is derived from the Latin prefix “nigri-” (black, dark) plus “macula” (spot, mark), which refers to the large black patch on the scutellum apex ( Fig. 1 ).

Figures

FIGURES 1-13. Plumosa nigrimaculata n. sp. 1. Head and thorax, dorsal view. 2. Face. 3. Tip of abdomen, left lateral view. 4. Style. 5. Aedeagus, caudal view. 6. Aedeagus, lateral view. 7. Connective. 8. Abdominal apodemes. 9. Forewing. 10. Hindwing. 11. Pygofer lobe, lateral view. 12. Subgenital plate, inner-lateral view; P. emarginata Sohi, 1977: 13. Aedeagus, lateral view (after Sohi).