Xenovarta lunata, Dietrich & Nguyen & Pham, 2020

Dietrich, Christopher H., Nguyen, Huong T. T. & Pham, Hong Thai, 2020, New genera, new species and new records of leafhoppers (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae) from Vietnam, Zootaxa 4877 (2), pp. 241-273 : 258-260

Xenovarta lunata n. sp.

( Figures 6 G–O, 11R)

Description. Length of male 6.5 mm. Overall coloration green with bright orange markings. Crown pale yellow with continuous broad orange band along anterior margin between eyes. Pronotum with longitudinal stripes obsolete.

Crown length 2.3X basal width between eyes; anteclypeus approximately parallel sided. Front femur row IC with 9 relatively stout setae extended over more than half length of femur, AV with 13 very short, stout setae; tibia rows AD and PD with 1 and 9 macrosetae, respectively, AV with numerous macrosetae, PV with 3 macrosetae. Middle femur with numerous very short, stout AV setae. Hind tibia rows PD, AD and AV; with 24, 12 and 20 macrosetae, respectively; tarsomere I pecten with 3 platellae.

Front femur AM1 near midheight, IC with 10 long setae, AV with ~14 very short, stout setae; tibia rows AD and PD with 1 and 8 macrosetae respectively, AV with numerous close-set macrosetae, PV with 4 short setae. Hind tibia formula PD:AD:AV 20:12:21; tarsomere I pecten with 3 platellae.

Male 2S apodemes slender, divergent and capitate, extended to posterior margin of sternite III. Pygofer longer than high in lateral view, ventral margin of lobe with acute emargination just beyond midlength, macrosetae restricted to small preapical dorsal group, inner wall with numerous conspicuous setae posterodorsally. Segment X extended to pygofer apex. Subgenital plates extended to pygofer apex, separate from each other but fused to valve, quadrate, with few lateral macrosetae and many macrosetae along truncate apices, apex of each plate with short dorsal tooth. Style preapical lobe short and acute, apophysis greatly enlarged, extended posterad, bent laterad at midlength then curved slightly posteromesad in ventral view, conspicuously denticulate, apex rounded. Connective loop-shaped, stem absent, arms bowed laterad but closely appressed anteriorly. Aedeagus with dorsal apodeme loop-shaped, shaft straplike, slender, curved dorsad; apex with pair of asymmetrical processes arising distad of gonopore, larger process extended anterolaterad to left, sickle-shaped, evenly curved ventrad then dorsad and broadened in middle; smaller more distal process extended dorsad then bent to left; gonopore preapical on posterior surface.

Etymology. The species name is an adjective formed from the Latin word “lunato” (crescent) referring to the crescent-shaped preapical spine of the aedeagus.

Material examined. Holotype male, VIETNAM: Vinh Phuc, Tam Dao , 21.4589ºN 105.6479ºE, 970m, 10 July 2019, C.H.Dietrich, sweeping along forest edge, VN19-5-1 ( VNMN). 1 male paratype (with aedeagus broken), VIETNAM: Vinh Phuc, Tam Dao, 21.4509ºN 105.6325ºE, 741m, 12 July 2019, C.H.Dietrich, sweeping understory in 2º pine forest, VN19-8-1 ( INHS).

Notes. This species is very similar to X. ankusha Viraktamath 2004 , described from southern China, which it closely resembles in overall appearance including head shape, color pattern and in the structure of the subgenital plates. The new species differs in having the ventral margin of the pygofer lobe strongly emarginate preapically with a broad ventroapical lobe, and the aedeagus with the left process much larger, expanded medially and bladelike, and the distal process curved toward rather than away from the left process.

Figures

FIGURE 6. Deltocephalinae, Stegelytrini and Vartini. A–F, Sychentia vietnamensis sp. n., holotype male: A–B, lateral and dorsal habitus; C–D, genital capsule, lateral and ventral views; E–F, genitalia, ventral and lateral views. G–O, Xenovarta lunata sp. n., holotype male: G–H, lateral and dorsal habitus; I–J, genital capsule, lateral and ventral views; K, pygofer and anal tube, lateral view; L, subgenital plate, ventral view; M–N, genitalia, ventral and lateral views; O, aedeagus, posterior view.