Balocha fuscolinea, VIRAKTAMATH & YESHWANTH, 2024

VIRAKTAMATH, C. A. & YESHWANTH, H. M., 2024, Arboreal eurymeline leafhoppers (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae: Eurymelinae) of the Indian subcontinent with description of new genera and eight new species, Zootaxa 5462 (1), pp. 1-125 : 18

Balocha fuscolinea sp. nov.

Figs 6A–L , 60H , 63E–H

Diagnosis. Dorsum with different shades of pale reddish orange and yellow; face, venter and legs yellow. Forewing with vein M dark brown, area between it and claval suture on corium fuscous. Anterior aedeagal process with dorsal margin less strongly curved; aedeagus in lateral view with posterior process slightly more than 0.75× as long as anterior lobe ( Fig. 6L ).

Description. Male dorsum pale reddish orange and yellow. Crown and upper part of face reddish orange, rest of face yellow. Thoracic and abdominal venter and also legs yellow. Eyes with outer 0.66 dark brown, inner area pale. Pronotum yellowish with anterior 0.33 reddish orange. Mesonotum reddish orange. Forewing with basal area of clavus a little darker, rest reddish orange, vein M dark brown, longitudinal stripe occupying area between vein M and claval suture dark brown; third apical cell (petiolate cell) with large dark brown to black spot occypying enire width of cell and cell in distal half. Female similar to male in coloration, coloration richer compared to male.

Crown medially a little longer than next to eyes, 4× as wide between eyes as median length. Pronotum with disc convex, 2.4–2.5× as wide as long medially. Mesonotum longer medially than pronotum. Female sternite VII 2.6× as broad as long medially, posterior margin slightly convex ( Fig. 60H ).

Male genitalia. Pygofer with dorsal margin more or less convex, ventral margin incurved in proximal half. Subgenital plates more or less of uniform width, with marginal thin setae, distal apex rounded. Style with inner fork much shorter than outer fork, distally more or less conicaly pointed in dorsal and ventral view. Connective T-shaped, with median ridge extending almost to entire length. Aedeagus with preatrium almost 2× as long as shaft in lateral view, shaft with ventral part slightly longer than dorsal half, dorsal tooth-like process not strongly curved, dorsal margin convexly rounded in distal 0.75 length. Segment X with ventral lamellate process extending to almost 0.33 dorsal length of pygofer in lateral view.

Female genitalia. Valula I slightly curved, tapered to sharp apical point in distal half, sculpturing strigate, occupying about 0.6 distal length, strigae oblique ( Figs 63 EF). Valvula II stout, slightly curved dorsally, toothed area occupying distal 0.33 distance, each tooth less than twice as wide as height ( Figs 63 GH).

Measurements. Male 3.7–4.4 mm long and 1.2–1.4 mm wide across eyes. Female 4.6–4.7 mm long and 1.5 mm wide across eyes,

Material examined. HOLOTYPE ♂, INDIA: Karnataka: Jog Falls, 534m, 19.xi.1976, C.A.Viraktamath ( UASB). Paratypes, INDIA: Karnataka: 1♀, data same as holotype; 1 ♂, 1 ♀, same data as in holotype except collected on 5.ii.1978; 1 ♂, 16 km N. Bantwal, 12.xii.1982, ARV Kumar; 1 ♀, same data except collected on 16.i.1984 by S.A. Viraktamath; 1 ♂, 1 ♀, Kodyamale, nr Bantwal, 13.i. 1984 (♀) and 15.i.1984 (♂), S.A. Viraktamath; 2 ♀, Sirsi, Nilkunda, 27.iii.2005, Radhamani; 1 ♀ same data but collected on 25.v.2005; 1 ♀, Kemmannagundi, 23.xi.1977, C.A. Viraktamath; 2 ♀, same data but collected on 11.iv.1975; 1 ♂, 18 km N. Karwar, 12.xii.1983, S. Viraktamath ( UASB, NBAIR). INDIA: Maharashtra: 1 ♀, Matheran, 915m, 23.xi.1977, C.A. Viraktamath ( UASB).

Etymology. The specific epithet refers to the brown line (fuscolinea) present on the forewing.

Remarks. This speces can be readily distinguished from other species of Balocha from the subcontinent by the dark brown forewing vein M and the corium with a longitudinal fuscous stripe between vein M and claval suture. In females from Sirsi (Karnataka), there is a grayish stripe along inner margin of claval suture on clavus. Externally this species resembles B. unilineata Maldonado-Capriles ( Maldonado-Capriles1970: 300) in having a fuscous stripe on the forewing but differs in the shape of the aedeagus. The aedeagal shaft of B. fuscolinea is much broader and with the apical margin in lateral view sinuate compared to a much narrower shaft in B. unilineata with almost straight apical margin. In addition, the subgenital plate of B. unimaculata has a short digitate process on the ventral margin which is absent in the new species.

Figures

FIGURES 6A–L. Balocha fuscolinea sp. nov.: A–B, holotype male, dorsal and lateral view; C–D, female dorsal and lateral views; E, face, male; F, male pygofer, lateral view; G, subgenital plates, style and aedeagus, lateral view; H, pygofer, posterior view; I–J, styles, connective and aedeagus, dorsal and ventral views; K, style and aedeagus, lateral view, L, aedeagal shaft, lateral view.

FIGURES 60A–O. Idiocerini and Megipocerini of the Indian subcontinent, forewings (A–F) and female sternite VII (G– O). A, Matangia indica; B, Metidiocerus deodarae; C, Periacerus lalithae; D, Ulavius anasuyae; E, Busonia distanti; F, B. manipurensis; G, Balocha astuta; H, B. fuscolinea; I, Amritodus atkinsoni; J, A. brevis; K, A. quinquepunctatus; L, A. saeedi; M, Bellacerus bellus; N, Busoniomimus manjunathi; O, B. mudigerensis.

FIGURES 63A–P. Balocerini and Idiocerini of the Indian subcontinent, female valvula I, magnified view and valvula II, magnified view: A–D, Balocha astuta; E–H, B. fuscolinea; I–L, Amritodus atkinsoni; M–P, A. brevis.