Pythamus Melichar, 1903

Viraktamath, C. A. & Webb, M. D., 2007, Review of the leafhopper genus Pythamus Melichar (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae: Evacanthinae) in the Indian subcontinent, Zootaxa 1546 (1), pp. 51-61 : 52

Genus Pythamus Melichar

Pythamus Melichar 1903: 161 . Type species: Pythamus dealbatus Melichar , type by original designation.

Dussana Distant 1908: 322 . Type species: Dussana quaerenda Distant , type by original designation. Syn. nov.

Black with yellow or white markings on head, posterior half of scutellum and median area of costal margin on forewing. Antennae, labium, legs abdominal sterna yellow.

Head anteriorly triangularly produced, lateral margins strongly carinate, a median lamellate carina beyond a round raised structure at basal half on head, submarginal carina mesad of ocelli on head. Disc of vertex longitudinally rugose and also punctate in basal half. Face including eyes, longer than wide. Frontoclypeus with median carina, more strongly elevated in upper half than in lower half, laterally obliquely striate; clypellus broad at base narrowed apically, shagreen; lora not reaching apex of clypellus, shagreen, flat; gena transversely wrinkled below lora, strongly declivous laterally. Pronotum wider than head, transversely rugose and punctate; with lateral margins carinate, with or without median carina. Scutellum, with basal triangles granulose, roughly sculptured before transverse suture, rugose beyond. Forewing punctate in basal region, with normal venation. Hind femoral spinulation 2+1+1; hind tibial setal formula (following Davis, 1975) R 1 20±2, R 2 12±1, R 3 15±1. Apical transverse row of spinulation of metabasitarsus with three spines in place of platellae.

Male pygophore with ventral process that exceeds caudo-dorsal angle of pygophore. Tenth segment with well sclerotized tergum, ventro-cephalic angle produced into lobe. Subgenital plate elongate, with rounded apex, one to three rows of macrosetae along mesal submargin, apex and outer margins with long hair-like setae. Style slender, elongate, with foot-like apex of apophysis having elongated lateral angle. Connective Yshaped, with stem longer than arms. Aedeagus with well developed bifid dorsal apodeme, preatrium short or absent, shaft compressed laterally with or without processes, gonopore apical.

Female with first pair of gonapophyses with sculpture composing oblique striae becoming almost horizontal proximally and, with a few cell-like areas at proximal region; second pair of gonapophyses with prominent teeth on cutting edge occupying about 0.45 length.

Remarks: The study of types of P. dealbatus and D. quaerenda revealed that they are conspecific and hence the two genera have been synonymised. The black color with yellow or white markings on head, apex of scutellum and on the costal margin of the forewing is a combination that is unique for the genus along with the raised median keel of the vertex. The three Indo-Malayan species described by Baker (1915, 1923) are doubtfully placed in the genus, as they are paler in colour. These species are being treated elsewhere (Wei et al. in prep.)