Advikus, Viraktamath & Yeshwanth, 2020

Viraktamath, C. A. & Yeshwanth, H. M., 2020, A new genus and three new species of leafhopper tribe Scaphoideini (Hemiptera Cicadellidae: Deltocephalinae) from India with a note on Gunghuyana cingalensis Distant, Zootaxa 4895 (1), pp. 67-85 : 73-74

Advikus gen. nov.

Type species: Advikus siddappajii sp. nov., here designated.

Diagnosis. Slender and long leafhoppers (5.2–5.6 mm), with pair of black spots on crown; head narrower than pronotum, fore margin rounded; forewing without accessory cross veins, without reflexed veins in costal region, claval veins separate; metabasitarsomere with 4–5 platellae; male pygofer with dorsal or ventral process or without process, tergum either entire or deeply incised in the form of U or V, without macrosetae; subgenital plate without distal slender membranous process; style subapical lobe well developed, apophysis digitate, slightly curved, surface transversely striate; connective fused with aedeagus, Y-shaped, arms close together anteriorly; aedeagus with variably developed dorsal apodeme, shaft curved, with pair of short processes, shaft often extending beyond apical gonopore laterally; female valvula I dorsal sculpturing imbricate.

Description. Fulvous to ochraceous with two round black spots on crown, often with small black spot ventrad of lateral carina on pronotum. Head narrower than pronotum, slightly produced in front of eyes, fore margin rounded to face. Ocelli placed close to inner margin of eye. Crown slightly transversely impressed in middle, area anterior to impressed line shagreen, posterior to it polished, median longitudinal sulcus well developed; crown about 1.5–2.3 times as wide between eyes as long medially and about half as long as median length of pronotum. Face including eyes slightly longer than wide, outer margin of gena slightly incurved beneath eyes. Clypellus slightly wider near apex than at base or about as wide at base as at apex, exceeding apical margin of gena. Pronotum slightly convex dorsally, with lateral margins carinate, shorter than dorsal length of eye, about 2 times as wide as long medially, transversely faintly strate, polished, posterior margin almost straight. Mesonotum as long as or slightly shorter than pronotum, basal triangles smooth, rest shagreen. Forewing venation with 3 anteapical cells, inner anteapical cell open behind. Profemur with setal row AV with 16–26 short, peg-like setae present only in proximal half and AV1 hair-like at distal end below seta AM1; row AD well developed with 15–21 short setae, AM1 well developed at distal end, intercalary row (IC) with about 9–11 hair-like setae. Protibial macrosetae 1+4. Meta femur with 2+2+1 distal macrosetae. Meta tibiae with row AD 11±1, AV 19±2 and PD 19±2 setae. Metabasitrsomere with 4–5 platellae on apical transverse row flanked by one seta on either side, plantar surface with 5–6 short, stout setae in one row.

Male pygofer in lateral view rather triangular, with or without anterior marginal apodemes, without macrosetae (with dorsal rows of short peg-like setae in A. radhamaniae ), dorsal margin strongly arcuate in lateral view; with spine-like dorsal or ventralprocess or without process; dorsum of pygofer either entire or deeply excavated in the form of U or V. Valve triangular with posterior angle conically rounded. Subgenital plate triangular, with submarginal row of macrosetae, without posterior narrow membranous process. Style with subapical lobe well developed, apophysis finger-like, transversely striate. Connective Y-shaped, fused with aedeagus, apices of arms appressed, distinctly shorter than aedeagal shaft. Aedeagus with dorsal apodeme variably developed, with or without processes, shaft strongly curved dorsoanteriorly in distal half or straight, with one pair of short processes, gonopore apical often with shaft extending laterally beyond gonopore. Segment X long, tubular, without processes.

Female sternite VII about as long as VI, broader than long, posterior margin either concave or unevenly produced posteriorly, lateral margins rounded. First valvula curved dorsally with sculptured area confined to posterior 0.25, sculpturing imbricate reaching dorsal margin. Second valvula curved dorsally, denticular area confined to posterior 0.20, teeth prominent, with secondary teeth.

Etymology. The genus name is derived from the Sanskrit word Advik meaning unique, gender masculine.

Remarks. Advikus gen nov. belongs to the group of Scaphoideini genera having the connective fused with aedeagus and the arms of the connective appressed. These include Sikhamani Viraktamath & Webb , Sudhamruta Viraktamath & Murthy , Thryaksha Viraktamath & Murthy and Univagris Viraktamath & Murthy. However , the new genus differs from them in the genae not expanded laterally and not visible in dorsal view and the pygofer lacking long macrosetae present in these genera.

The genus includes three rather hetergenous species but they all share a number of characters that suggest a close relationship to each other: similar colour pattern namely, pale to fulvous general colour, with pair of round black spots on crown; A. andamanicus and A. radhamaniae also share the dark brown to black spot below the lateral carina of the pronotum and on the face below the antenna; same size range; the male pygofer without long macrosetae, the connective with anterior arms appressed, and the connective fused to the aedeagus.