Discophorellus Tsaur & Hsu, 1991

Zhang, Pei & Chen, Xiang-Sheng, 2011, Two new species of the genus Discophorellus Tsaur & Hsu (Hemiptera: Fulgoromorpha: Cixiidae: Cixiini) from Guizhou Province, China, Zootaxa 3105, pp. 60-68 : 60-61

Discophorellus Tsaur & Hsu, 1991

Discophorellus Tsaur & Hsu, 1991:21 .

Type species: Discophorellus major Tsaur & Hsu, 1991 , by original designation.

Description. The distinctive characters used by Tsaur et al. (1991) are modified as follows.

Body size. Moderately large cixiid species (5.4–8.5 mm).

Head and thorax. Head including eyes distinctly narrower than pronotum. Vertex much wider (more than 2.5 times) at basal emargination than at apex, with median carina and elevated lateral carinae, disc concave, bearing a reversed Y-shaped ridge touching transverse carina of frons at middle point, fusing with lateral carinae of vertex at apical parts, thus forming two oblique, trapezoid foveae. Frons narrowest at base, about 0.5 times width between endpoints of its lateral carinae, widest at level of antennae, disc not compressed, with elevated median and lateral carinae. Median ocellus present. Frontoclypeal suture strongly produced dorsad to middle. Clypeus tricarinate. Pronotum short, with median and intermediate carinae, carinate laterally. Mesonotum tricarinate. Forewings slender, smoothly widening towards apex, with 12 apical cells and 7 subapical cells; Sc+ RP forked basad of fork CuA1+CuA2, r-m crossvein basad of fork MA+MP, two indistinct and incomplete subapical rows of cross veins, RP trifid (rarely quadrifid), M quinquefid; fork PCu+A1 distad of centre of clavus; fork MA1+MA2 basad of fork MP1+MP. Post tibia with about 2–3 lateral and 6–9 apical spines. Second tarsal segment with 9–11 apical spines, usually with platellae, except on lateral pair.

Male genitalia. Pygofer symmetrical, W-shaped, lateral lobes symmetrical in ventral view; lateral lobes angular convex caudad. Medioventral process symmetrical in ventral view, generally wider at base than long in midline. Anal segment tubular and symmetrical in caudal view. Genital styles symmetrical in ventral view. Aedeagus short and stout in lateral view, with four spines; flagellum slender and long.

Distribution. Oriental region.

Remarks. This genus may be easily distinguished from other genera of Cixiini by the presence of 7 subapical cells and 12 apical cells on the forewing, by the vertex much wider (more than 2.5 times) at basal emargination than at apex, by the pygofer W-shaped in ventral view, by the aedeagus with four spines and round disc-like male anal segment in caudal view. The two new species, D. cehengensis sp. nov. ( China: Guizhou) and D. transspinus sp. nov. ( China: Guizhou), fit into the genus by the presence of the features above.