Nesocerus flexus, Krishnankutty & Dietrich, 2011

Krishnankutty, Sindhu M. & Dietrich, Christopher H., 2011, Taxonomic revision and phylogeny of an endemic leafhopper genus Nesocerus (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae: Idiocerinae) from Madagascar, Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 162 (3), pp. 499-543 : 536

NESOCERUS FLEXUS SP. NOV. ( FIGS 5G, H , 13A–G )

Diagnosis: This species may be distinguished by the following combinations of characters: lorum with median black marking; pygofer elongate and tapered posterad and aedeagal shaft strongly bent near middle, with short apical processes arising from both anterior and posterior surfaces.

Description: Length of male, 4.7 mm.

Coloration: Crown with black spot near compound eye, number of median irregular spots extending to face. Frontoclypeus with discontinuous median black stripe. Clypeogenal and laterofrontal suture bordered by black marking. Gena with tiny black spot below eye. Lorum with median black marking. Clypellus pale yellow with black line along lateral margins. Pronotum with median black line not extending to posterior margin, pair of lateral black spots and a few black spots near lateral margin. Mesonotum with pale yellow basal triangle, black marking near base, median inverted v-shaped black marking not extending beyond scutellar suture. Scutellum with two median black spots along lateral margin. Forewing hyaline with intermittent brown and white coloration. Legs pale yellow with black bands near apex. Fore femur with additional black marking near base.

Structure: Clypellus with sides slightly concave, apex wider than base, in profile flat. Rostrum not extending beyond mid coxae. Forewing with r-m1 crossvein absent. Metatibial setal rows PD, AD, and AV with 18, nine, and nine macrosetae, respectively.

Male genitalia: Pygofer elongate, tapered posterad, without posterodorsal process; posterolateral margin with short setae. Subgenital plate in lateral view not depressed, broad near base, then gradually tapered to apex; in ventral view outer lateral margin slightly convex near base, with macrosetae confined to distal two thirds of lateral and mesal margins. Style in lateral view with narrow apodeme; apophysis slender, elongate, curved dorsad, tapering to dorsally hooked apex. Connective in dorsal view Y-shaped with short stem and widely diverging anterior arms, articulated with preatrium of aedeagus. Aedeagus in lateral view with atrium broad; socle reduced; shaft in lateral view broad, strongly bent anterad near middle, then abruptly tapered posterad, with single anterior and posterior process arising on either side of apex; apex in posterior view pointed, expanded subapically, with base of posterior process T-shaped with bulbous stem; gonopore subapical on posterior surface of shaft basad of terminal process.

Material examined: Holotype male, MADAGASCAR: Province Mahajanga, Parc National Tsingy de Bemaraha, 3.4 km 93° east of Bekopaka , Tombeau Vazimba , 50 m, 19°8′31″S, 44°49′41″E, 6.–10.xi.2001, Fisher, Griswold et al., malaise trap, in tropical dry forest, BLF4233 ( CAS).

Etymology: The specific epithet is derived from the Latin root-word flexi meaning to bend, referring to the unique shape of the aedeagal shaft.

Figures

Figure 5. Nesocerus spp. nov., dorsal habitus and face of holotype male. A, B, Nesocerus asymmetricus; C, D, Nesocerus uniprocessus; E, F, Nesocerus compressus; G, H, Nesocerus flexus; I, J, Nesocerus breviprocessus; K, L, Nesocerus latus; M, N, Nesocerus basiprocessus; O, P, Nesocerus serratus; Q, R, Nesocerus convolutus.

Figure 13. Nesocerus spp. nov. Male pygofer in lateral view (A, H, O), male subgenital plate in ventral (B, I, P) and lateral views (C, J, Q), aedeagus in lateral (D, K, R) and caudal views (E, L, S), style in lateral view (F, M, T), style and connective in dorsal view (G, N, U). A–G, Nesocerus flexus; H–N, Nesocerus breviprocessus; O–U, Nesocerus latus.