Nesocerus nanus, 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 : 532-533

NESOCERUS NANUS SP. NOV. ( FIGS 4O, P , 11A–G )

Diagnosis: This species is similar in habitus to N. unimaculatus , but may be distinguished by the following combination of characters: smaller body size; pygofer with posterodorsal process forked; style short with abruptly acuminate apex and aedeagus with two pairs of ventrally directed processes; one pair short, straight and the other long, curved.

Description: Length of male, 3.25 mm.

Coloration: Crown with pair of median black markings not extending to face. Antennae, face, legs, and forewings unmarked. Pronotum with central large elongate black spot. Mesonotum with basal black triangle extending to scutellum, median pair of black diverging lines not extending beyond scutellar suture. Forewing mostly hyaline.

Structure: Clypellus with sides concave, apex as wide as base, in profile flat. Rostrum extending beyond mid coxae. Forewing with r-m1 crossvein absent. Metatibial setal rows PD, AD, and AV with 11, eight, and eight macrosetae, respectively.

Male genitalia: Pygofer broad with falcate posterodorsal process, process in posterior view bifurcate at the apex, with both branches equal in length; posterolateral margin with long setae. Subgenital plate in lateral view depressed basally, broad near apex, long fine setae confined to lateral margin and dorsum of apex; in ventral view lateral margin strongly convex, narrowed towards apex, with two rows of lateral and single row of mesal submarginal macrosetae. Style in lateral view with broad apodeme; apophysis abruptly tapered beyond midlength, apex acuminate, curved posterodorsad; in posterior view not reaching apex of aedeagal shaft. Connective in dorsal view semicircular, fused to preatrium of aedeagus. Aedeagus in lateral view with narrow, socle region well developed, shaft in lateral view slender, long, broadly curved anterodorsad with a pair of short processes arising on lateral surface of shaft; shaft in posterior view narrow, with pair of long ventrolaterally directed processes (broken in type specimen), slightly broad near middle. Gonopore subapical on posterior surface of the shaft.

Material examined: Holotype male, MADAGASCAR: Province Fianarantsoa, Parc National Ranomafana , radio tower at forest edge, 1130 m, 22°15′3″S, 47°24′25″E, 30.x.–6.xi.2005, M. Irwin, R. Harin’Hala, malaise, mixed tropical forest, MA-02-09B-128 ( CAS).

Etymology: The specific epithet is derived from the Latin word nanus meaning small, referring to the small size of the species.

Figures

Figure 4. Nesocerus spp. nov., dorsal habitus and face of holotype male. A, B, Nesocerus recurvus.; C, D, Nesocerus dorsalis; E, F, Nesocerus dentatus; G, H, Nesocerus unimaculatus; I, J, Nesocerus nigrum; K, L, Nesocerus tristriatus; M, N, Nesocerus brevipinguis; O, P, Nesocerus nanus; Q, R, Nesocerus mananarensis; S, T, Nesocerus quinquespinosus.

Figure 11. 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 nanus; H–N, Nesocerus mananarensis; O–U, Nesocerus quinquespinosus.