Sunday, March 31, 2019

[Entomology • 2019] Undulivena thaiensis • A New Unique Leafhopper Genus of Erythroneurini (Hemiptera, Cicadellidae, Typhlocybinae) from Thailand


Undulivena thaiensis 
Song & Li, 2019


Abstract
A new genus of the leafhopper tribe Erythroneurini (Cicadellidae, Typhlocybinae) from Thailand, Undulivena gen. n., and a new species Undulivena thaiensis sp. n., are described and illustrated. The new genus exhibits a unique feature of the forewing venation with CuA vein strongly sinuate.

Keywords: Auchenorrhyncha, Homoptera, morphology, new taxa, taxonomy


Figures 1–11. Undulivena thaiensis sp. n.
(♂): 1 habitus, dorsal view 2 habitus, lateral view 3 head and thorax, dorsal view 4 face.
 (♀): 5 habitus, dorsal view 6 habitus, lateral view 7 head and thorax, dorsal view 8 face 9 abdomen of female 10 forewing 11 hind wing.

Undulivena gen. n.
Type species: Undulivena thaiensis sp. n.

Diagnosis: The new genus is quite different from the other genera of the tribe Erythroneurini in view of the forewing venation, patterns of patches and chaetotaxy of the subgenital plate. The CuA vein of forewing is waved, which is unique among known Erythroneurini.

Remarks: 
The new genus is very similar to Salka (from Oriental and Palearctic regions) in body shape and male genitalia, e.g., pygofer with dorsal appendages, long dorsal macrosetae and a group of basolateral macrosetae, and the presence of a median anterior lobe on the connective. It differs from Salka in having the venation of the forewing with CuA strongly sinuate, which is unique among known Typhlocybinae, and the subgenital plate with a few lateral macrosetae in basal half. The color pattern of the forewing is also very unusual with veins margined with yellowish white, contrasting with the dark wings.

Etymology: The new generic name combines the Latin words undula and vena, referring to the undulate vein for the sinuate CuA vein of the forewing. The gender is feminine.


Undulivena thaiensis sp. n.

Diagnosis: The forewing has yellow-whitish stripes along veins. The style apex expanded, with inner margin tooth-like medially, and the aedeagal shaft spindle-shaped in ventral view, with single small subbasal process.

Etymology: The species is named for the type locality, Thailand. The name is adjectival.


 Yuehua Song and Can Li. 2019. A New Unique Leafhopper Genus of Erythroneurini from Thailand, with The Description of One New Species (Hemiptera, Cicadellidae, Typhlocybinae).  ZooKeys. 829: 23-28.  DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.829.28718