Monobazus sudindicus, VIRAKTAMATH & WEBB & YESHWANTH, 2025

VIRAKTAMATH, C. A., WEBB, M. D. & YESHWANTH, H. M., 2025, Review of the Monobazus-group leafhopper genera (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae: Deltocephalinae) from the Indian subcontinent with description of five new genera and twenty-eight new species, Zootaxa 5567 (1), pp. 1-105 : 36-37

Monobazus sudindicus sp. nov.

Figs 5 OP, 10E, 46A–E

Diagnosis. Crown with complex brown markings on ochraceous background. Male pygofer similar to that in M. biligiriensis , but ventral process thin and without sinuate ridges in apical region. Subgenital plate with thin long setae. Aedeagal shaft curved but not as strongly as in M. biligiriensis , ventral processes arising in basal 0.25 length, each process tapering distally and exceeding shaft.

Description. Ochraceous. Crown with L-shaped marking on either side of median line being mirror images of each other, dark brown; one large reddish-brown spot on either side of median line connected anteriorly by transverse stripe, median suture, dark brown. Face brown with median stripe along frontoclypeus and clypellus, lateral arcuate stripes on frontoclypeus, median areas of genae and lora, ochraceous. Pronotum with a few spots submarginally and one larger spot on either side behind them dark brown, disc brownish. Exposed mesonotum with basal triangles reddish brown with a small round dark brown spot between them one on either side of median line. Forewing creamy white with venation brown, apices of claval veins, clavus, veins reaching costal margin and elongate patches on some cells of corium, dark brown. Meta tibiae with bases of setae marked with brown.

Head as wide as pronotum. Crown as long as interocular distance. Pronotum 2.2× as wide as median length and as long as exposed mesonotum.

Male genitalia. Very similar to that in M. biligiriensis but differing in the following characters: pygofer ventral process without ridges; aedeagus with shaft not strongly curved, middle section of shaft straight, ventral process arising at basal 0.25, each process tapered distally and exceeding shaft.

Measurements. Male 3.9 mm long, 0.9 mm wide across eyes and also across posterolateral angles of pronotum.

Material examined. HOLOTYPE ♂, INDIA: Thamil Nadu : Thandigudi, 1311m, 10018 ’ N, 77038 ’ E, 11.xi.2010, Sweep net, Yeshwanth, H.M. ( UASB).

Etymology. The specific epithet (sudindicus, a-, -um) refers to south India where the species lives.

Remarks. The male pygofer of M. sudindicus is similar to that found in M. bilineatus , M. brunnescens , M. deccanensis and M. sikkimensis , in that the posterior margin is well-defined from the ventral margin. However, they differ in the origin and detailed structure of the pygofer ventral process. See also under M. longulus .

Figures

FIGURES 5A–R. Monobazus group of genera, habitus, dorsal and lateral view. A–B, Monobazus rotundus sp. nov., holotype male; C–F, M. rubrostriatus sp. nov., holotype male (CD) and paratype female (EF); G–J, M. sahyadricus sp. nov., holotype male (GH) and paratype female (IJ); K–N, M. sikkimensis sp. nov., holotype male (KL) and paratype female (MN); O–P, M. sudindicus sp. nov., holotype male; Q–R, Panghoella sinuata gen. et sp. nov., holotype male.