Kengundia C.A.Viraktamath 2023, gen. nov.
Creators: name: C. A. Viraktamath
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2023
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Hemiptera
Cicadellidae
Kengundia

description: Kengundia gen. nov.
Type species. Kengundia flavoscutellata sp. nov., here designated.
Diagnosis. Coloration as in genera Platyretus Melichar 1903 species and Nataretus Theron 1980, head more acutely produced in front of eyes. Female sternite VII short and broad, with median lobe sclerotized. Male pygofer as in Platyretus, but aedeagus asymmetrical as in some species of Scaphoidophyes Kirkaldy 1906, but differs from the latter genus in having three subapical cells in the forewing instead of two. Subgenital plate concavely excavated posteriorly with oblique transverse row of macrosetae (see also Discussion).
Description. Dorsum chocolate brown with yellow markings on head, pronotum and mesonotum; venation dark brown, costal margin with hyaline markings.
Head including eyes slightly narrower than pronotum, conically anteriorly produced, crown median length slightly longer than interocular width, median suture about half as long as crown; disc slightly depressed medially, transition from crown to frons rather rounded, surface shagreen. Ocelli placed near eyes about a distance equal to own diameter. Face including eyes longer than wide, frontoclypeus narrow, elongate, clypellus narrowed at base and widened distally slightly exceeding outer margin of gena, transclypeal suture well-developed. Lora elongate, extending much beyond transclypeal suture dorsally, not reaching outer margins of genae. Antennae arising slightly ventrad of midlength of inner eye margin, about as long as width of head including eyes. Labium long, reaching posterior margin of metacoxae. Pronotum with slightly convex disc in lateral view, sloping laterally, anterior margin rounded between eyes, posterior margin concave medially, surface transversely finely wrinkled, about two times as wide as long medially, lateral margins carinate, slightly longer than dorsal width of each eye. Mesonotum longer than pronotum, shagreen, disc almost flattish except transversely depressed at scutoscutellar suture. Forewing exceeding abdomen, with three subapical and four apical cells; vein R 3-branched, outer subapical cell shortest being about 1/3 as long as median subapical cell, tapered to a point distally, posterior two branches of R confluent for a short distance and thus without crossvein s; reflexed vein arising almost at midlength of outer subapical cell; inner subapical cell open; claval veins separate, outer claval vein connected with claval suture by one cross-vein. Fore femur with series of 17 short conical peg-like setae in basal 2/3 length of anteroventral (AV) row, intercalary (IC) row almost straight, with ten slender setae, row anteromedian (AM) represented by AM 1, situated in line with IC row of setae. Metafemoral distal chaetotaxy 2+2+1, metabasitarsomere plantar surface with two rows of setae, about six setae in each row, outer row of setae pigmented, stout and short, inner row less pigmented and longer, distal transverse row with four platellae flanked on outer side by one seta. Female sternite VII almost six times as wide as medially long, largely membranous and unpigmented except for median lobe (Fig. 3A).
Male genitalia. Pygofer broadest anteriorly, with anterior marginal short dorsal apodemes, narrowed gradually in proximal half and then abruptly at midlength, dorsal margin almost straight except near posterior apex where it is lobe-like, dorsally directed and adorned with stout prominent setae, few thin, short setae along dorsal margin and in posterior half, basal fracture prominent, without any processes. Valve large, somewhat triangular, almost as long as subgenital plate, posterior angle dome-shaped. Subgenital plates slightly longer than broad, outer margin convex with hair-like marginal setae, apex concavely excavated, with sharp lateral angle, with transverse row of macrosetae and inner angle with long hair-like setae. Style with preapical lobe not prominently developed, apophysis short, slightly curved. Connective articulated with aedeagus, Y-shaped, stem plate-like, arms very short. Aedeagus asymmetrical, with well-developed dorsal apodeme, shaft slender, more or less tubular in basal 1/3, then spatulate with lateral asymmetrical expansions, apex slightly beyond gonopore abruptly curved on left side with basal small angular projection, apex dentate. Segment X elongate, about as long as pygofer in lateral view, not sclerotized and without processes.
Female genitalia. Valvula I curved, with concatenate sculpturing; sculptured area occupies 1/5 of length and not reach dorsal margin. Valvula II curved, with toothed area occupying 1/3 distal length; each tooth distinct and close together, with secondary dentition.
Etymology. The generic name “ Kengundia ” is derived from the type locality of the type species, Kemmannagundi (meaning red soil pit) and its abbreviated form is used; gender feminine.
Remarks. The genus is to be recognized among the Scaphoideini genera by the asymmetrical aedeagus and distally excavated subgenital plates with macrosetae arranged across the width in a single row (see also Discussion).
description: Published as part of C. A. Viraktamath, 2023, Two new Scaphoideini leafhopper genera (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae: Deltocephalinae) from India, pp. 97-107 in Zootaxa 5382 (1) on pages 98-101, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5382.1.11, http://zenodo.org/record/10279920