Exitianus ghaurii Zahniser, 2008, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Zahniser, James N.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2008
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Hemiptera
Cicadellidae
Exitianus
Exitianus ghaurii

description: Exitianus ghaurii sp. nov.
(Figs. 61–68)
General color tawny with black and brown markings. Head slightly wider than pronotum. Crown with very broad transverse arched band, with black reaching posterior margin medially on each side, with black along coronal suture, anteriorly with round black spot on either side. Ocelli large, situated somewhat dorsally, 1x their own diameter from adjacent eye. Frontoclypeus with distinct transverse banding. Clypellus tapering apically, black medially, lightly colored dorsolaterally. Genae black beneath eyes, fading to tawny ventrally. Lora mostly black with lighter spot in center. Pronotum and mesonotum variously marked, generally more darkly pigmented in females than in males. Pronotum with lateral carina. Wings with or without brown coloring on anal veins and along commissural margin. Legs and ventral side mostly black to dark brown with tawny markings. Profemur intercalary row with numerous (~15) setae, basal setae thick and long, apical setae short and thin. Protibia 4+4. Hind femur 2+2+1. Hind tibia pecten row even.
Male. Pygofer long, slightly concave preapically on dorsal side; with two thick setae at apex situated close to each other, the ventralmost seta thick and short; caudal margin angled anteriorly to a short ventroapical spine (Fig. 48). Valve long, distinctly triangular. Subgenital plates not touching medially, median margins diverging from each other apically, with a lateral row of macrosetae. Connective Y-shaped, stem broad and more distinctly sclerotized medially. Style preapical lobe quadrate; apophysis digitate, sharply pointed. Aedeagus hinged basally, with a sclerotized hood at base of shaft; shaft broad at base, narrowing apically, and curved anteriorly; gonopore on dorsal side of apex of aedeagus; apex of shaft notched. Segment X long, membranous dorsally and sclerotized ventrally.
Female. Pygofer with ~14 macrosetae near caudal and ventral margins. Ovipositor protruding far beyond pygofer. Sternite VII with a small rounded medial point. Ramus of first valvula relatively straight. First valvula dorsal sculpturing granulose to maculose, marginal basally and slightly submarginal apically. Second valvula abruptly broadened ~1/3 its length from base, with small obliquely triangular dorsal teeth on apical 2/3. Gonoplac with several macrosetae ventrally near apex.
Material examined. Male holotype: SOUTH AFRICA: KZN Prov. / Calderwood Hall Farm/ S29°41.117' E30°04.246' 1352 m / 24-XII-2004 #04-58 / col. J.N. Zahniser sweep. One male and one female paratypes, same data. Two male and one female paratypes: SOUTH AFRICA: KZN Prov. / Bulwer S29°49.763' E29°46.288' / 1544 m 25-XII-2004 #04-59 / col. J.N. Zahniser sweep. One female paratype: SOUTH AFRICA: KZN Prov. / SE of Impendle / S29°38.514' E29°55.255' 1558 m / 25-XII-2004 #04-62 / col. J.N. Zahniser sweep. One male and three female paratypes: SOUTH AFRICA: KZN Prov. / NE of Impendle / S29°33.925' E29°52.328' 1796 m / 26-XII-2004 #04-63/ col. J.N. Zahniser sweep. Two male and three female paratypes: SOUTH AFRICA: KZN Prov. / Arthurs Seat hill / S28°53.985' E29°26.084' 1583 m / 27-XII-2004 #04-68 / col. J.N. Zahniser sweep. Holotype and 7 paratypes deposited at SANC, and 8 paratypes deposited at INHS.
Diagnosis. E. ghaurii is distinguished from the externally similar E. curvipenis Ghauri by the shorter pygofer, the apicoventral point on the pygofer, the less strongly curved aedeagus, and the lack of processes at the apex of the aedeagus.
Etymology. This species is named in memory of M.S.K. Ghauri, who made excellent contributions to the taxonomy of Exitianus and the related genus, Nephotettix.
Discussion. This species belongs to the curvipenis group described by Ghauri (1972), which in turn is most closely related to the distanti and taenaticeps groups.
description: Published as part of Zahniser, James N., 2008, Seven new species and new distributions of Old World Chiasmini (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae: Deltocephalinae), with a redescription, key to genera, and species checklist for the tribe, pp. 1-32 in Zootaxa 1808 on pages 18-20, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.182734