Mukariella viraktamathi Ramaiah & Meshram & Dey 2023, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Ramaiah, Mogili
name: Meshram, Naresh M.
name: Dey, Debjani
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2023
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Hemiptera
Cicadellidae
Mukariella
Mukariella viraktamathi

description: Mukariella viraktamathi sp. nov.
(Figs. 1., A–J, 3., A–I)
Glossy or shiny golden yellow (Figs. 1A–B). Head narrower than pronotum. Median sulcus on crown less prominent, crown produced in front of eyes, conically rounded. Mesonotum about as long as pronotum (Fig. 1C). Structure as in generic description (Viraktamath & Webb 2019). Female sternite VII about 3x as wide as long medially, posteior margin concave with median abroad convex lobe, lateral angles conically rouded (Fig. 3E).
Male genitalia. Pygofer with numerous macrosetae in posterior region, posterior end conically rounded, ventral margin with short ventral process (Figs. 1, 2E–F). Valve triangular. Subgenital plates trapezoidal with an apical membranous appendage, with a few hair-like setae, more than 3x as long aas wide near base (Fig.1, 2H). Style with well-developed lateral lobe, apophysis laterally curved, with subapical tooth, tapered distally (Fig. 1, 2G). Connectives fused with aedeagus, arms broadly placed and more or less parallel to each other. Aedeagal shaft with two pairs of processes arising at base, ventral pair directed posteriorly and laterally curved near apex, about 0.66 as long as shaft; lateral pair appressed to aedeagal shaft, directed dorsally and slightly curved laterally near apex, about as long as shaft; shaft tubular with large gonopore, slightly curved anteriorly near apex, narrowed distally (Fig. 1, 2I–J).
Female genitalia. Valvula I almost straight except near distal end, with strigate sculpturing in distal region (Figs. 3F–G). Valvula II curved, tapered in distal half length, teeth prominent well separated from each other (Figs. 3H–I).
Measurements. Male: 5.01 mm long, 1.39 mm wide across eyes and 1.45 mm wide across hind margin of pronotum; Female: 5.08 mm long, 1.42 mm wide across eyes and 1.5 mm wide across hind margin of pronotum.
Material examined. HOLOTYPE 1♁ INDIA: Assam:, Jakhalbandha (26º 57.08’N 93º 00.26’E) 76.89m, 9.iii.2020, net sweep, Coll. Ramaiah M; PARATYPEs: 5♁, 3♀, Jorhat (26.7247° N, 94.1936° E) 116m, 2.iii.2020, net sweep, Coll. Ramaiah M; 2♁, 3♀, Nagaland: Medziphema (25.7566° N, 93.8681° E) 295m, 16.iii.2020, net sweep, Coll. Ramaiah M; Uttarakhand: 9♁, 6♀, GBPAUT, Pantnagar (29.0229° N, 79.4879° E) 243.84m, 26.xi.2020, net sweep, Coll. Ramaiah M (NPC).
Host plant. Bamboo
Distribution. India: Assam, Nagaland, Uttarakhand.
Etymology. The species is named after Prof. C. A. Viraktamath in recognition of his monumental contributions to leafhopper taxonomy.
Remarks. This species closely resembles Mukariella daii, both having a similar aedeagal shaft with two pairs of processes, but differs in the shape of the subgenital plate and aedeagal shaft in lateral view. in this new species the subgenital plate is comparatively longer than wide (more than 3x as long as wider near base) compared to M. daii (about 2x longer than wider near base) and the aedeagal shaft in the new species is tapered distally and curved slightly anteriorly near apex compared to the shaft very slightly narrowed distally and almost straight in M. daii.
description: Published as part of Ramaiah, Mogili, Meshram, Naresh M. & Dey, Debjani, 2023, A new species of bamboo-feeding leafhopper genus Mukariella Viraktamath and Webb (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae) along with its morphological variant from India, pp. 289-295 in Zootaxa 5239 (2) on page 290, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5239.2.7, http://zenodo.org/record/7624389