Cunedda phaeops Distant
Creators: name: Viraktamath, C. A.
name: Webb, M. D.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2018
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Hemiptera
Cicadellidae
Cunedda
Cunedda phaeops

description: Cunedda phaeops Distant
Figs 1 M–P, 4 Q–R, 8 A, 9 B, 10 A, 11 I –L, 21 A–G.
Cunedda phaeops Distant 1918: 46, fig. 24; Ramakrishnan 1988: 47 –50, Figs 12–19.
Green in life but preserved specimens yellowish brown with orange tinge. Crown with apical dark brown spot and another in front of eyes on either side from which faint V-shaped stripe extending to median keel and meeting larger spot of same colour on median keel. In darker specimens, entire frontoclypeus, clypellus and lora chocolate brown; in paler specimens clypellus, lora and genae fuscous brown to brown, area in front of eyes and area surrounding bases of antennae, chocolate brown, rest yellowish brown. Pronotum brownish yellow with faint fuscous spot on either side of median line and lateral marginal stripe both below and above lateral carina, fuscous.
Mesonotum yellowish brown. Forewing orange brown with semicircular spot between apices of claval veins and series of chocolate brown spots subapically enclosing apical areas of anteapical cells and basal areas of apical cells, submarginal band fuscous, interrupted by ochraceous veins, costal margin paler, venation fuscous except flavescent apical cross veins. Legs ochraceous, apical 0.20 of hind tibiae chocolate brown.
Male genitalia. Pygofer lobe rather triangular with basal cleft continued as hyaline area almost to half width of base of lobe, posterior margin slightly thickened, dorsoposterior angle lobe-like and hyaline. Connective with stem about 1.5 times as long as arms. Aedeagus as wide as long in lateral aspect with shaft clearly visible in distal 0.33, ventral angular projection acute, pigmented, dorsolateral lobe large and rounded, ventral extension of atrium short, in cephalic view shaft broad at base and narrowed apically, hood-like; gonopore apical; dorsal apodemes plate-like with Y-shaped ridge.
Female genitalia. Seventh sternite with small triangular lobe medially on posterior margin.
Measurements. Male 5.6 mm long, 1.2 mm wide across eyes and 2.1 mm wide across hind margin of pronotum. Female 6.1–6.7 mm long, 2.1–2.3 mm wide across eyes and 2.4–2.7 mm wide across hind margins of pronotum.
Material examined. INDIA: Lectotype ♂ “ Type H.T. [red edged disc]” “ Cunedda phaeops Distant, type [Distant’s hw]” “ Dist. Coll. 1911-383” [no data label] (BMNH). Meghalaya: 2 ♂, 3 ♀, Nongpoh, 762 m, 4.xi.1981, C.A. & S. Viraktamath; 1 ♂, 3 ♀, East Khasi Hills: Upper Shillong, Thangkharang Park, 924 m, 25o23’ N, 91o72’E, 27.x.2013, C. A. Viraktamath; West Bengal: 1 ♀, Kurseong, 1483 m, 22.x.1981, C.A. Viraktamath; 2 ♀, 15 Km E Kalimpong, 1780 m, 27.x.1981, S. Viraktamath; Mizoram: 7 ♀, Aizawl, 18.xi.1981, C.S. Wesley; 1 ♀, Lunglei, 22.xi.1981, C.S. Wesley; Arunachal Pradesh: Roing, Krbali, 738 m, 28o 11’ 56” N, 95o 48’ 48” E, 10.ix.2014, Sweep net, Yeshwanth, H. M.; 1 ♂, 3 ♀, same data except Roing, 381 mts, 28o 08’ 57.3” N, 95o 50’ 57.3” E, 19.ix.2014 (UASB). Assam: 1 ♂, 1 ♀, Nagajanka, Jorhat, 9.ix.1983, Mayaram & Ramamurthy (NPC).
Remarks. Originally described from an unspecified number of specimens (syntypes) with the following data: “ Assam ”. This species can be easily recognized by its characteristic coloration and angularly pointed head, the crown with a lamellate median carina. The only other genus from the Indian subcontinent that has a lamellate median carina and the head angularly pointed is Pythamus. The species of the latter are jet black in colour with the head and pronotum punctate, and the male pygofer has a ventral process, all features lacking in Cunedda.
description: Published as part of Viraktamath, C. A. & Webb, M. D., 2018, Revision of the evacanthine leafhoppers (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae: Evacanthinae) of the Indian subcontinent, pp. 1-78 in Zootaxa 4386 (1) on pages 14-15, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4386.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/1195886