Tambocerus viraktamathi Rao
Creators: name: Viraktamath, C. A.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2012
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Hemiptera
Cicadellidae
Tambocerus
Tambocerus viraktamathi

description: Tambocerus viraktamathi Rao   
Figs 9, 10, 86–94, 102–106.  
 Tambocerus viraktamathi Rao 1996: 85–87, figs 1–7.   
 Selenocephalus disparatus Melichar: Pruthi 1934a: 18; Datta 1973: 442–443, plate 5, figs 1–4; Datta 1988: 223–224, figs 379–381; Viraktamath & Viraktamath 1995:254 (misidentification).   
Ochraceous with brown speckles on head thorax and forewings; apices of claval veins, veins joining costal margin with dark brown spot.  
 Head as broad as pronotum, anterior region thinner as in T. krameri. Vertex in male 2.3–2.5 times and in female 2.7–3.0 times as wide between eyes as median length. Fore tibia with dorsal setal formula 5+5.   
 Male genitalia. Pygofer slightly narrowed posteriorly, with dorsal marginal thickening in posterior half, terminating in laterally directed dark pigmented crest, another similar crest on ventral margin posteriorly, devoid of macrosetae but with a few hair-like setae. Subgenital plate with apical membranous prolongation, with transverse row of macrosetae at midlength before apical prolongation. Style with apical lobe short, apophysis moderately thick. Connective with stem 2.7 times as long as arms. Aedeagal shaft dorsally curved, with lateral lamellate projection and serrated margins at base and slightly anteriorly near apex, strongly constricted before apex to form neck, serrations asymmetrical and variable.   
 Female genitalia. Seventh sternite three times as wide as median length, median projection posteriorly bilobed dark pigmented, area between median lobe and posterolateral angles concave (Fig. 94). First and second pair of valvulae as in Figs 102–105.   
 Measurements. Male 5.7–6.1 mm long, 1.6–1.8 mm wide across eyes. Female 6.2–6.3 mm long, 1.9–2.0 mm wide across eyes.   
 Material examined. INDIA: Andhra Pradesh: 4 ♂, 3 ♀, Caddapah, Kothapalli, 366 m, 14 o 17’N, 78 o 44’ E, 4.vi.2011, at light, Girish, R. & Yeshwanth, H.M.; 1 ♀, same data except on Acacia catechu Willd. Karnataka: 1 ♂, Anekal, 21.v.1977, C.A.Viraktamath; 2♂, 2 ♀, Bangalore 916 m, 13.v.1978 (2 ♂), 9.vi.1978 (2 ♀), ARV Kumar; 4 ♀, Doddaballapura, 8.vi.1977, C.A.Viraktamath; 1 ♂, 2 ♀, Sulikere [near Bangalore] 13.v.1978, ex Dodonea viscosa, ARV Kumar; 3 ♂, 10 Km SE Sirsi, 14.x.1979, ARV Kumar; 3 ♀, Gulbarga, 26.viii.1981, ARV Kumar; 2 ♂, 2 ♀, Taranagar, 13.v.1983, Shashidhar; 8 ♂, 5 ♀, Bagalkot, 22.ix.1984, Shashidhar; 1 ♂, 1 ♀, same data except 14 Km W Bagalkot; 1 ♀, Badami, 25.ix.1984, Shashidhar; 2 ♀, Sira, 29.ix.2005, ARV Kumar. Tamil Nadu: 1 ♂, Ootacamund, 2350 m, 4.vi.1977, C.A.Viraktamath; 2 ♂, 2 ♀, Dindigal, Gandhigram, 10 o 16’695’’N, 77 o 56’18’’E, 331 m, 17–18.x.2010, ex grasses, A.N. Reddy; 3 ♂, 3 ♀, Thandigudi, 1311 m, 10 o 18’N, 77 o 38’E, 13.xi.2011, suction trap, Yeshwanth, H.M. (NPC, UASB).   
 Remarks. This is a common species found breeding on Dodonaea viscosa and Acacia catechu Willd. (Mimosaceae) in sandal forests in southern India. Earlier reports of S. disparatus from India (Pruthi 1934a; Datta 1973, 1988; Viraktamath & Viraktamath 1996) refer to this species. This species can be readily recognized by the two dark brown crests on pygofer and by shape of the lamellate expansions on the aedeagal shaft.
description: Published as part of Viraktamath, C. A., 2012, Seven new species of the leafhopper genus Tambocerus (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae) from the Indian subcontinent, pp. 43-61 in Zootaxa 3385 (1) on pages 59-60, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.3385.1.4, http://zenodo.org/record/5253862