Chandibanus, VIRAKTAMATH & WEBB & YESHWANTH, 2025

Chandibanus gen. nov.

Type species: Chandibanus dorsospinosus sp. nov., here designated.

Diagnosis. This genus is similar to Cicurbanus gen. nov. (see below) but differs in lacking prominent black markings on crown, pronotum minutely punctate, male pygofer with dorsal marginal blade-like process, style subapical lobe well developed, apophysis slender directed posteriorly, aedeagus short with subapical lateral processes. It differs from Monobazus and Banus in lacking brown markings on crown, in having symmetrical aedeagus (asymmetrical in Banus ) and lacking basal or ventral pair of processes on aedeagal shaft (found in Monobazus ).

Description. Pale ochraceous, with brown markings on forewings.

Slender leafhoppers measuring about 4.0 mm long. Head slightly narrower than pronotum, crown surface with apical half shagreen, posterior half polished; median sulcus about 0.5 as long as crown; fore margin rounded to face. Eyes large, their outer margin in line with outer margin of crown. Ocelli prominent placed a distance less than own diameter away from eyes. Antennae long, reaching almost half length of body. Face including eyes slightly longer than wide; frontoclypeus somewhat narrow; clypellus broad apically. Pronotum slightly convex dorsally, about 1.3× as long as crown; with lateral margins carinate, surface minutely punctate, posterior margin almost straight. Exposed mesonotum about as long as pronotum. Forewing with claval veins separate, inner claval vein connected to claval suture by cross vein, three anteapical and four apical cells, inner anteapical cell open behind, appendix narrow not extending beyond middle of second apical cell. Pro-tibia comparatively long and slender compared to meso-tibia; AV row of setae 15–16, conical, short peg-like, in basal 2/3; AM row of setae represented by hair-like AM1, IC row of setae 14–15, slender hair-like. Metafemur with 2+2+1 apical macrosetae. Metatibia with PD row macrosetae long, as long as or longer than half length of foretibia. Metabasitarsomere with 3 platellae and one stout tapered seta on either side.

Male genitalia. Pygofer with anterior apodemes, tergum short, lobes well produced posteriorly, making tergum deeply U-shaped in dorsal view, dorsal processes well-developed and directed posteriorly, with numerous macrosetae in distal half, ventral margin convex, posterodorsal angle abruptly narrowed and conical. Valve with posterior margin angularly produced medially. Subgenital plates triangular, elongate, about 4.0× as long as basal width, with macrosetae in distal 0.75 region, marginal at base and becoming submarginal and numerous hair-like setae in distal half. Style with well-developed subapical lobe, apophysis almost straight, with surface transversely serrate. Connective Y-shaped, with stem as long as arms. Aedeagus relatively small, V-shaped in lateral view, with well-developed dorsal apodeme, shaft somewhat straight, with pair of subapical short processes; gonopore apical on dorsal surface.

Etymology. The generic name is a combination of two words, namely Chandi (for Chandigarh) and Banus , gender masculine.

Remarks. Chandibanus gen. nov. is without markings on the head and pronotum and has dorsal male pygofer processes as in the genus Madhyabus gen. nov. (see below) and also a punctate pronotum. For further discussion on these genera see the diagnosis of Madhyabus . The genus at present contains only one species.