Monobazus bannericus, VIRAKTAMATH & WEBB & YESHWANTH, 2025

Monobazus bannericus sp. nov.

Figs 3 View FIGURES 3 EH, 9NO, 29A–F

Diagnosis. This species is similar to other species of Monobazus described here but has more prominent dark brown spots on the forewings. The male genitalia are very similar to those in M. longulus (see below) but differ in having a slightly longer and thinner pygofer ventral process, a slenderer and more tapered apophysis of the style and a ventral process of the aedeagus arising at almost midlength of the shaft and diverging only close to the apex of the shaft.

Description. Pale ochraceous, crown with anterior marginal spot and median larger spot on either side of median line dark brown, median sulcus brown. Face as in M. longulus but in female with lateral transverse brown stripes on frontoclypeus. Pronotum with a few small dark brown spots on anterior half. Mesonotum with basal triangles brown or brown margined, with a small round spot on either side of median line dark brown. Forewing with spots at apices of claval veins and clavus prominent, dark brown, a few spots on cells of coreum with brown spots much more so in female.

Head wider than pronotum. Crown broadly rounded in front, about 0.4 (in male) to 0.6× (in female) as long as interocular width. Pronotum 1.6–1.8× as wide as long and slightly longer than exposed mesonotum.

Male genitalia. Pygofer about 2.2× as long as wide at base, narrowed posteriorly, with conically rounded posterodorsal angle, ventral process short, thin spine-like arising slightly distad of midlength and not attaining dorsal margin. Subgenital plate with macrosetae in apical half and with long hair-like setae, almost 7× as long as wide at base. Style apophysis thin, tapered distally. Connective stem as long as arms. Aedeagal shaft broadly curved, with process arising at midlength, bifurcate near apex of shaft and divergent slightly before apex of shaft, much longer than shaft.

Measurements. Male 5.0 mm long, 1.3 mm wide across eyes and 1.2 mm wide across posterolateral angels of pronotum. Female 5.6 mm long, 1.4 mm wide across eyes and 1.3 mm wide across posterolateral angels of pronotum.

Material examined. HOLOTYPE ♂, INDIA: Karnataka: Bangalore , 916m, Bannerghatta, 12.ix.1976, C.A. Viraktamath ( UASB) . PARATYPE, 1♀, data as for holotype except collected by B. Mallik ( UASB) .

Etymology. The specific epithet is a combination of the first word in the type locality namely “Banner” and of the suffix -icus, ica, -icum (= belonging to, derived from, connected with).

Remarks.As in the case of M. longulus , this species also has both macrosetae and hair-like setae on the subgenital plates, the aedeagus has the ventral process arising almost near midlength, thus differing from M. longulus .