Monobazus bilineatus, VIRAKTAMATH & WEBB & YESHWANTH, 2025

Monobazus bilineatus sp. nov.

Figs 3 View FIGURES 3 MN, 9D, 31A–F

Diagnosis. Ochraceous. Crown, pronotum and mesonotum with orange stripe on either side of the median line as in the case of M. deccanensis sp. nov. and M. rubrostriatus sp. nov. (see below) but differing in having a much longer ventral process of the aedeagus, more strongly curved apex of the aedeagal shaft and also in the very short, lobe-like male pygofer process.

Description. Ochraceous, with longitudinal orange stripe on either side of median line traversing crown, pronotum and exposed mesonotum. Face ochraceous, area surrounding bases of antennae brown. Forewing with apices of claval veins, clavus and a few spots on corium, dark brown.

Head wider than pronotum. Crown conically rounded, 1.1× as long as interocular distance. Pronotum twice as wide as long medially.

Male genitalia. Pygofer about 1.5× longer than wide in lateral view, ventral process short, arising near posterodorsal angle, not reaching dorsal margin. Subgenital plate with macrosetae, with hair-like setae, about 3× as long as wide at base. Style apophysis short, stout curved laterally. Connective with stem as long as arms. Aedeagus with preatrium much longer than dorsal apodeme, shaft almost straight in basal 0.75, distal 0.25 curved anteriorly, with ventral process arising near base, and forked near base, each fork tapered apically and far exceeding shaft apex.

Measurements. Male 3.9–4.0 mm long, 0.9–1.0 mm wide across eyes and 0.8–0.9 mm wide across posterolateral angles of pronotum. Female 4.9 mm long, 1.1 mm wide across eyes and 1.0 mm wide across posterolateral angles of pronotum.

Material examined. HOLOTYPE ♂, INDA: Tamil Nadu: Thandigudi , 1299m, 10018 ’ N, 77038 ’ E, 27.viii.2009, Sweep net, S. Murthy ( UASB) . PARATYPES: 4♀, same data as holotype except at Light (1♀); 25.viii.2009, Sudha, M. Light trap (1♀); 25.viii.2009, S. Murthy at Light (1♀); 10.xi.2010, Light trap, A.N. Reddy (1♀), 12.xi.2010, at light, A.N. Reddy (1♀); Karnataka : 1♂, Kemmannagundi, 9.iv.1976, C.A. Viraktamath ( UASB) . Other material. INDIA: Karnataka: 1♂, Sulikere (nr Bangalore), 30.xii.1976, C.A. Viraktamath ( UASB) .

Etymology. The specific epithet is the New Latin adjective bilineatus, -a, -um (=double lined) referring to the two orange stripes extending from the crown to the mesonotum.

Remarks. M. bilineatus sp. nov. externally resembles M. aurantius (Xing & LI) . However, M. bilineatus differs from the latter in the following characters: male pygofer with subapical short process on the ventral margin (absent in M. aurantius ); style with a comparatively shorter stem compared to M. aurantius ; the preatrium of the aedeagus is longer compared to the length of the shaft in M. aurantius .