Lankabanus, VIRAKTAMATH & WEBB & YESHWANTH, 2025

Lankabanus gen. nov.

Type species: Lankabanus attenuatus sp. nov., here designated.

Diagnosis. This genus is similar to Cicurbanus gen. nov. but differs in the face including the eyes distinctly longer than wide, the apophysis of the style with a wide apex, and the aedeagus simple, tubular with a subapical gonopore on the dorsal surface. It differs from Banus in having a symmetrical aedeagus (asymmetrical in Banus ) and from Monobazus in lacking ventral processes on the aedeagal shaft (present in Monobazus ).

Description. Creamy white with yellowish markings on head; pronotum, mesonotum and forewings with ( Figs 2A–D View FIGURES 2 ) or without brown markings ( Figs 22 View FIGURES 22 AB).

Slender leafhoppers measuring about 4.3–4.8 mm long. Head as wide as or narrower than pronotum, crown surface with apical half shagreen, posterior half polished; median sulcus about 0.75 as long as crown; fore margin rounded to face. Eyes large, their outer margin in line with outer margin of crown, obliquely extended over anterolateral angles of pronotum. Ocelli prominent placed a distance less than own diameter away from eyes. Antennae long, reaching almost half length of body. Face including eyes longer than wide. Frontoclypeus somewhat narrow, clypellus broad apically. Pronotum slightly convex dorsally, about 1.2 to 1.5× as long as crown; with lateral margins carinate, posterior margin almost straight. Exposed mesonotum about as long as or longer than 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 0.66; 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. Meta tibia with PD row macrosetae long, as long or longer than half length of fore tibia. Metabasitarsomere with 3 platellae and one stout tapered seta on either side. Female sternite VII twice as wide as long medially, posterior margin almost straight.

Male genitalia. Pygofer with or without anterior apodemes, tergum short, lobes well produced posteriorly, making tergum U-shaped in dorsal view, dorsal processes absent, ventral process long and well-developed. Valve somewhat triangular. Subgenital plates triangular, elongate, about 2.75× as long as basal width, with macrosetae in distal 0.75 region, marginal and numerous hair-like setae in distal half. Style with well-developed subapical lobe, apophysis almost straight, either of same width or widest at apex, surface transversely serrate. Connective Y-shaped, with stem as long as or shorter than arms. Aedeagus with well-developed dorsal apodeme and preatrium short or long, shaft with or without subapical processes, gonopore apical.

Female genitalia. Valvulae I and II as in Banus . Valvula I with dorsal sculptured area occupying distal O.73 area and valvula II with teeth prominent, triangular and distinctly separated.

Etymology. The generic name is a combination of two words, namely ‘Lanka’ (referring to Sri Lanka) and ‘Banus’, gender masculine.

Remarks. Two species are recognized from the Indian subcontinent.

Key to species of Lankabanus gen. nov. from the Indian subcontinent (males)

1. Crown with prominent dark brown long stripe extending on to pronotum and forewings ( Figs 2A–D View FIGURES 2 ); pygofer ventral processes not crossing over each other mesally; aedeagal shaft tapered in distal 0.33 and without processes ( Fig. 21I View FIGURES 21 ).................................................................................................. L. attenuatus sp. nov.

- Crown, pronotum and forewings not so marked ( Fig. 22A View FIGURES 22 ); pygofer ventral process crossing over each other mesally both at basal and apical regions ( Fig. 22E View FIGURES 22 ); aedeagus not tapered in distal 0.33 and with pair of short subapical processes ( Figs 22 View FIGURES 22 GH).............................................................................. L. bispinosus sp. nov.