Petalocephala perductalis (Kirby)

Petalocephala perductalis (Kirby) View in CoL

Figs 8G–L View FIGURES 8 , 18I View FIGURES 18 , 30E–H View FIGURES 30 .

Clovia perductalis Kirby 1891: 161 , pl V fig.2.

Petalocephala perductalis (Kirby) View in CoL : Melichar 1903: 145, pl IV figs 11, 11a.

Diagnosis. Distinctly colored: dorsally chocolate brown with median stripe extending slightly before apex of crown to pronotum and mesonotum, tapering anteriorly on crown and posteriorly on mesonotum; ventral surface greenish yellow. Male genitalia resembling those of P. signata and P. kirbyi in that the aedeagal shaft not having any processes and apical region more or less membranous. In both P. signata and P. kirbyi pygofer ventral process does not attain dorsal margin but in P. perductalis it exceeds dorsal margin; style in P. perductalis abruptly ventrally curved at right angle and slightly narrowed distally with conically rounded apex. In P. kirbyi , style is bent ventrally at right angle but barrowed and sinuate, but in P. signata it is not ventrally curved.

Description. Male. Distant (1908) adequately redescribed the external features of this species. It has very distinctive coloration: dorsally chocolate brown with median stripe extending slightly before apex of crown to pronotum and mesonotum, tapering anteriorly on crown and posteriorly on mesonotum, mesoscutum orange; ventral surface greenish yellow. Crown lateral margin in front of eyes straight for a short distance then convergent, apex obtusely angled, median carina fine; 0.64×as long as interocular distance; 1.2× as long as medial length of pronotum. Ocelli closer to each other than to adjacent eye. Pronotal lateral margins divergent, distance between posterolateral angles 1.2× as long as that between anterolateral angles; 0.83× as long as mesonotum. Female. Similarly colored as male. Crown longer and more conically rounded; 0.96× as long as interocular distance, 1.28× as long as pronotum. Ocelli closer to each other than to adjacent eye. Pronotal lateral margins slightly divergent; distance between posterolateral angles 1.8× as long as that between anterolateral angles; 0.8× as long as mesonotum.

Male genitalia. Pygofer 1.4× longer than height in lateral view, ventral margin convex, with ventral process along posterior margin that exceeds dorsal margin slightly. Style in lateral view widest at basal 0.33 than narrowed distally, apically curved ventrally at right angles, dorsal margin straight, ventral margin concave, apex bluntly angled. Aedeagus tubular, with well-developed dorsal apodeme, shaft broad basally in lateral view, narrowed till midlength then broadened, distad of midlength dorsal surface sclerotized but sclerotization not extending to apex, ventral surface laterally sclerotized in mid region, apex of shaft membranous with median and lateral lobes, gonopore apical.

Material examined. SRI LANKA: SYNTYPE ♂, “Pundaloya, Ceylon”, “104”, “ Clovia perductalis Kb. , type, figd.”, “Type”, “ Syntype ”, “NHMUK” ( BMNH) . Other material. 1♀, Kandy, 6.1910, 2778, Distant Coll. 1911-383; 2♀, Green coll. (all BMNH) .

Remarks. Based on the variable length given in the description (9-11mm) this species was described from at least two specimens (syntypic) with data “Pundaloya”. Kirby (1891) adequately described the external features of this species but placed it in the genus Clovia Stål ( Aphrophoridae ). Melichar (1903) also redescribed the species and transferred it to the genus Ledropsis White. Finally, Distant (1908) transferred it to the genus Petalocephala and noted that “The brilliant and unique coloration of this species renders its recognition a matter of no difficulty”.