Digitata brevicephala, VIRAKTAMATH & WEBB & YESHWANTH, 2025

Digitata brevicephala sp. nov.

Figs 1 View FIGURES 1 AB, 17A, 20A, 23A–J.

Diagnosis. The new species differs from D. quadrifda in having male pygofer dorsal margin straight (excavated near segment X in D. quadrifida ), subgenital plates exceeding length of pygofer in lateral and dorsal view (not exceeding pygofer in D. quadrifida ), style apophysis more slender than in D. quadrifida and aedeagal shaft apex and its processes differently shaped ( Figs 23F–J View FIGURES 23 ).

Description. Uniformly ochraceous brown. Pronotum with slender median dark brown line in anterior 0.33 and one spot on posterior margin, dark brown.

Head including eyes much narrower than distance between pronotal posterolateral angles (distance between posterolateral angles 1.3× greater than head width), about as long as interocular distance, lateral margins in front of eyes straight till 0.66 distance then mesally curved, apex obtusely angled, with median longitudinal carina, surface punctate, area adjacent to median longitudinal carina longitudinally wrinkled. Ocelli as close to each other as to adjacent eyes. Pronotal lateral margins concave and strongly divergent in posterior half, about 1.4× as wide as across posterolateral angles compared to distance across anterolateral angels, surface striate and punctate not granulose, without median longitudinal carina, about 1.2× longer than median length of crown, anterior margin slightly convex, posterior margin concave in middle. Mesonotum slightly shorter than pronotum (0.9×) and slightly longer than crown. Forewing densely punctate in basal region thereafter sparsely punctate, punctation mostly confined to margins of veins, outer claval vein not prominent, subapical cells without accessory cross veins. Metabasitarsomere with 4 platellae ( Fig. 20A View FIGURES 20 ).

Male genitalia. Pygofer more or less triangular, narrowed posteriorly and conically rounded, ventral process short, not reaching dorsal margin. Subgenital plate about as long as pygofer, widest slightly proximad of midlength, about 3.8× as long as wide. Style with anterior apodeme as long as widened body region in middle, body widest at proximal 0.66 distance, apophysis narrow, short, slightly curved ventrally. Aedeagus with well-developed dorsal apodeme; shaft elongate, enlarged in distal 0.33 length in lateral view with pair of lateral lamellate subapical processes, each process with a short proximal laterally directed spur, lamellate processes narrowed distally and extended beyond apex of shaft, gonopore apical.

Female not known.

Measurements. Male 8.9 mm long and 1.9 mm wide across eyes and 2.5 mm wide across posterolateral angles of pronotum.

Material examined, HOLOTYPE ♂, INDIA: Meghalaya: Cherrapunji , 1358m, 5.xi.1981, S. Viraktamath ( UASB).

Etymology. The species name refers to the short head (brevis (Latin): short; kephalē (Greek): head) of the new species

Remarks. This species externally resembles species of Paraconfucius Cai (Cai 1992) from China but has a much longer crown, and the upper surface of the head and thorax are without granules. Their male genitalia are entirely different. It differs from D. quadrifida in the shape of the crown and male genitalia (see Diagnosis).

Genus Latycephala McKamey

Latycephala McKamey, 2005: 506 View in CoL , replacement name for Platycephala Kuoh, 1992: 250 View in CoL , not Platycephala Fallén, 1820 View in CoL . Type species: L. tortilla (Kuoh) .

Diagnosis. Jones & Deitz (2009) considered this genus to be very similar to Arenoledra Kuoh and Midoria Kato. However , it differs in having crown medially shorter than interocular distance, male genitalia with style denticulate apically (not denticulate in L. viridula ) and aedeagus with paired long laminate processes.

Remarks. When establishing the genus Platycephala, Kuoh (1992) diagnosed it as follows: a) crown medially shorter than breadth between eyes; b) crown lateral margins arched, anterior margin upturned and centrally longitudinally carinate; c) basal area of the face without strong central ridge; d) clypellus rectangular; e) male pygofer with a process; f) style with denticles near apex; and g) aedeagus with paired long laminate processes. Kuoh (1992) included four species and these were transferred to the genus Latycephala McKamey when McKamey (2005) proposed the replacement name for Platycephala , which was preoccupied. These include L. decussata (Kuoh) , L. graminea (Kuoh) , L. laminata (Kuoh) and the type species L. tortilla (Kuoh) . Jones & Deitz (2009) transferred L. sanguineomarginata and L. viridula (Kuoh) which were earlier placed in the genus Petalocephala .