Idiocerus Lewis

Genus Idiocerus Lewis View in CoL

Idiocerus Lewis 1834: 47 View in CoL ; Viraktamath & Sohi 1994: 23. Type species: Idiocerus stigmaticalis Lewis View in CoL , by monotypy.

Diagnosis. Anufriev & Emeljanov (1988) diagnosed the genus Idiocerus as follows. Head anteriorly triangular, wider; postclypeus nearly rounded. Lateral margins of face more or less straight. Forewings with 3 subapical cells; outer cell very long. Male antennae with platter; third segment with 3 basal bristles. Subgenital plates comparatively small. Style with 1 large bristle at apex. Apex of aedeagal shaft flattened dorsoventrally, spade-shaped; subapical processes short. Female sternite VII about 2× as wide as long medially, posterior margin more or less convex with median shallow concavity. Valvula I with oblique strigae, sculptured area occupying almost distal half length ( Figs 65 View FIGURES 65 EF, IJ). Valvula II with toothed area occupying distal 0.3–0.33 length, teeth prominent and distinctly separed from each other ( Figs 65 View FIGURES 65 GH, KL).

Remarks. Dlabola (1973) defined the genus and segregated the taxa which did not belong to this genus. Anufriev & Emeljanov (1988) provided a revised diagnosis of the genus. Here the diagnosis provided by Anufriev & Emeljanov (1988) is followed to place the two Indian species in this genus. The Indian species have following additional features which are not mentioned by Anufriev & Emeljanov (1988) in the diagnosis. The upper part of the face dorsad of ocelli and crown is rugose; the clypellus is either as wide apically as base or wider; the metafemur has 2+0 distal macrosetae; the metatibial chaetotaxy on rows AD 6, PD 6 and AV14; the metabasitarsomere has 3 platellae on distal transverse row flanked by one seta on either side ( Figs 17E View FIGURES 17 , 18E View FIGURES 18 ).

Two species of the genus are known to occur in the subcontinent and both belong to the nominotypical subgenus.

Key to species of Idiocerus ( Idiocerus) Lewis View in CoL from the Indian subcontinent

1. Male tergal apodemes at base of abdomen well-developed, exceeding third tergum and as long as broad; aedeagus with dorsal apodeme stout, dark pigmented ( Fig. 17 View FIGURES 17 IJ); female sternite VII convex with median excavation ( Fig. 61A View FIGURES 61 ); breeding on Cedrus deodora ................................................................... I. (I.) cedarae Viraktamath & Sohi View in CoL

- Male tergal apodemes at base of abdomen 2× as broad as long, not reaching posterior margin of third tergite; aedeagus with dorsal apodeme slender less pigmented ( Fig. 18 View FIGURES 18 HI); female sternite VII produced medially ( Fig. 61D View FIGURES 61 ); breeds on Salix sp. ...........................................................................I. ( I.) sharmai Viraktamath & Sohi View in CoL