Apphia himalayana, comb. nov.

Apphia himalayana (Distant), comb. nov.

Figs 6 I –L, 9 F, 16 A–I.

Platyretus himalayanus Distant 1918: 38.

Dark brown. Crown with anterior area yellow with median dark brown spot and median carina yellow. Forewing cinnamon brown with one spot in apical half costal region and one on apical region of outer claval veins, hyaline, dorsal area of face paler than ventral dark brown area, median carina, transverse ridges on frontoclypeus and lateral margins, pale yellow. Legs dirty yellow with bases of setae on hind tibiae brownish.

Male genitalia. Pygofer length in lateral view shorter than height, posterior lobe more or less oval with rounded posterodorsal margin, ventral process slender, S-shaped and long, exceeding dorsal margin. Subgenital plate with lateral margin convexly rounded at midlength, with submarginal row of macrosetae along mesal margin. Style slender, footlike apophysis rather robust, toe with subapical tooth. Connective Y-shaped, stem longer than arms. Aedeagus with extension of atrium short, with ventral angular projection in basal region in lateral view, dorsolateral lobes about 0.66 as long as aedeagus, shorter in height, shaft about 0.25 length of aedeagus, curved anteriorly with ventral blade-like extension, gonopore apical, dorsal apodeme plate-like.

Female genitalia. Seventh sternite about as long as sixth, posterior margin slightly broadly concave medially with broadly rounded lateral angles.

Measurements. Male and female 6.8 mm long, 1.6 mm wide across eyes and 1.8 mm wide across hind margins of pronotum.

Material examined. INDIA: Lectotype ♂ (Figs 6I –J) (here designated), “ Type H. T. [red edged disc]” “E.

Himalayas” “ Platyretus himlayanus Dist. type [Distant’s hw]” “Distant Coll. 1911-383”. 2 ♀, West Bengal: Darjiling dist. Lopchu, leg. Gy. Topal, No. 857, beaten material, 20.x.1967 (BMNH).

Remarks. Originally described from an unspecified number of specimens (syntype) with the following data: “ Eastern Himalayas”. This species externally resembles Onukindia connexa (Distant) (see below). It is more darkly coloured than other Apphia species and hence can readily be recognised. It is only provisionally placed in the genus Apphia as it lacks the basoventral bulbous region of the aedeagus found in other species and also has a differently shaped apophysis of the style. The aedeagus of this species is very similar to that in species of Evacanthus, but the ventral pygofer process is long and slender (short and stout in Evacanthus) and the crown is more conically pointed (conically rounded in Evacanthus).