Pseudovelia plauta Li, Bu & Ye 2022, sp. nov.

Pseudovelia plauta Li, Bu & Ye sp. nov.

(Figs. 4, 10, 16, 20, 26, 32, 38, 44, 50, 56, 62)

Material examined. Holotype: apterous male, MALAYSIA, Gerik, Kenderong, 14 April 2019, Zhen Ye leg. (NKUM). Paratypes: MALAYSIA, Gerik, 2 apterous male, 2 apterous female, 1 macropterous female, same data as holotype (NKUM).

Diagnosis. Abdominal segment VIII of P. plauta sp. nov. is similar to those of P. hypodonta Lundblad, 1933 and P. lundbladi Andersen, 1983. However, the elevation on the depression of abdominal segment VIII of P. plauta sp. nov. is quite different from those of P. hypodonta and P. lundbladi (Figs. 38, 44, 50, 56). Moreover, P. plauta sp. nov. can be distinguished from P. hypodonta and P. lundbladi by its relatively long and flat hind tarsal segment I (Fig. 32), which bears long setae on both sides. Specifically, the length of hind tarsal segment I of P. plauta sp. nov. is about 2.0 times that of hind tarsal segment II (Fig. 32), while the lengths of the hind tarsal segments of P. hypodonta and P. lundbladi are nearly equal.

Description. Apterous male (Fig. 4). Color: ground color dark-brown, head black, clypeus dark-brown, rostrum yellowish with black apex, buccula yellowish-brown; antennal segments I–IV dark-brown; pronotum darkbrown with dull-orange margins, anterior part of pronotum with a yellowish spot covered by dense silvery pubescence, posterior part of pronotum with dense, black spots; lateral part of metanotum dark-brown, black-rimmed; legs (Figs. 20, 26, 32) mainly brown, basal parts of femora pale-brown, apical parts of femora infuscated, tibiae and tarsi dark-brown, grasping combs black; mediotergite I dark-brown, mediotergites II–VII black, connexiva dull-orange, lateral part of mediotergite I, medial parts of mediotergites II, III, VI and VII with prominent silvery pubescence; abdominal segment VIII (Figs. 38, 50), pygophore (Fig. 62) and proctiger yellowish, each of them weakly infuscated apically. Structural characteristics: body medium-sized, bearing short, suberect setae, area around eyes and antennal segment I covered by relatively few, long, suberect, grayish setae. Head short and wide, relatively perpendicular to thorax, without inflection, posterior part of longitudinal midline of head covered by dense, silvery pubescence; buccula clearly visible, but not produced posteriorly; eyes bare except for the presence of two ocular setae. Pronotum relatively broad, bearing dense punctures on the posterior portion of pronotal lobe; hind margin of pronotum nearly straight; metanotum completely hidden beneath pronotal lobe except laterally. Fore tibia (Fig. 20) with dense, suberect, brown setae, grasping comb relatively strong; middle femur, tibia and tarsus (Fig. 26) with dense, short, brown setae; hind tarsal segment I (Fig. 32) distinctly flat, anterior margin with a row of relatively long, suberect, black bristles, hind margin with a row of long, relatively slender, suberect, grayish hairs, both two rows of hairs coplanar with the plane of hind tarsal segment I that can be difficult to see in lateral view, ventral arolium bristle-like; mediotergites almost flat, connexiva slightly raised; abdominal venter slightly convex. Genital segments: small, abdominal segment VIII (Figs. 38, 44, 50, 56) about 2.5 times as long as wide, hind margin with dense, suberect, brown setae, ventrally with a sub-triangular depression, hind margin of depression with a tiny process, posterior angles of depression with a pair of distinct processes, each process with a tuft of bristles apically, apical portion of depression has an elevation, margins of elevation with three distinct processes bearing a tuft of short bristles apically; posterior part of pygophore (Fig. 62) with dense, short, yellowish setae; proctiger small, subcircular, with dense, short, brown setae; parameres symmetrical, small, with rounded and widened apex.

Apterous female (Fig. 10). Color: similar to male. Structural characteristics: body medium-sized, structure of head including antenna as in male; fore tibia without process and grasping comb, hind tibia and tarsus not modified, hind tarsal segment I without modified bristles or hairs; abdomen pleurally and ventrally without special modifications, connexiva converging posteriorly and touching caudally; end of abdomen raised in lateral view, gonocoxa I elongate, proctiger dark-brown, with dense, short hairs.

Macropterous female (Fig. 16). Color: similar to apterous female. Structural characteristics: body size similar to apterous females, structure of head including antenna as in apterous female; pronotum relatively wide, nearly pentagonal; hemelytra grayish, with a slender white spot on basal part; fore tibia without process and grasping comb, hind tibia and tarsus not modified, hind tarsal segment I without modified bristles or hairs; abdomen hidden beneath hemelytra except lateral margin of connexiva, structure of abdomen including connexiva, gonocoxa and proctiger as in apterous female.

Macropterous male: unknown.

Measurements. Apterous male. Body length: 2.55–2.58 (holotype: 2.56), head width: 0.63–0.64, head length: 0.34–0.36, head width about 1.72 times head length; antenna about 0.74 times as long as body, length of antennal segments I–IV: 0.50, 0.40, 0.43, 0.56; pronotum width: 0.89–0.90, pronotum length: 0.46–0.50, about 1.78 times as wide as long; length of grasping comb 0.30, about 0.40 times tibial length; length of leg segments (femur, tibia and tarsus): fore leg: 0.81, 0.75 and 0.38, middle leg: 0.88, 0.94 and 0.62 (0.24+0.38), hind leg: 0.96, 1.13 and 0.74 (0.49+0.25). Apterous female. Body length: 2.70–2.80, head width: 0.65–0.69, head length: 0.34–0.38, head width about 1.77 times head length; antenna about 0.61 times as long as body, length of antennal segments I–IV: 0.53, 0.31, 0.36, 0.48; pronotum width: 0.89–0.91, pronotum length: 0.49–0.51, about 1.80 times as wide as long; length of leg segments (femur, tibia and tarsus): fore leg: 0.69, 0.69 and 0.38, middle leg: 0.81, 0.94 and 0.55 (0.19+0.36), hind leg: 0.99, 1.19 and 0.66 (0.30+0.36). Macropterous female. Body length: 2.75, head width: 0.63, head length: 0.44, head width about 1.43 times head length, antenna about 0.50 times as long as body, length of antennal segments I–IV: 0.50, 0.36, 0.39, 0.50; pronotum width: 1.21, pronotum length: 0.93, about 1.30 times as wide as long; length of leg segments (femur, tibia and tarsus): fore leg: 0.78, 0.69 and 0.38, middle leg: 0.90, 0.88 and 0.62 (0.24+0.38), hind leg: 1.06, 1.13 and 0.65 (0.30+0.35).

Etymology. The specific epithet “ plauta ” (from Latin, meaning flat) refers to the relatively flat hind tarsal segment I of apterous males.

Distribution. Malaysia (west Malaysia) (Fig. 65).