Ulavius VIRAKTAMATH & YESHWANTH 2024, gen. nov.

Ulavius gen. nov.

Type species. Idioscopus jayashriae Viraktamath & Viraktamath, here designated.

Diagnosis. Externally similar to Idioscopus Baker. It can be recognized from other idiocerine genera, by the aedeagus with very well-developed preatrium, sometimes subequal to shaft, without apical long processes and shaft curved or sinuate, with apex distad of gonopore attenuated and often curved variously; gonopore subapical. Style with apophysis long, ventral margin serrated and apex with either short tooth-like process or hooked.

Description. Ochraceous with black markings on head and mesonotum as in Idioscopus.

Head wider than pronotum. Crown and face dorsad of ocelli transversely striate. Lora slightly raised. clypellus rather rectangular in basal 0.66, then widened, slightly exceeding outer margin of genae. Antenna without flagellar disc. Labium slender in both sexes, slightly exceeding metacoxae. Ocelli closer to adjacent eye than to median line. Pronotum shorter than mesonotum, about 2× as wide as long medially, shagreen. Forewing with claval veins and vein M basally margined by row of circular pits; subapical cells 2, apical cells 4, inner subapical cell open. Distal macrosetae on meta femur 2+1; meta tibia with setal row AD 6±1, PD 6, AV 12–16; meta basitarsomere with two platellae on apical transverse row flanked by one seta with broad base (Fig. 44E). Second tergal and sternal apodemes at base of abdomen in male well-developed. Female sternite VII with posterior margin convex.

Male genitalia. Anterior dorsal apodemes well-developed, pygofer incised at base, grater in height than width, without ventral or apical processes (except in U. decoratus), ventral margin often sinuate. Anal collar process well-developed, either elongate almost reaching pygofer posterior margin or hooked (as in U. decoratus). Subgenital plate of uniform width, with hair-like setae along margin and shorter hair-like setae on ventral surface. Style elongate curved, with long ventrally serrated apophysis, apex either hooked or with tooth-like process, subapical lobe poorly developed, with a patch of microsetae, dorsal surface with short hair-like setae in distal half. Connective more or less T-shaped with median lobe, and median keel when present extending to almost half length of connective. Aedeagus with poorly to well-developed dorsal apodeme, preatrium well-developed, stouter than aedeagal shaft in lateral view; aedeagal shaft with or without processes, curved or sinuate, of uniform width, with apical part distad of gonopore attenuated and curved variously; gonopore subapical on ventral surface.

Female genitalia. Ovipositor projecting, well beyond apex of pygofer, and in U. dworakowskae almost as long as length of pygofer (Figs 46 EF). Valvula I almost straight, tapering distally with short vertical strigae, sometimes not reaching dorsal margin in proximal half, sculpturing extending to distal 0.75 length. Valvula II straight or slightly curved dorsally, with poorly developed toothed area confined to distal 0.25, teeth either absent or effaced (Figs 70 OP, 71CD); but in U. jayashriae and U. parvathiae, the teeth are well developed (Figs 71 KL, OP).

Etymology. The genus name is derived from the name of a village Ulavi in Western Ghats along which most of the species of idiocerines were collected. Gender, masculine.

Remarks. This genus resembles Idioscopus and related genera in the following combination of characters. Upper part of face and crown transversely striate, clypellus abruptly widened near apex and wider at apex than at base, face (including eyes) about as wide as long, ocelli closer to adjacent eye than to median line, Pronotum shorter than mesonotum, forewing with two subapical cells, inner subapical cell open, forewing veins margined by circular pits in basal half; meta femoral apical macrosetae 2+1; male pygofer with or without ventral process, anal collar process well-developed, pygofer dorsal margin incised near base, style with ventral margin of apophysis serrate, aedeagus with or without apical processes.

This genus includes 8 species including three new species found in south India.

Key to species of Ulavius gen. nov.

1. Frontoclypeus with brown or dark brown markings in addition to two round black spots on fore margin of head (Figs 49C, 50C)................................................................................................2

- Frontoclypeus immaculate except for two round black spots on fore margin of head (Fig. 44C)........................ 3

2. Aedeagal shaft proximal region in lateral view in line with preatrium and dorsal apodeme, shaft with subapical triangular projection on ventral surface (Figs 50H J)............................................... U. radhamaniae sp. nov.

- Aedeagal shaft proximal region in lateral view subtended at an acute angle with preatrium, without subapical triangular projection on ventral surface (Fig. 49 IJ).............................................. U. poornachandrai sp. nov.

3. Mesonotum distinctly longer than combined length of crown and pronotum...... U. anasuyae (Viraktamath & Viraktamath)

- Mesonotum subequal to combined length of crown and pronotum............................................... 4

4. Mesoscutellum with lateral marginal semicircular black spot (Figs 47 AB, 48AD).................................. 6

- Messcutellum without lateral marginal black spot (Fig. 51 AB)..................................................7

5. Aedeagus with dorsal apodeme well-developed, aedeagal shaft longer than preatrium (Figs 47 HI)...................................................................................... .. U. jayashriae (Viraktamath & Viraktamath)

- Aedeagus with dorsal apodeme poorly developed, aedeagal shaft shorter than preatrium (Figs 48 LM)..................................................................................................... U. parvathiae sp. nov.

6. Pronotum with one median large round black spot in both sexes, mesonotum black (Fig. 51A); male anal collar process slender and dorsally curved at midlength (Fig. 51E).......................................... U. spectabilis (Viraktamath)

- Pronotum immaculate or marked with brown patch, mesonotum with only basal triangles black (Figs 45A, 46A); male anal collar process stout, either hooked or straight............................................................... 8

7. Forewing with one large black spot on third apical cell (Fig. 45B); male pygofer with ventral process (Fig. 45E); atyle apex not hooked (Fig. 45G): aedeagus less strongly sinuate (Fig. 45G)............................ .. U. decoratus (Viraktamath)

- Forewing apical cells without black spot; male pygofer without ventral process (Fig. 46G); style apex hooked (Fig. 46H); aedeagshaft twice bent almost at right angle (Fig. 46J).............................. .. U. dworakowskae (Viraktamath)