Signoretia takiyae sp. nov.

Figs 47, 48, 65, 79, 183–190.

Uniformly creamy white, with speck-like median and lateral spots on anterior margin of crown and one median spot on posterior transverse ridge, dark brown; lateral spots visible in both dorsal and facial view; forewing veins enclosing apical cells brownish.

Head rounded in front with prominent reflexed marginal carina, crown surface horizontal, shagreen without median carina, with posterior marginal transverse ridge. Face convex. Pronotum wider than long, lateral carinae prominent, confined to transverse foveae, lateral margins straight, median carina faintly visible only in posterior 0.25. Forewing veins prominently raised, apical cells short; one ridgelike fold traversing entire length of cell M and also extending slightly both anteriorly and posteriorly.

Male genitalia. Anterior margin of pygofer extending anteriorly, dorsally with an apodeme, dorsal margin declivous, ventral process of pygofer narrowed and acutely pointed apically, extending much beyond dorsal margin, apex pigmented. Subgenital plate more than five times as long as basal width, with three stout anteriorly reclined setae. Anal segment large, segment X produced anteriorly, posterior margin microsetose. Style S-shaped, apex of apophysis rounded with prominently denticulate margin. Connective Y-shaped, arms longer than stem. Aedeagus with degenerate, membranous, short tubular shaft, ventral process Y-shaped, stem about as long as arms, apices of arms bluntly finely crenulated with one subapical prominence on mesal margin, each arm covered with short sparsely distributed setae in distal 0.33.

Measurements. Male 5.9 mm long, 1.45 mm wide across eyes and 1.3 mm wide across posteriorlateral angles of pronotum.

Material examined. Holotype Ƌ, INDIA: Andaman & Nicobar: Diglipur, Nabagram, 28 m, 13o09’13.2” N, 92o 57’ 02.7” E, 23.iv.2014, sweep net, Yeshwanth, H.M., here designated (UASB).

Etymology. The species is named after Dr. Daniela Takyia (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil), in recognition of her contributions to the study of cicadelline and signoretiine leafhoppers.

Remarks. S. takiyae has the arms of the ventral process of the aedeagus covered sparsely with short setae as in the case of S. mishmiensis, S. sinuata and S. yangi, however, in this species the arms do not cross over at the base. It also resembles S. lunglei in the shape of the pygofer ventral process but lacks short setae on the ventral process of the aedeagus (see also remarks under S. lunglei).