Two new leafhopper species: Mimotettix multispinosus sp. n. and M. sinuatus sp. n. are described and illustrated from Yunnan, China. A checklist to the species of Mimotettix from Yunnan and a key to species from the region are also provided.

Homoptera , morphology, taxonomy, distribution, Old World tropics, Scaphoideini

The genus Mimotettix Matsumura, 1914 (Deltocephalinae: Scaphoideini) is one of the more distinctively marked leafhoppers in the Old World tropics (see Discussion). It was established for a single species, M. kawamurae Matsumura 1914, from Taiwan. Later, Kwon and Lee (1979) described another species, M. curticeps from South Korea and Webb and Heller (1990) transferred five Indian species to Mimotettix from other genera from India. Recently, Li and Xing (2010) described another new species, M. spinosus, and made two new combinations: M. slenderus (Li & Wang, 2005) and M. fanjingensis (Li & Wang, 2005) from China. Meanwhile, Dai et al. (2010) reviewed this genus, based on an examination of the types of most species, and described seven new species and provided a key to the 15 known species. Xing and Li (in Xing et al. 2013) described another new species, M. articularis from China, and provided a key to the 10 Chinese species of the genus. Of the latter, three species are distributed in the Palearctic region, i.e., M. tibetensis (Tibet) and M. curticeps and M. spinosus (Gansu, Shaanxi and Henan). Conversely, in Yunnan Province (southern China), one of China’s richest regions in terms of biodiversity, five species are recorded (see Checklist). In the present paper, two new species from Yunnan Province are described which form a separate group from the remaining species of Mimotettix based on the structure of the male genitalia (see Discussion) and a key to separate the species from Yunnan is provided. The type specimens of the new species are deposited in the Institute of Entomology, Guizhou University, Guiyang, China (GUGC).

Male specimens were used for the description and illustration. External morphology was observed under a stereoscopic microscope and characters were measured with an ocular micrometer. Color pictures for adult habitus were obtained by the KEYENCE VHX-1000 system. The genital segments of the examined specimens were macerated in 10% NaOH and drawn from preparations in glycerin jelly using a Leica MZ 12.5 stereomicroscope. Illustrations were scanned with a Canon CanoScan LiDE 200 and imported into Adobe Photoshop CS8 for labeling and plate composition.

The morphological terminology used in the descriptions mainly follows Dai et al. (2010) and Li et al. (2011). Absolute measurements, in millimeters (mm), are used for the body.

Species of Mimotettix are distinctly marked leafhoppers, mainly brown with a series of cream and brown transverse bands on the anterior margin of the head and with hyaline spots on the forewings. In the male genitalia they can be distinguished by the simple aedeagus with the shaft bearing a single apical process directed ventrally. All are very similar in coloration and difficult to distinguish externally, but the structure of the male genitalia is markedly different and separates the genus into two groups: 1) subgenital plate apex extended and very narrow, connective ‘H’ shaped with arms of stem bracing aedeagus, aedeagus with the apical process strongly turned to left or right side of shaft, apex laterally compressed (M. multispinosus sp. n. and M. sinuatus sp. n.) and, 2) subgenital plate short triangular shaped, connective ‘Y’ shaped, aedeagus with apical process in line with shaft in ventral view or slightly curved to one side, apex not laterally compressed (other species).

We thank Mr M. D. Webb (Department of Entomology, The Natural History Museum, London, U.K.) and J.N. Zahniser (USDA, Washington, USA) for reading our manuscript and making some constructive suggestions. We also thank all the collectors for collecting specimens. This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (31660624), the science and Technology Project of Guizhou Province (Qian Ke He Platform Talent [2017] 5788), Talent Fund Program Project of Guizhou University ([2014]15), and the Science and Technology Foundation of Guizhou Province (J-[2014]2063), all awarded to the Corresponding author.