Juliaca Melichar, 1926 (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae: Cicadellinae) from Ecuador: description of a new species and identification key

The sharpshooter genus Juliaca Melichar, 1926 has 38 known species, being among the most diverse genera of the Cicadellini from the Neotropical Region. Here we describe and illustrate a new species from Ecuador, Juliaca nigrosignata sp. nov., based on males and females from the Province of Sucumbíos (sub-Andean montane forest). The new species can be recognized by the white to brownish-white dorsum with a single, conspicuous black spot on the median portion of the crown; the aedeagus has the apical half directed ventrally and the apex moderately expanded; the female sternite VII has a convex posterior margin, with a distinct median triangular projection. A key to males and females of the now six known Ecuadorian species of Juliaca, based on the color pattern, is provided.