Family Delphacidae Leech, 1815

Subfamily Asiracinae Fieber, 1892

Tribe Asiracini Fieber, 1892

The Asiracinae can most easily be recognized by the spur (calcar) at the apex of the hind tibiae.  In the Asiracinae it is rounded or quadrate in cross-section and lacks teeth on the posterior margin found in other subfamilies of Delphacidae.

A detailed look at the features of the Asiracinae is here.

 

The spur of Asiracinae look something like this (spine-like; quadrate or rounded in cross-section [not flattened]; without teeth):

(Calcar of Asiraca clavicornis).

A Copicerus from Nicaragua - Thanks to Stephen Cresswell for the photo.

New World species in the tribe Asiracini

(Click genus link for further information about that genus)

Genus species	Known range
Asiraca Latreille, 1796  Type species Cicada clavicornis Fabricius, 1794 = Manchookhonia Kato, 1933 (Type species Manchookhonia granulipennis Kato, 1933); Syn. by Asche 1985: 116. = Boresinia Chou in Chou et al. 1983: 60, 66; replacement name for Manchookhonia Kato [in Lophopidae]; Syn. By Liang, 1998: 188.
germari Metcalf, 1943 (incertae sedis) = Asiraca longicornis Germar 1830 (nec. Asiraca longicornis Latreille 1802). = Araeopus longicornis (Germar 1830); Schaum, 1850: 69. = Asiraca germari Metcalf, 1943; nom. nov. for unavailable Asiraca longicornis Germar 1830 (nec. Latreille 1802).	Brazil
Copicerus Swartz, 1802 Type species Copicerus irroratus Swartz, 1802 = Jerala Walker, 1858: 85 (type species Jerala singula Walker, 1858: 85); syn. by Stål, 1862: 488. = Holotus Guerin-Meneville, 1856: 180 (type species Holotus thoracicus Guerin-Meneville, 1856: 180); syn. by Stål, 1866: 175.
insignicornis (Lethierry, 1890)	Venezuela
irroratus Swartz, 1802	USA: FL, GA, IL, MS, MO, OH, TX; Belize, Costa Rica, Cuba; Ecuador, Guatemala, Hispaniola, Jamaica, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Puerto Rico, Venezuela
irroratus thoracicus (Guerin-Meneville, 1856)	Cuba, Jamaica
obscurus (Guerin-Meneville,1856)	Brazil
swartzi Stål, 1857	Brazil

 

Other Asiracini

In addition to the two genera listed above, there are two additional genera in this tribe that are not found in the New World:

Elaphodelphax Fennah, 1949: 592.

  Elaphodelphax capenerinus Dlabola, 1965: 475- South Africa (as Transvaal): Rustenburg

  Elaphodelphax nigropictus Fennah, 1949: 593 - Zambia (as N. Rhodesia): Copperbelt Province, N'dola.

Fennasiraca Asche, 1985.

  Fennasiraca congoensis (Fennah, 1958: 49) - Congo (Katanga)

 

Selected references

Asche, M. 1985. Zur Phylogenie der Delphacidae Leach, 1815 (Homoptera: Cicadina: Fulgoromorpha). Marburger Entomologische Publikationen 2(1), volume 1 pp. 1-398, volume 2 pp. 399-910.

Asche, M. 1988. Delphacidae from Cote d'Ivoire (Homoptera, Fulgoroidea). Revue Francaise d'Entomologie (Nouvelle Serie) 10(2): 151-231.

Asche, M. 1990. Vizcayinae, a new subfamily of Delphacidae with revision of Vizcaya Muir (Homoptera: Fulgoroidea) - a significant phylogenetic link. Bishop Museum Occasional Papers 30: 154-187.

Barringer, L. E. And C. R. Bartlett. 2011. A review of New World Asiracinae (Hemiptera: Auchenorrhyncha: Delphacidae) with five new taxa. Cicadina 12: 7-39.

Dlabola, J. 1965. A new Elaphodelphax, further species of Asiracinae from Africa (Homoptera Auchenorrhyncha). Acta Faunistica Entomologica Musei Nationalis Pragae 36: 475-488.

Emeljanov, A. F. 1996. On the question of the classification and phylogeny of the Delphacidae (Homoptera, Cicadina), with reference to larval characters. Entomological Review 75(9): 134-150 (translation of Entomologicheskoye Obozreniye 1995, 74: 780-794 from Russian).

Fennah, R. G. 1949. New exotic Fulgoroidea. Annals and Magazine of Natural History 12(2): 585-606

Fennah, R. G. 1958 [dated 1957]. Fulgoroidea from the Belgian Congo (Hemiptera Homoptera). Annales Musée Royal Congo Belge Tervuren, Serie in 8 , Sciences Zoologiques 59(8): 1-206.

Fennah, R. G. 1979. Tribal classification of Asiracine Delphacidae (Homoptera: Fulgoroidea). Entomologist’s Record (I/V./79): 116.

Fieber, F. X. 1872a. Katalog der europäischen Cicadinen, nach Originalien mit Benützung der neuesten Literatur. Carl Gerold's Sohn, Wein [Vienna, Austria]. Pp.: i-iv, 1-19.

Fowler, W. E. 1905a. Order Rhynchota. Suborder Hemiptera-Homoptera (Continued). Biologia Centrali-Americana; or contributions to the knowledge of the fauna and flora of Mexico and Central America 1: 125-139. [P. 130, Copicerus = Holotus]

Guerin-Meneville, F. E. 1856a. Segunda seccion. Homopteros. In: de la Sagra, R. Historia fisica, politica y natural de la Isla de Cuba. Crustaceos, aragnides, e insectos. Paris, vol. 7. Pp.1-868.

Lethierry, L. F. 1890. Voyage de M. E. Simon au Venezuela (decembre 1887-avril 1888), 9e. memoire Hemipteres Homopteres. Annales de la Societe Entomologique de France (6)10: 147-160. [Holotus with 2 species described; to Copicerus by Fowler 1905]

Stål, C. 1857a. Ny art af Copicerus (Swartz). Ofversigt af Kongliga Svenska Vetenskaps-Akademiens Forhandlingar 14: 53.

Stål, C. 1857b. Description du genre Copicerus Swartz. Annales de la Société entomologique de France. (3) 5:337-339. Plate(s): 12.

Swartz, O. 1802a. Copicerus, et nytt slagte bland insecterne fran Westindien. Nya Handlingar. Kongliga Svenska Vetenskaps-Akademiens. 23:177-183.