Family Delphacidae Leech 1815

Subfamily Asiracinae Fieber 1892

Tribe Idiosystanini Emeljanov 1996

Distribution: Temperate South America.

Type species (in original combination): Liburnia xiphias Berg, 1879.

Generic synonyms

  = Stenosystatus Muir, 1930 (type species Stenosystatus anonymi Muir, 1930: 214); Synonymy by Fennah, 1965: 251.

Recognized species

There is one species currently placed in this genus.

Idiosemus xiphias (Berg, 1879: 190) - Argentina, Chile, Uruguay

   = Liburnia xiphias Berg, 1879: 190.

   = Idiosemus xiphias (Berg, 1879); comb. by Berg, 1883: 233.

   = Stenosystatus anonymi Muir, 1930: 214; synonymy by Fennah, 1965: 251.

Reported Hosts: Apparently none.

Economic Importance: Limited. 

Recognition

Idiosemus xiphias is the only long-headed asiracine planthopper in the New World. Idiosemus might be mistaken for long-headed stenocranines (e.g., Frameus), but the calcar is spine-like and without teeth in the Asiracinae compared to flattened, foliaceous, and bearing teeth along the trailing margin for Stenocraninae. Idiosemus also has 4 carinae on the mesonotum, whereas all advanced delphacids have 3.

I've seen this species in long series in collections.

Idiosemus xiphias

Idiosemus xiphias - note 4 carinae on mesonotum.

Molecular resources: None

Selected references

Berg, C. 1879b. Hemiptera Argentina (Continuacion). Anales de la Sociedad Cientifica Argentina 8: 178-192.

Berg, C. 1883b. Addenda et Emendanda ad Hemiptera Argentina (Continuatio.) Anales de la Sociedad Cientifica Argentina 16: 231-241.

Muir, F.A.G. 1930f. On some South American Delphacidae (Homoptera, Fulgoroidea). Entomologisk Tidskrift 51(3-4): 207-215.

Fennah, R. G. 1965. Fulgoroidea from Southern Chile (Hemiptera). Bulletin of the British Museum (Natural History) Entomology 17: 233-272.