Family Delphacidae

Subfamily Delphacinae 

Tribe Tropidocephalini

Distribution: South America and Tropical Asia

Type species (in original combination): Malaxa acutipennis Melichar, 1914.

Recognized species

There are 12 described species currently placed in this genus as follows:

New World

Malaxa gracilis Fennah, 1945 - Venezuela
Malaxa microstyla Muir, 1930 - Bolivia
Malaxa occidentalis Muir, 1926 - Ecuador

Old World
Malaxa acutipennis Melichar, 1914 - Philippine Islands (Luzon)
Malaxa bispinata Muir, 1926 - Mentawei Islands (Indonesia)
Malaxa delicata Ding and Yang, 1986 (in Ding et al. 1986) - China (Guizhou, Yunnan, Fujian, Zhejiang)
Malaxa fusca Yang and Yang, 1986 - Taiwan, China

Malaxa hunanensis Chen, 2006 (in Chen et al. 2006) - China (Hunan)
Malaxa javanensis Muir, 1919 - Indonesia (Java)
Malaxa nigra Muir, 1919 - Philippine Islands (Luzon)
Malaxa obtusipennis Muir, 1919 - Borneo
Malaxa semifusca Yang and Yang, 1986 - Taiwan, China (Guizhou)

Hosts:

Malaxa are mostly bamboo feeders (Poaceae: Bambusoideae).

Malaxa delicata - Phyllostachys sp. (bamboo) (Poaceae: Bambusoideae)

Malaxa fusca - Bambusa multiplex (Lour.) Raeusch. ex Schult. & Schult. f. (hedge bamboo) (Poaceae: Bambusoideae)

Malaxa hunanensis - Indocalamus sp. (Poaceae: Bambusoideae)

Malaxa semifusca - Fargesia sp.  (Poaceae: Bambusoideae)

Malaxa occidentalis Muir, 1926 - Gynerium sp. (Poaceae: Arundinoideae)

Names of plants from USDA PLANTS database,

Host data from Chen et al. (2006) and Muir (1926)

Economic Importance: Limited.

Recognition

It is highly unlikely that the New and Old World Malaxa belong in the same genus (as noted in Bartlett 2010), but I would like to confirm that with comparison of New World Malaxa with the type species M. acutipennis from the Philippines.

I've seen few specimens of this genus.  All of the New World species have markings similar to the photo below.  Malaxa has historically been characterized as having very long antennae - extending past the end of the mesonotum.  In the New World, it is the only described Tropidocephaline with very long antennae.

New World Malaxa

Malaxa occidentalis (paratype)

An undescribed Malaxa from Costa Rica.

Old World species

Malaxa acutipennis (from Luzon, Mt. Makiling, Baker; USNM)

Malaxa semifusca

Malaxa delicata

Malaxa fusca

Molecular resources

There are no data on this genus in Genbank or BOLD. 

Selected references

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

Bartlett, C. R. 2010 (dated 2009). A new genus of new world Tropidocephalini (Hemiptera: Delphacidae: Delphacinae), with the description of two new species. Entomological News 120(4): 387-396.

Chen, X. S. 2003. Key to genera of the tribe Tropidocephalini (Hemiptera: Fulgoroidea: Delphacidae) from the People's Republic of China, with description of a new genus. Canadian Entomologist 135(6): 811-821.

Chen, X.S. and A.P. Liang. 2007. Revision of the oriental genus Bambusiphaga Huang and Ding (Hemiptera : Fulgoroidea : Delphacidae). Zoological Studies 46(4): 503-519.

Chen, X. S., Z. Z. Li, A. P. Liang and L. Yang. 2006. A review of the Bamboo Delphacid Genus Malaxa (Hemiptera: Fulgoroidea: Delphacidea) from China. Annales Zoologici 56(1): 159-166.

Ding, J. H. 2006. Fauna Sinica Insecta Vol. 45 Homoptera Delphacidae. Science Press, Beijing, China.

Ding, J. H., L.-F. Yang, and C. L. Hu. 1986. Descriptions of New Genera And Species of Delphacidae Attacking Bamboo From Yunnan Province China. Acta Entomologica Sinica 29(4): 415-425.

Fennah, R.G. 1945. The Fulgoroidea, or lanternflies, of Trinidad and adjacent parts of South America. Proceedings of the United States National Museum 95(3184): 411-520.

Melichar, L. 1914a. Neue Fulgoriden von den Philippinen: I. Theil. Philippine Journal of Science 9:269-283.

Muir, F.A.G. 1916b. Additions to the Known Philippine Delphacidae (Hemiptera). Philippine Journal of Science 11: 369-385.

Muir, F.A.G. 1919e. Some Malayan Delphacidae (Homoptera).   Philippine Journal of Science 15: 521-531.

Muir, F.A.G. 1926b. Contributions to our knowledge of South American Fulgoroidea (Homoptera). Part I. The Family Delphacidae. Experiment Station of the Hawaiian Sugar Planters’ Association, Entomological Series, Bulletin 18:1-51, plates 1-5.

Muir, F.A.G. 1926h. Spolia Mentawiensia: Fulgoridae, Homoptera. Journal of the Malayan Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society 4: 392-412.

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

Yang, J.T. and C.T. Yang. 1986. Delphacidae of Taiwan (1) Asiracinae and the tribe Tropidocephalini (Homoptera: Fulgoroidea). Taiwan Museum Special Publication Series 6: 1-79.