Family Delphacidae

Subfamily Delphacinae

Tribe Delphacini

Distribution: Tropical northern South America and southern Central America.

Type species: Neoperkinsiella williamsi Muir, 1926 (a junior synonym of Neoperkinsiella testacea (Fowler, 1905)).

Recognized species

There are two described species in this genus.

Neoperkinsiella guaduae Muir, 1926 - Ecuador

Neoperkinsiella testacea (Fowler, 1905) - Ecuador, Guatemala, Panama (Canal Zone)

Economic importance: Limited. 

Host plants:

Muir (1926) reported Neoperkinsiella guaduae from Guadua sp. (Poaceae; Bambusoideae), a thorny bamboo, near Mera, Ecuador (Pastaza province).

Recognition

An apparently uncommon genus, similar to Stobaera with the flattened antennae, but larger and with different genitalia (in Stobaera segment 10 has only a midventral process in caudal view and the shape of the parameres is quite different).  Stobaera is rare from South America (Stobaera occurs throughout Central America).  Kramer (1973) synonymized williamsi with guaduae.

I do have some specimens that appear to be Neoperkinsiella guaduae, although I have not confirmed this.  Size and shape are similar to testacea, but the frons pattern is quite different.

Neoperkinsiella guaduae

Neoperkinsiella testacea

Molecular resources: None.

Selected References

Fowler, W. E. 1905. 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

Kramer, J. P. 1973. Revision of the American planthoppers of the genus Stobaera (Homoptera: Delphacidae) with new distributional data and host plant records. Proceedings of the Entomological Society of Washington 75: 379-402.

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.