Family Delphacidae

Subfamily Plesiodelphacinae

Tribe Plesiodelphacini Asche, 1985

Concise features of the tribe: (compiled from Asche 1985a, 1990; compare with features of the Asiracinae here) (I'll update with Asche 1985b later).

1. Tymbal sexually dimorphic (Apomorphic versus Asiracinae).

-. Abdominal sternite 2 with elongate apodemes (part of tymbal) (Apomorphic versus Asiracinae, apodemes secondarily reduced in advanced lineages).

-. Central plate present in male drumming organ.

2. Calcar somewhat flattened (not tectiform), circular in cross-section, with large teeth along trailing margin (apomorphic versus Vizcayinae and Asiracinae).

3. Apical spines of hind tibiae differentiated into 2 groups (apomorphic versus Vizcayinae and Asiracinae).

-. Apical spines of basitarus of hind leg not in uniform row (apomorphic versus Vizcayinae and Asiracinae).

4. Ring-like rupture at posterior pole of egg chorion.

5. Aedeagus with sclerotized sperm-conducting tube (plesiomorphic).

-. Flagellum of aedeagus reduced or absent (absent is apomorphic)

6. Anal tube and thecal base in close contact (suspensorium absent) (plesiomorphic)

7. "Symbiont x" presumed present (plesiomorphic)

8. Hind wings with M and Cu fused over most of their length

9. Hind wings with 4 veins from nodal line (i.e., M unbranched or branched after nodal line) (shared with higher delphacids)

10. Two lateral teeth on hind tibiae (apomorphic versus Asiracinae, shared with most higher Delphacidae)

11. Genal carina extending from lateral frontoclypeal edge to anterior edge of antennae (shared with all higher delphacids).

12. Median carina of vertex obsolete (or nearly so) (synapomorphy)

13. Antennal segments 1 & 2 of differing length (shared with higher delphacids)

-. Antennal sensory structures in more-or-less regular rows (reduced to 16, although I have not counted; shared with all higher delphacids).

New World species (this subfamily is exclusively New World)

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

Asche, M. 1985b. A new subfamily, genus and species of Delphacidae from South America: Plesiodelphacinae subfam. nov., Plesiodelphax guayanus gen. et spec. nov. (Homoptera Fulgoroidea). Marburger Entomologische Publikationen 1(10) : 219-240.

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.