Family Delphacidae

Subfamily Delphacinae

Tribe Tropidocephalini Muir, 1915

The Tropidocephalini are mostly bamboo feeders.  In the New World, there are a large number of undescribed species.  Many of the described New World fauna have not been reported since they were described.  In the Old World, particularly China, there has been considerable interest in the taxonomy of this group (as well as some interest in their control). 

Tropidocephalini can be recognized by the lack of teeth on the calcar (sometimes excluding a terminal tooth). The calcar is described as being solid and triangular in cross-section (as opposed to the Delphacini that do not have teeth on the calcar - the group that used to be called the Alohini - which have a tectiform calcar). Also, unlike the Delphacini, a suspensorium is absent - the aedeagus is closely associated ("close functional contact" Asche 1990:157) with segment 10. The aedeagus generally has a slender process arising from its base.  The base of the aedeagus is usually asymmetrical - and frequently the whole genitalia are asymmetrical. Some features ascribed to the tribe based on examination of the numerous Old World taxa do not hold strictly true for New World species.

A key to genus for New World Tropidocephalini was provided by Bartlett (2009).  Recent keys to genus for the Chinese fauna (which includes most Old World genera) are found in Chen (2003), Ding (2006), and Qin and Zhang (2010), and Donalson (1991) for the Australian fauna.

Calcar of Procidelphax.

Some Old World genera

Arcofaciella sp (Malaysia)

Arcofacies fullawayi (Philippines)

Purohita cervina (Luzon, Philippines)

Tropidocephala festiva (Philippines)

New World species

References

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.

Bartlett, C. R. 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.

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

Donaldson, J. F. 1991. Revision of the Australian Tropidocephalini (Hemiptera: Delphacidae: Delphacinae). Journal of the Australian Entomological Society 30(4): 325-332.

Qin, D. Z. and Y. L. Zhang. 2010. A key to the genera of Tropidocephalini (Hemiptera: Fulgoromorpha: Delphacidae) of China with description of Mucillnata rava, new genus and species. Zootaxa 2448: 61-68.