Family Tropiduchidae

Subfamily Tambiniinae Kirkaldy, 1907

Gaetuliini Fennah, 1978 (sensu Gnezdilov 2007)

(Note: Historically part of Issidae [e.g., Fennah 1954]; subsequently transferred to Nogodinidae [Fennah 1984], then to Tropiduchidae [Gnezdilov 2007]).

Genus Dictyonissus Uhler, 1876.

Type species (in original combination): Dictyonissus griphus Uhler, 1876.

Synonyms: none.

Distribution: Western USA and Mexico.

Recognized species

There are two species recognized in the genus:

Dictyonissus griphus Uhler, 1876 USA: CA, TX; Mexico (Nuevo León)
Dictyonissus nigropilosus Doering, 1938 USA: TX; Mexico (Tamaulipas)

Economic Importance:

Limited.

Known host plants: 

None reported

Hosts from Wilson et al. (1994); plant names from USDA PLANTS or Tropicos.

Recognition:

Dictyonissus can be recognized among the Gaetuliini by the forewings covering the abdomen (vs. Danepteryx or Osbornia); wing elongate, costal margin nearly straight, forewings clear, hispid (and green at least for D. griphus); vertex obtusely produced for distance nearly equal to width of eye; hind tibiae with 3 lateral spines.

Dictyonissus griphus (All photos by Kimberley Shropshire, Department of Entomology, University of Delaware)

Key from Doering 1938.

Drawings from Doering 1938

Dictyonissus is here on Bugguide, and here on Discover Life.

Collecting

Dictyonissus is collected by inspecting likely host plants or sweeping.

Molecular resources: As of this writing, data for Dictyonissus is not available on Genbank; but Dictyonissus griphus is available on Barcode of life.

Selected references:

Bliven, B. P. 1966. New genera and species of Issidae. Occidental Entomologist 1: 103-107.

Doering. K.C. 1938. A contribution to the taxonomy of the subfamily Issinae in America north of Mexico (Fulgoroidea: Homoptera. Part II. University of Kansas Science Bulletin 25(20): 447-575.

Fennah, R. G. 1954. The Higher classification of the family Issidae (Homoptera: Fulgoroidea) with descriptions of new species. Transactions of the Royal Entomological Society of London 105(19): 455-474.

Fennah, R. G. 1984. Revisionary notes on the classification of the Nogodinidae (Hemiptera: Fulgoroidea), with descriptions of a new genus and a new species. Entomologist's Monthly Magazine 120: 81-86.

Gnezdilov, V. M. 2007. On the systematic positions of the Bladinini Kirkaldy, Tonginae Kirkaldy, and Trienopinae Fennah (Homoptera, Fulgoroidea). Zoosystematica Rossica 15: 293-297.

Kirkaldy, G. W. 1907. Leafhoppers supplement (Hemiptera). Bulletin of the Experiment Station of the Hawaiian Sugar Planters’ Association, Entomological Series 3:1-186, plus 20 plates.

Kirkaldy, G. W. 1908. A brief note on three (two new) California Fulgoroid Hemiptera. Proceedings of the Hawaiian Entomological Society 2: 22-23.

Melichar, L. 1906. Monographie der Issiden. (Homoptera). Abhandlungen der K. K. Zoologisch-botanischen Gesellschaft in Wien 3: 1-327.

Metcalf, Z. P. 1958. General catalogue of the Homoptera. Fasc. IV. Fulgoroidea, Part 15. Issidae. North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC. 561 pp.

O’Brien, L. B. 1988. Taxonomic changes in North American Issidae (Homoptera: Fulgoroidea). Annals of the Entomological Society of America 81: 865-869.

Uhler, P. R. 1889. New genera and species of American Homoptera. Transactions of the Maryland Academy of Sciences 1: 33-44.

Van Duzee, E. P. 1914a. A preliminary list of Hemiptera of San Diego County, California. Transactions of the San Diego Society of Natural History 2: 1-57.

Wilson, S. W., C. Mitter, R. F. Denno, and M. R. Wilson. 1994. Evolutionary patterns of host plant use by delphacid planthoppers and their relatives. In: R. F. Denno and T. J. Perfect, (eds.). Planthoppers: Their Ecology and Management. Chapman and Hall, New York. Pp. 7-45 & Appendix.