Family Cixiidae

Subfamily Cixiinae

Tribe Cixiini Spinola, 1839

Genus Microledrida Fowler, 1904

Type species:  Microledrida asperata Fowler, 1904.

Synonyms: None.

Distribution: Southwestern US

Recognized species

There six species in this genus as follows

Microledrida arida Caldwell 1951 - Puerto Rico
Microledrida asperata Fowler 1904 - Mexico (Guerrero)

Microledrida flava Metcalf, 1923 - USA: TX; Mexico (Tamaulipas)
Microledrida fuscata Van Duzee, 1914 - USA: AZ, CA, TX; Mexico (Baja California)
Microledrida olor Kramer, 1983 - USA: TX (+ Mexico?)

Microledrida virida Caldwell 1944 - Guatemala

Economic Importance:

Limited - infrequently encountered.

Known host plants: 

None

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

Recognition:

Distinctive appearance - flattened, hirsute, head rather pointed, eyes elongate in lateral view (reminds me of the delphacid Neopunana)

Microledrida olor (all photographs by Kimberley Shropshire, University of Delaware)

Collecting

[?]

Molecular resources: As of this writing, there are no molecular data for this genus on Barcode of Life or Genbank.

Selected references:

Caldwell, J.S. 1944. Notes on some less common genera of tropical Cixiidae (Homoptera). Ohio Journal of Science 44(6): 252-254.

Caldwell, J. S. and L. F. Martorell. 1951 [dated1950]. Review of the Auchenorynchous [sic] Homoptera of Puerto Rico. Part II. The Fulgoroidea except Kinnaridae. Journal of Agriculture of the University of Puerto Rico 34(2): 133-269.

Kramer, J. P. 1983. Taxonomic study of the planthopper family Cixiidae in the United States (Homoptera: Fulgoroidea). Transactions of the American Entomological Society 109: 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