Family Achilidae

Subfamily Achilinae

Tribe Plectoderini Fennah, 1950

Genus Opsiplanon Fennah, 1945

Type species: Opsiplanon ornatifrons Fennah, 1945.

Synonyms: None

Distribution: Southeastern US and Neotropics

Recognized species

There are 3 described species in this genus:

Opsiplanon luella (Metcalf, 1923) - USA: FL, GA, KS, MS, NC, SC, TX

    = Catonia luella Metcalf, 1923: 177.
    = Opsiplanon luellus (Metcalf, 1923); comb. by O’Brien 1971: 27-28.
Opsiplanon nemorosa Fennah, 1945 - Trinidad
Opsiplanon ornatifrons Fennah, 1945 - Trinidad

Note: this genus is moderately common throughout Central America - such specimens may represent new species or species misplaced at the generic level, or possibly the described species are much more broadly distributed than currently reported.

Economic Importance: Limited.

Known host plants: 

None - nymphs of achilids associated with fungus (usually in logs).  The significance of adult host association is unclear.

Recognition:

Relatively small species, Sc+R fork of forewing near stigma, subcostal cell 1/6 length of forewing, widest medially; medioventral lobe of male pygofer trilobed at apex

Opsiplanon luella

(The photo right above courtesy of Lois O'Brien)

Photos and drawings by Kimberley Shropshire (University of Delaware) except as noted.

Collecting

Most often taken at lights.

Molecular resources: No data for this genus appears on GenBank or Barcode of Life. 

Selected references:

Emeljanov, A. F. 1992. Toward the problem and limits and subdivisions of Achilidae (Homoptera, Cicadina). Entomological Review 71(1): 53-73 (Translation of Entomologicheskoye Obozreniye 1991, 70: 373-393, in Russian).

Emeljanov, A. F. 1993. Description of tribes of the subfamily Achilinae (Homoptera, Achilidae) and revision of their composition. Entomological Review 72(6): 7-27 (Translation of Entomologicheskoe Obozrenie 71: 574-594 from Russian).

Fennah, R. G. 1945. New Lanternflies (Fulgoroidea) From South America. Proceedings of the United States National Museum 96(3189): 95-106.

Fennah, R. G. 1950. A generic revision of the Achilidae (Homoptera: Fulgoroidea) with descriptions of new species. Bulletin of the British Museum (Natural History) Entomology 1: 1-170.

Metcalf, Z. P. 1923. A Key to the Fulgoridae of Eastern North America with descriptions of new species. Journal of the Elisha Mitchell Scientific Society 38(3): 139-230, plus 32 plates. [see http://www.lib.unc.edu/dc/jncas/]

Metcalf, Z. P. 1948. General catalogue of the Hemiptera. Fasc. IV. Fulgoroidea, Part 10. Achilidae. Smith College, Northampton, Massachusetts. 85 pp.

O’Brien, L. B. 1971. The systematics of the tribe Plectoderini in America north of Mexico (Homoptera: Fulgoroidea: Achilidae). University Of California Publications in Entomology 64: 1-79.