Family Flatidae

Subfamily Flatinae Spinola, 1839

Tribe Nephesini Melichar, 1923

Genus Ormenoides Melichar 1923.

Type species (in original combination): Ormenis distincta Melichar, 1902.

Synonyms: none.

Distribution: Widespread in Nearctic and continental Neotropical regions.

Recognized species

There are 5 species currently assigned to this genus:

Ormenoides distincta (Melichar 1902: 82) - Brazil (Corrientes, Rio de Janeiro), Argentina

     = Ormenis distincta Melichar 1902: 82.

     = Ormenoides distincta (Melichar 1902); comb. by Melichar 1923: 73.
Ormenoides laevis (Melichar 1902: 84) - Surinam

     = Ormenis laevis Melichar 1902: 84.

     = Ormenoides laevis (Melichar 1902); comb. by Melichar 1923: 73.
Ormenoides pehlkei (Schmidt, 1904: 366) - Colombia

     = Ormenis pehlkei Schmidt, 1904: 336.

     = Ormenis prasina Schmidt, 1904: 370. 

     = Anormenis pehlkei (Schmidt, 1904); comb. by Melichar, 1923: 69.

     = Melicharia prasina (Schmidt, 1904); comb. by Melichar 1923: 71.

     = Ormenoides pehlkei (Schmidt, 1904); comb. by Medler 1996: 146.

     = Ormenoides pehlkei (Schmidt 1904); comb. by Medler 1999: 31.

     = Melicharia prasina (Schmidt, 1904); syn. by Medler 1999: 31.
Ormenoides subflava Metcalf & Bruner 1948: 86 - Cuba
Ormenoides venusta (Melichar 1902: 84) - USA: AL, DC, DE, FL, GA, IL, IN, KY, LA, MD, MO, MS, NC, NJ, OH, OK, PA, SC, TN, TX, VA; CAN: ON
     = Ormenis venusta Melichar, 1902: 67.
     = Ormenis pauperata Melichar, 1902: 67.
     = Ormenoides venusta (Melichar, 1902); comb. by Metcalf 1957: 328.
     = Ormenoides pauperata (Melichar, 1902: 85); comb. by Metcalf 1957: 328.
     = Ormenoides pauperata (Melichar, 1902); syn. by Bartlett et al. in press.

List compiled primarily from FLOW (Bourgoin 2013), also Metcalf (1957) and an unpublished list by Lois O'Brien.

Economic Importance:

Common, but not usually of major importance, although O. venusta feeds on ornamental and potentially agricultural plants.  Ormenoides may occur in large numbers, but do little apparent damage and have not been directly implicated in plant disease transmission (although this has not been excluded either). Wax deposits of immatures on ornamental plants may be unsightly.

Known host plants: 

Ormenoides venusta is polyphagous; reported on Digitaria sanguinalis (L.) Scop. (Poaceae, hairy crabgrass), ; Juglans nigra L.(Juglandaceae, black walnut), Quercus velutina Lam. (Fagaceae, black oak), Ulmus americana L. (Ulmaceae, American elm), Ulmus rubra Muhl. (slippery elm), Maclura pomifera (Raf.) C.K. Schneid. (Moraceae, osage orange), Morus rubra L. (Moraceae, red mulberry), Rumex obtusifolius L. (bitter dock, Polygonaceae), Phytolacca americana L. (American pokeweed, Phytolaccaceae), Liriodendron tulipifera L. (tuliptree, Magnoliaceae), Asimina triloba (L.) Dunal (Annonaceae, pawpaw), Sassafras albidum (Nutt.) Nees (Lauraceae, sassafras), Liquidambar styraciflua L.(Hamamelidaceae, sweetgum), Platanus occidentalis L. (Platanaceae, American sycamore), Geum canadense Jacq. (white avens, Rosaceae), Prunus serotina Ehrh. (Rosaceae, black cherry), Rosa multiflora Thunb. (rosaceae, multiflora rose) and 15 more in Wilson & McPhearson (1981)

Hosts from Wilson & McPhearson (1981), and Wilson et al. (1994); plant names from USDA PLANTS or Tropicos.

Recognition:

For North American taxa, this genus is most similar to Flatormenis, with which it can be readily confused.  Ormenoides venusta is the only species in this genus occuring north of Mexico.  Ormenoides venusta can be separated from Flatormenis by having 1 subapical vein on forewings (vs. 2 in Flatormenis); wings rounded apically (Flatormenis tends to be trunctate); frons narrower than Flatormenis (h:w ratio ca. 0.9:1; vs. ca. 0.5-0.7:1 in Flatormenis).

Among eastern flatids, Ormenoides venusta is smaller than Flatormenis proxima, and tends to have a brownish or orangish boarder on the wings.

Ormenoides venusta (Photo by Kimberley Shropshire, Dept. of Entomology, University of Delaware)

Illustrations of genitalia (More will be posted as I encounter them)

Ormenoides venusta from Medler 1993.

Websites: Ormenoides is here on Bugguide and here on Discover Life.  (At both sites, some of the images may be Flatormenis). Also, some nice pictures on American Insects.

Collecting:

Ormenoides can be commonly collected by general inspection, sweeping or beating of woody vegetation. They are frequently conspicuous on their hosts.

Molecular resources:

Data for Ormenoides appears to be absent of Genbank, but is available on Barcode of life for Ormenoides venusta. 

Selected references:

Bartlett, C. R. and J. L. Bowman. 2004. Preliminary Inventory of the Planthoppers (Hemiptera: Fulgoroidea) of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, North Carolina and Tennessee, U.S.A. Entomological News 114(5): 246-254.

Bourgoin Th. 2013. FLOW (Fulgoromorpha Lists on The Web): a world knowledge base dedicated to Fulgoromorpha.  Version 8, updated 18.ii.2013.  http://hemiptera-databases.org/flow/

Medler, J. T. 1993. Types of Flatidae (Homoptera) XVIII. Lectotype designations for Fowler and Melichar type specimens in the Museum of Natura History in Vienna, with 2 new genera and a new species. Annalen des Naturhistorischen Museums in Wien Serie B Botanik and Zoologie 94-95(B): 433-450.

Medler, J. T. 1996. Types of Flatidae XXII. E. Schmidt types in the Warsaw Museum and other museums (Homoptera: Flatidae). Bulletin of the Museum and Institute of Zoology PAS 1: 135-151.

Medler, J. T. 1999. Flatidae (Homoptera: Fulgoroidea) of Indonesia, exclusive of Irian Jaya. Zoologische Verhandelingen 324: 1-88.

Melichar, L. 1902a. Monographie der Acanoloniiden und Flatiden (Homoptera) (Fortsetzung.). Annalen des k. k. Naturhistorischen Hofmuseums. 17:1-253. Plate(s): 1-9.

Melichar, L. 1923a. Homptera, fam. Acanaloniidae, Flatidae et Ricaniidae. Genera Insectorum. Bruxelles 182: 1-185.

Metcalf, Z. P. 1938a. The Fulgorina of Barro Colorado and other parts of Panama. Bulletin of the Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard Coll. 82: 277-423.

Metcalf, Z. P. 1957. General Catalogue of the Homoptera. Fascicle IV, Fulgoroidea, Part 13, Flatidae and Hypochthonellidae. North Carolina State College, Raleigh, North Carolina. Pp. 1-565.

Paiero, S. M., S. A. Marshall and K.G.A. Hamilton. 2003. New records of Hemiptera from Canada and Ontario. Journal of the Entomological Society of Ontario 134: 115-129.

Schmidt, E. 1904b. Neue und bemerkenswerthe Flatiden des Stettiner Museums. Entomologische Zeitung (Herausgegeben von dem entomologischen Vereine zu Stettin). 65: 354-381.

Spinola, M. 1839. Essai sur les Fulgorelles, sous-tribu de la tribu des Cicadaires, ordre des Rhyngotes. (Suite). Annales de la Société Entomologique de France. Paris 8: 339-454.

Wilson, S. W. and J. E. McPherson. 1981. Life histories of Anormenis septentrionalis, Metcalfa pruniosa, and Ormenoides venusta with descriptions of immature stages. Annals of the Entomological Society of America 74(3): 299-311.

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.