Cicadulini Van Duzee 1892

Cicadulini Van Duzee, 1892

Fig. 15

Type genus: Cicadula Zetterstedt, 1840.

= Procepitina Dmitriev, 2002 syn. nov.

Diagnosis

Cicadulini are small to medium sized, slender, stramineous, yellow, or greenish leafhoppers, sometimes with the anterior margin of the head marked with black spots. They can be identified by the male segment X often long and strongly sclerotized, and subgenital plates sometimes with a row of macrosetae near the middle and with long fine setae laterally.

Description

HEAD. Head subequal to or wider than pronotum. Discal portion of crown shagreen. Anterior margin of head shagreen. Frontoclypeus not tumid; texture shagreen. Clypellus widening apically; apex following or slightly surpassing normal curve of gena. Lorum subequal to or wider than clypellus near base. Antennal bases near middle or posteroventral (lower) corners of eyes. Antennae short, less than 1.5 x width of head or long, 1.5 x width of head or longer. Gena obtusely incised laterally; with fine erect seta beside laterofrontal suture. Antennal ledge absent. Ocelli present; close to or distant from eyes; on anterior margin of head.

THORAX. Pronotum lateral margin carinate; lateral margin shorter than basal width of eye.

WINGS. Forewing macropterous; appendix restricted to anal margin; with 3 anteapical cells; veins not raised; without reflexed costal veins; A1-A2 crossvein absent.

LEGS. Profemur with AM1 seta only; intercalary row with one row of five or more fine setae; row AV with short, stout setae. Protibia dorsal surface rounded, convex. Metafemur apex macrosetae 2+2+1. Metatarsomere I not expanded apically; plantar setae simple, tapered.

MALE GENITALIA. Sternal apodemes of abdominal segments I and II usually well-developed. Valve articulated with pygofer; lateral margin short, articulating with pygofer at a point. Pygofer basolateral membranous cleft present or absent, not membranous; macrosetae well differentiated into several rows. Subgenital plates free from each other; articulated with valve; macrosetae uniseriate laterally or uniseriate, distant from lateral margin. Style broadly bilobed basally, median anterior lobe pronounced. Basal processes of the aedeagus/connective absent or reduced. Aedeagus with single shaft and gonopore. Connective anterior arms somewhat divergent, Y -shaped; articulated with aedeagus. Segment X long, length usually 2x width or longer; strongly sclerotized dorsally.

FEMALE GENITALIA. Pygofer with numerous macrosetae. Ovipositor not protruding far beyond pygofer apex. First valvula convex; dorsal sculpturing pattern imbricate (with overlapping scales); sculpturing reaching dorsal margin; without distinctly delimited ventroapical sculpturing. Second valvula broad, gradually tapered; without dorsal median tooth; dorsal teeth on apical 1/3 or more; teeth small, regularly or irregularly shaped.

Geography and ecology

Distribution: Nearctic, Neotropical and Palearctic regions. Cicadulini feed on sedges and grasses, and are often found in association with wetland or marsh habitats or in forest understories.

Remarks

Cicadulini contains 14 genera and 114 valid species. This group was considered a subtribe of Athysanini by Dmitriev (2006b) and Emeljanov (1999) included cicaduline genera in his Athysanina. Two exemplars of the tribe (Cicadula and Elymana) were included in a phylogenetic analysis of Deltocephalinae (Zahniser & Dietrich 2010) and were supported as a monophyletic group. Molecular data for Proceps and Stenometopiellus included here for the first time suggest with strong branch support that they belong in Cicadulini; they are transferred to the tribe here. Dmitriev (2002) described the monotypic Procepitina as a subtribe of Scaphytopiini, but it is considered a synonym of Cicadulini here. The characters of the ovipositor of Proceps are consistent with those of other Cicadulini; males were not available for this study but Emeljanov (1967) described male segment X as long and well sclerotized, consistent with other members of the tribe. Cicadulini is considered a tribe separate from Athysanini following Oman et al. (1990). It appears to be related to other grass-feeding tribes of Deltocephalinae and perhaps to Limotettigini, but more data are needed to more firmly resolve its relationship to other tribes.

Calanana was listed in Athysanini by Oman et al. (1990). However, it was clearly suggested to be related to Cicadula, Elymana, and Paluda by Oman (1949) with which it shares the long sclerotized segment X and the subgenital plate with a row of macrosetae running medially along the plate. It is therefore placed in Cicadulini here.

Selected references

Hamilton (1975b), Dmitriev (2002).

Included genera

Calanana DeLong, 1945 placement nov. (transferred from Athysanini)

Cicadula Zetterstedt, 1840

Dudanus Dlabola, 1956

Elymana DeLong, 1936

Hecadula Dietrich & Rakitov, 2002

Knullana DeLong, 1941

Mocydia Edwards, 1922

Mocydiopsis Ribaut, 1939

Morinda Emeljanov, 1972

Paluda DeLong, 1937

Proceps Mulsant & Rey, 1855 placement nov. (previously in Scaphytopiini: Procepitina)

Rhopalopyx Ribaut, 1939

Stenometopiellus Haupt, 1917 placement nov. (transferred from Athysanini)

Taurotettix Haupt, 1929