Deltocephalini Dallas, 1870

Fig. 17

Type genus: Deltocephalus Burmeister, 1838 .

Diagnosis

Deltocephalini are small to medium sized leafhoppers and are variable in color. They can be identified by the tapering or parallel-sided clypellus, narrow lorum, linear connective with anterior arms closely appressed, connective fused to the aedeagus, and first valvula dorsal sculpturing imbricate.

Description

HEAD. Head subequal to or wider than pronotum. Discal portion of crown glabrous with radial or longitudinal striae or shagreen.Anterior margin of head shagreen, rounded or angled to face.Frontoclypeus not tumid; texture shagreen. Clypellus parallel-sided or tapering apically; apex following or slightly surpassing normal curve of gena. Lorum distinctly narrower than clypellus near base. Antennal bases near middle or posteroventral (lower) corners of eyes. Antennae short, less than 1.5 x width of head. Gena obtusely incised laterally; with fine erect seta beside laterofrontal suture. Antennal ledge absent. Ocelli present; close to eyes; on anterior margin of head.

THORAX. Pronotum lateral margin not carinate; lateral margin shorter than basal width of eye.

WINGS. Forewing brachypterous to macropterous; appendix absent, reduced, or present and restricted to anal margin; with 3 anteapical cells; veins not raised; without reflexed costal veins; A1-A2 crossvein usually 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. Valve articulated with pygofer or rarely fused to subgenital plates ( Miradeltaphus, Yuanamia); lateral margin short, articulating with pygofer at a point. Pygofer basolateral membranous cleft present; macrosetae well differentiated into several rows. Subgenital plates free from each other; articulated with valve or rarely fused to each other ( Miradeltaphus, Yuanamia); macrosetae uniseriate laterally. Style broadly bilobed basally, median anterior lobe pronounced. Basal processes of the aedeagus/connective absent or reduced or present, connected or articulated to connective or near base of aedeagus. Aedeagus with single shaft and gonopore. Connective anterior arms closely appressed anteriorly, linear-shaped; fused to aedeagus.

FEMALE GENITALIA. Pygofer with numerous macrosetae. Ovipositor not protruding far beyond pygofer apex. First valvula convex or not strongly 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: cosmopolitan. Deltocephalini feed on grasses and sedges and are diverse and abundant in grassland ecosystems. Several species are economically important as vectors of disease agents. Graminella nigrifrons (Forbes, 1885), Maiestas dorsalis (Motschulsky, 1859) and Endria inimica (Say, 1830) are vectors of pathogens of maize, rice, and wheat, respectively.

Remarks

Deltocephalini contains 68 genera and 587 species. Morphological and molecular phylogenetic analyses to date suggest that it is monophyletic and closely related to Paralimnini, but further taxon sampling in these large tribes and more data are needed. The two tribes together appear to be related to Tetartostylini which also possesses the tapered clypellus and linear connective. Many genera and species of Deltocephalini are morphologically quite similar to each other, and some genera, e.g., Amplicephalus and Polyamia, are probably artificial. Revisions of many genera and identification keys, especially of the Neotropical fauna, are needed. As presently defined, the tribe encompasses the “ Deltocephalus -group” of genera recognized by Fang et al. (1993, 1995) and Webb & Viraktamath (2009), but is considerably narrower than the concepts of Deltocephalini employed by Oman (1949) and Linnavuori (1959).

Selected references

Oman (1949), Linnavuori (1959), Fang et al. (1993, 1995), Blocker et al. (1995), Dmitriev (2004b), Webb & Viraktamath (2009).

Included genera

Afrosus Linnavuori, 1959

Alobaldia Emeljanov, 1972

Alodeltocephalus Evans, 1966

Amblysellus Sleesman, 1929

Amplicephalus DeLong, 1926

Arundanus DeLong, 1935

Bolarga Oman, 1938

Bolivaia Linnavuori & DeLong, 1979

Cabrellus Emeljanov, 1964

Cabrulus Oman, 1949

Crumbana Oman, 1949

Cruziella Linnavuori & DeLong, 1979

Ctenurellina McKamey, 2003

Daltonia Oman, 1949

Deltanus Oman, 1949

Deltazotus Kramer, 1971

Deltella Oman, 1949

Deltocephalus Burmeister, 1838

Destria Oman, 1949

Endria Oman, 1949

Fusanus Linnavuori, 1955

Graminella DeLong, 1936

Haldorus Oman, 1938

Heidinus Theron, 1988 placement nov. (previously unplaced in Deltocephalinae)

Horouta Knight, 1975

Kanorba Oman, 1938

Kansendria Kramer, 1971

Limpica Cheng, 1980

Lonatura Osborn & Ball, 1898

Lorellana DeLong & Kolbe, 1975

Loreta Linnavuori, 1959

Lusitanocephalus Quartau, 1970

Maiestas Distant, 1917

Maricaona Caldwell, 1952

Matsumuratettix Metcalf, 1952

Mattogrossus Linnavuori, 1959

Mendozellus Linnavuori, 1959

Mexara Oman, 1949

Miradeltaphus Dash & Viraktamath, 1995

Neodeltocephalus Linnavuori, 1959

Nullamia DeLong, 1970

Ochromelanus Stiller, 2011

Onura Oman, 1938

Paramesodes Ishihara, 1953

Parandanus Linnavuori & DeLong, 1976

Parayuanamia Xing & Li, 2011

Peitouellus Vilbaste, 1969

Picchuia Linnavuori & DeLong, 1979

Planicephalus Linnavuori, 1954

Polyamia DeLong, 1926

Ragia Theron, 1973

Recilia Edwards, 1922

Reventazonia Linnavuori, 1959

Sanctanus Ball, 1932

Sanluisia Linnavuori, 1959

Spathifer Linnavuori, 1955

Tetramelasma Stiller, 2011

Theronus Stiller, 2009

Tideltellus Kramer, 1971

Toldoanus Linnavuori, 1954

Tumupasa Linnavuori, 1959

Unerus DeLong, 1936

Unoka Lawson, 1928

Vicosa Linnavuori & DeLong, 1978

Wakaya Linnavuori, 1960

Warlucephala Fletcher, 2006

Wyushinamia Zhang & Duan, 2006

Yuanamia Zhang & Duan, 2006