Bothriocera Burmeister, 1835

Barrantes Barrantes, Edwin A., Zumbado Echavarria, Marco A., Bartlett, Charles R., Helmick, Ericka E. & Bahder, Brian W., 2025, A new species of planthopper in the genus Bothriocera (Hemiptera: Auchenorrhyncha: Cixiidae) from Osa peninsula, Costa Rica on palms (Arecaceae), Zootaxa 5613 (3), pp. 456-468 : 460

Genus Bothriocera Burmeister, 1835

Type species: Bothriocera tinealis Burmeister, 1835 .

Diagnosis. (modified from Kramer 1983) Small to medium-sized (3.9–5.8 mm); head in dorsal view narrower than pronotum, broad and subrectangular, produced beyond anterior margin of eyes, its anterior margin concave and often broader than its interocular width near posterior margin, lateral and posterior margins of vertex carinate, subapical transverse carina joining median carina extending anteriorly onto frons (median carina absent posterior to subapical transverse carina), apical transverse carina absent (or obscure), posterior margin of vertex nearly transverse between eyes. In lateral view, vertex head declinate to level of antennae, antennae arising from a deep elongated depression in front of eye formed by lateral carinae defining a foliate, inverted C-shaped auriculate concavity; ocellus prominent above antennae in front of anterodorsal margin of eye. Head from frontal view with sides of frons and clypeus carinate, dorsolateral portions of frons auriculate and expanded at level of antennae, midline of frons carinate at least on upper half, frontal ocellus prominent (ventral margin of frons may bear a variably expressed broadly U-shaped carina above frontoclypeal suture). Frontoclypeal suture approximately transverse (or arched). Midline of clypeus incompletely carinate. Pronotum extremely narrowed medially (may be entirely concealed medially by head margin). Mesonotum elongated, tricarinate. Hind tibiae without lateral teeth. Forewings broadly spatulate, variably held (broadly tectiform to lateral margins raised – inversely tectiform) held broadly tectiform, slightly (or not) overlapping on inner margin (versus more broadly overlapped in Bothrioceretta ), usually boldly patterned, veins without prominent setae-bearing pustules. Male pygofer bearing short medioventral lobe (approximately as tall as wide, not elongated as in Bothrioceretta ). Aedeagal shaft generally straight or weakly upcurved, bearing few (or no) processes or projections, endosoma (flagellum of Kramer 1983) originating near dorsal apex, elongate, sinistrally curving into a partial helix (often paired with a helically arched process), bearing varied processes.

Remarks. Bothriocera is easily recognized by the antennae that are located in the elongated depression in front of the eye, with the lateral ocelli above the antennae by the dorsofrontal portion of the eye. The expansions that house the antennae give the head a distinctive appearance. Also, the apical transverse suture appears to be obsolete with the median carinae of the frons extending to the subapical transverse carinae (which are nearly transverse, unlike American Cixiini and Pentastirini). Also, the variably defined U-shaped carinae of the face are unusual. The wing shape and resting orientation also give them a distinctive appearance.

The only other genus in the tribe is Bothrioceretta Caldwell (four species from Middle America), a segregate out of Bothriocera , which differs mainly in the details of the head and terminalia. In Bothrioceretta , the expanded portion of the head (formed from the auriculate expansion in front of the antennae) forms a transverse ridge and the medioventral process of the male pygofer is greatly elongated. Bothrioceretta species often bear extensive dark markings and the wings are more broadly overlapped distally compared to Bothriocera .

Only a single species of Bothriocera appears to be previously reported from Costa Rica — B. basalis Metcalf ( Metcalf 1938, Bourgoin 2024). There are seven species of Bothriocerini reported from Panama; five Bothriocera ( B. basalis , B. bicornis (Fabricius) , B. holzingeri O’Brien , B. tinealis Burmeister , B. westwoodi (Stål)) , and two species of Bothrioceretta ( B. albidipennis (Fowler) , B. pellucida (Fowler) ; Metcalf 1938, O’Brien 1986, Bourgoin 2024), although some of these reported species may be misdeterminations (as was reported for US species by Kramer 1983).