Insect keys » Fulgoroidea

Family Ricaniidae - Ricaniid planthoppers

Scolypopa australis (Walker)

The Family Ricaniidae is well represented in Australia, and needs further study. Fletcher (2008) provided a key to the described genera and a summary of included species. The best known Australian species is the Passionvine Hopper, Scolypopa australis (Walker), which is common on a wide range of native and introduced plant hosts and is a pest in New Zealand of vine crops such as kiwifruit [update: 12.ii.2001]. The morphology and development of S. australis were described by Fletcher (1979b) and the oviposition behaviour by Fletcher (1979a).

Species of Ricaniidae known to occur in Australia

Genus Aprivesa Melichar

Aprivesa Melichar 1923: 144

Aprivesa exuta (Melichar)

Privesa exuta Melichar 1898: 396
Aprivesa exuta (Melichar), Melichar 1923: 144
Privesa exerta [sic] (Melichar), Jacobi 1928: 16 (mispelling of exuta)

[update 24.iv.2008, 5.v.2011]
Note: Fletcher (2008) noted that Melichar (1898a: 199) stated that the descriptions of the new genera and species included in that publication had been previously published in a shortened way by Melichar (1898) which is therefore credited as the original publication for these names (I Malenovsky pers. comm. 2007) [update: 28.iv.2011]

Qld, NSW
[update: NSW added 24.iv.2008]

Aprivesa pronotalis (Distant), the saltbush planthopper

Privesa pronotalis Distant 1917a: 187
Aprivesa pronotalis (Distant), Fletcher 2008: 111

[update 24.iv.2008]

NSW

Aprivesa varipennis Muir

Aprivesa varipennis Muir 1931: 83

WA, NSW, SA
[update: NSW, SA added, 24.iv.2008]

Genus Armacia Stål

Armacia Stål 1862: 70

Armacia hyalinata (Donovan)

Cicada hyalinata Donovan 1805: 2
Ricania hyalinata Guérin-Méneville 1834: 466
Ricania donovanii Spinola 1839: 397, nom nov for C. hyalinata Donovan
Armacia hyalinata (Donovan), Melichar 1898a: 287

Note: Spinola's (1839) new name was a replacement for C. hyalinata (Donovan) to avoid potential confusion with Ricania hyalina (Fabricius), now Ricania fenestrata (Fabricius) but this is unnecessary because of the different endings. [update: 28.iv.2011]

[update: image added 4.v.2006]

Qld, PNG, India,
Africa, Indonesia,
Solomon Islands
[update: 24.iv.2008]

Genus Epithalamium Kirkaldy

Epithalamium Kirkaldy 1906 : 451

Epithalamium aziola Kirkaldy

Epithalamium aziola Kirkaldy 1906: 451

Note: This species has been collected in WA on Mirbelia (Fabaceae), Hakea (Proteaceae) and Acacia (Mimosaceae) (Moir et al. 2003) [update: 12.ix.2003]

NSW, WA
[WA update: 12.ix.2003]

Epithalamium moirae Fletcher

Epithalamium moirae Fletcher 2008: 113

[update: added 24.iv.2008]

Genus Euricania Melichar

Euricania Melichar 1898 : 393

Euricania discigutta (Walker) (doubtful Australian record)

Flatoides discigutta Walker 1862: 310
Ricania bimaculata Walker 1870: 149, syn. by Melichar 1898a: 261
Ricania cyanescens Le Guillou 1841: 261, syn. by Melichar 1898a: 261
Euricania discigutta (Walker), Melichar 1898a: 261

Note: Fletcher (2008) raises doubts about the authenticity of the single Australian record which came from Le Guillou's (1841) report on material collected during a circumnavigation of the globe. If Melichar's (1898a) synonymy is correct (and it was not accepted by Metcalf (1955), then Euricania cyanescens (Le Guillou) would be the correct name of the species. [update: 24.iv.2008, 29.iv.2011, 18.viii.2011]

"North Australia"

Euricania fusconebulosa (Lallemand )

Ricania fusconebulosa Lallemand 1935: 669
Euricania fusconebulosa (Lallemand), Fletcher 2008: 114

[update: 24.iv.2008]

Euricania pedicellata (Jacobi)

Ricania pedicellata Jacobi 1928: 16
Euricania pedicellata (Jacobi), Fletcher 2008: 114

[Update: 24.iv.2008]

Genus Paurostauria Kirby

Paurostauria Kirby 1900 : 132

Paurostauria delicata Kirby [update: added 3.vi.2003]

Paurostauria delicata Kirby 1900: 133

Christmas Island

Genus Plestia Stål

Plestia Stål 1870 : 768

Plestia marginata (Montrouzier)

Ricania marginata Montrouzier 1861: 73
Plestia marginata (Montrouzier), Melichar 1898: 397

[update: image added 2.v.2006]

Fiji, Australia

Genus Pochazia Amyot & Serville

Pochazia Amyot & Serville 1843 : 528

Note: The occurrence of this genus in Australia is doubtful (see note below)

Pochazia inclyta Walker

Pochazia inclyta Walker 1870: 163

Note: The Australian record of this species was made by Schmidt (1905: 171). This is the only record of the genus from Australia and must be treated with some doubt until further specimens of the species are collected. P. inclyta is otherwise only found in Indonesia.

"Australia"
Indonesia

Genus Ricania Germar

Ricania Germar 1818 : 221

Ricania aurora Distant

Ricania aurora Distant 1909: 325

Qld

Ricania binotata Walker

Ricania binotata Walker 1870: 149

Qld?, PNG, Borneo,
Japan, Formosa, Timor

Ricania caliginosa Walker [update: added 4.vii.2003]

Ricania caliginosa Walker 1870: 144

Note: This image is of a specimen in ASCU from Cairns Queensland, identified by M.S.K. Ghauri as this species and on which the Australian record of this species is based.

Qld, Indonesia

Ricania confusa Melichar

Ricania confusa Melichar 1898: 386

Qld

Ricania consanguinea Distant

Ricania consanguinea Distant 1909: 323
Ricania consanguinea var. Distant 1909: 324

Qld

Ricania consanguinea var. Distant

Ricania consanguinea var. Distant 1909: 324

Qld

Ricania flavifrontalis Kirby [update: added 24.ii.2003]

Ricania flavifrontalis Kirby 1900: 131

Christmas Island

Ricania fusca Lallemand

Ricania fusca Lallemand 1935: 668

Ricania limbata Lallemand

Ricania limbata Lallemand 1935: 668

Ricania malandae Jacobi

Ricania malandae Jacobi 1928: 15

Qld

Ricania nigrita Jacobi

Ricania nigrita Jacobi 1928: 15

Ricania protea Distant

Ricania protea Distant 1909: 324

Qld

Ricania protea var. a Distant

Ricania protea var. a Distant 1909: 325

Qld

Ricania protea var. b Distant

Ricania protea var. b Distant 1909: 325

Qld

Genus Ricanoptera Melichar

Ricanoptera Melichar 1898 : 391

Ricanoptera extensa Melichar

Ricanoptera extensa Melichar 1898: 392

"Australia"

Ricanoptera patricia Melichar

Ricanoptera patricia Melichar 1898: 257

Qld

Ricanoptera prominula Schmidt

Ricanoptera prominula Schmidt 1905a: 180

Qld

Genus Scolypopa Stål

Scolypopa Stål 1859a : 325
Dechitus Walker 1862: 311, synonymised by Metcalf 1955: 165

Scolypopa aphrophoroides (Walker)

Dechitus aphrophoroides Walker 1862: 311
Scolypopa aphrophoroides (Walker), Melichar 1923: 142

Note: Jacobi (1928) recorded a single female specimen of this species from Noonkanbah, WA, which is quite remote from the type locality in SE Queensland. This record is regarded as not confirmed. [update: 5.v.2011]

Qld, WA?

Scolypopa australis (Walker), the passionvine hopper

Pochazia australis Walker 1851: 430
Flatoides australis Walker 1858a: 102, synonymised by Melichar 1898a: 278
Scolypopa urbana Stål 1859: 325, synonymised by Melichar 1898a: 278
Scolypopa australis (Walker), Melichar 1898a: 278

Note: This species is a pest in New Zealand where it builds up into huge populations on passion vines and kiwifruit vines causing heavy deposits of "honeydew". This leads to the growth of sooty moulds which impair the marketability of the fruit. The species was reported from Fiji by Kirkaldy (1906) but Fennah (1950a) considered this to be an error.

NSW, Qld, Vic, Tas, WA, NZ

[update: Vic, Tas added 1.iv.2009] [update: WA added 5.vi.2009]

Scolypopa australis cognata Melichar

Scolypopa australis cognata Melichar 1898: 396

Note: The pronounced difference in colour and slight differences in male genitalia warrant a reappraisal of this taxon's placement as a subspecies of S. australis. It has only been found on staghorn ferns, Platycerium spp., although S. australis is also found on this host.

NSW

Scolypopa kurandae Kirkaldy

Scolypopa kurandae Kirkaldy 1906: 450

Qld

Scolypopa scutata Stål

Scolypopa scutata Stål 1859: 326

Australia

Scolypopa stipata (Walker)

Flatoides stipata Walker 1851: 411
Scolypopa stipata (Walker), Melichar 1923: 142

NSW

[update: 5.v.2011]