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Insect keys » Membracoidea

Subfamily Deltocephalinae: Tribe Drabescini

Press for species listDrabescus samoanus Osborn  

The Drabescini were reviewed by Zhang and Webb (1996). They treated the group as a tribe of the Selenocephalinae but Zahniser & Dietrich (2010) moved the group to be a tribe of the Deltocephalinae with two subtribes, the Drabescina and the Paraboloponina.

For the Subtribe Drabescina, Zhang & Webb (1996) synonymised the two species described by Evans from Australia, D. heroni Evans (1966: 221) and D. palmerstoni Evans (1972a: 199), with D. samoanus Osborn. The broad head with the ocelli on the front margin, together with the overlapping apices of the tegmina allows D. samoanus to be easily recognised in the Australian fauna. Little is known of its biology. Drabescus conspicuus Distant, widespread in the Oriental region from India to the Philippines, is recorded on Christmas Island, an Australian territory in the Indian Ocean south of Java.

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Dryadomorpha pallida Kirkaldy

For the Subtribe Paraboloponina, Zhang & Webb (1996) recorded two species of Dryadomorpha (Webb 1981), Nirvanguina placida and Carvaka contempta from Australia. Fletcher and Semeraro (2007) transferred Exitianellus elegantula to Carvaka and added three new species to the genus. The two species of Dryadomorpha are easily recognised by the expanded genae which form the sides of a more or less continuous curved surface across the face. Both species occur beyond Australia, D. metrosideri in the Pacific and D. pallida widespread across the warmer parts of Asia to North Africa. Nirvanguina placida is also found in North Queensland and New Guinea but the Australian species of Carvaka appear to be endemic. Viraktamath (1998) divided the genus Carvaka into three species groups all of which are represented in Australia. As noted by Zhang and Webb (1996), the other species placed in Carvaka are Oriental in distribution. [update: 18.iv.2007, 9.vi.2011]

  • Species of Drabescina known to occur in Australia
  • Species of Paraboloponina known to occur in Australia
  • Species of Drabescini known to occur in eastern Indonesia and New Guinea
  • Return to previous key page (subtribe Drabescina)
  • Return to previous key page (subtribe Paraboloponina - cica36)
  • Return to previous key page (subtribe Paraboloponina - cica74)

Species of Drabescini known to occur in Australia

Subtribe Drabescina

Genus Drabescus Stål

Drabescus Stål 1870: 738
Tylissus Stål 1870: 739, synonymised by Zhang & Webb 1996: 23
Paradrabescus Kuoh 1985: 379, synonymised by Zhang & Webb 1996: 23
Drabescus (Leucostigmidium Anufriev & Emeljanov 1988: 174), synonymised by Zhang & Webb 1996: 23
Drabescus (Ochrescus Anufriev & Emeljanov 1988: 174), synonymised by Zhang & Webb 1996: 23

 

Drabescus conspicuus Distant

Drabescus conspicuus Distant 1908b: 306 
Selenocephalus limbaticeps Stål 1858: 453, synonymised by Zhang and Webb 1996: 24

Christmas Island, 
China, India, Japan, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Taiwan

Drabescus samoanus Osborn

Drabescus samoanus Osborn 1934a: 176 
Drabescus palmerstoni Evans 1972a: 199, synonymised by Zhang and Webb 1996: 25 
Drabescus heroni Evans 1966: 221, synonymised by Zhang and Webb 1996: 25 

Qld, PNG, New Britain, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Woodlark I.

Subtribe Paraboloponina

Genus Carvaka Distant

Carvaka Distant 1918: 40
Exitianellus Evans 1966: 229, synonymised by Fletcher & Semeraro 2007: 90

 

Carvaka contempta (Kirkaldy)

Nephotettix contemptus Kirkaldy 1906: 332 
Nephotettix eurytus Kirkaldy 1907: 54, synonymised by Ross 1968: 22
Exitianus contemptus (Kirkaldy), Evans 1966: 226 
Carvaka fulvida Evans 1966: 244, synonymised by Ross 1968: 22 
Hybrasil contemptus (Kirkaldy), Ross 1968: 22 
Carvaka contempta (Kirkaldy), Zhang and Webb 1996: 13 

NSW, Qld, Vic
[Vic update: 30.vi.2011]

Carvaka elegantula (Evans)

Exitianellus elegantulus Evans 1966: 229
Carvaka elegantula (Evans), Fletcher & Semeraro 2007: 93

[Update: 18.iv.2007]

NSW, Qld.

Carvaka flava Fletcher & Semeraro

Carvaka flava Fletcher & Semeraro 2007: 94

[Update: added 18.iv.2007]

Qld

Carvaka maculata Fletcher & Semeraro

Carvaka maculata Fletcher & Semeraro 2007: 94

[Update: added 18.iv.2007]

NT

Carvaka mouldsorum Fletcher & Semeraro

Carvaka mouldsorum Fletcher & Semeraro 2007: 93

Note: The record from NSW is based on a female specimen in ASCU collected near Lismore
[Update: added 18.iv.2007; record from NSW added 9.iv.2013]

NSW, Qld

Genus Dryadomorpha Kirkaldy

Dryadomorpha Kirkaldy 1906: 335
Paganalia Distant 1917b: 314, synonymised by Webb 1981: 49
Zizyphoides Distant 1918: 73, synonymised by Linnavuori 1978b: 459
Rhombopsis Haupt 1927: 22, preoccuped by Rhombopsis Gardner 1916 (Mollusca)
Calotettix Osborn 1934b: 247, preoccupied by Calotettix Bruner 1908 (Orthoptera)
Osbornitettix Metcalf 1952: 229, nom. nov. for Calotettix Osborn 1934, synonymised by Webb 1981: 49
Rhombopsana Metcalf 1952: 229, nom. nov. for Rhombopsis Haupt 1927, synonymised by Linnavuori 1978b: 459
Yakunopona Ishihara 1954: 12, synonymised by Webb 1981: 49
Khamiria Dlabola 1979: 252, synonymised by Webb 1981: 49

 

Dryadomorpha metrosideri (Osborn)

Calotettix metrosideri Osborn 1934b: 247 
Calotettix metrosideri var. tincta Osborn 1934b: 247, synonymised by Webb 1981: 53 
Calotettix lais Eyles & Linnavuori 1974: 40, synonymised by Webb 1981: 53

NT, Cook Islands, 
Marquesas Islands

Dryadomorpha pallida Kirkaldy

Dryadomorpha pallida Kirkaldy 1906: 336 
Paganalia virescens Distant 1917b: 314, synonymised by Webb 1981: 50 
Zizyphoides indicus Distant 1918: 73, synonymised by Webb 1981: 50 
Rhombopsis virens Haupt 1927: 23, synonymised by Webb 1981: 50 
Rhombopsis viridis Singh-Pruthi 1930: 34, synonymised by Webb 1981: 50 
Rhombopsis chatterjeei Singh-Pruthi 1934: 26, synonymised by Webb 1981: 50 
Platymetopius antennalis Lindberg 1958: 181, synonymised by Webb 1981: 50 
Yakunopona yakushimensis Ishihara 1954: 13, synonymised by Webb 1981: 50 
Platymetopius australis Evans 1966: 247, synonymised by Webb 1981: 50

Qld, WA, Afrotropical, 
southern Palaearctic, 
Oriental region

Genus Nirvanguina Zhang & Webb

Nirvanguina Zhang & Webb 1996: 18

 

Nirvanguina placida (Evans)

Lamia placida Evans 1966: 221 
Nirvanguina placida (Evans), Zhang and Webb 1996: 18

[Update: image added 5.i.2004]

Qld, PNG


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