Selenocephalini Fieber 1872

Selenocephalini Fieber, 1872

Figs 49-52

Type genus: Selenocephalus Germar, 1833.

= Ianeirini Linnavuori, 1978 syn. nov.

= Adamini Linnavuori & Al-Ne’amy, 1983 syn. nov.

= Dwightlini Linnavuori & Al-Ne’amy, 1983 syn. nov.

Diagnosis

Selenocephalini are medium sized to large, robust, often brownish, greenish, or yellow leafhoppers, sometimes with dark irroration. They can be identified by the anterior margin of head usually with 2 or more carinae or striae, broad face, profemur row AM often with 1 or more extra setae basad of AM1, profemur row AV setae often relatively long, connective stem usually short and stout, and their distribution in the Afrotropical, Palearctic, and Oriental regions.

Description

HEAD. Head wider than or narrower than pronotum. Discal portion of crown usually glabrous with radial or longitudinal striae, or rarely shagreen. Anterior margin of head usually acute or subfoliaceous, with 2 or more distinct carinae or transverse striae, rarely without carinae or striae. Face often quite broad. Frontoclypeus not tumid; texture shagreen. Clypellus widening apically; apex following or slightly surpassing normal curve of gena; often with more or less distinct median keel. Lorum subequal to or wider than clypellus near base. Antennal bases near middle or posteroventral (lower) corners of eyes or rarely near anterodorsal (upper) corners (Dwightlina). Antennae short, less than 1.5 x width of head. Gena obtusely incised laterally; with fine erect seta beside laterofrontal suture, often relatively distant from laterofrontal suture. Antennal ledge somewhat developed, carinate or weakly carinate. Ocelli present; close to 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 usually present; apical venation not reticulate or rarely highly reticulate.

LEGS. Profemur usually with AM1 and with one or more additional proximal setae; intercalary row with one row of five or more fine setae; row AV with short stout setae or often with relatively longer 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; lateral margin short, articulating with pygofer at a point. Pygofer basolateral membranous cleft present; macrosetae often absent or reduced, or sometimes well differentiated into several rows. Subgenital plates free from each other; articulated with valve; with macrosetae scattered, with several irregular rows near lateral margin, or without macrosetae. Style broadly bilobed basally, median anterior lobe pronounced. Basal processes of the aedeagus/connective absent or present, connected or articulated to connective or near base of aedeagus. Aedeagus with single shaft and gonopore. Connective anterior arms somewhat divergent, Y - or U -shaped; stem often short, stout; articulated with or rarely fused (Abimwa) to aedeagus, or sometimes dissociated from aedeagus (Adamina).

FEMALE GENITALIA. Pygofer with numerous macrosetae. Ovipositor usually not protruding far beyond pygofer apex. First valvula convex; dorsal sculpturing pattern usually strigate, sometimes concatenate or reticulate; sculpturing reaching dorsal margin; without distinctly delimited ventroapical sculpturing. Second valvula broad, tapering apically or abruptly broadened medially or subapically; often with dorsal median tooth; teeth on apical 1/3 or more or restricted to apical 1/4 or less; teeth small, regularly or irregularly shaped.

Geography and ecology

Distribution: Palearctic, Afrotropical and Oriental regions. Selenocephalini are usually collected on herbaceous or woody dicots and are often collected at lights. They are particularly diverse in Afrotropical forest ecosystems. Some Selenocephalini are ant-attended.

Remarks

Selenocephalini contains 21 genera and 196 species. It is interpreted here to contain all of the tribes recognized in Selenocephalinae sensu Linnavuori &Al-Ne’amy (1983 a) with the exception of Drabescini (= Paraboloponini, Bhatiini). We retain as subtribes most of the groups previously recognized as tribes of Selenocephalinae. Representatives of each of the subtribes were included in the phylogenetic analyses (Dwightla is included for the first time here) and the tribe was usually resolved as monophyletic, although with low branch support. The Afrotropical genus Dagama was also sometimes resolved within or as sister to this clade, and this group was resolved near Bonaspeiini. Dagama does not possess carinae on the anterior margin of the head and is not included in the tribe at this time. Further research should aim to determine the relationships between this and other Afrotropical athysanine genera and Selenocephalini, Bonaspeiini, Hypacostemmini, Phlepsiini, Scaphoideini, and Drabescini.

Selected references

Linnavuori (1978a), Linnavuori & Al-Ne’amy (1983), Zhang & Webb (1996), Dmitriev (2003), McKamey (2003b).

Included subtribes: