Tribe Athysanini Van Duzee, 1892

Museums

Regional Maps

• Athysanini Van Duzee, E.P. 1892. A synoptical arrangement of the genera of North American Jassidae, with descriptions of some new species. Transactions of the American Entomological Society 19: 295-307 [299].

  Type genus:

   Athysanus Burmeister, 1838.

Introduction

The Athysanini (=Euscelini) has changed in definition since it was originally described by Van Duzee in 1892. It was generally used as a dumping ground for any genera of leafhoppers with Y-shaped genital connective in the males. Some of the better known genera, such as the green rice leafhoppers, Nephotettix spp, and the grassland species such as Exitianus spp, which were placed here by Evans (1947) have been moved to other tribes, such as the Chiasmini, by recent workers (e.g. Zahniser 2008). The tribe is one of the largest in the Deltocephalinae but was considered polyphyletic by Zahnisher & Dietrich (2010). The tribe was redefined by Zahniser & Dietrich (2013) who transferred the two Australian genera, Euleimonios Kirkaldy and Inghamia Evans, into it from other tribes. They also transferred Loralia Evans from the Deltocephalini to the Athysanini although its placement was tentative with the possibility that it is close to Occinirvana Evans which is in the tribe Occinirvanini.

The Australian fauna comprises five endemic genera, one genus (Arawa Knight) which is shared with New Zealand and the widespread genus Limotettix J. Sahlberg which was transferred to its own tribe, Limotettigini Baker, by Zahniser & Dietrich (2013). This latter transfer has not been accepted here because its placement in Limotettigini was tentative.

Diagnosis

"Anterior edge of the head sometimes acute, but generally obtuse or rounded never thin and foliaceous; elytra with but one transverse nervure between the first and second sectors of the corium; with a series (generally three) of antiapical areoles; outer branch of the first sector of the elytra with two forks evident" (Van Duzee 1892).

Zahniser & Dietrich (2010) provide a discussion on the polyphyly of the tribe. Zahinser & Dietrich (2013) noted "Because this is such a large tribe, it is difficult or impossible to provide a set of characters that will easily diagnose it. There is substantial morphological diversity in the group, but most members have a Y-shaped connective and lack the distinctive features of other tribes."

ID Keys

Fletcher, M.J. (2009 and updates). Key to the leafhoppers and treehoppers of Australia and neighbouring areas (Hemiptera: Auchenorrhyncha). http://www1.dpi.nsw.gov.au/keys/leafhop/index.html

Diagnosis References

Van Duzee, E.P. 1892. A synoptical arrangement of the genera of North American Jassidae, with descriptions of some new species. Transactions of the American Entomological Society 19: 295-307 [299]

Zahniser, J.N. & Dietrich, C.H. 2010. Phylogeny of the leafhopper subfamily Deltocephalinae (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae) based on molecular and morphological data with a revised family-group classification. Systematic Entomology 35(3): 489–511 [504]

Zahniser, J.N. & Dietrich, C.H. 2013. A review of the tribes of Deltocephalinae (Hemiptera: Auchenorrhyncha: Cicadellidae). European Journal of Taxonomy 45: 1–211 [37]

History of changes