Species Austrolopa brunensis Evans, 1937

Museums

Regional Maps

• Austrolopa brunensis Evans, J.W. 1937. Australian Leafhoppers (Jassoidea: Homoptera) Part 4. — (Ledridae, Ulopidae and Euscelidae, Paradorydiini). Papers and Proceedings of the Royal Society of Tasmania 1936: 37-50 [48].

  Type data:

   Holotype AM ♂ (coll.: A.M. Lea), 'Bruni Is' (presumably Bruny Is.), Tasmania.
• Austrolpa tasmaniensis Evans, J.W. 1947. Some new Ulopinae (Homoptera: Jassidae). Annals and Magazine of Natural History 8 14: 140-150 [140].

  Type data:

   Holotype BMNH ♀ (coll.: ii.1942, J.W. Evans), Mount Wellington, Tasmania.

 

Taxonomic Decision for Synonymy

• Evans, J.W. 1966. The leafhoppers and froghoppers of Australia and New Zealand. Memoirs of the Australian Museum 12: 1-347 [86] (synonymy of A. kingensis and A. tasmaniensis)
• Evangelista, O., Tatarnic, N. & Bayless, K. 2024. Phylogenomics of endemic of Australian Ulopinae (Hemiptera: Cicadomorpha: Cicadellidae). Invertebrate Systematics 38: IS23035

 

Introduction

This small brown leafhopper is widespread and reasonably common and has been recorded in both a winged and a wingless form. It has been collected in the Orange region and in Canberra on Cassinia spp (Asteraceae) where the females appear to claim individual branches as territories using substrate vibration (M.F. Day, pers. comm. 2007). There is considerable variation in colour found across the range of the species, which includes records from near Kakadu National Park in the Northern Territory, Augusta in the SW of Western Austalia as well as numerous localities in southeastern Australia. There are no records from South Australia and Queensland records are restricted to the far SE corner of the state. Additional records from SW Western Australia published by Moir et al. (2003) for Austrolopa sp. are probably also of this species and additional host records were given in that paper from plant species in the families Fabaceae, Myrtaceae, Proteaceae and Rhamnaceae. Moir et al. (2003) commented that the variation shown in Austrolopa brunensis across its range might indicate that more than one species is involved and further work is needed to investigate that possibility. Considering the colour variation observed in specimens identified as Austrolopa brunensis, Evangelista et al. (2024) restricts their concept of the species to include representatives from Tasmania that closely match the originial description of Evans (1937).

 

Distribution

States

Australian Capital Territory, New South Wales, Northern Territory, Queensland, Tasmania, Victoria, Western Australia

Extra Distribution Information

Evangelista et al. (2024) considers the species to only occur in Tasmania (Bruny Island, Lake St Clair National Park) due to their restricted concept of the species.

Australian Endemic.

IBRA and IMCRA regions

IBRA

ACT, NSW, NT, Qld, Tas, Vic, WA: Australian Alps (AA), Jarrah Forest (JF), King (KIN), NSW North Coast (NNC), NSW South Western Slopes (NSS), Pine Creek (PCK), Sydney Basin (SB), South Eastern Highlands (SEH), South Eastern Queensland (SEQ), Tasmanian South East (TSE), Tasmanian Southern Ranges (TSR), Warren (WAR)

Ecological Descriptors

All stages: phloem feeder (associated flora: Podocarpus spp. [PODOCARPACEAE]; Bossiaea spp. [FABACEAE]; Richea spp. [EPACRIDACEAE]; Cassinia spp. [ASTERACEAE]; Pultenaea spp. [FABACEAE]).

 

Diagnosis

Pale brown, the antennal flagellae dark brown, eyes brownish grey; crown of head, from above, dark brown with whitish markings. Hind margin of frons distinct and entire; head not on a plane with the pronotum, but tilted dorsally. Pronotum grey with brown markings. Scutellum dark brown with whitish markings. Tegmen marked with an irregular pattern of brown and white. Thorax and abdomen ventral surface pale brownish yellow. Legs pale brownish yellow with dark brown markings. Length 4 mm. head width 1 mm (Evans 1937).

 

Diagnosis References

Evans, J.W. 1937. Australian Leafhoppers (Jassoidea: Homoptera) Part 4. — (Ledridae, Ulopidae and Euscelidae, Paradorydiini). Papers and Proceedings of the Royal Society of Tasmania 1936: 37-50 [48]

 

General References

Evangelista, O., Tatarnic, N. & Bayless, K. 2024. Phylogenomics of endemic of Australian Ulopinae (Hemiptera: Cicadomorpha: Cicadellidae). Invertebrate Systematics 38: IS23035

Moir, M.L., Majer, J.D. & Fletcher, M.J. 2003. New records for Hemiptera species in Western Australia. Records of the Western Australian Museum 21(4): 353-357 [354]

 

History of changes

Published	As part of group	Action Date	Action Type	Compiler(s)
23-Aug-2024	Ulopinae Le Peletier & Serville, 1825	23-Aug-2024	MODIFIED
26-Jun-2023	MEMBRACOIDEA	16-Jul-2024	MODIFIED
10-May-2022	CICADOMORPHA	23-Aug-2024	MODIFIED
02-Jun-2021	AUCHENORRHYNCHA	23-Aug-2024	MODIFIED
05-Dec-2019	CICADELLIDAE Latreille, 1825	23-Aug-2024	MODIFIED	Dr Murray Fletcher
05-Dec-2019		23-Aug-2024	MODIFIED
		23-Aug-2024	MODIFIED