Species Bathyllus albicinctus (Erichson, 1842)

Bathylus albicinctus (Erichson), adult.

© Copyright Murray Fletcher, Orange Agricultural Institute.

Museums

Regional Maps

• Aphrophora albicinctus Erichson, W.F. 1842. Beitrag zur Insecten-fauna von Vandiemensland, mit besonderer Berucksichtigung der geographischen Verbreitung der Insecten. Archiv für Naturgeschichte 8(1): 83-287, pls 4, 5 [285].

  Type data:

   Status unknown, whereabouts unknown, Tasmania.
• Lepyronia convexa Walker, F. 1851. List of the Specimens of Homopterous Insects in the Collection of the British Museum. London : British Museum (Natural History) Vol. 3 pp. 637-907. [726].

  Type data:

   Syntype(s) BMNH, 'New Holland'.
• Lepyronia moerens Stål, C. 1854. Nya Hemiptera. Öfversigt af Kongliga Svenska Vetenskaps-Akademiens Förhandlingar. Stockholm 11(8): 231-255 [251].

  Type data:

   Syntype(s) NHRM sex, quantity unknown, Australia, as "Nova Hollandia".
• Lepyronia albiguttata Walker, F. 1858. List of specimens of Homopterous insects in the collection of the British Museum. Supplement. London : British Museum (Natural History) 369 pp. [191].

  Type data:

   Holotype BMNH sex unknown ('from Mr Edwards collection'; holotype by monotypy), Melbourne.

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 [318] (synonymy of L. convexa, L. moerens and L. albiguttata)

Generic Combinations

• Bathyllus albicinctus (Erichson, 1842). —
  Hacker, H. 1926. New species of Queensland Cercopidae (Homoptera). Memoirs of the Queensland Museum 8(3): 243-248 [246]

Introduction

The beetle-like appearance of this species makes it quite distinctive. It can range in colour from black to pale brown with varying pale marks although the main transverse fascia on the tegmina are always distinct. It is cryptic in habit, feeding at the base of low herbaceous plants. Despite this, the species is well represented in collections and is widespread in the southern states of Australia. In 2004 it was found to have established in the Whangerei region of the New Zealand North Island.

Distribution

States

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

IBRA and IMCRA regions

IBRA

ACT, NSW, SA, Tas, Vic, WA: Avon Wheatbelt (AW), Esperance Plains (ESP), Flinders (FLI), Geraldton Sandplains (GS), Jarrah Forest (JF), Naracoorte Coastal Plain (NCP), NSW North Coast (NNC), NSW South Western Slopes (NSS), Sydney Basin (SB), South Eastern Highlands (SEH), Swan Coastal Plain (SWA), Tasmanian South East (TSE), Tasmanian Southern Ranges (TSR), Tasmanian West (TWE), Warren (WAR)

Ecological Descriptors

All stages: xylem feeder.

Nymph: live in spittle.

Diagnosis

Hemelytris fornicatis, nigris, fascia alba, postice albis, nigro-reticulatis, capite thoraceque testaceis, hoc postice albo-marginato. Long. 2 2/3 lin. Statura Aphr. coleoptratae. Caput supra testaceum, infra albidum, fronte supra transversim nigro-strigosa, clypeo macula labroque nigris. Thorax supra testaceus, postice albomarginatus. Scutellum albidum. Hemelytra coriacea, ampla, fornicata, nigra, fascia ante medium angulata alba, postice albida, nervis nigro-cinctis reticulata. Corpus infra nigrum, prothoracis vittula alba. Podes testacei, coxis anticis nigricantibus (Erichson 1842).

Length, male 5.3 mm, female 6.8 mm. Crown of head brown. Pronotum in female entirely brown; in male, anteriorly coffee-brown, shading to dark brown, posteriorly white. Scutellum brown. Tegmen in female coffee-brown, with a curved anterior pale fascia with extends from close to the claval suture as far as the costal margin and then borders the costal margin; some of the cells posteriorly may be, in part, whitish; tegmen in male dark brown; the anterior fascia extends onto the clavus and a few, or several, ante-apical cells may be, in part, white. (Evans 1966)

Diagnosis References

Erichson, W.F. 1842. Beitrag zur Insecten-fauna von Vandiemensland, mit besonderer Berucksichtigung der geographischen Verbreitung der Insecten. Archiv für Naturgeschichte 8(1): 83-287, pls 4, 5 [285]

Evans, J.W. 1966. The leafhoppers and froghoppers of Australia and New Zealand. Memoirs of the Australian Museum 12: 1-347 [318]

History of changes