Subfamily CERCOPINAE Westwood, 1838

Euryaulax carnifex (Fabricius), common cercopine of Northern Australia.

© Copyright Murray Fletcher, Orange Agricultural Institute.

Museums

Regional Maps

• Cercopidae Westwood, J.O. 1838. Synopsis of the genera of British insects. (1838–1840). pp. 1-48 in Westwood, J.O. (ed.). An Introduction to the Modern Classification of Insects. London : Longman 158 pp. [pp. 1-48 (1838), 49-80 (1839), 81-158 (1840)] [39].

  Type genus:

   Cercopis Fabricius, 1775.

Introduction

The Cercopinae, or froghoppers, are regarded as a family in their own right by a number of authors, but are here regarded as a subfamily of the Cercopidae sensu lato which also includes the spittlebugs (subfamily Aphrophorinae), following Hamilton (2001). The froghoppers are found throughout the world but are particularly diverse in the tropical parts of the Oriental Region and in the tropical areas of Australasia, particularly New Guinea. The Australian fauna is quite depauperate in comparison with neighbouring countries to the north but includes some beautiful species.

Diagnosis

In the head, the post-clypeus is usually swollen, sometimes very considerably, and the crown, which is usually longer in the centre than against the eyes, is anteriorly rounded. The pronotum usually widens posteriorly and is sometimes very large. The tegmina may be entirely, or in part, rugose, and in part, or entirely, pubescent. They are usually apically rounded. Eyes approximately as long as wide; hind margin of pronotum straight or slightly curved. (Evans 1966)

Diagnosis References

Evans, J.W. 1966. The leafhoppers and froghoppers of Australia and New Zealand. Memoirs of the Australian Museum 12: 1-347 [310]

General References

Hamilton, K.G.A. 2001. A new family of froghoppers from the American tropics (Hemiptera: Cercopoidea: Epipygidae). Biodiversity 2(3): 15-22

History of changes