Tribe Chiasmini Distant, 1908

Museums

Regional Maps

• Chiasmusaria Distant, W.L. 1908. Rhynchota. — Vol. IV. Homoptera and Appendix. The Fauna of British India including Ceylon and Burma 4: 1-501 [390].

  Type genus:

   Chiasmus Mulsant & Rey, 1855.
• Doraturini Emeljanov, A.F. ("Yemel'yanov, A.F.") 1962. New tribes of leafhoppers of the subfamily Euscelinae (Auchenorrhyncha, Cicadellidae). Entomological Review (English translation of Entomologicheskoe Obozrenie) 41(2): 236–240 [English translation of Emeljanov (1962) Entomologicheskoe Obozrenie 41: 388–397] [389].

  Type genus:

   Doratura Sahlberg, 1871.
• Paraphrodini Linnavuori, R. 1979. Revision of the African Cicadellidae (Homoptera Auchenorrhyncha) Part I. Revue de Zoologie et de Botanique Africaines 93(3): 647–747 [680].

  Type genus:

   Paraphrodes Linnavuori, 1979.

Taxonomic Decision for Synonymy

• Zahniser, J.N. & Hicks, A. 2007. Three new species of Icaia Linnavuori (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae: Deltocephalinae) from Peru and distinction of the genus from Athysanella Baker. Zootaxa 1390: 27–29 [27] (synonymy of Doraturini)
• Zahniser, J.N. 2011. On Paraphrodes flavigerus (Evans) with a new synonymy of Paraphrodini with Chiasmini (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae: Deltocephalinae). African Entomology 19(1): 113–118 [114] (synonymy of Paraphrodini)

Introduction

This tribe was regarded for a long time as having only one representative in Australia, the highly variable Chiasmus varicolor (Kirkaldy). Ross (1968) suggested that grass-feeding leafhoppers possessing a long ovipositor (i.e. one that extends well beyond the pygofer) could be grouped together into the tribe Doraturini. Zahniser (2008) provided morphological and molecular evidence supporting this suggestion and consequently included Exitianus Ball and Nephotettix Matsumura, both of which occur in Australia, in the Chiasmini which is an older name for the Doraturini. The tribe has also been known incorrectly as the Chiasmusini. Zahniser (2008) also provides a species list for the tribe and this includes 323 species and subspecies worldwide. All species are grass feeding and some are economically important as vectors of plant pathogens in grass crops such as rice. The Australian fauna is relatively depauperate with nine species in four genera but some of the species, particularly Exitianus plebeius (Kirkaldy) and E. nanus (Distant) are very common.

Diagnosis

Small to medium sized leafhoppers. Head as wide as or wider than pronotum. Crown concave to convex. Anterior margin of head rounded to face, angulate, or foliaceous. Ocelli on anterior margin of head and slightly dorsal, sometimes completely dorsal. Clypellus tapering apically or parallel sided. Pronotum lateral carina present or absent. Forewings brachypterous to macropterous, if macropterous then appendix extending around wing apex. Pygofer basolateral cleft often absent or not membranous. Connective Y-shaped, V-shaped, or with anterior arms closely appressed and with distinct stem. Connective articulated to aedeagus. Aedeagus often hinged, with basal part articulated to shaft; sometimes simple; sometimes with a long appendage articulated to base of aedeagus and to connective. Style broadly bilobed basally, sometimes with preapical lobe and/or apophysis greatly modified. Ovipositor usually strongly protruding beyond pygofer. Female pygofer often with few (<10) macrosetae. First valvula relatively straight, dorsal sculpturing maculose to granulose and usually submarginal at least apically, without distinctly delimited apicoventral sculpturing. Second valvula with distinct obliquely triangular, often serrated, dorsal teeth on apical 1/3 to 2/3; sometimes abruptly broadened medially. (Zahniser 2008).

Diagnosis References

Zahniser, J.N. 2008. Seven new species and new distributions of Old World Chiasmini (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae: Deltocephalinae), with a redescription, key to genera, and species checklist for the tribe. Zootaxa 1808: 1–32 [4]

General References

Ross, H.H. 1968. The evolution and dispersal of the grassland leafhopper Exitianus with keys to the Old World species. Bulletin of the British Museum (Natural History) Entomology 22(1): 1-30 [4]

Zahniser, J.N. 2008. Seven new species and new distributions of Old World Chiasmini (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae: Deltocephalinae), with a redescription, key to genera, and species checklist for the tribe. Zootaxa 1808: 1–32 [2]

History of changes