Species Cofana perkinsi (Kirkaldy, 1906)

Cofana perkinsi (Kirkaldy), adult.

© Copyright Murray Fletcher, Orange Agricultural Institute.

Museums

Regional Maps

• Tetigonia perkinsi Kirkaldy, G.W. 1906. Leafhoppers and their natural enemies. Bulletin of the Hawaiian Sugar Planters' Association Experimental Station Entomological Series 1(9): 271-479 [319].

  Type data:

   Holotype BPBM ♀ (coll.: viii.1904), Cairns, Queensland
  Comment: Kirkaldy (1906) used this name in the key to species but koebelii in the text for the same species. The two names are therefore objective synonyms, being based on the same type specimen and were synonymised by Evans (1966). This was discussed by Young (1979).
• Tetigonia koebelei Kirkaldy, G.W. 1906. Leafhoppers and their natural enemies. Bulletin of the Hawaiian Sugar Planters' Association Experimental Station Entomological Series 1(9): 271-479 [319] [objective synonym; of Tetigonia perkinsi Kirkaldy, 1906].

  Type data:

   Holotype BPBM ♀ (coll.: viii.1904), Cairns, Queensland.

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 [145] (synonymy of Tettigonia koebelei Kirkaldy)

Generic Combinations

• Cofana perkinsi (Kirkaldy, 1906). —
  Young, D.A. 1979. A review of the leafhopper genus Cofana (Homoptera: Cicadellidae). Proceedings of the Entomological Society of Washington 81: 1-21 [7]
• Cicadella perkinsi (Kirkaldy, 1906). —
  Evans, J.W. 1938. Australian Leafhoppers (Homoptera: Jassoidea): Part VIII. Papers and Proceedings of the Royal Society of Tasmania 1938: 1-18 [2]

Introduction

This species is a relatively large species with distinctive striping on the tegmina in addition to the dark spots on the head. Little is known of its biology. it was described as "koebelei" by Kirkaldy (1906) but included in his key to species as "perkinsi". Clearly, Kirkaldy changed his mind about the species name but forgot to amend his manuscript in both places. The synonymy between the two names was first made by Evans (1966) who chose perkinsi, probably because it appeared first in the paper. Young (1979) followed Evans (1966) in using perkinsi although he also claimed the new synonymy.

Distribution

States

Northern Territory, Queensland

IBRA and IMCRA regions

IBRA

NT, Qld: Cape York Peninsula (CYP), Gulf Fall and Uplands (GFU), Wet Tropics (WT)

Ecological Descriptors

All stages: xylem feeder.

Diagnosis

Slender; pale testaceous; margin connecting vertex and frons ornamented with 3 ocellated spots (black, narrowly encircled with yellow). Vertex with a black median somewhat rounded stripe extending along pronotum, scutellum and claval commissure. Frons with a longitudinal submedian dark brown line on each side with downwardly curved subparallel transverse lines proceeding to the lateral margins, nearly reaching the genae. Clypeus with a longitudinal pale brownish line; lorae almost entirely pale brownish and there is a stripe of same color on genae. Ocelli red brown. Mesonotum ornamented sublaterally with a black stripe (on each side) which shows faintly through the overlying pronotum. Underside stramineous. Posterior femora and tibiae longitudinally lined with blackish. Tegminal veins brown, basal half of cubital blackish, rather smudged. Head and eyes distinctly wider than pronotum which is longer than the vertex. Clypeus somewhat angulate in profile. Frons moderately swollen. Pronotum finely striate transversely, anteriorly with an obtuse angular impressed line subparallel with the arched anterior margin. Tegmina with 5 discoidals (3 subapical) and 5 apical cells. Length 6.5 mm. (Kirkaldy 1906, of Tetigonia koebelei).

ID Keys

Young 1979: 9–11

Diagnosis References

Kirkaldy, G.W. 1906. Leafhoppers and their natural enemies. Bulletin of the Hawaiian Sugar Planters' Association Experimental Station Entomological Series 1(9): 271-479 [319–320]

Young, D.A. 1979. A review of the leafhopper genus Cofana (Homoptera: Cicadellidae). Proceedings of the Entomological Society of Washington 81: 1-21 [9–11]

General References

Evans, J.W. 1966. The leafhoppers and froghoppers of Australia and New Zealand. Memoirs of the Australian Museum 12: 1-347 [145]

Young, D.A. 1979. A review of the leafhopper genus Cofana (Homoptera: Cicadellidae). Proceedings of the Entomological Society of Washington 81: 1-21 [7]

History of changes