Subspecies Eurinopsyche obscurata obscurata (Fabricius, 1775)

Museums

Regional Maps

• Fulgora obscurata Fabricius, J.C. 1775. Ryngota. Systema entomologiae, sistens insectorum classes, ordines, genera, species, adiectis synonymis, locis, descriptionibus, observationibus. 816 pp. [dated 1775] [674].

  Type data:

   Status unknown, whereabouts unknown sex, quantity unknown, Australia.
• Eurinopsyche arborea Kirkaldy, G.W. 1913. On some new species of leafhoppers. Part 1. Bulletin of the Hawaiian Sugar Planters' Association Experimental Station Entomological Series 12: 7-27 [12].

  Type data:

   
  Syntype(s) BPBM sex, quantity unknown (coll.: Perkins, arboreal), Brisbane, Queensland; BPBM sex, quantity unknown (coll.: Perkins, arboreal), Bundaberg, Queensland.
• Eurystheus pallescens Distant, W.L. 1906. Rhynchotal Notes. xxxviii. Annals and Magazine of Natural History 7 18: 18-32 [20].

  Type data:

   Syntype(s) BMNH sex, quantity unknown, Nicol Bay (=Nickol Bay), Western Australia [20°39'S 116°52'E].

Taxonomic Decision for Synonymy

• Lallemand, V. 1963. Revision des Fulgoridae (Homoptera). Deuxième partie. Faunes Asiatique et Australienne. Memoires de l'Institut Royal des Sciences Naturelles de Belgique. 2nd Series 75: 1-99 [64]

Generic Combinations

• Eurinopsyche obscurata (Fabricius, 1775). —
  Kirkaldy, G.W. 1906. Leafhoppers and their natural enemies. Bulletin of the Hawaiian Sugar Planters' Association Experimental Station Entomological Series 1(9): 271-479 [389]
• Prolepta obscurata (Fabricius, 1775). —
  Walker, F. 1851. List of the Specimens of Homopterous Insects in the Collection of the British Museum. London : British Museum (Natural History) Vol. 2 pp. 261-636. [270]
• Flata obscurata (Fabricius, 1775). —
  Germar, E.F. 1830. Species Cicadarium enumeratae et sub genera distributae. Thon's Entomologisches Archiv 2 2: 37-57, pl. 1 [47]
• Pyrops obscurata (Fabricius, 1775). —
  Spinola, M. 1839. Essai sur les Fulgorelles, sous-tribu de la tribu des Cicadaires, ordre des Ryngotes. Annales de la Société Entomologique de France 8: 133-337 [237]
• Eurystheus obscurata (Fabricius, 1775). —
  Stål, C. 1862. Novae vel minus cognitae Homopterorum formae et species. Berliner Entomologische Zeitschrift 6: 303-315 [303]

Introduction

This subspecies is probably the most common form of Amyclinae in eastern Australia. However, the variation it shows needs to be investigated to determine whether more than one species is included, particularly since two subspecies and one colour form recognised by Lallemand (1963) were actually first described by Distant (1906) as separate species. The synonymy by Lallemand (1963) of Eurystheus pallescens as a colour form of Eurinopsyche obscurata is also doubtful since E. pallescens was described from the Pilbara district of Western Australia while the main distribution of E. obscurata is in SE Queensland. E. pallescens is actually topotypic with E. obscurata clementi (Distant). Kirkaldy (1906) also mentions a number of nymphs, including two from Sydney, New South Wales, which appear to belong to other species, possibly new genera. Lallemand (1963) gives Kirkaldy (1906) as the author of E. arborea but it was Kirkaldy (1913: 12) where this species was first described.

Nagai & Porion (1996) listed E. pallescens as a new synonym of E. obscurata but Lallemand (1963), by treating this name as representing a colour form of E. obscurata obscurata had already synonymised the two names. Nagai & Porion (1996, Pl. 9, fig. 121) provide a photograph of a specimen of E. obscurata from Queensland.

Distribution

States

Queensland, Western Australia

IBRA and IMCRA regions

IBRA

Qld, WA: Geraldton Sandplains (GS), Pilbara (PIL), South Eastern Queensland (SEQ)

Ecological Descriptors

All stages: phloem feeder.

Diagnosis

Rostre s'étendant jusqu'à l'extrémité de l'abdomen, face supérieure de ce dernier, ocre. Tête, thorax et pattes, ocre grisâtre ou jaune cendré; face supérieure du prolongement, plus ou moins foncé, pouvant être noirâtre. Sur les élytres cendrés, des taches et des stries noirâtres, bord costal ponctué. Ailes blanchâtres. Sur les tibias, des anneaux foncés. Longueur du corps: 11 à 12 mm; longueur de la tête: 5 à 6 mm; envergure: 32 à 34 mm (Lallemand 1963).

Differs from obscurata by the size of the eyes, which in the latter are small, but in arborea occupy almost the whole height of the head in profile. The head is rather shorter than the abdomen, and the labium extends to the apex of the latter. Length 20.5–21mm (Kirkaldy 1913, of E. arborea).

ID Keys

Lallemand 1963: 64

Diagnosis References

Lallemand, V. 1963. Revision des Fulgoridae (Homoptera). Deuxième partie. Faunes Asiatique et Australienne. Memoires de l'Institut Royal des Sciences Naturelles de Belgique. 2nd Series 75: 1-99 [64]

General 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 [389]

Nagai, S. & Porion, T. 1996. Fulgoridae 2. Catalogue illustré des faunes asiatique et australienne. 2 rue André Mellenne, 60280 Venette, France : Sciences Nat pp. 80. [16]

History of changes