Species Exitianus nanus (Distant, 1908)

Museums

Regional Maps

• Athysanus nanus Distant, W.L. 1908. Rhynchota. — Vol. IV. Homoptera and Appendix. The Fauna of British India including Ceylon and Burma 4: 1-501 [345].

  Type data:

   
  Syntype(s) BMNH 2 ♀ (coll.: Atkinson), Calcutta, India; BMNH 7 ♀ (Distant collection), Calcutta, India; BMNH 1 ♂ (lacking abdomen), 2 ? (only legs remain), all 3 mounted together (Distant collection), Calcutta, India; BMNH 1 ♀ (8000 ft), Matiana, Simla Hills, India; BMNH 1 ? (lacks abdomen), Bijnor, United Provinces, India.
• Athysanus insularis Distant, W.L. 1909. 'Sealark' Rhynchota. Transactions of the Linnean Society of London 2nd Series Zoology 13(1): 29-47 [47].

  Type data:

   Syntype(s) BMNH 3 ♂, 4 nymphs, Eagle Is., Amirante Ils, Indian Ocean.
• Athysanus simillimus Matsumura, S. 1914. Die Jassinen und einige neue Acocephalinen Japans. Journal of the College of Agriculture, Tohoku Imperial University, Sapporo 5: 165-240 [185].

  Type data:

   Syntype(s) ♂ ♀, quantity unknown (Matsumura collection), Formosa, Ogasarawa Gunto (Bonin Is.), Japan.
• Euscelis vulnerans Bergevin, E. de 1925. Description d'une nouvelle espèce d'Athysanus suceur de sang humain de l'extrême Sud Algérien (Hémiptère-Homoptère Jassidae). Archives de l'Institut Pasteur d'Algérie 3: 42-44 [42].

  Type data:

   Syntype(s) whereabouts unknown sex, quantity unknown, Algeria.

 

Taxonomic Decision for Synonymy

• 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 [7] (synonymy of A. insularis, A. simillimus , E. vulnerans )

 

Generic Combinations

• Exitianus nanus (Distant, 1908). —
  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 [7]

 

Introduction

This is the most widespread Old World species of the genus occurring throughout Africa, western and southern Asia, Taiwan, islands of the Indian Ocean and Australia where it is a common and widespread species. It also occurs on Torres Strait islands, Ashmore Reef and Lord Howe Island. The dark stripe across the vertex is more diffuse than in E. plebeius but this can be quite variable.

 

Distribution

States

New South Wales, Northern Territory, Queensland, South Australia, Victoria, Western Australia

Extra Distribution Information

Africa, Formosa, Indian Ocean islands.

IBRA and IMCRA regions

IBRA

NSW, NT, Qld, SA, Vic, WA: Broken Hill Complex (BHC), Burt Plain (BRT), Carnarvon (CAR), Central Kimberley (CK), Central Ranges (CR), Cape York Peninsula (CYP), Darwin Coastal (DAC), Dampierland (DL), Davenport Murchison Ranges (DMR), Darling Riverine Plains (DRP), Einasleigh Uplands (EIU), Finke (FIN), Gulf Plains (GUP), MacDonnell Ranges (MAC), Mount Isa Inlier (MII), NSW South Western Slopes (NSS), Ord Victoria Plain (OVP), Pilbara (PIL), Riverina (RIV), Sydney Basin (SB), South Eastern Queensland (SEQ), Simpson Strzelecki Dunefields (SSD), Sturt Plateau (STU), Victoria Bonaparte (VB)

Other Regions

Lord Howe Island terrestrial & freshwater, Territory of Ashmore & Cartier Islands, Torres Strait Islands terrestrial, marine & freshwater

Ecological Descriptors

All stages: graminivore, phloem feeder.

 

Diagnosis

This species is most reliably distinguished from other species currently placed in the genus by the presence of at least four thick black spines in a line on the posterior extension of the male pygofer. In E. plebeius there are two spines, one of which is longer than the other. In the other two species currently in the genus, the pygofer is quite different and lacks such distinctive black spines.

 

ID Keys

Ross 1968: 4–7

 

History of changes

Published	As part of group	Action Date	Action Type	Compiler(s)
05-Dec-2019		31-Oct-2013	MODIFIED
05-Dec-2019		30-Nov-2012	MODIFIED
05-Dec-2019		16-May-2012	MODIFIED
05-Dec-2019		01-Jun-2011	MOVED
		12-Feb-2010	(import)