Family ISSIDAE Spinola, 1839

Museums

Regional Maps

• Issites 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 [158].

  Type genus:

   Issus Fabricius, 1803.

Introduction

The Issidae have had a chequered taxonomic history with numerous groups included and then removed by various authors. The reason appears to be that the external features used to characterise the families of Fulgoromorpha, such as the structures of the head and tegmina, have not taken into consideration the considerable convergence found in several planthopper groups, apparently driven by adaptation to dry environments. Groups such as the tribes Lipocalliini, Mythimnini and Tongini and the family Caliscelidae were placed as parts of the Issidae because they all had scleromorphic tegmina, often wrapped around the body, and short heads. However, the reduction in the size of the tegmen and tendency to become more spherical is related to water conservation and recent studies of the female genitalia, particularly by Vladimir Gnezdilov, have demonstrated that Lipocalliini, Mythimnini and Tongini belong in the Nogodinidae, which previously only contained lacy winged insects such as Varciini and Gaetuliini, while the Caliscelidae are a family in their own right. The tribe Cleotychini Emeljanov, which look remarkably like certain Caliscelidae, belongs in the family Dictyopharidae. The Australian Issidae remains with just 12 species in five genera, two of which are endemic. All known Australian species are restricted to the eastern coastline of Queensland with one species extending into New South Wales. Additional undescribed species are known in collections. The species are mainly cryptically coloured with prominent venation on the tegmina.

Diagnosis

Second segment of hind tarsi small with a single dark spine at each side, first segment with at least some black tipped spines between the lateral pair, clavus of forewing without conspicuous granules, forewings covering all of abdomen, frequently wrapped around body, quadrate, elongate, with costal margin lightly or strongly convex near base but not produced forwards below the eyes, vertex with median carina simple throughout or absent, hind tibia with two lateral spines present on apical half of tibia, colour usually brown.

ID Keys

Fletcher, M.J. (1999) Identification key and checklists for the Planthoppers of Australia and New Zealand (Superfamily Fulgoroidea) https://idtools.dpi.nsw.gov.au/keys/fulgor/index.html

History of changes