Genus Balocha Distant, 1908

Museums

Regional Maps

• Balocha Distant, W.L. 1908. Rhynchota. — Vol. IV. Homoptera and Appendix. The Fauna of British India including Ceylon and Burma 4: 1-501 [189].

  Type species:

   Balocha tricolor Distant, 1908 by original designation.
• Idiocerinus Baker, C.F. 1915. Studies in Philippine Jassoidea, IV: the Idiocerini of the Philippines. Philippine Journal of Science 10(D): 317-343 [341].

  Type species:

   Idiocerinus melichari Baker, 1915 by original designation.

Taxonomic Decision for Synonymy

• Maldonado Capriles, J. 1961. Studies on the Idiocerinae leafhoppers: I. Idiocerinus Baker, 1915, synonym of Balocha Distant, 1908, and notes on the species of Balocha. Proceedings of the Entomological Society of Washington 63(4): 300-308 [300] (synonymy of Idiocerinus Baker)

Introduction

This oriental genus has three Australian species, all distributed in the northern parts of the continent from the Northern Territory to NE New South Wales.

Distribution

States

New South Wales, Northern Territory, Queensland

IBRA and IMCRA regions

IBRA

NSW, NT, Qld: Arnhem Coast (ARC), Cape York Peninsula (CYP), South Eastern Queensland (SEQ), Wet Tropics (WT)

Diagnosis

Vertex broad, transverse, short, anteriorly convexly rounded; ocelli placed on the face between the eyes, nearer to eyes than to each other, clypeus a little broadened posteriorly, its apex truncate; pronotum longer than vertex, about as long as scutellum, anterior margin convex, posterior margin truncate; scutellum subtriangular; legs of moderate length, posterior tibiae strongly spinulose; tegmina much longer than abdomen, costal margin convex, apical areas three, apical margin convex. (Distant 1908)

Vertex short, about one third as long as pronotum; finely or very finely transversely rugose; anteriorly convexly rounded, hind margin parallel to anterior margin. Eyes close to hind margin of head. Head slightly or definitely wider than pronotum. Filament of antenna short, hair-like. Frons somewhat roundly inflated. Upper extremities of clypeus short and usually not very well defined, strongly bent mesad, in some species directed toward ocellus of opposite side thus giving the impression that the clypeus is broader than long, with clear or obsolete striae. Ocelli on face, closer to eyes than to each other. Clypellus as long as wide or slightly longer than wide, bell-shaped, slightly emarginate at tip. Lora reaching to about midway of lateral margins of clypeus. Pronotum with anterior margin convexly rounded; sides moderately long; hind margin concave; shorter than scutellum (40:30). Scutellum subtriangular, slightly broader than long (50:40). Legs of moderate length, strongly spinulose on the four edges. Mesothoracic wings much longer than abdomen, abdomen reaching to apex of clavus or slightly beyond; wing venation: appendix broad, reaching to third apical cell; costal margin convex; with four apical cells, the third pedunculate in the known species. External female genitalia Seventh segment slightly longer than sixth, caudal margin slightly concave or slightly produced and concave medianly; valves slightly longer than abdominal sterna together; with a few setae or fine spines near apex; ovipositor slightly longer than valves, narrow, upcurved apically, glabrous. Male genitalia Valves upcurved on lateral aspect, spatulate, upper margin on apical half with very long hairs, hairs longer than depth of valve; with a small globular elevation on upper margin near base. Aedeagus with basal half or two thirds consisting of a more or less cylindrical shaft; apical portion flattened laterally and expanding apically along the median line, with a spine on each side of the anterior and posterior upper angles, the spines on the posterior angle usually longer than those on the anterior, both pairs of spines pointing to base of aedeagus. Gonopore opening apically, slit-like. With an upwardly bent, short, shelf -like structure on each side where the apical and basal portions meet. The tenth tergum with a ventrally produced lobe each side of the median line, the lobes reaching down to the shelf -like lateral projections of the aedeagus. Connective V or Y-shaped, caudal end slightly bent upward, aedeagus not fused to caudal end, freely movable. Pygofer shorter than deep; caudal margin convex, undulate or notched. Styles: anterior end flattened laterally fin-like; posterior end with a hooked process on inner margin extending dorsad and caudad, its apex curved lateroventrad, with a row of spiny or conical elevations pointing ventrad or mesad; the outer side of the posterior end produced as an outer shelf; lower on the shaft than the inner process. This is the common or usual form in the Idiocerinae. (Maldonado Capriles 1961).

ID Keys

Webb 1983: 4–6

Diagnosis References

Distant, W.L. 1908. The Fauna of British India, including Ceylon and Burma. Rhynchota. London : Taylor & Francis Vol. 4 xv 501 pp. [189]

Maldonado Capriles, J. 1961. Studies on the Idiocerinae leafhoppers: I. Idiocerinus Baker, 1915, synonym of Balocha Distant, 1908, and notes on the species of Balocha. Proceedings of the Entomological Society of Washington 63(4): 300-308 [300–301]

Webb, M.D. 1983. Revision of the Australian Idiocerinae (Hemiptera: Homoptera: Cicadellidae). Australian Journal of Zoology Supplementary Series 92: 1-147 [58]

History of changes