Genus Megastethodon Schmidt, 1911

Museums

Regional Maps

• Megastethodon Schmidt, E. 1911. Neue und bekannte Gattungen und Arten der Subfamilie Cercopinae Stål des indoaustralischen Faunengebietes, ein Beitrag zur Kenntnis der Cercopiden. (Hemiptera-Homoptera). III. Stettiner Entomologische Zeitung 72: 52-129 [68].

  Type species:

   Cercopis rubrifer Walker, 1870 by original designation.

Introduction

This genus contains dozens of species in Indonesia and New Guinea, with about 50 described from the Australasian region from east of the Wallace Line in eastern Indonesia to the Solomon Islands. It is one of several genera containing large colourful froghopper species, including Cosmoscarta Stål, Homalostethus Schmidt and Leptataspis Schmidt which are also species-rich groups in the tropical regions just north of Australia. Only one species from all of this diversity has established in Australia. Walker (1858) misidentified Megastethodon australis (Butler) as M. urvillei (Le P. & S.) and his record of the species from Australia was subsequently associated with M. australis when the misidentification was discovered. M. australis, however, only occurs in New Guinea.

Distribution

States

Queensland

IBRA and IMCRA regions

IBRA

Qld: Cape York Peninsula (CYP)

Diagnosis

Large heavily built insects. The labium terminates between the hind coxae. On the crown of the head, the ocelli are slightly nearer to each other than to the eyes on each side. The anterior two thirds of the pronotum are declivous and the lateral angles are rounded. In the tegmina, M and Cu1 are proximally fused for a length of 3 mm and the venation is apically reticulate. (Evans 1966)

ID Keys

Fletcher, M.J. (2001) Illustrated Key to the Genera of the Cercopidae: Cercopinae found in Australia (Hemiptera: Cercopoidea) http://www1.dpi.nsw.gov.au/keys/cercopid/cercopid/cerc00.htm [accessed: 17.iv.2012]

Diagnosis References

Evans, J.W. 1966. The leafhoppers and froghoppers of Australia and New Zealand. Memoirs of the Australian Museum 12: 1-347 [315]

History of changes