Species Siphanta acutipennis Kirkaldy, 1906

Siphanta acutipennis Kirkaldy, adult

© Copyright Murray Fletcher, Orange Agricultural Institute.

Museums

Regional Maps

• Siphanta acutipennis Kirkaldy, G.W. 1906. Leafhoppers and their natural enemies. Bulletin of the Hawaiian Sugar Planters' Association Experimental Station Entomological Series 1(9): 271-479 [454].

  Type data:

   Lectotype BPBM ♂ (coll.: vii.1904), Cairns, Queensland.

  Subsequent designation references:

  Fletcher, M.J. 1985. Revision of the genus Siphanta Stål (Homoptera: Fulgoroidea: Flatidae). Australian Journal of Zoology Supplementary Series 110: 1-94 [40].
• Siphantoides alboconspersus Distant, W.L. 1910. Rhynchotal Notes. L. Annals and Magazine of Natural History 8 5: 297-322 [307].

  Type data:

   Holotype BMNH ♂ (coll.: F.P. Dodd), Queensland.
• Siphantoides conspicua Distant, W.L. 1910. Rhynchotal Notes. L. Annals and Magazine of Natural History 8 5: 297-322 [306].

  Type data:

   Holotype BMNH ♀ (coll.: 25.x.1901, F.P. Dodd), Townsville, Queensland.
• Siphantoides trimaculatus Distant, W.L. 1910. Rhynchotal Notes. L. Annals and Magazine of Natural History 8 5: 297-322 [306].

  Type data:

   Holotype BMNH ♂ (coll.: F.P. Dodd), Queensland.

Taxonomic Decision for Synonymy

• Fletcher, M.J. 1985. Revision of the genus Siphanta Stål (Homoptera: Fulgoroidea: Flatidae). Australian Journal of Zoology Supplementary Series 110: 1-94 [40] (synonymy of Siphantoides alboconspersus Distant, S. conspicuus Distant and S. trimaculatus Distant)

Introduction

This species is the largest species of Siphanta and has been recorded along most of the tropical coastline of NE Queensland as well as at sites in the north of the Northern Territory. It is highly variable in colour, some specimens being completely green while others have extensive markings of red and Distant (1910) described three species based on this variation. Fletcher (1985), following examination of the male genitalia, was able to show that all the names applied to the one species and that it the red colouring was more extensive in males than in females. Based on the structure of the head, S. acutipennis is clearly close to S. expatria Fletcher from New Guinea and Fletcher (1985) recognised the two species as the acutipennis group.

Distribution

States

Northern Territory, Queensland

IBRA and IMCRA regions

IBRA

NT, Qld: Arnhem Coast (ARC), Brigalow Belt North (BBN), Cape York Peninsula (CYP), Einasleigh Uplands (EIU), Pine Creek (PCK), Wet Tropics (WT)

Other Regions

Torres Strait Islands terrestrial, marine & freshwater

Ecological Descriptors

All stages: phloem feeder.

Diagnosis

acutipennis Group.
Frons transversely concave, with short carinae laterally near apex. Median carina absent. Vertex flat near base but curving dorsally towards apex. Apical margin of vertex broadly produced. Tegmen large, apical angle broadly rounded, sutural angle produced dorsally to point. M1+2 branched at about middle of tegmen. Pale green with very fine reddish granulations around apex of head, along clavus and on fore- and mid-femora and tibiae and all tarsi. Costal margin of tegmen pale to apex of costal cell, thence red in apical cells around apical and claval margins to apex of clavus. Males often with additional red markings on tegmen.
S. acutipennis. Males usually, and females occasionally, with additional dark red spots on tegmen, these often forming broad transverse bands in males. Male pygofer with long clavate process. Paramere triangular with broad elongate pointed process. Female third valvulae broadly triangular with pilose surface ventral. Second valvulae gap narrow, parallel-sided (Fletcher 1985).

ID Keys

Fletcher 1985: 4–6
Fletcher, M.J. (2005). Illustrated Key to the species of the genus Siphanta Stål (Hemiptera: Fulgoroidea: Flatidae)
http://www1.dpi.nsw.gov.au/keys/fulgor/flatid/siphanta/siph00.htm

Diagnosis References

Fletcher, M.J. 1985. Revision of the genus Siphanta Stål (Homoptera: Fulgoroidea: Flatidae). Australian Journal of Zoology Supplementary Series 110: 1-94 [40–41]

General References

Distant, W.L. 1910. Rhynchotal Notes. L. Annals and Magazine of Natural History 8 5: 297-322 [306–307]

Fletcher, M.J. 1985. Revision of the genus Siphanta Stål (Homoptera: Fulgoroidea: Flatidae). Australian Journal of Zoology Supplementary Series 110: 1-94 [40–41]

History of changes