Genus Tarophagus Zimmerman, 1948

Museums

Regional Maps

• Tarophagus Zimmerman, E.C. 1948. Homoptera : Auchenorhyncha. Insects of Hawaii 4: 1-268 [245].

  Type species:

   Megamelus proserpina Kirkaldy, 1907 by original designation.

Introduction

The genus Tarophagus was reviewed by Asche & Wilson (1989) who recognised three species across the Pacific, only one of which (T. persephone) was found in Australia. The distributions of all three species overlap in New Guinea. A second of these species, T. colocasiae was recorded in Australia by Matthews (2003). The genus is associated with taro, Colocasia esculenta (L.) Schott (Araceae), an important food crop across much of the Pacific region and the "taro planthopper" (also known in the literature erroneously as the taro leafhopper) is a significant pest although this name appears to apply to different species in different parts of the region (see Asche & Wilson 1989).

Distribution

States

Northern Territory, Queensland

IBRA and IMCRA regions

IBRA

NT, Qld: Darwin Coastal (DAC), Pine Creek (PCK), Wet Tropics (WT)

Diagnosis

Tarophagus species can be easily recognised by their distinctive colour pattern on the vertex-thorax and the apex of abdomen, by the trilobate margin of the male genital segment and by a movable double-scale-like process of abdominal sternite VI of the females (Asche & Wilson 1989)

ID Keys

Fennah 1965: 4

Diagnosis References

Asche, M. & Wilson, M.R. 1989. The three taro planthoppers: species recognition in Tarophagus (Hemiptera : Delphacidae). Bulletin of Entomological Research 79: 285-298 [286–287]

Fennah, R.G. 1965. Delphacidae from Australia and New Zealand (Homoptera: Fulgoroidea). Bulletin of the British Museum (Natural History) Entomology 17(1): 1-59 [4–5]

General References

Asche, M. & Wilson, M.R. 1989. The three taro planthoppers: species recognition in Tarophagus (Hemiptera : Delphacidae). Bulletin of Entomological Research 79: 285-298 [285]

Matthews, P.J. 2003. Taro planthoppers (Tarophagus spp) in Australia and the origins of taro (Colocasia esculenta) in Oceania. Archaeology in Oceania 38: 192–202 [192]

History of changes