Genus Macropsis Lewis, 1836

Museums

Regional Maps

• Macropsis Lewis, R.H. 1836. Descriptions of some new genera of British Homoptera. Transactions of the Entomological Society of London 1: 47-52 [49].

  Type species:

   Jassus prasinus Boheman, 1852 by subsequent designation, see Anon. 1961. Opinion 603. Macropsis Lewis 1834 (Insecta, Hemiptera): designation of a type-species under the plenary powers. Bulletin of Zoological Nomenclature 18: 249–251.
• Tsavopsis Linnavuori, R.E. 1978. Studies on the family Cicadellidae (Homoptera, Auchenorrhyncha). 1. A revision of the Macropsinae of the Ethiopian region. Acta Entomologica Fennica 33: 1-17 [14].

  Type species:

   Tsavopsis tuberculata Linnavuori, 1978 by monotypy.

Taxonomic Decision for Subgeneric Arrangement

• Hamilton, K.G.A. 1980. Contributions to the study of the world Macropsini (Rhynchota: Homoptera: Cicadellidae). The Canadian Entomologist 112: 875-932 [904] (synonymy of Tsavopsis Linnavuori)

Introduction

Wagner (1960) and the subsequent Opinion published by I.C.Z.N. (Anon. 1961) both gave the date of publication of Lewis's original description of Macropsis as 1834. The paper was read to the Entomological Society of London on February 3, 1834 but the publication of the paper in the Transactions of that society did not occur until 1836. This makes the date of publication 1836, not 1834. The genus is large and distributed in all major biological regions of the world, although its representation in the Neotropical region is limited to a handful of species in Mexico. Hamilton (1980) recognised four subgenera based largely on characters of pronotal striations and hind tibial armature. Only one Australian species, Macropsis (Parapediopsis) citronella Hamilton, was placed into a subgenus with all the remaining Australian species regarded by Hamilton (1980) as incertae sedis.
The Australian fauna is distributed across most of the continent but there are no records of the genus from the Northern Territory or from the northern half of Western Australia. It is likely that species will be identified from those localities following current research on the Macropsinae of Australia. Evans (1966) provided a table in which he listed all the described Australian species in order of size, providing general colour and distribution by state as an aid for their identification but this is of limited use.

Distribution

States

Australian Capital Territory, New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria, Western Australia

IBRA and IMCRA regions

IBRA

ACT, NSW, Qld, SA, Tas, Vic, WA: Avon Wheatbelt (AW), Brigalow Belt South (BBS), Central Mackay Coast (CMC), Coolgardie (COO), Cape York Peninsula (CYP), Eyre Yorke Block (EYB), Flinders Lofty Block (FLB), Gascoyne (GAS), Geraldton Sandplains (GS), Great Victoria Desert (GVD), Murray Darling Depression (MDD), Mitchell Grass Downs (MGD), Murchison (MUR), NSW North Coast (NNC), Riverina (RIV), South East Coastal Plain (SCP), South Eastern Highlands (SEH), South Eastern Queensland (SEQ), Swan Coastal Plain (SWA), Tasmanian Central Highlands (TCH), Tasmanian South East (TSE), Tasmanian Southern Ranges (TSR), Victorian Midlands (VM), Warren (WAR), Wet Tropics (WT)

Diagnosis

The quadrate notch on the male eighth tergite and the very narrow female seventh sternite (except in subgenus Parapediopsis) distinguish Macropsis from other genera (Hamilton 1980).

ID Keys

Hamilton 1980: 881–884

Diagnosis References

Hamilton, K.G.A. 1980. Contributions to the study of the world Macropsini (Rhynchota: Homoptera: Cicadellidae). The Canadian Entomologist 112: 875-932 [905]

General References

Anon. 1961. Opinion 603. Macropsis Lewis 1834 (Insecta, Hemiptera): designation of a type-species under the plenary powers. Bulletin of Zoological Nomenclature 18: 249–251

Evans, J.W. 1966. The leafhoppers and froghoppers of Australia and New Zealand. Memoirs of the Australian Museum 12: 1-347 [158–159]

Hamilton, K.G.A. 1980. Contributions to the study of the world Macropsini (Rhynchota: Homoptera: Cicadellidae). The Canadian Entomologist 112: 875-932 [904]

Wagner, W. 1960. Proposed use of the plenary powers to designate a type species for the nominal genus Macropsis Lewis, 1834, in accordance with accustomed use (class Insecta, order Hemiptera) Z.N.(S.) 456. Bulletin of Zoological Nomenclature 17(6–8): 185–188 [185]

History of changes