Tettigarctidae Distant, 1905

Moulds, MS, 2005, An Appraisal of the Higher Classification of Cicadas (Hemiptera: Cicadoidea) with Special Reference to the Australian Fauna, Records of the Australian Museum 57 (3), pp. 375-446 : 426

Family Tettigarctidae Distant, 1905

Tettigarctaria Distant, 1905g: 280 .

Tettigarctini Handlirsch, 1925: 1161 .

Tettigarctinae J.G. Myers, 1928: 391 .

Tettigarctines Lameere, 1935: 403.

Tettigarctidae Bekker-Migdisova, 1949: 20–21 .

Type genus. Tettigarcta White (type species T. tomentosa White ).

Included subfamilies. Tettigarctinae Distant , Cicadoprosbolinae Bekker-Migdisova.

Diagnosis. Thoracic ganglia separated. Pronotum exceedingly large and concealing majority of mesonotum; paramedian and lateral fissures absent; pronotal collar absent. Mesonotum without a developed cruciform elevation. Fore wing with vein RP arising near wing base; veins 2A and 3A separated for much of their length; nodal line well developed. Hind wing hamulus present. Pretarsal empodia present. Hind coxae overhanging abdomen. Timbals present in males and females. Male abdominal resonant chamber absent. Tympana absent from both sexes. Male sternite VIII not shielding genitalia ventrally. Male genitalia with styles present; pygofer with basal lobe absent; uncus n-shaped in cross-section, apically with sides meeting but not fused; aedeagus with sclerotized subapical dorsal crest. Male reproductive system with testes located anteriorly, centred over abdominal sternites II and III. Female genitalia monotrysian. Female reproductive system with no accessory glands to common oviduct. Nymphs with antennal segments 1 and 2 both very short and together about equal to segment 5; fore femur with a mid-lateral stout spine on outer face; fore tibiae with a large subapical tooth opposing apical tooth; mid and hind tibiae with two stout spines along shank, one each at about 1 ⁄ 3 intervals; hind tibiae with spinal crown including one very dominant flat spine; abdominal spiracles not covered by pleural flaps.

Distinguishing characters. Within the Cicadoidea the following attributes are believed to be unique to Tettigarctidae . Pronotum exceedingly large and concealing most of mesothorax. Fore wing with vein RP arising from node; veins 2A and 3A separated for much of their length; Hind wing hamulus present. Pretarsal empodia present. Male sternite VIII not shielding genitalia ventrally. Pygofer with basal lobe absent. Male reproductive system with testes located anteriorly, centred over abdominal sternites II and III. Female reproductive system with no accessory glands to common oviduct. Nymphs with antennal segments 1 (scape) and 2 (pedicel) both very short and together about equal to segment 5 (3rd flagellomere); fore femur with a mid-lateral stout spine on outer face; fore tibiae with a large subapical tooth opposing apical tooth; mid and hind tibiae with two stout spines along shank, one each at about 1 ⁄ 3 intervals; hind tibiae with spinal crown including one very dominant flat spine; abdominal spiracles covered by pleural flaps.

Discussion. The previously held concept for the Tettigarctidae remains unchanged.All previously identified attributes for the Tettigarctidae remain applicable and are incorporated above ( Evans, 1941; Moulds, 1990).

Bekker-Migdisova (1947) divided the Tettigarctidae by establishing the subfamily Cicadoprosbolinae , separating it from the Tettigarctinae by the following attributes: (a) fore wing elliptical with a broad costal area and clavus, (b) vein RP multibranched; (c) basal coalescence of veins M and Cu and (d) vein CuA not following nodal line ( Wootton, 1971). This subfamily division is retained here following Boulard & Nel (1990) and Shcherbakov (in prep.).