Xerophloea Germar, 1839

Jones, Joshua R. & Deitz, Lewis L., 2009, Phylogeny and systematics of the leafhopper subfamily Ledrinae (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae) 2186, Zootaxa 2186 (1), pp. 1-120 : 63-64

Genus Xerophloea Germar

(Pl. 5A, 8E, 10F, 11D, 12E, 15C, 19L)

Xerophloea Germar 1839: 190 .

Type species. X. grisea Germar, 1839: 190 (= Cercopis viridis Fabricius, 1794: 50 ), by monotypy.

Synonymy: Mesodicus Fieber 1866: 501 (type species M. foveolatus Fieber, 1866: 501 ). Parapholis Uhler, 1877: 461 (type species P. peltata Uhler, 1877: 461 ).

Description: Kramer (1966): “Small to moderate sized (4.5–8.9 mm.) robust, convex, leafhoppers; head slightly narrower than pronotum, variably produced beyond eyes with anterior margin acute to rounded, ocelli small on crown mesad of anterior edges of eyes, in lateral view crown highly variable, horizontal, upturned, or somewhat declivent toward apex, face oblique, clypeus and clypellus clearly visible, suture between them flat or slightly concave, in facial view clypellus tapering toward apex, clypeus narrow with lateral sutures terminating slightly beyond antennal bases located below margin of head away from eyes, both clypellus and clypeus usually slightly convex, genae and lora comparatively narrow; pronotum always broadest posteriorly at humeral angles, in lateral view highly variable from almost flat to strongly convex, usually somewhat declivent cephalad, lateral margin carinate; scutellum of moderate breadth and length; head, pronotum, and scutellum variably pitted; forewings long, moderately broad, and punctate, punctation variable but usually heaviest in opaque clavus and basally along costal margin, each puncture usually with minute scale-like seta at center, almost never with extra veinlets distally, appendix well developed and running from claval apex around distal margin to area of outer apical cell, forewings at rest tectiform; legs moderately stout with spines of metathoracic tibia less numerous than in usual leafhopper type; spinulation of metathoracic femur 2–1–0, but often appearing as 3–0–0. Male genitalia: genital capsule partly withdrawn into abdomen with valves concealed by preceding abdominal sternum, pygofer shorter than plates, always with a cluster of stout setae on distal portion, mainly membranous dorsally; anal tube large; plates elongate oval and often lightly hirsute; valve distinct; connective stout and elongate; styles flat, moderately long, with one apical lobe, lobe with a single small tooth on inner edge near apex; aedeagus stout, transverse, narrowing toward apex, extreme base produced for attachment with connective, base produced dorsally as a wide, high, slightly anteriorly curved portion. Female genitalia: pregenital sternum long, longer than preceding two abdominal sterna, divided on median line to base and appearing as two lobes; ovipositors about as long as pygofer.”

Species. [12]: breviceps Osborn ; cephalica Oman ; difformis Oman ; elegans Oman ; elongata Oman ; gigas Oman ; magna Oman ; majesta Lawson ; major Baker ; peltata (Uhler) ; robusta Lawson ; viridis (Fabricius) .

Range: Nearctic and Neotropical.

Host plants. Poaceae .

Material examined. X. viridis : 2 males, 5 females, Jamaica, Puerto Rico, U.S.A., NCSU, Led1_214–219, 485 .

Remarks. Xerophloea is widely distributed in the New World, with a few species being described from South America ( Argentina , Brazil, and Guyana), and the type species being recorded from as far north as British Columbia and Massachusetts, across the Caribbean, and south to Tierra del Fuego. A record for Xerophloea foveolata ( Fieber 1866) from Southern Europe (Metcalf 1962) is probably an error, as Szwedo (2002) has pointed out.

The last revision of Xerophloea was performed by Nielson (1962).