Rubrini Jones, 2009

Jones, Joshua R. & Deitz, Lewis L., 2009, Phylogeny and systematics of the leafhopper subfamily Ledrinae (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae) 2186, Zootaxa 2186 (1), pp. 1-120 : 58-59

Tribe Rubrini Jones , new tribe

Type genus Rubria Stål, 1865

Description. Medium to moderately sized leafhoppers. Crown texture acinose, without depressions or irregularities; crowns of males shorter, roughly pentagonal, in females longer, sometimes much longer than in males, more parabolic, sometimes much longer than in males, setae absent, longitudinal medial carina complete, marginal carina present or absent, short depressed groove immediately laterad of ocelli in some species, crown transversely cambered; head lamellate, face microtextured, dark pigmentation absent, overall concave but medially somewhat convex, anterolateral margins not especially foliate; frontoclypeus with depressed lateral margins; epistomal suture incomplete; lora/genae somewhat tumid; anterior tentorial pit a thin slit slightly open, adjacent to frontoclypeus. Pronotum devoid of depressions, transversely wrinkled, lateral carina absent, lateral margins angled, giving sides of pronotum a boxlike shape; head and pronotum moderately flexed ventrally at posterior margin of pronotum; proepisternum small, tab-like, underlapping genae; scutellum flat; forewing venation regular, veins not raised, setae on fore edge of forewing absent; pro- and mesothoracic tibia intermediately quadrate, mesotibia row II apical triangular patch of scalelike setae absent; metathoracic femur macrosetae formula 2 + 0, macrosetae mounted on a narrow, prominent base. Male genitalia: aedeagus slender throughout; apex of style flexed ventrally but not subsequently curving anterad; subgenital plates dorsoventrally depressed; pygofer with inner, subapical, dorsomedial processes. Female genitalia: ovipositor shorter than pygofer; basal arms of valvulae I connected by sclerotized bridge, texture strigate; valvulae II strongly sclerotized, first and second dorsal teeth absent; ten or fewer nonsclerotized dorsal teeth present.

Range. Australian region.

Ecology. Unknown, but presumably Rubrini are all arboreal. K. Menard (personal communication) reported collecting specimens on Melaleuca in New South Wales.

Remarks. Evans (1966: 96) conjectured that Rubria might appropriately be split from Ledrini into its own tribe, but he refrained from doing so until a study of Ledrinae from the African, Australian, and Oriental regions could be performed together. The present study confirms Evans’ observation of Rubria ’s distinctness within Ledrinae . Evans also stated that Ledrinae are essentially tropical, but that many of the Australian ledrines were endemic. All Australian ledrines, in fact, are endemic to the region, with the Rubrini being found primarily in Australia and Tasmania. A single species described from New Guinea ( Evans 1969), was unavailable for this study, but from the description is of dubious placement. Evans (1966) stated that Rubria occurred in the Australian and Oriental regions; except for the New Guinea specimen, no material has been recorded outside of Australia or Tasmania.

Evans’ hypothesis that the Ledrinae entered Australia from the North prior to the Tertiary isolation probably only applies to the Rubrini (see “Biogeographic considerations and fossil evidence” under Results and Discussion section above).

This tribe is monotypic, and includes Rubria .