Zanna madagascariensis Signoret, 1860

Heyden, Torsten van der, 2014, Flatida rosea (Melichar, 1901) and Zanna madagascariensis Signoret, 1860, two bizarre and fascinating species of planthoppers from Madagascar (Hemiptera: Flatidae, Fulgoridae)., Arquivos Entomolóxicos 10, pp. 221-223 : 222

Zanna madagascariensis Signoret, 1860

Z. madagascariensis –as F. rosea – is also endemic to Madagascar. Systematically, it belongs to the Zanninae, which has been considered a subfamily of the Fulgoridae , a group of more than 125 species distributed worldwide, but more AbunDAnt in the tropicS. UrbAn & CryAn (2009) SuggeSteD “ that the genus Zanna is excluded from a monophyletic Fulgoridae .” Further inveStigAtion iS neceSSAry to clear up this taxonomic question.

On 24.5.2014, Pamela Donaldson was able to photograph a group of nymphs of Z. madagascariensis (Fig. 3) of different development stages at the base of a tree at the same site as the observed nymphs of F. rosea . The younger nymphs are completely covered with wax, too. Two days later, on 26.5.2014, Pamela Donaldson photographed an adult specimen of Zanna sp. (Fig. 4) in the Isalo National Park (Fig. 5), a rocky site located in the dry south-western part of Madagascar. Most likely, this is a specimen of Z. madagascariensis , but it might also be a specimen of Zanna tenebrosa (Fabricius, 1775) , which has been reported from Madagascar, Tanzania and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

The head of these species, as of other fulgorid species, is forming a bizarre snout-like structure, sometimes as large as the body. Various species of the Fulgoridae are sometimes referred to as lanternflies because of the lantern-liKe “Snout”, Although they do not emit light. It seems that the function of the “Snout” hAD been miSinterpreteD by MAriA SibyllA MeriAn AnD thAt thiS miSinterpretAtion was adopted by Carl von Linné.

The adults of Z. madagascariensis , in MADAgAScAr Known AS “SAKAnDry”, Are A protein source for the (rural) people of the island. According to Gade (1985), “ a third preferred comestible is the sakandry ( Pyrops madagascariensis ) a fulgorid planthopper that parasitizes Lima bean and related plants. Dried, this insect is much appreciated, especially in the Majunga region.”