Genus Columbisoga Muir, 1921

[back to Higher Classification of Delphacidae]
[back to A checklist of New World delphacid species]

Family Delphacidae Leach, 1815

Subfamily Delphacinae Leach, 1815

Tribe Tropidocephalini Muir, 1915

Genus Columbisoga Muir, 1921: 483.

Type species (in original combination): Columbisoga campbelli Muir, 1921: 483.

This genus is divided into two subgenera, with most species in the nomative subgenus by implication.

Subgenus Columbisoga Muir, 1921 (Type species Columbisoga campbelli Muir, 1921).

Subgenus Columbisodes Fennah, 1963 (Type species Columbisoga (Columbisodes) saracura Fennah, 1963).

Distribution

South America and southern India (the map in FLOW is very incomplete)

Recognized species

There are 13 species in this genus as follows [see Metcalf 1943: 119]:

Subgenus Columbisoga

Columbisoga campbelli Muir, 1921 – South India
Columbisoga chusqueae Muir, 1926 – Ecuador
Columbisoga filistylus Muir, 1930 – Bolivia
Columbisoga gynerii Muir, 1926 – Ecuador
Columbisoga gyneriicola Muir, 1926 – Ecuador
Columbisoga maculosa Muir, 1926 – Ecuador
Columbisoga merae Muir, 1926 – Ecuador
Columbisoga ornata Muir, 1926 – Ecuador
Columbisoga sacchari Muir, 1926 – Ecuador
Columbisoga tenae Muir, 1926 – Ecuador
Columbisoga tylotus Fennah, 1963 – Brazil (Santa Catarina)
Columbisoga zapote Muir, 1926 – Ecuador

Subgenus Columbisodes
Columbisoga saracura Fennah, 1963 – Brazil (Santa Catarina)

Plant associations

Columbisoga are mostly bamboo feeders (Poaceae: Bambusoideae) or on physiognomically similar grasses.
Columbisoga chusqueae – Chusquea sp.(Poaceae: Bambusoideae)
Columbisoga gynerii – Gynerium sagittatum (Aubl.) P. Beauv. (Poaceae: Gynerieae)
Columbisoga gyneriicola – Chusquea sp.(Poaceae: Bambusoideae)
Columbisoga ornata – Gynerium sp.(Poaceae: Gynerieae)
Columbisoga zapote – Manilkara zapota (L.) P. Royen (as Lucuma mammosa C.F. Gaertn.)(Sapotaceae)

Names of plants from USDA PLANTS database,

Host data from Muir (1926) as reported by Bartlett (2010).

Economic Importance

Limited.

Recognition

This genus is a heterogenous group of taxa (consisting of anything not clearly belonging to another genus).  The New World taxa are probably not monophyletic with each other or with the type species from South India.   As new species are described, it will likely be broken into new genera.  Key to genus for New World taxa is found in Bartlett (2010).  Most taxa were described by Muir (1926).

Species of Columbisoga often come to lights.  I have examined large series of specimens, mostly undescribed.

Muir (1926)

“The nine species placed in this genus appear to be related to one another with the exception of gyneriicola. They all have a very short labium, which only reaches to the middle coxae. The first four have no armature on the anal segment, whereas the rest all have an asymmetrical armature situated on the right side; zapote has only a very small one. All except merae and sacchari have a process arising from the base of the penis or from the small periandriun. The diaphragm is membranous and has no armature. The Y carina of vertex 1s never distinct and in some cases the stalk is indistinct and the fork forms a small areolet at apex; this is the origin of the small areolet in Liburniella and it may be advisable to sink Columbisoga but for the present the writer keeps them apart; Eurysa is also closely allied [CRB note: neither Eurysa or Liburniella are now thought to be allied with Columbisoga]. The spur has no teeth on hind margin and is generally fairly thick. This genus is also near to Columbiana Muir, but that genus has the lateral pronotal carinae strongly divergingly curved and they do not reach the hind margin or go near it. Malaxa has long antennae.”

Original description of genus (Muir 1921: 483):

Type campbelli. Width of vertex at base but slightly greater than length, apex half the width of base, sides straight, apex projecting angularly in middle showing the small V at base of face, an obscure, simple carina down middle, a small pit on each side near base; base of vertex sinuous, about middle of eyes; length of face three times the width, widest in middle, sides slightly arcuate, lateral carinae distinct, median carina with a minute fork at base which projects beyond vertex in dorsal view; transverse carina on gena distinct; clypeus tricarinate on basal two thirds, curved on apical third; antennae barely leaching base of clypeus, both joints terete, second joint twice the length of first, first slightly enlarged at apex; pronotum tricarinate, lateral carinae convergingly curved, reaching hind margin, a small pit on each side near middle; mesonotum tricarinate; hind femora not reaching to apex of abdomen, much shorter than tibia, tarsi shorter than tibiae, first tarsus about equal to the other two together, spur nearly as long as first tarsus, thick, concave on inner surface, a small tooth on apex, none on hind margin. Media touching both radius and cubitus; forking of subcosta and radius and the forking of cubitus about the same level.

This genus belongs to the Tropidocephalini and comes near to Columbiana Muir and Sogatopsis Muir,- but nearer the former. It can be distinguished from Columbiana by its longer and narrower face, by the shape of the vertex which has an obscure, simple median carina and no Y, and by the lateral carinae of the pronotum curving inward and reaching the hind margin. Sogatopsis can be distinguished from it by the angular basal joint of antenna, the rounded apex of vertex, shorter face, and the presence of a cross-vein between the media and radius and media and cubitus.

Columbisoga cf filistylus (Peru)

Columbisoga gyneriicola (Paratype, Napo, Ecuador)

Below are 3 undescribed Columbisoga from Peru.

Below are line drawings of the various species from the original source.

Collecting

Species sometimes come to lights, and many specimens in collections appear to have been caught this way. Sweeping or beating bamboo and physiognomically similar grasses will also work (I have undescribed taxa I have collected this way).

It surprised me for a long time that she species described by Muir (1926) have not been subsequently reported in the literature, but it appears that most of them were found at higher elevations, and most subsequent collection has been either at low elevation or were no geographically close.  I would like to see modern collections at higher elevation in Ecuador.

Molecular resources

There are no data on this genus in BOLD.  Genbank has 4 genes for Columbisoga tenae from Urban et al. (2010) here.

Selected references

Bartlett, C. R. 2010 (dated 2009). A new genus of new world Tropidocephalini (Hemiptera: Delphacidae: Delphacinae), with the description of two new species. Entomological News 120(4): 387-396.

Fennah, R. G. 1963. New Delphacidae (Homoptera: Fulgoroidea) from South America and West Africa. Annals and Magazine of Natural History 13(6):689-700.

Leach, W. E. 1815a. Entomology. The Edinburg encyclopedia; conducted by David Brewster 9: 57-172. (family Delphacidae p. 125).

Metcalf, Z. P. 1943. General Catalogue of the Hemiptera. Fascicle IV, Fulgoroidea, Part 3, Araeopidae (Delphacidae). Smith College, Northhampton, Massachusetts. 552 pp.

Muir, F.A.G. 1915b-e. A contribution towards the taxonomy of the Delphacidae. Canadian Entomologist 47: 208-212, 261-270, 296-302, 317-320.

Muir, F.A.G. 1921b. On some Delphacidae from South India (Homoptera). Proceedings of the Hawaiian Entomological Society. 4:480-486.

Muir, F.A.G. 1926b. Contributions to our knowledge of South American Fulgoroidea (Homoptera). Part I. The Family Delphacidae. Experiment Station of the Hawaiian Sugar Planters’ Association, Entomological Series, Bulletin 18:1-51, plates 1-5.

Muir, F.A.G. 1930f. On some South American Delphacidae (Homoptera, Fulgoroidea). Entomologisk Tidskrift 51(3-4): 207-215.