Genus Parkana Beamer 1950

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Family Delphacidae Leach, 1815

Subfamily Delphacinae Leach, 1815

Tribe Delphacini Leach, 1815

Genus Parkana Beamer 1950: 128.

Subgenera:

Subgenus Parkana Beamer 1950
Subgenus Furcoparca Bartlett, 2014
Subgenus Litoparca Bartlett, 2014

Type species: Parkana alata Beamer, 1950.

Distribution

Western USA and adjacent Canada south through Mesoamerica; probably associated with a mountain habitat.

Recognized species

There are 7 species in 3 subgenera as follows:

Subgenus Parkana Beamer 1950
Parkana alata Beamer, 1950: 128 – USA: Arizona, Colorado, Montana, South Dakota, Utah, Wyoming; Canada: British Columbia
Parkana mirasol Bartlett, 2014: 191 – Mexico (Mexico, Morales)
Parkana nigra Bartlett, 2014 – Mexico (Oaxaca), Guatemala
Parkana pallida Bartlett, 2014 – Mexico (Durango, Federal District)
Parkana tres Bartlett, 2014 – Mexico (Hidalgo)

Subgenus Furcoparca Bartlett, 2014
Parkana chico Bartlett, 2014 – Mexico (Federal District, Mexico)

Subgenus Litoparca Bartlett, 2014
Parkana costa Bartlett, 2014 – Costa Rica

Recorded Hosts

Parkana alata – Carex utriculata Boott (Cyperaceae).
Parkana pallida – Muhlenbergia sp. (Poaceae, Chloridoideae).
Parkana chico Bartlett, 2014 – Muhlenbergia macroura (Kunth) Hitchc. (Poaceae, Chloridoideae).
Parkana costa Bartlett, 2014 – Swallenochloa subtessellata (Hitchc.) McClure (Poaceae, Bambusoideae).
Parkana sp. – Urochloa maxima (Jacq.) R. Webster (as ‘Panicum maximum’; guineagrass),

Hosts from Bartlett (2014; plant names from USDA PLANTS database or Tropicos.

Economic Importance

Limited, of no known economic importance.

Recognition

Sexually dimorphic, with very distinctive male genitalia.  The male pygofer appears ventrally compressed in lateral view and the opening bears asymmetrical median processes (median processes are seen in very few genera, with Pissonotus, Scolopygos, and Perkinsiella the most obvious).  The parameres are quite unusual.

Key to subgenera (modified from Bartlett 2014)

1. Midventral processes of pygofer opening very large, exceeding parameres, and broadly fused in basal half, forming forked structure; aedeagus lacking dorsal process; parameres with large process at base, appearing triangular in caudal view – Furcoparca Bartlett
1’. Midventral processes of pygofer opening elongate or short but not fused basally or exceeding parameres; aedeagus usually with large dorsal (or dorsolateral) process; parameres lacking large basal process – 2

2. Genitalia relatively simple; aedeagus subsymmetrical, lacking dorsal projection, bearing strong lateral teeth; parameres parallel-sided; head slightly projected anteriorly; lateral carinae of pronotum reaching posterior margin – Litoparca new subgenus.
2’. Genitalia more complex; aedeagus asymmetrical with dorsal projection, lacking strong lateral teeth; parameres broad, not parallel-sided; head not projecting anteriorly; lateral carinae of pronotum not reaching posterior margin – Parkana Beamer

Artificial key to species (modified from Bartlett 2014)

1. Pronotum and mesonotum dark in color (except carinae and posterior margin), body dark with few pale markings  – 2
1’. Pronotum and mesonotum mostly pale, except sometimes on lateral portions, body usually predominately pale although some taxa with extensive dark markings – 3

2. Brachypterous; pale markings narrowly restricted to carinae, posterior margins of nota and antennae; proximally inflected portion or parameres large, in caudal extending more than half way to lateral margin; aedeagus with narrowed portion of aedeagal apex elongate and smoothly decurved – P. nigra
2’. Macropterous; pale markings sometimes more extensive; proximally inflected portion of paramere smaller, extending less than halfway to lateral margin in caudal view; aedeagus with narrowed portion of apex short and angularly decurved – P. mirasol

3. Front extensively pale (intercarinal region may be slightly darkened) – 5
3’. Front dark between carinae – 4

4. Pro- and mesonota entirely pale – P. chico
4’. Lateral portions of pro- and mesonota dark – P. tres

5. Head narrow and slightly projecting anteriorly; abdomen broadly pale medially; lateral portions or pro- and mesonota distinctly darkened – P. costa
5’. Head nearly as wide as pronotum, not projecting; abdomen with dorsal pale markings but not broadly pale; lateral portions of nota weakly darkened – 6

6. Intercarinal regions of front usually weakly embrowned; ventral margin of pygofer opening with elongate, distinctly asymmetrical median processes; distribution Western USA – P. alata
6’. Front uniformly pale; ventral opening of pygofer with 2 short, weakly asymmetrical processes (Fig. 4H); distribution Mexico – P. pallida

Male – Parkana alata (All photos by Kimberley Shropshire, Dept. of Entomology, University of Delaware)

Pygofer and genitalia

 

 

Below: Plates from Bartlett, 2014

Parkana (Parkana) alata (male, brachypter). A. dorsal habitus, B. frontal view, C. lateral habitus, D. male pygofer, lateral view, E., semicaudal view, male pygofer (in situ), F. caudal view, male pygofer (cleared), G. ventral margin of pygofer opening showing asymmetrical median processes.

Parkana (Parkana) mirasol 

Parkana (Parkana) nigra (male, brachypter).

Parkana (Parkana) pallida (male, brachypter).

Parkana (Parkana) tres (male, brachypter).

Parkana (Furcoparca) chico (male, brachypter).

Parkana (Litoparca) costa (male, brachypter).

 

 

Online resources

EOL
FLOW
Discover Life
Bugguide (N/A – this genus not on Bugguide)
3I Interactive Keys and Taxonomic Databases (Dmitry Dmitriev)

Molecular resources

Co1 for P. alata on Genbank, and Parkana alata is on BOLD (5 specimens -but 1 barcode – as of Aug. 2017 7 March 2020)

Select references

Bartlett, C. R. 2002. A new genus and species of delphacid planthopper (Hemiptera: Fulgoroidea) from Canada. Entomological News 113(2): 97-102. [comparative note]

Bartlett, C. R. 2014. New species of the planthopper genus Parkana (Hemiptera: Fulgoroidea: Delphacidae) from Mesoamerica. Transactions of the American Entomological Society 140: 185-208.

Bartlett, C. R. and G. Kunz. 2015. A new genus and species of delphacid planthopper (Hemiptera: Fulgoroidea: Delphacidae) from Central America with a preliminary regional species list. Zootaxa 3946(4): 510–518. (Erratum Zootaxa 3963(4): 598-600).

Bartlett, C. R., L. B. O’Brien and S. W. Wilson. 2014. A review of the planthoppers (Hemiptera: Fulgoroidea) of the United States. Memoirs of the American Entomological Society. 50: 1-287.

Beamer, R. H. 1950. Five new genera of delphacine fulgorids (Homoptera – Fulgoridae – Delphacinae). Journal of the Kansas Entomological Society 23(4): 128-133.

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