North American Acanaloniidae

Acanaloniidae is a small family found entirely in the western hemisphere, consisting of 6 genera and 93 species. The family has undergone important changes in recent years. At the time of the Metcalf catalog (Metcalf 1954), the family included 13 genera, 81 species. Fennah (1954) subsumed Acanaloniidae into the Issidae and moved Euthiscia into Acanaloniidae (subsequently subsumed under Philatis by Gnezdilov 2012). The familial status of Acanaloniidae was reestablished by Emeljanov (1999), but he included Trienopinae and Tonginae from the Old World (following the suggestions of Muir 1930 & Fennah 1954). Since that time, Tonginae was transferred to Nogodinidae and Trienopinae to Tropiduchidae (Gnezdilov 2007, 2008). Notosimus Fennah, 1965, from Chile, was transferred to Acanaloniidae by Emeljanov (1999), confirmed by Gnezdilov (2019). The genus Aylaella Demir & Özdikmen, 2009 (from Madagascar) had until recently been placed in Acanaloniidae, but this genus was recently synonymized with Laberia Stål in the Tropiduchidae (Stroiński et al. 2022). Acanaloniidae is now understood to be strictly New World, with most species in the southwestern United States and Mexico, although the family ranges from southern Canada to Argentina and Chile, with species in the Caribbean and the Galapagos. Acanalonia conica is adventive in Europe (D’Urso & Uliana 2004, 2006; Nicoli Aldini et al. 2006) and is becoming widespread (Trivellone et al. 2015, Chireceanu et al. 2017, Seljak 2018, Pelozuelo et al. 2020, Holzinger et al. 2020, etc.). Acanalonia bivittata has recently been found in Italy (Sanna & Poggi 2022). Acanalonia excavata is adventive in southern Florida, evidently from Nicaragua (Halbert 1997, 2000; Halbert et al. 2007).
Acanaloniidae north of Mexico consists of 2 genera and 20 species, including 1 species of Philatis and 19 species of Acanalonia. The highest diversity is in the southwestern US and adjacent Mexico. The family is apparently absent from the northwest US (except for recent reports of Acanalonia conica).

Recognition

Acanaloniidae in North America can be recognized by having broad wings with irregular reticulate venation, carried parallel to the body in repose, and lacking the parallel crossveins in the costal area and claval wax pustules of flatids.  Species of Acanalonia are usually green (in life), although there are aberrant pink individuals (and I have seen a light purple specimen, although I am uncertain of its species). The second hind tarsomere bears a pair of spines, a feature found in all higher Fulgoroidea, including Flatidae and Issidae, the families most superficially similar to Acanaloniidae. Acanaloniids lack lateral spines on the hind tibiae found in Issidae and the former Gaetuliini (now Elicini, Tropiduchidae).

Keys to species for Acanalonia species can be found in Doering (1932) and Freund & Wilson (1995).

Biology
Acanaloniids are feeders on woody and semi-woody plants, with both adults and nymphs on above-ground portions of plants, and a single generation per year in the studied species. The life history of Acanalonia conica and A. bivittata was described by Wilson & McPherson (1981b). Host plants and immatures of A. pumila were described by Wheeler & Hoebeke (1982).

Classification
At present, the higher classification of Acanaloniidae recognizes only 1 subfamily and tribe (Acanaloniinae, Acanaloniini).

Key to genera north of Mexico

1. Brown; vertex strongly anteriorly projecting; claval suture reaching to apical margin; uncommon, southwestern … Philatis Stal 1862

1’. Green (rarely pink); vertex usually truncate or rounded (in the U.S. except A. conica); claval suture usually not reaching apical margin; common and widespread … Acanalonia Spinola 1839

Key to genus modified  from Melichar 1901: 182 (translated from German)

I have attempted to interpolate all acanaloniid taxa. I have not included the genus Notosimus Fennah, 1965 (with a single species Notosimus angustipennis (Melichar, 1906)), because I was not familiar with it at the time (but see Gnezdilov 2019).

The first couplet does not seem to work, and the status of Amphiscepa appears to be a problem.

1 Head straight truncated at the front; forehead [frons] wider than long, not keeled; species mostly tan, brown or yellowish. 1. Amphiscepa Say (Issidae)

[The status of Amphiscepa is unclear; see Melichar 1901: 182) [nec Amphiscepa Germar, this taxon sensu Say is jr syn of Acanalonia, syn appears to be by Van Duzee 1916: 81, see Metcalf 1954: 6, genus, according to Melichar 1901, has Acanalonia bivittata (Say 1825) as type. The type of Amphiscepa Germar is Amphiscepa nodipennis (Germar, 1821)  from Brazil]

1— Head straight trimmed at the front, or angled at an acute angle or conical; color varied but many green species … 1a

1a. [still looking for a good feature] usually brown (Philatis signata is yellowish); hindwings rudimentary or absent; Galapagos, northwest coastal Mexico, west coast Ecuador, Peru  … Philatis

1a- usually green (rarely pink); hindwings present; widespread … 2

2 Vertex straight, obtuse or triangular; forehead mostly keeled … 2a
2— Vertex strongly advanced, three to four times as long as between the eyes wide; the edges keeled … 3

2a  In lateral view, face with shelf-like step, Caribbean (Cuba, Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands) … Bulldolonia Gnezdilov (see #6 in Melichar’s plate extracted below)
2a— face lacking shelf-like step in lateral view …  Acanalonia Spinola

3 Vertex sharp acute-angled … 4
3— [Vertex] apex dull lanceolate, apex semicircular … 5

4 Vertex top flat. forewing at costal edge angled, rear straight trimmed. Pronotum with two lateral keels; Label [? ] with two approximated longitudinal keels … Chlorochara Stäl.
4— Vertex arched above; forewing rounded at the costal edge; pronotum without keels … Batusa Melichar

5 Vertex top flat. Cheeks pulled forward at an acute angle; forehead smooth; pronotum short … Thiscia Stäl. [This genus incertae sedis]
5— Vertex arched above, cheeks [gena] short; forehead with three keels; pronotum long … Parathiscia Melichar, 1901: 194. [this genus is now in the Tropiduchidae: Elicinae]]

Hind leg of Acanalonia conica showing absence of lateral spines

Point-map of 2,188 georeferenced specimens of Acanaloniidae from the Tri-Trophic Thematic Collection Network database (as of Oct 2, 2015).  The project emphasized specimens north of Mexico, which is why there are limited records in the Caribbean, Central and South America (I have seen specimens from Cuba, but the data on most of these simply reads “Cuba”).

Acanalonia Spinola, 1839 – Nearctic & Neotropics, ~62 species.
Batusa Melichar, 1901 (type species Acanalonia producta Stål, 1864).
Batusa agilis Melichar, 1901 – Puerto Rico (inc. subspp. maricensis Caldwell & Martorell 1951).
Batusa conata Melichar, 1901 – Brazil.
Batusa pinniformis (Fowler, 1900) – Mexico (Tabasco).
Batusa producta (Stål, 1864) – Mexico (Jalisco).

Bulldolonia Gnezdilov, 2012 (type species Acanalonia depressa Melichar, 1901).
Bulldolonia brevifrons (Muir, 1924) – Puerto Rico, St. Thomas, St. Croix, Anegada, Mona.
Bulldolonia depressa (Melichar, 1901) – Anegada, St. Croix, St. John, Jost Van Dyke Island (and “St. Jean”), Puerto Rico?.
Bulldolonia impressa (Metcalf & Bruner, 1930) – Cuba.

Chlorochara Stål, 1869 (type species Cicada vivida Fabricius, 1775; subsumed under Acanalonia by Caldwell & Martorell, 1951, but genus elsewhere recognized as valid (e.g., Metcalf 1945: 39, Gnezdilov 2012a, Bourgoin 2022).
Chlorochara vivida (Fabricius, 1775) Puerto Rico, Cuba, Suriname
Chlorochara vivida avivida (Caldwell, 1951) – Puerto Rico
Chlorochara vivida coniceps (Osborn, 1929) – Puerto Rico, Caja de Muertos Island

Notosimus Fennah, 1965 (Monotypic)
Notosimus angustipennis (Melichar, 1906) – Chile

Philatis Stål, 1862, 11 species, mostly Galapagos  (but the type specimens of the type species, Mycterodus productus Stål, 1859: 277, is evidently from the coast of Peru).
= Galapagosana Distant, 1909; synonym by Gnezdilov (2012: 645).
= Euthiscia Van Duzee, 1923; synonym by Gnezdilov (2012: 645).

Thiscia Stål, 1862 (type species Thiscia semicircularis Stål, 1862). (transferred to Fulgoroidea incertae sedis by Gnezdilov 2012: 645)
Thiscia jaraguensis Schmidt, 1932 – Brazil (Santa Catarina).
Thiscia melichari Schmidt, 1932 – Brazil (Rio de Janeiro).
Thiscia ohausi Schmidt, 1932 – Brazil (Sao Paulo).
Thiscia semicircularis Stål, 1862 – Brazil (Rio de Janeiro).

Genera now excluded from Acanaloniidae

The following genera were transferred to Tropiduchidae (Elicinae) by Gnezdilov (2013)

Hemithiscia Schmidt, 1912: 95 – Africa, 3 species.
= Thinea Melichar, 1914
Paraphilatis Melichar, 1912 – Africa, 1 species.
Parathiscia Melichar, 1901 – Africa, 2 species.
Pseudothiscia Schmidt, 1912: 93 – Africa, 1 species.

The following genus was in Acanaloniidae but is now in Tropiduchidae (Laberiini) :

Aylaella Demir & Özdikmen, 2009 – Madagascar, 1 species.
= Perinetia Lallemand & Synave, 1954 (preoccupied).

Philatis breviceps Van Duzee, 1933 (image courtesy Mike Wilson, National Museum of Wales; specimen collected by Charles Darwin)

References

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last edit 27 Sept. 2025