[Back to Higher classification of Delphacidae]

Family Delphacidae Leach, 1815

Subfamily Delphacinae Leach, 1815

Tribe Delphacini Leach, 1815

Genus Anchidelphax Fennah, 1965: 97.

Type species (in original combination): Megamelus albidens havanensis Crawford, 1914

Recognized species

Distribution

Caribbean and Northern South America

There are only two species in the genus.

Anchidelphax albidens (Crawford, 1914: 622) – Brazil
= Megamelus albidens Crawford, 1914: 622.
= Delphacodes albidens (Crawford, 1914); comb. by Muir and Giffard, 1924: 28.
= Anchidelphax albidens (Crawford, 1914); comb. by Fennah, 1965: 97.

Anchidelphax havanensis (Crawford, 1914: 622) – Cuba, Jamaica, Martinique, Puerto Rico, St. Lucia
= Megamelus albidens havanensis Crawford, 1914: 622.
= Delphacodes havanensis (Crawford, 1914); comb. by Fennah, 1965: 97.
= Delphacodes mardininae Muir, 1918; syn. by Muir and Giffard, 1924: 28.
= Anchidelphax havanensis (Crawford, 1914); comb.  by Fennah, 1965: 97.

Plant associations

Unknown, but presumably grasses.

I have collected a few specimens in the British West Indies sweeping grasses in the vicinity of salt ponds.

Economic Importance

Limited.

Recognition

Infrequently encountered.  Pale with downcurved aedeagus and lateral flange on lateral margin of pygofer.  At least one undescribed Central American species.

Anchidelphax havanensis – Pale, sometimes with an orange cast.  Male genitalia is unusual with sharply downcurved aedeagus and lateral flange on male pygofer. Anchidelphax albidens is not available for photography at this time.

Description of genus from Fennah 1965

Delicately built. Vertex quadrate, as long as broad or a little longer than broad, slightly narrower than eye, little surpassing eyes, anteriorly truncate, carinae distinct, uniting at anterior margin of head; frons longer than broad (about 2.6 : 1), widest at level of ocelli, lateral margins thence parallel, rostrum just surpassing mesotrochanters, basal segment of antennae longer than broad at apex (about 1.7 : 1), second segment longer than first (about 1.7 : 1). Pronotum as long as vertex, lateral discal carinae not reaching hind margin. Mesonotum of macropterous form rather short, broader than long (about 1.26 : 1), total length about 2.5 times length of mesoscutellum, disc narrow throughout; legs slender, calcar narrow, rather steeply tectiform, acute but not toothed apically, ventral surface flattened except at margins, which are low, about 16 fine teeth along margin. Pygofer short, ventrolaterally produced caudad in a pair of rounded lobes, no medioventral process or notch; aedeagus tubular, strongly decurved distad, orifice dorsal, fusiform.

Male macropter:

Terminalia of Anchidelphax albidens from Muir & Giffard 1924

Online resources

Anchidelphax on …

Discover Life.
EOL
FLOW
Bugguide (N/A)
3I Interactive Keys and Taxonomic Databases (Dmitry Dmitriev)
BOLD. (Genera of Delphacinae)

Molecular resources

None.

Selected references

Caldwell, J. S. and L. F. Martorell. 1951 [dated 1950]. Review of the Auchenorynchous [sic] Homoptera of Puerto Rico. Part II. The Fulgoroidea except Kinnaridae. Journal of Agriculture of the University of Puerto Rico 34(2): 133-269.

Crawford, D. L. 1914a. A contribution toward a monograph of the homopterous insects of the family Delphacidae of North and South America. Proceedings of the United States National Museum 46: 557-640, plus 6 plates.

Fennah, R. G. 1959. Delphacidae from the Lesser Antilles (Homoptera: Fulgoroidea). Bulletin of the British Museum (Natural History). Entomology 8: 245-365.

Fennah, R. G. 1965. New Species of Fulgoroidea (Homoptera) from the West Indies. Transactions of the Royal Entomological Society, London 117(4): 95-126.

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

Metcalf, Z. P. 1943. General catalogue of the Hemiptera. Fasc. IV. Fulgoroidea, Part 3. Araeopidae (Delphacidae), Smith College, Northampton, Massachusetts. 552 pp.

Muir, F.A.G. and W. M. Giffard. 1924a.. Studies in North American Delphacidae. Bulletin of the Experiment Station of the Hawaiian Sugar Planters’ Association, Entomological series no. 15: 1-53.