Genus Conomelus Fieber, 1866

[back to Higher Classification of Delphacidae]

Family Delphacidae Leach, 1815

Subfamily Delphacinae Leach, 1815

Tribe Delphacini Leach, 1815

Genus Conomelus Fieber, 1866: 520. [Metcalf 1943]

Type species: Delphax anceps Germar, 1821: 105. (see ICZN Opinion 648 1963).

Distribution

Western Palearctic, with C. anceps adventive into Newfoundland and Washington State

Recognized species

Conomelus anceps (Germar, 1821: 105) – Widespread Europe, including the U.K., reported North Africa (Algeria); Introduced into Newfoundland, and Washington State (USA). (critical synonymy list here until I get it transcribed here); Algeria, Austria, Belgium, Britain Isle, Bulgaria, Central European Russia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Netherlands, North European Russia, Norway, Poland,Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, South European Russia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Ukraine, Yugoslavia, Corsica.
= Delphax anceps Germar, 1821: 105.
= Delphax palliata Boheman, 1847: 266 (Boheman 1847: 48, 1847: 56,  1850: 203), syn. by Dohrn 1859: 61.
= Delphax pictipennis Curtis, 1837 vol. 14, pl. 657 (see also Curtis 1837: 223), syn. by Fieber 1872: 5; see also Curtis 1862, pl. 657.
= Fulgora limbata Fabricius, 1794: 6 [nec Oliver 1791], original description.
= Delphax limbata Fabricius, 1803: 84. (new comb for Fulgora limbata Fabricius, 1794).
= Asiraca limbata Latreille, 1804: 317. (new comb for Fulgora limbata Fabricius, 1794).
= Delphax anceps Germar, 1821: 105.
= Delphax signifera Boheman, 1845: 164, syn by Boheman 1845: 60, Schaum 1850: 69.
= Delphax pellucidus Bold, 1866a,c: 207, 235 [misidentification, Metcalf 1943: 261].
= Liburnia limbata Sahlberg, 1871: 39. (new comb for Fulgora limbata Fabricius, 1794).

Conomelus lorifer lorifer Ribaut, 1948: 217 – middle Italy (Abruzzi)

Conomelus lorifer calabricus Dlabola 1979: 237 (see also Hoch 1985) – southern Italy (Calabrien)

Conomelus lorifer dehneli Nast, 1966 (status by Hoch 1985) – N. Italy, Poland, Austria, France,  Germany, Switzerland.
= Conomelus filifer Remane & Asche 1979; syn. by Hoch 1985.

Conomelus lorifer harpagifer Remane & Asche 1979; status by Hoch, 1985 – southern Calabria, Italy

Conomelus odryssius Dlabola, 1965 – Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Greece, Macedonia, Romania, Yugoslavia
= Conomelus clavifer Remane & Asche, 1979; syn. by Hoch 1985.

Conomelus sagittifer Remane & Asche 1979 – Greece, Italy, Sicily

Conomelus serrifer Remane, 1980 – Spain

Economic importance

Limited.

Plant associations

Members of this genus feed on rushes (Juncaceae):  Juncus effusus L. (commmon rush, Conomelus anceps, C. odryssius), J. inflexus L. (European meadow rush, C. anceps, C. odryssius. C. sagittifer), J. articulatus L. (jointleaf rush C. anceps)

Host information from Wilson et al. 1995, Holzinger et al. 2003; plant names from USDA Plants (or Tropicos).

Recognition

Conomelus anceps (Photos by Kimberley Shropshire, University of Delaware)

 

 

Images from Spencer Entomological Collection, UBC Zoology Department (Delphacidae).

 

Online resources

Conomelus on …
EOL
FLOW
Discover Life
Bugguide (N/A)
Gernot Kunz Kunzweb Gallery Europe (C. anceps and C. lorifer)
Leafhopper, Planthopper & Psyllid Vectors of Plant Disease (N/A)
3I Interactive Keys and Taxonomic Databases (Dmitry Dmitriev)
Les Hemipteres du Quebec (N/A)
DEpository (Metazoa of Germany) (2 species listed)
Spencer Entomological Collection.
British Bugs

Molecular resources

Genbank provides 28s and 18S data for Conomelus anceps and additional data from two undetermined Conomelus (here). At this time BOLD does not have any barcode data for this genus.

Selected references

Asche, M. 1982. Beitrage zur Delphaciden-Fauna Ungarns (Homoptera Cicadina Delphacidae). Marburger Entomologische Publikationen 1(7): 139-154.

Asche, M. 1982. Beitrage zur Delphaciden-Fauna der Turkei (Anatolien) (Homoptera Cicadina Delphacidae). Marburger Entomologische Publikationen 1(7): 71-98.

Asche, M. and H. Hoch. 1982.  Beitrage zur Delphaciden-Fauna Griechenlands II (Homoptera Cicadina Delphacidae). Marburger Entomologische Publikationen 1(7): 37-70.

Asche, M. and H. Hoch. 1986. Cixiidae and Delphacidae (Homoptera – Fulgoroidea) from Lebanon – a preliminary synopsis. Pp. 18-19. In: Proceedings of the 2nd International Congress Concerning the Rhynchota Fauna of Balkan and Adjacent Regions. Microlimni Prespa. Greece. Pp. 1-70

Asche, M. and R. Remane. 1982. Beitrage zur Delphaciden-Fauna Griechenlands I (Homoptera Cicadina Delphacidae). Marburger Entomologische Publikationen 1(6): 231-290.

Arzone, A. 1979. Reperti biologici ed epidemiologici su Conomelus dehneli Nast (Hom., Delphacidae), nuovo per l’Italia come un suo parassita, Tetrastichus mandanis Walk. (Hym. Eulophidae). Bollettino Di Zoologia Agraria E Di Bachicoltura 14: 5-16.

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.

Boheman, C. H. 1845. Nya Svenska Homoptera. Ofversigt af Kongliga Svenska Vetenskaps-Akademiens Forhandlingar 1845: 154-164. [Delphax signifera Boheman, 1845]

Boheman, C. H. 1847. Nya Svenska Homoptera. Ofversigt af Kongliga Svenska Vetenskaps-Akademiens Forhandlingar 1847: 263-266. [Delphax palliata Boheman, 1847] [can not find this one]

Boheman, C. H. 1850a. Bidrag till Gottlands Insekt-Fauna. Svenska vetenskaps-akademiens handlingar 1849: 195-267.

Bold, T. J. 1866a. Capture of some of the rare species of Delphax near New Castle. Entomologist’s Monthly Magazine. 2: 207.

Bold, T. J. 1866b. Homopterous and other insects taken in December. Entomologist’s Monthly Magazine. 2:207. [Lists 5 spp. as common on grass near the coast in December.]

Bold, T. J. 1866c. Correction of errors: Delphax pellucidus. Entomologist’s Monthly Magazine. 2:235. [Corrects name in previous list 1866a.]

Bonfils, J. and W. Della Giustina. 1978. Inventaire et repartition biogeographique des Homopteres Auchenorhynques de Corse. Bulletin de la Societe entomologique de France 83: 23-29.

Curtis, J. 1837. Delphax. British Entomology 14: pl. 657. [Delphax pictipennis Curtis, 1837].

Curtis, J. 1837. Homoptera. A guide to an arrangement of British insects, being a catalogue of all the named species hitherto discovered in Great Britain and Ireland. Second edition 1837: 220-224.

D’Urso, V. 1995. Homoptera Auchenorrhyncha. In: Checklist delle specie della Fauna Italiana 42: 1-35.

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Dlabola, J. 1965. Neue Zikadenarten aus Südeuropa (Homoptera – Auchenorrhyncha). Sborník entomologického oddelení Národního Musea v Praze 36: 657-669.

Dlabola, J. 1979. Neue Zikaden aus Anatolien, Iran und aus Sudeuropaischen Landern (Homoptera: Auchenorrhyncha). Acta Zoologica Academiae Scientiarum Hungaricae 25(3-4): 235-257.

Dlabola, J. and L. Jankovic. 1981. Drei neue Erythria-Arten und einige Erganzungen der jugoslawischen Zikadenfauna. Bulletin de l’Academie Serbe des Sciences et des Arts Classe des Sciences Mathematiques et Naturelles Sciences Naturelles 75(21): 67-79.

Dohrn, F. A. 1859. Homoptera. Catalogus Hemipterorum. Herausgegeben von dem entomologischen Vereine zu Stettin 1859: 56-93.

Drosopoulos, S. 1980. Hemipterological studies in Greece Part II. Homoptera-Auchernorrhyncha, a catalogue of the reported species. Biologia Gallo-Hellenica 9 (1): 187-194.

Drosopoulos, S. 1982. Hemipterological studies in Greece. Part II. Homoptera – Auchenorrhyncha. On the family Delphacidae. Marburger Entomologische Publikationen 1(6): 35-88

Drosopoulos, S., M. Asche and H. Hoch. 1983. Contribution to the planthopper fauna of Greece. Homoptera, Auchenorrhyncha, Fulgoromorpha, Delphacidae). Annales de l’Institute phytopathologique Benaki (N.S.) 14: 19-68.

Fabricius, J. C. 1794. Ryngota. In: Fabricius J. C. 1794 – Entomologia systematica emendata et aucta. Secundum classas, ordines, genera, species adjectis synonimis, locis, observationibus, descriptionibus, volume 4. p. 1-57.

Fabricius, J. C. 1803. Systema Rhyngotorum secundum ordines, genera, species, adiectis synonymis, locis, observationibus, descriptionibus. 1803: 314 pp.

Fieber, F. X. 1866. Grundzüge zur generischen Theilung der Delphacini. Verhandlungen der Kaiserlich-Königlichen Zoologisch-botanischen Gesellschaft in Wien  16: 517-534, Pl. 8.

Gębicki, C., D. Świerczewski and J. Szwedo. 2013. Planthoppers and Leafhoppers of Poland (Hemiptera: Fulgoromorpha et Cicadomorpha). Systematics, Check-list, Bionomy. The Monograph. Annals of the Upper Silesian Museum, Entomology 21-22: 1-245.

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Hoch, H. 1983. Some notes on speciation and geographical distribution of the genus Conomelus Fieber, 1866 (Homoptera Cicadina Delphacidae). In: 2nd International Congress on the Zoogeography and Ecology of Greece and Adjacent Regions, Athens, Greece, 7-12.9.1981. Biologia Gallo Hellenica. Pp. ?

Hoch, H. 1985. Some notes on speciation and geographical distribution of the genus Conomelus Fieber, 1866 (Homoptera Cicadina Delphacidae) Biologia Gallo-Hellenica 10(1-2): 291-298.

Hoch, H. and M. Asche. 1983. Wer ist Conomelus calabricus Dlabola, 1979 (Homoptera Cicadina Delphacidae)? Marburger Entomologische Publikationen 1(8):1-6. [German with English Abstract]

Hoch, H. and R.  Remane. 1983. Zur Artbildung und Artabgrenzung bei der binsenbesiedelnden Zikaden-Gattung Conomelus Fieber, 1866 (Homoptera, Auchenorrhyncha, Fulgoromorpha, Delphacidae). Marburger Entomologische Publikationen 1 (9): 1-114. [German with English Abstract]

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ICZN (International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature). 1963. Opinion 648. Conomelus Fieber, 1866 (Insecta, Hemiptera); designation of a type species under the plenary powers. Bulletin of Zoological Nomenclature 20(1): 39-40.

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