Genus Kusnezoviella Vilbaste, 1965

[Back to Higher classification of Delphacidae]

Family Delphacidae Leach, 1815

Subfamily Delphacinae Leach, 1815

Tribe Delphacini Leach, 1815

Genus Kusnezoviella Vilbaste, 1965: 16.

Type species: Liburnia dimidiatifrons Kusnezov, 1929

Distribution

Northern Holarctic.

Recognized species

Only 6 species are in this genus, as follows:

Kusnezoviella antinoma Emeljanov, 1972: 213 – Mongolia
Kusnezoviella chalchica Emeljanov, 1972: 213 – Mongolia
Kusnezoviella dimidiatifrons (Kusnezov, 1929) – Turkestan, Mongolia, Russia (Transbaikal, Tuva, Khakassia, Altai, C. & E. Kazakhstan, C Tien Shan.)
= Liburnia dimidiatifrons Kusnezov, 1929: 160, original combination.
= Delphacodes dimidiatifrons (Kusnezov, 1929), comb. by Metcalf 1943: 427.
= Kusnezoviella dimidiatifrons (Kusnezov, 1929), comb. by Vilbaste, 1965: 16, Dlabola 1970: 3.
Kusnezoviella euagropyri (Emeljanov, 1964) – Kazakhstan
Kusnezoviella macleani Wilson, 1988: 339 – USA: Alaska; Canada (Northwest Territories, Quebec, Yukon); Russia (Khabarovsk Territory, Magadan Region)
= Kusnezoviella matisi Anufriev & Emeljanov, 1988: 405; syn. by Wilson 1992: 94.
Kusnezoviella munda (Beamer, 1948c) – USA: CO; CAN: AB
= Delphacodes munda Beamer, 1948c: 116-117.
= Kusnezoviella munda (Beamer, 1948c); comb. by Bartlett et al. 2014: 121.

Notes: The combination ‘Kusnezoviella euagropyri‘ is given in Nast (1972), but I do not know the source of the combination; although the species is also listed in this combination in Emeljanov (1969).

Emeljanov (1972a) comments on ‘K. venustula Em.’ in his description of Kusnezoviella antinoma which I presume to mean ‘K[usnezoviella] venustula Em[eljanov 1964] (the text is in Russian, so I can’t get the context), which would be a new combination (I subsequently found the new combination specified in Emeljanov 1972b). This same species evidently had previously been moved Dicromina Mitjaev, 1971 (as the type species) and subsequently to Kazachicesa Koçak & Kemal, 2010 because Dicromina was preoccupied, making the current combination of this species Kazachicesa venustula (Emeljanov, 1964).  It needs to be investigated whether Kazachicesa might be a junior synonym of Kusnezoviella, if Emeljanov was correct in his placement of the species in 1972.

Plant associations

Grasses (Poaceae):

Kusnezoviella antinoma – Elymus sp. (wildrye, Wilson et al. 2004).
Kusnezoviella chalchica – (with) Hordeum sp. (barley) (Anufriev & Emeljanov 1988, Wilson et al. 2004).
Kusnezoviella dimidiatifrons – Agropyron pseudoagropyrum Palib., and Leymus chinensis (Trin.) Tzvelev (Anufriev & Emeljanov 1988, Wilson et al. 2004).

Plant names from USDA PLANTS or Tropicos.

Economic Importance

Probably limited.

Recognition

Keys to genus in Wilson (1988) (Alaska), and Anufriev and Emeljanov (1988) (Palearctic).

Description and Key from Anufrieve and Emeljanov 1988 [comments in brackets, lightly edited for clarity]

Macrocoryphe [~vertex] somewhat longer than wide. Eumetope [~frons] about 2.5 times as long as wide. Carinae on head sharp; median carina sometimes smoothed and bifurcate on the turn of eumetope into acrometope [i.e., at fastigium]. Pronotum with strongly diverging lateral carinae of disc not reaching posterior margin of pronotum. In brachypters, forewings rounded at apex, reaching the middle of abdomen in female and nearly its apex in male. Posttibial spur with about 18 lateral denticles gradually increasing in size to apex of spur; apical denticle very small. Male. Pygofer with well developed, not interrupted edging, which forms distinct lobes lateral to well developed dorsal excision. Anal tube with parallel, separate teeth. Styli with a step on inner margin, narrowing in basal third and obtuse-angulate, bent in distal third, with apex directed inwards. Bridge of pygofer bearing T-shaped projection ventrally. Aedeagus rather short, more or less symmetrical, with denticles in apical part. Gonopore ventral, subapical.

1. Shaft of theca  [aedeagus] with dorsal row of denticles in distal half. Carinae on head light; areas between them uneven brown; upper half of eumetope and macrocoryphe between carinae black; clypeus, lora [gena] and antennae dark brown. In male, pronotum white, narrowly darkened behind eyes. Scutellum dark brown. Fore wings hyaline, with dark brown veins, only costal and peripheral veins of membrane whitish. Abdomen black. Venter and legs dark brown, with light carinae. In female, pattern on head as in male, but antennae and posterior part of vertex between carinae lightened. The rest of integument light, whitish yellowish, only sides of tergites with dark spots. 1.9-3.1, macropters 4.3. …  In dry and steppe meadows, salt meadows on Leymus chinensis and related grasses. Mid-June to early September. (Figs. 307: 1-12) ………………………………………………………. K. dimidiatifrons Kusn.
1– Shaft of theca without row of denticles on dorsal surface……………………………….. 2

2. Bridge of pygofer in the middle at dorsal margin with a pair of teeth directed laterad. theca comparatively wide, with lateral rows of subequal denticles. Head light brown; carinae lighter, dark brown or black edged; clypeus dark brown, with light median carina; pits of coryphe (pits of vertex) light brown. Pronotum light, darkened behind eyes; scutellum with light disc and brown lateral areas. In brachypters, fore wings yellowish, with dim darkening along claval suture becoming stronger to apex of clavus. Abdomen dark brown or black; in male, margins of tergites and genital segment dorsally lightened; in female, median zone of tergites widely lightened. 2.4-2.9.- Mag., N Khab. – July. (Figs. 308: 11-18). … K. matisi Anufr. et Em., (subsequently made syn of macleani Wilson)
2– Bridge of pygofer in the middle with a pair of teeth directed laterad and equidistant from dorsal and ventral margin. Theca comparatively narrow, with lateral row of denticles of different sizes. Head dark brown or brown, with light carinae and weakly darkened posterior pits of macrocoryphe. Pronotum light, with darkening behind eyes, sometimes disc also darkened. Scutellum brown with lighter carinae or nearly entirely dark brown with lightened margin at apex. In brachypters, fore wings semihyaline, grayish, with indistinct darkening at apex of clavus; in macropters, darkening noticeable between suture of wings and apex of claval vein. Abdomen more or less darkened, but in male, margins of tergites and edging of pygofer light, light spots on midline dorsally also noticeable; females lighter, often without darkening dorsally, except lateral parts of abdominal tergites. 2-2.3, macropters to 4.1. – Mag. – Mongolia. – In salt meadows and apparently in dry not salted meadows with Hordeum sp. Late June to late July. (Figs. 308: 1-10)  …  K. chalchica Em.

Kusnezoviella dimidiatifrons

Kusnezoviella macleani

Kusnezoviella macleani

Kusnezoviella mcleani from Wilson 1988

Kusnezoviella from Spencer Entomological Collection, Beaty Biodiversity Museum

Holotype of Kusnezoviella munda (as Delphacodes)

Holotype of Kusnezoviella munda (as Delphacodes)

Online Resources

Spencer Entomological Collection, Beaty Biodiversity Museum
BOLD.
FLOW.
EOL.

Molecular resources

At this time (8 Sept. 2018 26 Feb. 2020), Genbank has 16S and 28S for Kusnezoviella dimidiatifronsor; Bold has a record for K. macleani, but not data.

Selected references

Anufriev, G. A. and A. F. Emeljanov. 1988. Volume II: Homoptera and Heteroptera. In: P.A. Lehr (ed.). Keys to the Insects of the Far East of the USSR in Six Volumes, Transliteration of the Russian title: Opredelitel’ nasekomykh Dal’nego Vostoka SSSR v shesti tomakh. Vol. 2. Ravnokrylye i poluzhestkokrylye. In: P.A. Lehr (ed.). Keys to the Insects of the Far East of the USSR in Six Volume. Nauka, Leningrad. [English translation]

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. 1948c. Some new species of Delphacodes (continued) (Homoptera-Fulgoridae-Delphacinae). Part V. Journal of the Kansas Entomological Society 21: 111-119.

Dlabola, J. 1970. Ergebnisse der zoologischen Forschungen vom Dr. Z. Kaszab in der Mongolei. 220: Homoptera, Auchenorrhyncha. Acta Zoologica Academiae Scientiarum Hungaricae 16(1-2): 1-25.

Emeljanov, A. F. 1964. New Cicadina from Kazakhstan (Homoptera, Auchenorrhyncha). [New species of insects of the fauna of Kazakhstan.] Trudy Zoologicheskogo Instituta AN SSSR 34: 3-51.

Emeljanov, A. F. 1969. Cicadina (Homoptera, Auchenorrhyncha) of Central Kazachstan. Biokompleksnye issledovaniya v Kazachstane [Biocomplex Investigations in Kazakhstan] 1: 358-381.

Emeljanov, A. F. 1972a. New leaf-hoppers from the Mongolian People’s Republic (Homoptera, Auchenorrhyncha). Nasekomye Mongolii [Insects of Mongolia] 1: 199-260 [In Russian].

Emeljanov, A. F. 1972b. New genera of Cicadina of Delphacidae family (Homoptera, Auchenorrhyncha) from Kazakhstan. Vestnik Zoologii 2: 79-81 [In Russian].

Emeljanov, A. F. 1982. Fulgoroidea (Homoptera) collected in the Mongolian People’s Republic by the entomofaunistical group of the Soviet Mongolian complex biological expedition in 1970-1975. Insects Mongolia 8: 69-122.

Koçak, A. O. and M. Kemal. 2010. A generic replacement name, Kazachicesa nom. n. from Central Asia (Homoptera, Delphacidae). Priamus 12(6): 153.

Kusnezov, V. 1929. Beitrag zur Kenntnis der transbaikalischen Homopteren fauna. Wiener Entomologische Zeitung 46: 157-185.

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

Mitjaev, I. D. 1971. Leafhoppers of Kazakhstan (Homoptera – Cicadinea). Nauka, Alma-Ata [Kazakhstan]. [In Russian]

Nast, J. 1972. Palaearctic Auchenorrhyncha (Homoptera): An annotated checklist. Polish Academy of Sciences, Institute of Zoology. Polish scientific Publishers, Warsaw.

Nast, J. 1987. The Auchenorrhyncha (Homoptera) of Europe. Annales Zoologici Warszawa 40: 535-661.

Vilbaste, J. 1965. [K faune tzikadovich Altaya] [On the Altaic Cicadine fauna (outer Mongolia).] Institute of Zoology and Botany of the Academy of Sciences of the Estonian SSR, Tartu [In Russian with German summary].

Wilson, S. W. 1988. Delphacidae of Alaska (Homoptera: Fulgoroidea). Great Basin Naturalist Memoirs 12: 335-343.

Wilson, S. W. 1992. The Delphacidae of Yukon Territory, Canada (Homoptera: Fulgoroidea). Insecta Mundi 6(2): 79-100.

Wilson, S. W. 1997. Delphacid planthoppers (Homoptera: Fulgoroidea: Delphacidae) of the Yukon. Pp. 377-385. In: H. V. Danks and J. A. Downes (eds.). Biological Survey of Canada (Terrestrial Arthropods), Ottawa, Canada.

Wilson, S. W., C. Mitter, R. F. Denno and M. R. Wilson. 1994. Evolutionary patterns of host plant use by delphacid planthoppers and their relatives. In: R.F. Denno and T.J. Perfect, (eds.). Planthoppers: Their Ecology and Management. Chapman and Hall, New York. Pp. 7-45 & Appendix [host references in appendix].