[Back to Higher classification of Delphacidae]

Family Delphacidae Leach, 1815

Subfamily Delphacinae Leach, 1815

Tribe Delphacini Leach, 1815

Genus Phrictopyga Caldwell, 1951 (In Caldwell and Martorell 1951)

Type species: Kelisia contorta Muir, 1926

Distribution

Widespreadin the Neotropics.

Recognized species

11 currently recognized species as follows (still working on synonymy list):

Phrictopyga contorta (Muir, 1926) – Jamaica, Brazil, Puerto Rico
= Kelisia contorta Muir 1926: 24, original combination
= Phrictopyga contorta (Muir 1926); comb. by Caldwell and Martorell 1951: 171
= Sogata parvula Osborn 1926 in part (Caldwell and Martorell 1951: 171; “Puerto Rican records, not Cuban record”)

Phrictopyga curvistilus (Muir, 1926) – Brazil
= Kelisia curvistilus Muir 1926: 23, original combination
= Phrictopyga curvistilus (Muir 1926); comb. by Caldwell and Martorell 1951: 171

Phrictopyga escadensis (Muir, 1926) – Brazil
= Kelisia escadensis Muir 1926: 21, original combination
= Phrictopyga escadensis (Muir 1926); comb. by Caldwell and Martorell 1951: 171

Phrictopyga fuscovittata (Muir, 1926) – Brazil
= Kelisia fuscovittata Muir 1926: 22, original combination
= Phrictopyga fuscovittata (Muir 1926); comb. by Caldwell and Martorell 1951: 171

Phrictopyga graminicola (Muir, 1926) – Brazil

= Kelisia graminicola Muir 1926: 22, original combination
= Phrictopyga graminicola (Muir 1926); comb. by Caldwell and Martorell 1951: 171

Phrictopyga holmgreni (Muir, 1930) – Bolivia, Argentina (Corrientes, Misiones)
= Kelisia holmgreni Muir, 1930: 213
= Phrictopyga holmgreni (Muir, 1930); comb. apparently by Remes Lenicov et al. (2009)

Phrictopyga nugax Fennah, 1959: 257 – Trinidad (St. Augustine)

Phrictopyga occidentalis (Muir, 1926) – USA: Texas; Ecuador, Mexico, Puerto Rico
= Kelisia occidentalis Muir, 1926: 22-23, original combination.
= Phrictopyga occidentalis (Muir, 1926); comb. by Caldwell & Martorell 1951: 171-172.
= Sogata aurantii Osborn, 1935: 244 (nec Crawford, 1914); syn. by Caldwell & Martorell 1951: 171-172.
= Stenocranus hinei Dozier, 1922; syn (with Sogata aurantii) by Muir, 1926

Phrictopyga semele Fennah, 1959: 256 – Trinidad (St. Augustine)

Phrictopyga urbana (Muir, 1926) – Brazil
= Kelisia urbana Muir 1926: 23, original combination
= Phrictopyga urbana (Muir 1926); comb. by Caldwell and Martorell 1951: 171

Phrictopyga vittata (Muir, 1926) – Brazil
= Kelisia vittata Muir, 1926, Original combination
= Phrictopyga vittata (Muir, 1926); comb. by Bartlett 2016: 189.

There are also a number of undescribed species.

Economic Importance

Limited. Members of this genus are commonly observed at lights.

Plant associations

Phrictopyga semele, Phrictopyga nugax  – Axonopus compressus (Sw.) P. Beauv. (Poaceae; Fennah 1959)

Phrictopyga holmgreni was reported from grasses by Remes Lenicov et al. 2009.

Parasite

Gonatopus concinnus Olmi and Virla, 2009 (Hymenoptera, Dryinidae) on Phrictopyga holmgreni   according to Remes Lenicov et al. (2009: 180).

Recognition

Members of this genus are pale, very slightly flattened and usually with a pale stripe on the thorax.  The wings often have some coloring apically at the tips of the peripheral veins. They resemble Pygosopina in many respects, but the genitalia are have a pair of closely approximated processes midventrally on the pygofer opening.

Description og genus from Caldwell & Martorell 1951: 170-171:

Elongate slightly flattened forms. Vertex, pro- and mesonotum relatively flat, broad, in same horizontal plane. Head from above short, broad apical carinae slightly obscure. Frons little less than twice as long as broad. Segment II of antenna almost two and a half times as long as I, both relatively short. Lateral carinae of pronotum reaching posterior margin. Forewing elongate, slender, rather narrow apically. Calcar elongate-triangular concave beneath, toothed posteriorly.
Male anal segment without conspicuous armature; apex usually notched or minutely bifid. Pygofer variously modified but always with a greatly developed medioventral process which is notched apically and usually through which the aedeagus slides. Diaphragm near base of styles developed into small projection on either side. Styles elongate. Aedeagus usually compressed laterally.
…
Genotype: Kelisia contorta Muir (1926).

Phrictopyga contorta

 

Phrictopyga occidentalis

Phrictopyga curvistilus (Muir, 1926) (Figs. 60 & 61 from Muir 1926)

Phrictopyga urbana (Muir, 1926) (Figs. 62 & 63 from Muir 1926)

Phrictopyga nugax Fennah, 1959 (from Fennah, 1959).

Phrictopyga semele Fennah 1959 (from Fennah 1959)

Collecting

Species in this genus are commonly encountered at lights,

Online resources

Phrictopyga on …

Bugguide.
EOL.
FLOW.
Discover Life
American Insects.
Kunzweb gallery. (link to Delphacidae)
BOLD. (genus not present, link to subfamily)
3I Interactive Keys and Taxonomic Databases.
GBIF.

Web Images

Aside from the above sites, none so far that I have found.

Molecular resources

At this time (7 Nov. 2018), Bold does not have any molecular data for this genus.  GenBank has data from Urban et al. (2010) used in their analyses [but I think is was misidentifed].

Selected 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. 2016 [2015]. No Kelisia Fieber (Hemiptera: Fulgoroidea: Delphacidae) in South America: new taxonomic placement of Phrictopyga vittata (Muir) comb. nov. from Brazil. Entomological News 125(4): 189-192.

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.

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.]

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.

Fennah, R. G. 1959. Delphacidae from the Lesser Antilles (Homoptera: Fulgoroidea). Bulletin of the British Museum (Natural History) Entomology 8: 245-265. (see page 255.)

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. 1926b. Contributions to our knowledge of South American Fulgoroidea (Homoptera). Part I. The Family Delphacidae. Experiment Station of the Hawaiian Sugar Planters’ Association, Entomological Series, Bulletin 18:1-51, plates 1-5.

Muir, F.A.G. 1930. On some South American Delphacidae (Homoptera, Fulgoroidea). Entomologisk Tidskrift utgifven af Entomologiska Föreningen i Stockholm. Stockholm 51: 207-215 [213].

Osborn, H. 1926. Faunistic and ecological notes on Cuban Homoptera. Annals of the Entomological Society of America. 19: 335-366.

Osborn, H. 1935a. Insects of Porto Rico and the Virgin Islands. Homoptera (exclusive of Sternorhynchi). Scientific Survey of Porto Rico and the Virgin Islands 14(2):111-260.

de Remes-Lenivov, A.M.M., M. Olmi and E. G. Virla. 2009. Phrictopyga holmgreni (Muir): New Record for Argentina and Description of a New Parasitoid, Gonatopus concinnus (Herniptera: Delphacidae and Hymenoptera: Dryinidae). Journal of the Kansas Entomological Society 82(2): 174-182.

Wilson, S. W. 1981. The first record of Phrictopyga occidentalis in the United States (Homoptera: Fulgoroidea: Delphacidae). Great Lakes Entomologist 14(3): 131.