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Family Delphacidae Leach, 1815

Subfamily Delphacinae Leach, 1815

Tribe Tropidocephalini Muir, 1915

Genus Xalama Bartlett & Kennedy, 2018 (abstract)

Synonymies: Xamala (original misspelling)

Type species (in original combination): Malaxa microstyla Muir, 1930: 211.

Distribution

Neotropical – Bolivia and Peru.

Recognized species

There is 1 species placed in this genus, recently removed from Malaxa by Bartlett & Kennedy 2018.

Xalama microstyla (Muir, 1930: 211) – Bolivia and Peru
= Malaxa microstyla Muir, 1930: 211
= Xalama microstyla (Muir, 1930); new comb. by Bartlett & Kennedy, 2018: 520.

Plant associations

None reported

Names of plants from USDA PLANTS database

Economic Importance

Limited.

Recognition

Key to Genera of New World Tropidocephalini (revised from Bartlett and Kennedy 2018).
1. Body strongly dorsoventrally flattened; frons rather square, median carinae of frons forked ventrally near lower margin of eyes …  Procidelphax Bartlett
– Body not flattened, frons rectangular, median carinae not forked, except dorsally near fastigium in some species … 2

2. Vertex much (ca. 1.5x) longer than broad, rounded anteriorly in dorsal view; median carina of vertex unbranched … Macrocorupha Muir
– Vertex shorter, more truncate anteriorly; median carina of vertex variable … 3

3. Antennae very long, exceeding posterior margin of mesothorax; both segments long (much longer than wide) with segment I nearly ½ length segment II … Lamaxa Bartlett & Kennedy.
– Antennae not as long, not exceeding mesothorax; generally segment I somewhat longer than wide and 1/3 or less length of II … 4

4. Lateral carinae of pronotum reaching hind margin; the Y-carina of vertex not distinct, sometimes forming a rounded areolet at apex of the median carina; anal tube with or without processes (a heterogeneous taxon, often strongly marked on body and wings) Columbisoga Muir
– Lateral carinae of pronotum not attaining hind margin; the Y-carinae of vertex distinct, rounded areolet not present; anal tube without processes … 5

5. Wings clear and unmarked (except fuscous at wing base in C. caresi); head and body uniformly colored; ventral margin of pygofer with broad forked process (also with a pair of lateral projections in the type species C. lloydi); aedeagus caudally directed or somewhat twisted, not strongly curved ventrad … Columbiana Muir
– Wings clear, strongly marked with fuscous; body dark, marked with pale (especially on head); ventral margin of pygofer with broad scoop-like projection (not apically forked) and a pair of lateral teeth; aedeagus strongly downcurved … Xalama Bartlett & Kennedy

(I intend to post a revised description at a later date)

Online resources

[Will have to update these later when they have had opportunity to catch up with nomenclature)

EOL. (link to species)
Plazi
GBIF
FLOW.
BOLD. (link to subfamily)
Discover Life
3I Interactive Keys and Taxonomic Databases (Dmitry Dmitriev, link to tribe)

Molecular resources

There are no data on this genus in Genbank or BOLD.

Selected references

Bartlett, C. R. 2010 (dated 2009). A new genus of new world Tropidocephalini (Hemiptera: Delphacidae: Delphacinae), with the description of two new species. Entomological News 120(4): 387-396. https://doi.org/10.3157/021.120.0407

Bartlett, C. R. and A. C. Kennedy. 2018. A review of New World Malaxa (Hemiptera: Fulgoroidea: Delphacidae). Zootaxa 441(3): 511-528. http://dx.doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.4441.3.5.

Leach, W. E. 1815a. Entomology. The Edinburg encyclopedia; conducted by David Brewster 9: 57-172. (family Delphacidae p. 125).

Metcalf, Z. P. 1943. General Catalogue of the Hemiptera. Fascicle IV, Fulgoroidea, Part 3, Araeopidae (Delphacidae). Smith College, Northhampton, 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. 1930f. On some South American Delphacidae (Homoptera, Fulgoroidea). Entomologisk Tidskrift 51(3-4): 207-215.