Tribe Platysystatini Emeljanov 1995

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Family Delphacidae Leach, 1815

Subfamily Asiracinae Motschulsky 1863: 108.

Tribe Platysystatini Emeljanov 1995: 782.

A detailed look at the features of the subfamily Asiracinae is here.

Composition: The tribe currently consists of 4 genera, 5 species (as noted below).

Equasystatus Asche, 1983 (Type species Punana breviceps Muir, 1926; monotypic, Ecuador)
Pentasteira Barringer and Bartlett, 2011 (Type species Pentasteira albifrons Barringer & Bartlett, 2011; monotypic, Ecuador)
Pichinchana Asche and Webb, 2013 (Type species Pichinchana gilletti Asche and Webb, 2013; monotypic, Ecuador)
Platysystatus Muir, 1930 (Type species Platysystatus brunneus Muir, 1930; 2 species, Brazil)

Distribution: Sparsely distributed in the Neotropics; all members are very rare in collections.  I am aware of several apparently undescribed species (or genera), one of which is shown below.

Recognition and features.

Features of the tribe Platysystatini were described by Emeljanov (1996) as:

“Tribe characterized by having short and wide head with or without simple median carina, absence of morphologically defined areolet  [i.e, areolet obsolete], presence of 5 carinae on the mesonotum with undulating intermediate ones, straight rows of teeth at tip of second segment of hindtarsi, notch on posterior margin of hindwings opposite the tip of CuP, as in Neopunana Asche.” (p. 139).

The features of Platysystatini were more fully elaborated recently by Asche and Webb (2013: 164) as follows [notes in square brackets]:

Small sized but robust Asiracinae with slightly depressed appearance. Vertex very short, anterior compartment obsolete or missing. Frons very broad, usually as wide as high or even wider, median frontal carina simple, deeply forked, or absent; frontal area more or less plain or moderately convex, surface chagrinated [fish scale effect] or finely peltate. Postclypeus short, vaulted. At least second antennal joints (pedicels) distally widened, in Platysystatus terete, in the other genera mostly compressed. Rostrum attaining hind coxae. Pronotum about as wide as head including compound eyes or slightly wider, carinae usually ridged, median carina reaching posterior margin, lateral carinae diverging parallel to compound eyes, not reaching posterior margin. Mesonotum pentecarinate, median carina obsolete towards scutellum, lateral carinae more or less straight, diverging and reaching posterior margin, sublateral carinae undulate or at least convexly arched, usually reaching posterior margin. Legs with post-tibia laterally armed with 3–5 spines, post-basitarsus distally with a uniform row of 5 spines, second post-tarsus distally with a row of 4 spines (in Pichinchana gilletti sp. n. grouped 1-2-1); post-tibial spur relatively short, not exceeding half the length of post-basitarsus. Tegmina coarse, leathery, veins usually beset with numerous bristles originating from callous bases (in Pichinchana gen. n. only in distal part), distally of nodal line inflected medially; hind wings with a distinct marginal notch at insertion of CuP (in Pichinchana gilletti sp. n. hind wing absent). Male genitalia: genital segment (pygofer) in lateral view subtriangular, in caudal view high subovate, ventrocaudal margin excavate, usually furnished with1–3 projections; parameres slender, distally converging, pincer-shaped; aedeagus with elongate shaft and a flagellum shorter than the shaft, shaft and flagellum with a variable number of rigid and movable spinose processes; anal segment stout, ventrocaudal margin usually concave. Female genitalia with ovipositor strongly curved dorsocaudally, slightly surpassing tip of the anal style.

This tribe is probably closely related to the Tetrasteirini. Members are quite small (less than 4 mm) and very rare in collections (the three described species are recorded from a single specimen each, although I have seen additional specimens of Platysystatus and several undescribed genera in this tribe.

A key to the described genera of Platysystatini is as follows (modified from Asche & Webb, 2013)

1 Frons with simple median carina or median carina vestigial; distinct setae on veins over the entire tegmina … 2
1′. Frons with median carina narrowly forked from near its base; distinct setae on tegmina only at margin distally of nodal line … Pichinchana Asche & Webb.

2 Second antennal joint (pedicel) flattened, compressed… 3
2′. Second antennal joint terete … Platysystatus Muir

3 Sublateral (intermediate) carinae of mesonotum undulate … Equasystatus Asche
3′. Sublateral (intermediate) carinae of mesonotum convexly arched …  Pentasteira Barringer & Bartlett

Here is Equasystatus breviceps (holotype) from Ecuador.

Pentasteira albifrons Barringer & Bartlett, 2011

Undescribed Platysystatini (female) from Peru.

Platysystatus brunneus (holotype)

Another specimens of Platysystatus

Holotype of Pichinchana gilletti (These images courtesy of Manfred Asche and Hannelore Hoch, Museum für Naturkunde, Leibniz-Institut für Evolutions- und Biodiversitätsforschung an der Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, published in from Deutsche Entomologische Zeitschrift 60(2))

 

New World species

Equasystatus Asche, 1983
Equasystatus breviceps (Muir, 1926) – Ecuador
= Punana breviceps Muir, 1926; comb. by Asche, 1983

Pentasteira Barringer & Bartlett, 2011
Pentasteira albifrons Baringer & Bartlett, 2011 – Ecuador

Pichinchana Asche and Webb, 2013
Pichinchana gilletti Asche and Webb, 2013 – Ecuador

Platysystatus Muir, 1930
Platysystatus brunneus Muir, 1930 – Brazil
Platysystatus itapetingus Asche, 1983 – Brazil

Selected References

Asche, M. 1983. Zur Kenntnis der Gattung Platysystatus Muir, 1930 (Homoptera Auchenorrhyncha Fulgoromorpha Delphacidae). Marburger Entomologische Publikationen 1(8): 107-126.

Asche, M. and M. D. Webb. 2013. A remarkable new asiracine delphacid planthopper from Ecuador (Hemiptera, Fulgoroidea, Delphacidae). Deutsche Entomologische Zeitschrift 60(2): 163-169.

Barringer, L. E. and C. R. Bartlett. 2011. A review of New World Asiracinae (Hemiptera: Auchenorrhyncha: Delphacidae) with five new taxa. Cicadina 12: 7-39.

Emeljanov, A. F. 1995. On the question of the classification and phylogeny of the Delphacidae (Homoptera, Cicadina), with reference to larval characters. Entomologicheskoe Obozrenie 74(4): 780-794 [in Russian, English translation in Entomological Review (1996) 75(9):134-150].

Muir, F.A.G. 1926. 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 51(3-4): 207-215