Genus Herpis Stål, 1862

[back to Classification of the Derbidae]
[back to North American Derbidae]

Family Derbidae Spinola 1839

Subfamily Derbinae Spinola 1839

Tribe Cenchreini Muir, 1917

Genus Herpis Stål, 1862

Type species: Herpis fuscovittata Stål, 1862, by Muir 1924: 16 (see also McAtee 1924: 175)

Synonyms

Syntames Fowler, 1905 (Type species Syntames delicatus Fowler 1905, by monotypy); Subsumed under Herpis by Muir 1924: 16; Caldwell 1944: 99; O’Brien 1987:383 (Syntames delicatus treated within Herpis); Synonymy of Herpis and Syntames refuted Metcalf 1938: 324; 1945a: 101; 1945b: 125 (both genera treated as valid, comments in Metcalf 1938); Bahder et al. 2021 provided support for the synonymy of Syntames under Herpis.

Subgenera

None

Distribution

Neotropics and Indomalayan region

Recognized species

Two species occur in the southwestern US, the remaining species are Neotropical. [Genus Metcalf 1945- Herpis p. 117, Syntames p. 101].

Neotropical species

Herpis albida (Metcalf, 1938) – Panama
= Syntames albidus Metcalf, 1938: 330.
= Herpis albida (Metcalf), comb. by implication Caldwell 1944: 99.
Herpis chiriquensis (Fowler, 1905) – Guyana, Panama
= Syntames delicatus chiriquensis Fowler, 1905: 139
= Syntames chiriquensis Fowler, 1905, new status by Muir, 1918: 233.
= Syntames nigrolineatus Muir 1918: 419; syn by Muir 1918: 233.
= Herpis chiriquensis (Fowler), comb. by implication Caldwell 1944: 99.
Herpis delicata (Fowler, 1905)
= Syntames delicatus Fowler, 1905: 139.
= Herpis delicata (Fowler), comb. by implication Caldwell 1944: 99 (explicit in O’Brien 1987).
Herpis fimbriolata Stål, 1862: 8 – Brazil (Rio de Janeiro)
Herpis fusca (Metcalf, 1938: 329) – Panama *Moved to Oropuna by Bahder et al 2021*.
= Syntames fuscus Metcalf, 1938: 239.
= Herpis fusca (Metcalf), comb. by implication Caldwell 1944: 99.
Herpis fuscovittata Stål, 1862: 8 – Brazil (Rio de Janeiro)
Herpis metcalfi O’Brien, 1987 – Panama
Herpis serrata (Metcalf, 1945) – Guyana
= Syntames serratus Metcalf 1945: 129.
= Herpis serrata (Metcalf), comb. by implication Caldwell 1944: 99.
Herpis soros Bahder & Bartlett, 2021 – Costa Rica
Herpis sufflava (Muir, 1918)
= Syntames sufflavus Muir, 1918: 420 – Guyana
=Herpis sufflava comb. by implication Caldwell 1944: 99.
Herpis vittata (Fabricius, 1803) – South America, West indies
= Flata vittata Fabricius, 1803: 52.
= Poeciloptera [sic] vittata (Fabricius), comb. by Germar, 1833: 176
= Herpis vittata (Fabricius), comb. by Stal, 1869: 99.

Indomalayan species

Herpis borneensis (Muir, 1913) – Indonesia – Borneo, Sumatra
= Cedusa borneensis Muir, 1913: 36
= Herpis borneensis (Muir, 1913); comb. by Muir. 1923: 174
Herpis flavescens Muir, 1917: 59  – Philippines (Luzon)
Herpis pallidinervis Muir, 1917: 60 – Philippines (Minandao)
Herpis philippina Muir, 1917: 59 – Philippines (Luzon)
Herpis turae Muir, 1922: 335 – Assam

Species removed from the genus (may not be complete)

Herpis aburiensis Muir, 1918 – To Cedusa by Muir 1926 (Gold Coast, Sierra Leonne)
Herpis australis Metcalf 1923 – Syn of Cedusa praecox by McAtee 1924: 181. (SW US)
Herpis brunnea Muir, 1914 – To Cedusa brunnea by Metcalf 1945a: 128. (Formosa)
Herpis edentula (Van Duzee, 1912) to Cedusa edentula by McAtee 1924: 181. (Eastern US)
Herpis incisa Metcalf, 1923 to Cedusa incisa by McAtee 1924. (Eastern US)
Herpis lugubrina Stal, 1862 to Cedusa lugubrina of Muir 1924: 16 (Brazil, Rio de Janeiro)
Herpis maculata (Van Duzee, 1912) to Cedusa maculata by McAtee 1924: 181. (Eastern US)
Herpis obscura (Ball, 1902) to Cedusa obscura by McAtee 1924: 182. (Eastern US)
Herpis orba Stål, 1862 to Phaciocephalus by Muir 1924: 16. (Brazil, Rio de Janeiro)
Herpis pallidovenosa Stål, 1862 to Phaciocephalus by Muir 1924: 16.  (Brazil, Rio de Janeiro)
Herpis vulgaris (Fitch, 1851) to Cedusa vulgaris by McAtee 1924: 183. (Eastern US)

Economic Importance

Limited.

Plant associations

None reported in Wilson et al. 1994.

Syntames chiriquensis – on “Purra” (here)

Herpis sp. from Brazil reported from coconut (Dollet et al. 2020).

Plant names from USDA PLANTS or Tropicos.

Recognition

A provisional key to the genera of Cenchreini is here. Most New World species in Herpis are included with Metcalf’s key (1938: 328) to the genus of Syntames.

All Cenchreini have the pronotum behind the antenna modified into a foliaceous semi-circle, subtending the antenna.

Most easily mistaken for Oropuna.

Herpis is robust (O’Brien 1987 reported size of Herpis metcalfi as males, 6.5-7 mm; females, 6.8-7.5 mm), for a derbid, with the wings held tectiform and weakly exceeding the abdomen.   Herpis has a broad vertex, sides modestly converging anteriorly (described as ‘nearly parallel-sided’, but I think that is an overstatement), the frons broad, parallel-sided, and not convex, bearing a median carina.  All other New World Cenchreini have the frons convex with the median carina obsolete. According to Metcalf (1945) (paraphrased): Forewings broad, with subcostal cell long and distinct discal cell from which 5-6 branches of MP arise; CuA bifurcate before the level of Pcu+A1 union.

Online resources

FLOW.
GBIF.
BOLD.
GenBank.
iNaturalist.
Flickr. (genus not present)
EOL.

Collecting

Attracted to lights?

Molecular resources

As of this writing (10 Jan 2022), there is a “Herpis sp.” at BOLD, which is also on Genbank along with 18S for Herpis metcalfi. Some additional data (from Bahder et al. 2021) should soon be public.

Selected references

Bahder B. W., Zumbado Echavarria M. A., Barrantes Barrantes E. A., Helmick E. E. & Bartlett C. R. 2021. A new species of planthopper in genus Herpis (Hemiptera: Derbidae) from lowland tropical rainforest in Costa Rica. Zootaxa 5032(1): 121-135.

Caldwell, J. S. 1944. The tribe Cenchreini with special references to the Cenchrea complex (Homoptera: Derbidae). Bulletin of the Brooklyn Entomological Society 39: 99-110.

Dollet, M., E.G. Fidelis, E. Dos Passos, F. Da Silva, H.P. Aberlenc, D.A. Schurt, B. Bahder, L.C. Diniz, and C.R. Bartlett. 2020. Derbid planthoppers (Hemiptera: Fulgoroidea: Derbidae) associated with coconut and oil palm in Brazil. Neotropical Entomology 49: 722–738. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13744-020-00788-5.

Emeljanov, A. F. 1995. On the problem of a system and a phylogeny of the family Derbidae (Homoptera, Cicadina). Entomologicheskoe Obozrenie 73(4): 783-811 & 946-947. [Russian] [English Transaltion: Emeljanov.1996. Entomological Review 75(2): 70-100]

Fabricius, J. C. 1803a. Rhyngota. In: Systema rhyngotorum: secundum ordines, genera, species: adiectis synonymis, locis, observationibus, descriptionibus. C. Reichard. Brunsvigae. Pp. 1-101.

Fennah, R. G. 1945. New Lanternflies (Fulgoroidea) From South America. Proceedings of the United States National Museum 96(3189): 95-106.

Fennah, R. G. 1952. On the generic classification of Derbidae (Fulgoroidea), with descriptions of new Neotropical species. Transactions of the Royal Entomological Society of London 103(4): 109-170.

Fowler W. W. 1905. Order Rhynchota. Suborder Hemiptera-Homoptera. (Continued). Biologia Centrali-Americana 1: 125-139.

Germar E. F. 1833. Conspectus generum Cicadariarum, Revue entomologique, publiée par Gustave Silbermann. Strassburg et Paris 1: 174-184.

McAtee, W. L. 1924. Notes on Cenchrea Westwood and Cedusa Fowler in America (Homoptera: Fulgoroidea). Annals of the Entomological Society of America 17: 175-187.

Metcalf, Z. P. 1938. The Fulgorina of Barro Colorado and other parts of Panama. Bulletin of the Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard Collections. 82: 277-423. (see Syntames p. 327, also comments on tribe p. 324)

Metcalf, Z. P. 1945. Fulgoroidea (Homoptera) of Kartabo, Bartica District, British Guiana. Zoologica [Scientific contributions of the New York Zoological Society] 30(3): 125-143.

Metcalf, Z. P. 1945. General Catalogue of the Hemiptera. Fascicle IV, Fulgoroidea, Part 4, Derbidae. Smith College, Northhampton, Massachusetts. (Herpis p. 117, Syntames p. 101)

Muir, F. A. G. 1913c. On some new species of leafhoppers. Part II. Derbidae. Bulletin. Hawaiian Sugar Planters’ Association Experiment Station. Division of Entomology 12: 28-92.

Muir, F. A. G. 1917a. The Derbidae of the Philippine Islands. Philippine Journal of Science 12: 49-105.

Muir, F. A. G. 1918. Homopterous notes II. Proceedings of the Hawaiian Entomological Society. Honolulu 3: 414-429.

Muir, F.A.G. 1922i. On some Indian Derbidae (Homoptera). Records of the Indian Museum 24: 335-342.

Muir, F.A.G. 1923c. Two collections of Fulgoroidea from Sumatra. Philippine Journal of Science 22: 171-177, 1 plate.

Muir, F.A.G. 1924a. Notes on some genera of Derbidae (Hemip.). Proceedings of the Entomological Society of Washington 26: 15-19.

Muir, F. A. G. 1926f. Notes on some African Derbidae (Homoptera). Annals and Magazine of Natural History (9) 18:227-240. https://doi.org/10.1080/00222932608633505

O’Brien, L. B. 1987. Corrections and additions to Metcalf’s ‘The Fulgorina of Barro Colorado and other parts of Panama’ (Homoptera: Fulgoroidea). Annals of the Entomological Society of America 80(3): 379-390.

Stål, C. 1862c. Bidrag till Rio de Janeiro-tratkens Hemipterfauna. II. Handlingar. Kongliga Svenska Vetenskaps Akademien. Stockholm 3(6): 1-75.

Stål, C. 1869a. Hemiptera Fabriciana. Fabricianska Hemipterarter, efter de Köpenhamn och Kiel förvarade typexemplaren granskade och beskrifne. 2. Handlingar. Kongliga Svenska Vetenskaps Akademien 8(1): 1-130.

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.