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Contents
Family Tropiduchidae Stål, 1866
Subfamily Elicinae Melichar, 1915
Tribe Elicini Melichar, 1915
= Gaetuliini Fennah, 1978 (sensu Gnezdilov 2007)
(Note: Historically part of Issidae [e.g., Fennah 1954]; subsequently transferred to Nogodinidae [Fennah 1984], then to Tropiduchidae [Gnezdilov 2007]).
Genus Dictyobia Uhler, 1889
Type species (in original combination):
Dictyobia permutata Uhler, 1889; junior synonym of Hysteropterum semivitreum Provancher, 1889: 218.
Synonyms
none.
Distribution
The genus is mostly endemic to California, but more broadly southwestern USA
Dictyobia distribution from FLOW (as of 21 Dec 2020), not including a spurious record from Quebec.
Recognized species
There are 4 species recognized in the genus (see Metcalf catalog – Metcalf 1958 – Issidae – p. 317):
Dictyobia atra Van Duzee, 1914 – USA: CA
Dictyobia combinata Ball, 1910 – USA: CA
Dictyobia semivitrea (Provancher, 1889) – USA: CA, TX (reported in error: CAN: QC)
= Dicyobia permutata Uhler, 1889; syn. by Doering 1938: 424.
Dictyobia varia Doering, 1939 – USA: CA
Economic Importance
Limited.
Plant associations
- Dictyobia atra – Cirsium occidentale (Nutt.) Jeps. var. venustum (Greene) Jeps. (as Cirsium proteanum J.T. Howell; cobwebby thistle, Asteraceae)
- Dictyobia semivitrea (as permutata) – Trixis californica Kellogg (American threefold, Asteraceae)
Hosts from Wilson et al. (1994); plant names from USDA PLANTS or Tropicos.
Recognition
The genus was revised by Dowering 1939: 84.
Dictyobia can be recognized among the Gaetuliini by the forewings covering the abdomen (vs. Danepteryx or Osbornia), forewing shape; forewing more elongate, costal margin straight or somewhat rounding (without a distinct bulla), with extensive dark patches; vertex not obtusely produced, distance from eye to the apex of the head much less than the width of the eye; posterior tibiae with 2 lateral spines.
Dictyobia varia
Dictyobia semivitrea
Dictyobia sp. (prob. semivitrea)
The key to Dictyobia species from Doering 1939 (note permutata is jr syn of semivitrea)
Dictyobia
Plate 17 from Doering 1939, Dictyobia
Online resources
FLOW.
iNaturalist.
EOL.
GBIF.
GenBank. (genus is absent)
BOLD.
3i (Dmitry Dmitriev).
Univ. of California (D. semivitreum as permutata)
Collecting
Dictyobia is collected by inspecting likely host plants or sweeping.
Molecular resources
As of this writing, data for Dictyobia is not available on Genbank; Dictyobia varia is available on Barcode of life.
Selected references
Ball, E. D. 1910. New genera and species of Issidae (Fulgoridae). Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington 23: 41-45.
Doering, K. C. 1939. A contribution to the taxonomy of the subfamily Issinae in America north of Mexico (Fulgoridae, Homoptera). Part III. University of Kansas Science Bulletin 26: 83 167. (see p. 84)
Fennah, R. G. 1954. The Higher classification of the family Issidae (Homoptera: Fulgoroidea) with descriptions of new species. Transactions of the Royal Entomological Society of London 105(19): 455-474.
Fennah, R. G. 1984. Revisionary notes on the classification of the Nogodinidae (Hemiptera: Fulgoroidea), with descriptions of a new genus and a new species. Entomologist’s Monthly Magazine 120: 81-86.
Gnezdilov, V. M. 2007. On the systematic positions of the Bladinini Kirkaldy, Tonginae Kirkaldy, and Trienopinae Fennah (Homoptera, Fulgoroidea). Zoosystematica Rossica 15: 293-297.
Kirkaldy, G. W. 1907. Leafhoppers supplement (Hemiptera). Bulletin of the Experiment Station of the Hawaiian Sugar Planters’ Association, Entomological Series 3:1-186, plus 20 plates.
Kirkaldy, G. W. 1908. A brief note on three (two new) California fulgoroid Hemiptera. Proceedings of the Hawaiian Entomological Society 2: 22-23.
Melichar, L. 1906. Monographie der Issiden. (Homoptera). Abhandlungen der K. K. Zoologisch-botanischen Gesellschaft in Wien 3: 1-327.
Metcalf, Z. P. 1958. General catalogue of the Homoptera. Fasc. IV. Fulgoroidea, Part 15. Issidae. North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC. 561 pp.
O’Brien, L. B. 1988. Taxonomic changes in North American Issidae (Homoptera: Fulgoroidea). Annals of the Entomological Society of America 81: 865-869.
Provancher, L. 1889. Petite faune entomologique du Canada, précédée d’un traité élémentaire d’entomologie 3: 207-292. (here)
Uhler, P. R. 1889. New genera and species of American Homoptera. Transactions of the Maryland Academy of Sciences 1: 33-44.
Van Duzee, E. P. 1914a. A preliminary list of Hemiptera of San Diego County, California. Transactions of the San Diego Society of Natural History 2: 1-57.
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.
