British Insects: the Families of Hemiptera
| British Insects: the Families of Hemiptera | |
Araeopidae.
Plant Hoppers.
Salient features of adults. Terrestrial.
Phytophagous (sap-suckers, most on gasses or sedges, and seemingly none on woody plants). Tiny to small; 1.5–6 mm long; fliers; conspicuous jumpers; relatively stout bodied. Rostrum not separated from the prosternum by a gula. Antennae from the lower part of the head (inserted near the lower margin of the eye, which is usually hollowed to accommodate it); longer than the head, readily visible from above; 3 segmented; consisting of short segments with a terminal, unsegmented arista that is much longer than the segments. Tegulae present. Fore-wings well developed, or conspicuous, but much shorter than the abdomen; in the resting insect sloping roof-like over the abdomen; more or less uniform in texture; with opaque cells; without costal fracture and cuneus; with a clavus; without conspicuously raised, reticulate venation. Clavus with two veins uniting posteriorly to form a Y. Hind coxae immobile. The posterior tibiae with a large, moveable apical spur. Tarsi 3 segmented.
Taxonomy. Suborder Homoptera. Auchenorrhyncha. Fulgoroidea.
British representation. Genera 30; about 70 species.
Comments. Some Delphacidae transmit virus diseases of cereals.
Illustrations: • Delphax pulchellus (Curtis): Pretty Asiraca, B. Ent. 445). • Delphax pulchellus (dissections: B. Ent. 445). • Delphax pulchellus (legend+text: B. Ent. 445). • Delphax pulchellus (text: B. Ent. 445, cont.).
The interactive key offers full and partial descriptions, diagnostic descriptions, differences and similarities between taxa, lists of taxa exhibiting or lacking specified attributes, and distributions of character states within any set of taxa.
Cite this publication as: ‘Watson, L., and Dallwitz, M.J. 2003 onwards. British insects: the families of Hemiptera. Version: 9th April 2007. http://delta-intkey.com’.
