Nomenclatural notes in Membracidae (Homoptera): new combination and new synonymies in Amastris Stål, 1862

SCIENTIFIC COMMUNICATION

Nomenclatural notes in Membracidae (Homoptera): new combination and new synonymies in Amastris Stål, 1862¹

Albino Morimasa Sakakibara^I; Antonio José Creão-Duarte^II

^IDepartamento de Zoologia, Universidade Federal do Paraná. Caixa Postal 19020, 81531-980 Curitiba-PR, Brasil. Bolsista do CNPq. E-mail: [e-mail]

^IIDepartamento de Sistemática e Ecologia, Universidade Federal da Paraíba. 58059-900 João Pessoa-PB, Brasil. E-mail: [e-mail]

ABSTRACT

The following nomenclatural changes are made: Amastris convoluta (Fabricius, 1781) comb. nov. (formerly Darnis; Hebetica); Amastris maculata Funkhouser, 1922 = Amastris fasciata Broomfield, 1976 syn. nov. = Amastris pseudomaculata Broomfield, 1976 syn. nov. = Amastris inermis Broomfield, 1976 syn. nov. = Amastris sakakibarai Broomfield, 1976 syn. nov.; Amastris elevata Funkhouser, 1922 = Amastris vismiae Haviland, 1925 syn. nov. = Amastris flavifolia Funkhouser, 1927 syn. nov.

Keywords: Homoptera; Membracidae; Amastris; nomenclatural changes.

After examining photographs (color slides) of the type specimens of Darnis convoluta Fabricius, 1781 (syntype), Amastris maculata Funkhouser, 1922 (holotype), Amastris elevata Funkhouser, 1922 (holotype), Amastris vismiae Haviland, 1925 (holotype), and also the holotype of Amastris sakakibarai Broomfield, 1976, the following nomenclatural changes are introduced:

Amastris convoluta (Fabricius, 1781) comb. nov.

(Fig. 1)

Darnis convoluta Fabricius, 1781:318 (type loc.: Brazil) (UZMC).

Darnis (Hebetica) convoluta; Stål, 1869:32.

Hebetica convoluta; Funkhouser, 1927:130; Metcalf & Wade, 1965:589.

Comments. The photograph of the syntype (Fig. 1) shows that the specimen is somewhat damaged, missing abdomen, part of thorax, legs, and wings; only the head and pronotum are practically entire. The basal half of the remaining right tegmen allows to see the veins R and M fused almost to middle forming a relatively large basal cell and also an external discoidal cell. These characters, together with compresso-elevated pronotum with distinct dorsal carina, permit to include the species in Amastris.

STÅL (1869), when described Darnis (Hebetica), he included in this subgenus, Darnis convoluta Fabricius and Darnis limacodes Burmeister, 1836, two very different species. Subsequent authors considered Hebetica as a genus, maintaining H. convoluta among the species (FUNKHOUSER 1927; METCALF & WADE 1965).

Amastris maculata Funkhouser, 1922

(Fig. 2)

Amastris maculata Funkhouser, 1922:31 (type loc.: Brazil, Amazonas) (USNM); Broomfield, 1976:406.

Amastris fasciata Broomfield, 1976:375 (type loc.: Guyana) (BMNH). Syn. nov.

Amastris pseudomaculata Broomfield, 1976:399 (type loc.: Panama) (BMNH). Syn. nov.

Amastris inermis Broomfield, 1976:407 (type loc.: Brazil, Mato Grosso) (BMNH). Syn. nov.

Amastris sakakibarai Broomfield, 1976:408 (type loc.: Brazil, Minas Gerais) (DZUP). Syn. nov.

Comments. A. maculata is distinguished from other species by having the pronotum, in side view, slightly sinuated above metopidium and then regularly arched to the apex. The metopidium is frequently tinted with black forming a more or less triangular spot; the dorsal carina also blackish or black dotted. Sometimes a weak black stripe is found, vertically, at each side just behind the humeral angles. The tegmina present, at their apices, a distinct smoky brown patch. All these characters are somewhat variable within the species.

Amastris elevata Funkhouser, 1922

(Fig. 3)

Amastris elevata Funkhouser, 1922:27 (type-loc.: Peru, Napo River) (USNM); Broomfield, 1976:410.

Amastris vismiae Haviland, 1925:252 (type-loc.: Guyana, Kartabo) (BMNH); Broomfield, 1976:371. Syn. nov.

Amastris flavifolia Funkhouser, 1927:302 (type-loc.: Surinam) (RNHL); Broomfield, 1976:370. Syn. nov.

Comments. A. vismiae and A. flavifolia are considered synonyms of A. elevata. Comparing the type specimens, A. elevata is bigger than two others; this difference in size, however, was considered as a mere variation. No important character was found at all to maintain them as distinct species.

Abbreviations: BMNH –The Natural History Museum, London. DZUP –Departamento de Zoologia-UFPR, Curitiba-PR, Brazil. MZSP –Museu de Zoologia-USP, São Paulo-SP, Brazil. RNHL – Rijksmuseum van Natuurlijke Historie, Leiden. USNM –National Museum of Natural History, Washington. UZMC –Universitetets Zoologiske Museum, Copenhagen.

Acknowledgments. To Dr. Pe. J. S. Moure, for the photographs of membracid types he had taken in Museums of Europe and United States of America, our profound gratitude.

Recebido em 08.X.2001; aceito em 25.I.2002

• BROOMFIELD, P. S. 1976. A revision of the genus Amastris (Homoptera: Membracidae). Bulletin of the British Museum (Natural History) Entomology 33 (4):349-460.
• FABRICIUS, J. C. 1781. Ryngota. Species insectorum exhibentes eorum differentias specificas, synonyma auctorum, loca natalia, metamorphosin adiectis observationibus, descriptionibus 2:313-331.
• FUNKHOUSER, W. D. 1922. New records and species of South American Membracidae. Journal of the New York Entomological Society 30:1-35.
• FUNKHUSER, W. D. 1927. Membracidae. General Catalogue of the Hemiptera. Fasc. 1 Smith College, Northampton, Massachusetts. 581 p.
• HAVILAND, M. D. 1925. The Membracidae of Kartabo Bartica District, British Guiana. With descriptions of new species and bionomical notes. Zoologica 6 (3):229-290.
• METCALF, Z. P. & V. WADE. 1965. General Catalogue of the Homoptera. A supplement to fascicle I - Membracidae of the General Catalogue of the Hemiptera. Membracoidea. Sec. II. North Carolina State University at Raleigh. p.745-1552.
• STÅL, C. 1869. Hemiptera Fabriciana. Öfversigt af Kongl. Vetenskaps-Akademiens Förhandlingar 8:18-58.

1

. Contribuição no 1309 do Departamento de Zoologia, Universidade Federal do Paraná.

Publication Dates

• Publication in this collection
  18 Sept 2008
• Date of issue
  2002

History

• Accepted
  25 Jan 2002
• Received
  08 May 2001