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Species Platybrachys signata Distant, 1893


Compiler and date details

23 November 2010 - Murray J. Fletcher

  • Platybrachys signata Distant, W.L. 1893. Contributions to a knowledge of the homopterous family Fulgoridae. Transactions of the Royal Entomological Society of London 1892: 275-286 [281].
    Type data:
     Syntype(s) BMNH sex, quantity unknown, Peak Downs, Queensland.

 

Introduction

Establishing the identity of this species requires an examination of Distant's type material in BMNH. Distant (1893) also recognised two colour variants which he termed "var. a" and "var. b", also from the type locality of P. signata.

 

Taxonomic Decision for Subspecies Arrangement

  • Distant, W.L. 1893. Contributions to a knowledge of the homopterous family Fulgoridae. Transactions of the Royal Entomological Society of London 1892: 275-286 [281]

 

Distribution

IBRA and IMCRA regions (map not available)

IBRA

NT, Qld: Brigalow Belt North (BBN), Darwin Coastal (DAC), Pine Creek (PCK), South Eastern Queensland (SEQ)

Australian Region

  • Australia
    • Northern Territory: N coastal
    • Queensland: NE coastal

Ecological Descriptors

All stages: phloem feeder.

 

Diagnosis

Head, thorax and legs fuscous, speckled with testaceous; abdomen sanguineous; coxae, base of anterior and intermediate tibiae, and the posterior legs, pale sanguineous. Tegmina brownish, speckled and irregularly spotted with fuscous; a series of small greyish spots on costal margin, of which one is very large at about two-thirds from base, a transverse greyish fascia a little before apex, after which the colour is dark fuscous, containing either one or a few very small greyish spots. In some specimens there is a distinct and somewhat large fuscous spot at about centre of clavus. Wings blackish, the basal area ochraceous, and with two large greyish marginal spots, one at apex and the other at about centre of posterior margin.
Var a.- Tegmina with a transvers fuscous fascia near base.
Var b.- As Var a. but the wings are without the apical grey spot.
Long. excl. tegm. 7 millim. Exp. tegm., 20 millim.
(Distant 1893)

 

Diagnosis References

Distant, W.L. 1893. Contributions to a knowledge of the homopterous family Fulgoridae. Transactions of the Royal Entomological Society of London 1892: 275-286 [281–282]