A. F. Emeljanov

Improved tribal delimitation of the subfamily Dictyopharinae and description of new genera and new species (Homoptera, Fulgoroidea, Dictyopharidae)

Ten new genera, five new subgenera, and five new species are described in the family Dictyopharidae. Three generic names are synonymized. A new name is proposed for the generic homonym. Dictyophara kazeruna Dlabola is transferred to the genus Callodictya Melichar. The genus Sinodictya Matsumura, with the type species Sinodictya tukana Matsumura, is redescribed. A new key to the tribes of the subfamily Dictyopharinae is given. The composition and characters of the tribes Taosini and Lappidini are revised. All the genera of the subfamily Dictyopharinae are listed according to their tribal position. New records are given for some interesting species.

The evolutionary role and fate of the primary ovipositor in insects

The development of a piercing-sawing ovipositor for introducing eggs into living plant tissues has made its owners independent of the soil characteristics and increased egg protection. This was the most important prerequisite for the appearance of wings and flight which provided the winged insects with tremendous opportunities for finding new niches and led to unparalleled adaptive radiation. The ovipositor has passed several stages of improvement and differentiation. The four principal types of the primary ovipositor are considered: those of Odonata, Diaphanopteroidea (only extinct forms), Cicadina (including Paraneoptera and Hymenoptera), and Orthoptera. A new hypothesis of the gonangulum homologies is put forward, interpreting it as half of sternite IX lateral of the midline plus the paratergite of the same segment. The constructions of the valvae and different homologies of the third valvae in Polyneoptera and Eumetabola are discussed. The primary ovipositor has been repeatedly (i.e., in many lineages) reduced in the evolution of Pterygota. The main circumstances of these reductions are: (1) subterranean (fossorial) life in narrow cavities; (2) aquatic life of the larvae, mostly linked with submerged oviposition; (3) development and perfection of flight to which the heavy and protruding ovipositor was a hindrance. All the holometabolous insects except Hymenoptera lack the primary ovipositor.

Evolutionary transformations of abdominal wax-plates in the larvae of the Fulgoroidea (Homoptera, Cicadina)

The main patterns of wax-plates in the nymphs of Fulgoroidea are reviewed in the ontogenetic and phylogenetic aspects. A hypothesis of the common origin of the sensory pits and wax glands of the Fulgoroidea is proposed. The morphological coordination of the sensory pits and wax-glands is discovered. Each elementary waxplate (wax plaque) is derived from a solitary wax gland, which is associated with a definite sensory pit of the ground plan and regulated by a stable ontogenetic program. Each subsequent instar is characterized by appearance of one additional sensory pit and one elementary wax-plate, arising from one primary wax gland.

A New Tribe, a New Genus, and a New Species of the Subfamily Dictyopharinae (Homoptera, Dictyopharidae) from Chile

Rancoda rakitovi gen. et sp. n. is described from Chile (the La Campana National Park, Valparaiso Region), for which a new monotypical tribe Rancodini trib. n. is established in the subfamily Dictyopharinae. The characteristic features of the new tribe are sharp brachyptery (the orgerioid habitus), the presence of sensory pits in the adults, two spines in the inner group on the apex of the hind tibia, a simple median carina on the abdominal tergites, and the straight margin between the metope and the clypeus. Similarity between the advanced representatives of the subfamily Orgeriinae (sensory pits in the adults) is convergent and is combined with the primitive characters which are absent in all the Orgeriinae but present in the Dictyopharinae.

A new genus and a new species of lanternflies of the subfamily Cladyphinae (Homoptera, Fulgoridae)

Sclerodepsa granulosa gen. et sp. n., a new genus and a new species of lanternflies (Fulgoridae) of the subfamily Cladyphinae, is described from Brazil and Paraguay, based on the brachypterous adult and the 4th-instar larva (penultimate instar). Its relationship with Dichopterinae is confirmed, and its similarity to Issidae and Callscelldae is shown and discussed.

New genera and new species of the family Dictyopharidae (Homoptera), with notes on the systematics of the subfamily Dictyopharinae

Abstract14 new genera and 17 new species of the subfamily Dictyopharinae are described from the tropical and southern subtropical regions, partly based on the previously described species lacking recent attribution. In addition, new species of the genera Macronaso Synave (2) and Arjuna Muir (1) are described. The rank, limits, and systematic position of the tribe Aluntiini (formerly a subfamily of the Fulgoridae) are revised, the tribes Taosini and Lappidini are downgraded to subtribes of the Nersiini. Redescription of the genus Putala Mel. is given based on the lectotype (designated in this paper) of the type species, the genus is treated as monotypical. Dictyophara timorina Lallemand is transferred to Anasta gen. n., thus a new combination is formed: A. timorina (Lall.), ridge. n.

To the memory of M. A. Kozlov (1936–2006)

Already in his first year at the University, Michail Alexeevich started active entomological research under supervision of I.M. Oliger. One of his first scientific papers which deals with representatives of the order Coleoptera was published in 1960 jointly with the supervisor. In 1959, after taking several additional examinations and learning German, Michail Alexeevich was transferred to the Faculty of Biology and Soil Science, Leningrad State University. In 1962, he graduated from the University (the Entomology Department) and in the same year was taken on the staff of the Zoological Institute as a Museum guide. In 1967, after defending his candidate thesis on proctotrupoid parasitic wasps (Hymenoptera, Proctotrupoidea) of the European part of the USSR, he became a member of the staff of the Laboratory of Insect Systematics. In 16 years, in 1983, Michail Alexeevich defended his remarkable doctoral thesis “Scelionids (Hymenoptera, Proctotrupoidea, Scelionidae), their systematic position, morphological and biological characteristics, distribution, evolution, phylogeny, classification and economic importance,” and in 1991 he was given the title of Professor. For his scientific achievements, in 1992, Michail Alexeevich was elected a member of the Academy of Sciences of the Chuvash Republic, and, in 1997, the title of the Honored Scientist of Chuvashia was conferred upon him.

On the subdivision of the family Lophopidae (Homoptera, Auchenorrhyncha: Fulgoroidea) on the subfamilies and tribes with description of two new tribes

A new classification of the family Lophopidae is proposed where it is subdivided intoe two subfamilies Menoscinae Melichar with four tribes (Carrioniini trib. n., Virgiliini trib. n., Menoscini Melichar, and Acarnini Baker) and Lophopinae Stål with two tribes (Elasmoscelini Melichar and Lophopini Stål).

A new species of the genus Pibrocha Kirkaldy (Homoptera, Fulgoridae) with notes on the systematics of the subfamily Dichopterinae and with description of a new tribe

The second species is described in the genus Pibrocha Kirk., P. excelsa sp. n. from Thailand. The limits of the subfamily Dichopterinae are discussed, a new tribe Protachilini trib. n. erected for the South American monotypical genus Protachilus Fenn. is added to the tribes Dichopterinii, Cladodipterini, and Dorysarthrini. The composition of the families Fulgoridae and Dictyopharidae is also discussed. The origin of the articulated cephalic process in adult Dorysarthrini is hypothesized.

A new species of the planthopper genus Nymphorgerius Oshanin (Homoptera, Dictyopharidae) from Iran

A new species of Nymphorgerius Oshanin, N. rostratus sp. n., is described from Iran (Gilan Province).