Tropidocephala Stal 1853
Creators: name: Lv, Sha-Sha
name: Li, Hong-Xing
name: Zhang, Yu-Bo
name: Yang, Lin
name: Chen, Xiang-Sheng
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2025
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Hemiptera
Delphacidae
Tropidocephala

description: Genus Tropidocephala Stål, 1853
Tropidocephala Stål, 1853: 266.
Conicoda Matsumura, 1900: 258.
Orchesma Melichar, 1903: 94.
Ectopiopterygodelphax Kiraldy, 1906: 412.
Smara Distant, 1906: 478.
Tropidocephala – Matsumura 1907: 57. — Muir 1913: 243; 1915: 247. — Kuoh et al. 1983: 31. — Yang & Yang 1986: 15. — Guo et al. 2005: 163. — Ding 2006: 156.
Type species
Tropidocephala flaviceps Stål, 1853, by original designation.
Diagnosis
Head including eyes narrower than pronotum. Except for a few species, vertex longer in midline than wide at base, apical part conical, extended well anterad of eyes, with 3 carinae, median carina simple, extended throughout entire head, lateral carinae converging apically, submedian carinae protruding from apex of lateral carinae, uniting at apex, forming anterior margin of vertex. Frons medium length, longer in middle line than wide at widest part, in profile more or less inclined apically, lateral carinae not completely connecting with lateral carinae of vertex; most of median carina forked at basal apex, forming a small chamber. Postclypeus at base wider than or subequal to frons at apex, distinctly tricarinate or not. Rostrum reaching mesocoxae, terminal segment slightly longer than width. Antennae short, cylindrical, second segment about twice as long as first, in most species not reaching frontoclypeal suture. Pronotum tricarinate, lateral carinae well developed, posterior part slightly curved inward, attaining hind margin. Post-tibial spur thick, posterior margin without teeth. Spinal formula of hind tibia 5-6(7)-4.
Pygofer of male in posterior view with opening longer than wide, lateral margins with or without production, ventral margin with distinct medioventral process. Anal segment relatively large. Genital style long, sometimes basal angle with long process.Aedeagus fastened in anal segment, with phallobase, phallus slender, curved ventrad, phallobase broad at base, concave medially to receive phallus with long process apically or basoventrally. Diaphragm membranous (Guo et al. 2005; Ding 2006).
Distribution
Palearctic, Oriental, Australian and African regions.
Checklist to Chinese species of Tropidocephala Stål, 1853
T. andunna Kuoh, 1979; distribution: China (Guizhou, Yunnan provinces)
T. breviceps Matsumura, 1907; distribution: China (Hainan Province)
T. brunnipennis Signoret, 1860; distribution: China (Anhui, Fujian, Gansu, Guangdong, Guangxi, Guizhou, Hainan, Hunan, Jiangsu, Jiangxi, Sichuan, Taiwan, Yunnan, Zhejiang provinces)
T. dimidia Yang & Yang, 1986; distribution: China (Taiwan Province)
T. dingi Sun, Yang & Chen, 2014; distribution: China (Hainan, Yunnan provinces)
T. festiva (Distant, 1906); distribution: China (Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi, Guizhou, Hainan, Hunan, Jiangsu, Taiwan, Yunnan, Zhejiang provinces)
T. flavovittata Matsumura, 1907; distribution: China (Jiangxi, Taiwan provinces)
T. formosana Matsumura, 1910; distribution: China (Taiwan Province)
T. grata Yang & Yang, 1986; distribution: China (Taiwan Province)
T. insperata Yang, 1989; distribution: China (Taiwan Province)
T. jiawenna Kuoh, 1979; distribution: China (Guizhou, Yunnan provinces)
T. lamellata sp. nov.; distribution: China (Hainan Province)
T. longiapina Ding, 1982; distribution: China (Guizhou, Yunnan provinces)
T. nigra (Matsumura, 1900); distribution: China (Anhui, Fujian, Henan, Hubei, Shandong, Zhejiang provinces)
T. orientalis Ding, 2006; distribution: China (Hubei Province)
T. prolixa Guo & Liang, 2005; distribution: China (Fujian, Guangxi provinces)
T. russa Ding, 2006; distribution: China (Yunnan Province) T. saccharivorella Matsumura, 1907; distribution: China (Hainan, Taiwan provinces)
T. serendiba (Melichar, 1903); distribution: China (Yunnan Province)
T. simaoensis Ding, 2006; distribution: China (Yunnan Province)
T. sinica Ding, 2006; distribution: China (Hainan, Yunnan provinces)
T. sinuosa Yang & Yang, 1986; distribution: China (Hainan, Taiwan provinces)
T. speciosa (Bierman, 1908); distribution: China (Guangdong Province)
T. touchi Kuoh, 1979; distribution: China (Yunnan Province)
T. yichangensis Ding, 2006; distribution: China (Hubei Province)
T. yunnanensis sp. nov.; distribution: China (Yunnan Province)
Key to Chinese species of the genus Tropidocephala Stål, 1853
1. Vertex at midline shorter than pronotum (Matsumura 1907: figs 1, 7) .............................................. ............................................................................................................. T. breviceps Matsumura, 1907
– Vertex at midline longer than pronotum .............................................................................................
2. Vertex more than 3× as long as pronotum ........................................................................................ 3
– Vertex less than 3 × as long as pronotum .......................................................................................... 4
3. Spots of forewings darker, inner side of crossveins with 3 brownish black burl spots (Yang & Yang 1986: fig. 12d) ..................................................................................... T. dimidia Yang & Yang, 1986
– Spots of forewings light, without burl spots within the crossveins (Yang & Yang 1986: fig. 14d) .... ............................................................................................................ T. sinuosa Yang & Yang, 1986
4. Inner side of forewing crossveins with dark brown burl spots ......................................................... 5
– Inner side of forewing crossveins without dark brown burl spots .................................................. 16
5. Vertex more than 2× as long as pronotum ........................................................................................ 6
– Vertex less than 2 × as long as pronotum .......................................................................................... 7
6. Vertex with 2 dark longitudinal stripes; pronotum with 8 dark longitudinal stripes; inner side of forewing crossveins with 4 blackish brown burl spots (Bierman 1908: figs 9, 9c) ............................ ................................................................................................................ T. speciosa (Bierman, 1908)
– Vertex without 2 dark longitudinal stripes; pronotum without 8 dark longitudinal stripes; inner side of forewing crossveins with 3 blackish brown burl spots (Ding 2006: fig. 84a, h) ............................................................................................................. T. nigra (Matsumura, 1900)
7. Inner side of forewing crossveins with 2 blackish brown burl spots (Melichar 1903: table ii, fig. 5) ................................................................................................... T. serendiba (Melichar, 1903)
– Inner side of forewing crossveins with 3 blackish brown burl spots ................................................ 8
8. Median carina of vertex and pronotum with dark stripe on both sides continuously ....................... 9
– Median carina of vertex and pronotum without dark stripe on both sides or with dark stripe discontinuously ................................................................................................................................11
9. Apex of frons, genae and clypeus black; pygofer with medioventral and lateroventral processes .... ......................................................................................................................................................... 10
– Apex of frons, genae and clypeus not black; pygofer with medioventral process, without lateroventral processes (Sun et al. 2014: figs 1–7) ............................................ T. dingi Sun, Yang & Chen, 2014
10. Basal frons with large dark brown spots (Distant 1906: fig. 264) ............... T. festiva (Distant, 1906)
– Basal frons without dark brown spots (Kuoh 1979: figs 1–2) ..................... T. jiawenna Kuoh, 1979
11. Pygofer with medioventral and lateroventral processes; apex of frons black or brown ................. 12
– Pygofer with medioventral process, without lateroventral process; frons not black or brown ...... 15
12. Mesonotum with tricarinate bordered with black or brown longitudinal stripes ............................ 13
– Mesonotum with tricarinate not bordered with black or brown longitudinal stripes ..................... 14
13. Basal angles of genital styles with spiny process, middle part of outer margin with blunt-toothed processes (Kuoh 1979: figs 2, 5, 7) ............................................................... T. andunna Kuoh, 1979
– Basal angles of genital styles without spiny process, middle part of outer margin without blunt-toothed processes (Ding 2006: fig. 76c, g–i) ...................................................... T. sinica Ding, 2006
14. General color light yellowish brown with green or yellowish-green; basal angles of genital styles and middle part of inner margin with spiny processes (Ding 2006: fig. 74d–f) ................................. ........................................................................................................... T. brunnipennis Signoret, 1860
– General color light brown; inner and outer margins of genital styles undulating, without spiny processes (Yang & Yang 1986: fig. 13h–i) ............................................ T. grata Yang & Yang, 1986
15. Medioventral process of pygofer simple; outer margin of genital styles with small process near the middle, subconical (Yang 1989: fig. 9f, j) .................................................... T. insperata Yang, 1989
– Medioventral process of pygofer bidentate; basal angles of genital styles and middle part of outer margin with slender processes (Ding 2006: fig. 75c, g, k) ..................... T. yichangensis Ding, 2006
16. Vertex more than 1.6× as long as pronotum ................................................................................... 17
– Vertex slightly longer than or nearly equal to pronotum ................................................................ 20
17. Medioventral process of pygofer long ............................................................................................ 18
– Medioventral process of pygofer short ........................................................................................... 19
18. Genital styles simple, S-shaped; medioventral process of pygofer long rod shaped (Guo et al. 2005: figs 17, 19) .......................................................................................... T. prolixa Guo & Liang, 2005
– Outer margin of genital styles strongly arched at supra-median part, inner margin with fingerlike process at middle part, not S-shaped; medioventral process of pygofer long spiny (Ding 1982: figs 11–13) .................................................................................................. T. longiapina Ding, 1982
19. Apical part of forewing with big black spot, middle part of corium with a diagonal brown line (Matsumura 1907: table ii, fig. 7) .................................................... T. flavovittata Matsumura, 1907
– Apical part of forewing M 2, M 3 and Cu 1 veins with dark brown stripes, middle part of Rs+M 1 with a brown spot (Matsumura 1907: table ii, fig. 12) ........................ T. saccharivorella Matsumura, 1907
20. Vertex, pro- and mesonotum with median carina bordered with dark lines on both sides ............. 21
– Vertex, pro- and mesonotum with median carina not bordered with dark lines on both sides or only mesonotum ...................................................................................................................................... 25
21. Genital styles small, long and narrow, slightly wavy ..................................................................... 22
– Genital styles wider, not wavy ........................................................................................................ 23
22. Anal segment short, ring-like, apical margin of two lateral angle triangular; pygofer without medioventral process (Kuoh 1979: figs 3, 5–6) ................................................ T. touchi Kuoh, 1979
– Anal segment (Fig. 10C–D) wider, cylindric, apical margin of two lateral angle round; medioventral process of pygofer (Fig. 10C–D) small, triangular ....................................... T. yunnanensis sp. nov.
23. Forewing (Fig. 21F) without transparent spots; genital styles (Fig. 22F–G) without large process on basal angle .......................................................................................................... T. lamellata sp. nov.
– Forewing with transparent spots; genital styles with large process on basal angle ........................ 24
24. Inner side of forewing crossveins without small black spots; apical margin of genital styles with dense small protrusions, outer margin of basal process smooth (Ding 2006: fig. 73e–f, k) ...................................................................................................... T. formosana Matsumura, 1910 – Inner side of forewing crossveins with many small black spots; apical margin of genital styles without dense small protrusions, outer margin of basal process with dentate processes (Ding 2006: fig. 88e, h, l) ........................................................................................................ T. russa Ding, 2006
25. Vertex, pro- and mesonotum with median carina not bordered with dark lines; basal ⅓ of forewing and terminal area with dark brown spots; pygofer with 3 dentate medioventral processes (Ding 2006: fig. 77c, k) .................................................................................................. T. simaoensis Ding, 2006
– Both sides of middle carinae with dark lines only at mesonotum; corium of forewing with large oblong spot, with dark brown stripes along crossveins and posterior margin of proximal region; pygofer with single medioventral process (Ding 2006: fig. 86c, j) .............. T. orientalis Ding, 2006
description: Published as part of Lv, Sha-Sha, Li, Hong-Xing, Zhang, Yu-Bo, Yang, Lin & Chen, Xiang-Sheng, 2025, Review of the Chinese species of the genus Tropidocephala Stål, 1853 (Hemiptera: Fulgoromorpha: Delphacidae), with descriptions of two new species, pp. 114-154 in European Journal of Taxonomy 981 on pages 115-119, DOI: 10.5852/ejt.2025.981.2815, http://zenodo.org/record/15132598