ZooKeys 346: 85–87, doi: 10.3897/zookeys.346.6392
Nomenclatural changes in the tribe Empoascini of the subfamily Typhlocybinae (Hemiptera, Cicadellidae)
Dao-zheng Qin 1, Si-han Lu 1, Li-fang Zheng 1, Yi-xin Huang 1
1 Key Laboratory of Plant Protection Resources and Pest Management of Ministry of Education, Entomological Museum, Northwest A & F University, Yangling, Shaanxi Province, 712100, China

Corresponding author: Dao-zheng Qin (qindaozh@nwsuaf.edu.cn)

Academic editor: Allen Sanborn

received 5 October 2013 | accepted 27 October 2013 | Published 1 November 2013


(C) 2013 Dao-zheng Qin. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License 3.0 (CC-BY), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.


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Citation: Qin DZ, Lu SH, Zheng LF, Huang YX(2013) Nomenclatural changes in the tribe Empoascini of the subfamily Typhlocybinae (Hemiptera, Cicadellidae). ZooKeys 346: 85–87. doi: 10.3897/zookeys.346.6392

Abstract

One genus and species are synonymized in the tribe Empoascini of the subfamily Typhlocybinae. Bhatasca Dworakowska, 1995is a junior synonym of Alebrasca Hayashi & Okada, 1994, Bhatasca rectangulata Qin & Zhang, 2011is a junior synonym of Alebrasca actinidiae Hayashi & Okada, 1994. Furthermore, Bhatasca expansa is (necessarily) transferred to the genus Alebrasca.

Keywords

Homoptera, Auchenorryncha, taxonomy, leafhopper, synonym, China

Introduction

Empoascini is a large tribe in the leafhopper subfamily Typhlocybinae, comprising more than 1000 species and nearly 70 genera worldwide. However, the status of some established genera and species in this tribe remains dubious or misleading and needs further revision. In this study, one genus and one species are recognized as junior synonyms and we also propose one new combination in Empoascini. The purpose of the present paper is to clarify the taxonomy of the tribe.

Nomenclatural changes and notes
Family Cicadellidae Subfamily Typhlocybinae Tribe Empoascini
Alebrasca Hayashi & Okada, 1994

http://species-id.net/wiki/Alebrasca

Alebrasca Hayashi & Okada, 1994: 267. Type species: Alebrasca actinidiae Hayashi & Okada, 1994, by original designation.
Bhatasca Dworakowska, 1995: 143. Type species: Bhatasca expansa Dworakowska, 1995, by original designation. syn. n.
Remarks.

Dworakowska (1995) established the genus Bhatasca based on the type species Bhatasca expansa Dworakowska, 1995 from Tsyr-feng in Taiwan, and Qin et al. (2011) described Bhatasca rectangulata based on the generic diagnosis provided by Dworakowska (1995). Until now, only two species were included in the genus, widely distributed in mainland China (Hunan, Henan, Gansu, Sichuan, Fujian, Zhejiang, Jiangxi) and Taiwan. Based on investigation of the descriptions and illustrations by Hayashi and Okada (1994) and Dworakowska (1995) and Bhatasca material deposited in the Entomological Museum, Northwest A&F University (NWAFU), we recognize the genus Bhatasca Dworakowska is a junior synonym of Alebrasca Hayashi & Okada.

Alebrasca actinidiae Hayashi & Okada, 1994

http://species-id.net/wiki/Alebrasca_actinidiae

Alebrasca actinidiae Hayashi & Okada, 1994: 269.
Bhatasca rectangulata Qin & Zhang, 2011: 54. syn. n.
Remarks.

After checking the type specimens of Bhatasca rectangulata, we found the characters of wing, basal abdominal apodemes and male genitalia described by Qin et al. (2011) in mainland China are the same as those of the species described by Hayashi and Okada (1994). Furthermore, the distribution of Bhatasca rectangulata has nearly same latitude as the type locality of Alebrasca actinidiae Hayashi & Okada in Japan (central Honshu). Therefore, synonymy of the two species is confirmed here.

Alebrasca expansa (Dworakowska, 1995), comb. n.

http://species-id.net/wiki/Alebrasca_expansa

Bhatasca expansa Dworakowska, 1995: 145.
Remarks.

Dworakowska (1995) described this species in Bhatasca from Taiwan. We here transfer it to Alebrasca mainlybased on the characters of the head, the venation of fore- and hindwing, the basal abdominal apodemes and especially the configuration of the male genitalia.

Acknowledgments

We would like to express our sincere thanks to Dr Chris Dietrich (Center for Biodiversity, Illinois Natural History Survey, USA) and Prof. John Richard Schrock (Emporia State University, Emporia, USA) for reviewing the manuscript. This research was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 31270689).

References
Dworakowska I (1995) Szara gen. nov. and some other Oriental Empoascini (Insecta: Auchenorrhyncha: Cicadellidae: Typhlocybinae). Entomol. Abh. Mus. Tierk. Dresden 56(7): 129–160.
Hayashi M, Okada T (1994) A new typhlocybine leafhopper (Homoptera: Cicadellidae) feeding on kiwi-fruit. Appl. Entomol. Zool. 29(2): 267–271.
Qin DZ, Liu Y, Zhang YL (2011) A taxonomic study of Chinese Empoascini (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae: Typhlocybinae) (II). Zootaxa 2923: 48-58.