THE MALAYAN MACH^ROTIN^ (CERCOPID^) 



By C. F. Baker 



Of the Philippine College of Agriculture, Los Banos 



THREE PLATES AND ONE TEXT FIGURE 



The insects composing this group, remarkable in both struc- 

 ture and habit, have been latterly considered to form a sub- 

 family in the Cercopidse. When only Machserota was known, 

 this seemed doubtful, but through other recently described 

 genera the relationship is much more evident. The habits of 

 members of this group distinguish them from all other Cerco- 

 pidse, and from most other insects as well; since the nymphs 

 live in calcareous tubes, of curious form characteristic of the 

 various species, and possess remarkable structural adaptations 

 to life in these tubes, which remain attached to their special 

 food plants. 



Had the Enderleiniini not been included in the group, the 

 Machasrotinse would have been easy to define, the remarkable 

 scutellar appendage and characteristic structure of the tegmina 

 being diagnostic. Schmidt defined the Enderleiniini as having 

 the scutellum without spinous appendage, but elongate caudad 

 and reaching or exceeding the apex of the abdomen. However, 

 MachsBropsis, as illustrated by Lallemand, 1 has a scutellum not 

 reaching half the length of the abdomen, though in structure 

 otherwise it appears to be somewhat machserotine ; and one of 

 Schmidt's most recent genera, Modiglianella, is very close to 

 cercopid genera like Quinqtrnti-tis Distant and Hindola Kirkaldy 

 (=zCaryst2is Stal). It seems, arguing from structure alone, 

 that the tribe Enderleiniini should be transferred to the Aphro- 

 phorinse, which already includes far more diverse elements, 

 the latter subfamily to be divided into a number of coordinate 

 tribes. 2 This would not preclude the possibility of the true 

 Machaerotime being offshoots from Enderleinia-like forms. The 



Cercopidse of the Genera Insectorum (1912). 



1 In Fauna Brit. India, Rhynch. 6 (1916) 184, Distant describes a new- 

 genus, Conditor, of which he says, "Allied to Machxropsis." It does not, 

 however, belong in the same tribe with Machseropsis (Enderleiniini), but 

 is apparently closely related to P achy machserota in the Machaerotini. 



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