CICADELLINAE : PART I. PROCONIINI 221 



Female abdominal sternum VII in most species with a median 

 concavity on posterior margin, the concavity bearing a slight median 

 convexity (see fig. 208i), occasionally with posterior margin almost 

 rectilinear, or slightly produced and truncate. 



The known range of Oncometopia, s.L, extends from northern United 

 States to Brazil, Argentina, and Bolivia. The genus is most closely 

 related to Homalodisca, from which it is readily separable by its in- 

 flated clypeus and by its granulations between the muscle impres- 

 sions of each side of the clypeus, both of which conditions differ from 

 Homalodisca. 



Oncometopia contains the largest number of species of any genus in 

 the Proconiini, and some are of considerable economic importance. 

 Oncometopia orbona (Fabricius) is an important vector of Phony Peach 

 Disease in southern United States, and Turner and Pollard (1959a) 

 have published much information on its biology. 0. clarior (Walker) 

 has been submitted to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Division 

 of Insect Identification, from Citrus, and from Lantana camara Linnaeus 

 from Mexico; specimens in the University of California were collected 

 from Cucurbita in Mexico; and 0. rubescens Fowler, intercepted on 

 bananas, was frequently submitted to me at the same agency. 0. 

 parallcla (Walker) was submitted from Verbesina turbacensis HBK from 

 Venezuela, 0. herpes (Signoret) from Lantana camara, and 0. costaica 

 Schroder from Pennisetum purpureum Schumacher. 0. fuscipennis Fowler 

 has been collected on Eupatorium {adenophorum)=glandulosum Michaux 

 in Mexico by N. L. H. Krauss. 0. rufipennis (Signoret) has been col- 

 lected on Lantana camara in Mexico by J. Mann; and an undescribed 

 species in the subgenus Similitopia, in numbers, from lettuce, in Mexico. 



It should be noted that, of the species with an asymmetrical aedeagus, 

 it is often found that the aedeagus of one specimen will be a mirror 

 image of another. 



While the present work was in its early stages. Dr. Heinz Scliroder, 

 of the Natur-Museum und Forschungs-Institut Senckenberg, Frankfurt- 

 am-Main, Germany, independently began a detailed study of On- 

 cometopia. He was of much assistance to me in identifying species of 

 this genus during my visit to the Senckenberg Museum in 1962. 

 He continues to work in this genus, hence construction of a key and 

 descriptions of new species are not included here in deference to his 

 study. A number of the types in this genus have not been studied by 

 me but are included in the check list on the basis of Schroder's published 

 work. More than 20 species which appear to be hitherto undescribed 

 have been taken into account in the foregoing generic description. 

 There remains only to set forth a few remarks on the North American 

 species, the result of my studies in 1953 and 1954, a few remarks to 



