AMERICAN PSYLLIDiE IV 



(A Partial Revision of Subfamiles) 



D. L. CRAWFORD 



For some years students of the family PsylUdae have recognized that the 

 classification based upon wing venational characters was more or less superficial. 

 One of the first difficulties encountered in the study of the immense series of 

 species and specimens in the collections at hand was the constant separation into 

 widely distinct artificial groups of two forms realh^ very closely related. The 

 relative length of tlie cubital petiole and discoidal portion of subcosta in the sub- 

 families Aphalarinae and Psyllinae is purely artificial and impossible, even Dr. 

 Franz Low himself including under one or the other subfamily forms which by 

 the diagnostic lines proposed by himself could not possibly be included therein. 

 For instance, in the genus Aphalara, typical of the subfamily Aphalarinae, are 

 included forms in which the cubital petiole is distinctly shorter than the dis- 

 coidal portion of subcosta: Aphalara signata Low {Turkestanische Psylloden, 

 F. Low, p. 254, with figures), and others by Low; Aph. multipunctata Kuwa- 

 yama, and Aph. fasciata Kuway., and Aph. flava Kuway. (Trans. Sapporo Nat. 

 Hist. Soc. Vol. II, 1907, Figs. 2, 3, 4). 



The unmistakable relationship of certain groups of species and genera in 

 spite of previously existing groupings points to the fact that a complete revision 

 and recast of the entire family is most necessary. This is shown very forcibly 

 by the related genera in Carsidarinae, formerly known in part as Prionocnemidae, 

 and, again, by the new genus Triosoida, one species of which is without a cubital 

 petiole and the other with a very short petiole, but both very clearly congeneric. 

 The same fact is brought out further by the genera of the two subfamilies, Apha- 

 larinae and Psyllinae. In each of these two groups are genera, which, if the 

 length of the cubital petiole were overlooked, would be unavoidably thrown to- 

 gether into the same genus, or, at least, very closely allied genera. 



In this paper the subfamily Carsidarinae is presented in as complete form as 

 is possible at this time. The genus Triozoida treated next is presented separately 

 for the time being, since the relationships of the whole family must be consid- 

 ered on tlie new basis, and this cannot be done until the entire group has been 

 thoroughly studied. The treatment of this genus, however, is given here because 

 of the extremely important evidence which it presents. The genus Aphalara is, 

 also, treated as completelj' as possible now. Access has been had to autiientically 

 named specimens of several European species of the genus and the true relation- 

 ships between these and common American species are here established. The 

 genus is redescribed on a new basis, as are, in fact, all the genera herein pre- 

 sented. 



Some confusion has arisen because of several manuscript names which Riley 

 attached to certain species, especially in the Aphalarinae; authentic specimens 

 of these are in the C. F. Baker collection from the National jNIuseum, and their 

 present references given here: 



Aphalara angustipennis Aph. artemisiae angustipennis Crawf. 



Aphalara utahensis Aph. artemisiae Forst. 



