A REVIEW OF THE SPECIES OF THE GENUS GYPONA 



OCCURRING IN NORTH AMERICA NORTH 



OF MEXICO (HOMOPTERA). 



By E. D. Ball. 



Germar founded the genus Gypona in 1821 for Cercopis 

 glaiica Fab. and its allies. Since that time 198 species have been 

 described or referred to this group all from North and South 

 America. Of this number over 100 have been named from 

 North America. 



The genus as a whole is composed of large broad and striking 

 species of wide distribution but of comparative rarity in collec- 

 tions partly on account of their agility in avoiding capture and 

 partly on account of restricted food habits. Most of the species 

 are widely variable in size and structure and still more unstable 

 in color. In several groups the males are usually strikingly and 

 variably ornamented while the females are plain. 



The majority of these so-called species have been described 

 from single examples or single sexes and little attention has been 

 given to previous work. Spangberg in 1878 in his Species 

 Gyponge lists 96 species, 55 of which were new, without listing 

 a single synonym, but omitting 12 old species which he did not 

 recognize. His keys and descriptions fail to recognize the 

 difference between specific, varietal and only sexual characters. 

 In later papers he added 41 more new species still without 

 recognizing a single duplication or error in determination, 

 indicating an adherence to the Walker cult of quantity rather 

 than quality. 



Gibson in 1919 published a brief synopsis of the North 

 American forms in which he recognized the extreme variability 

 in the reticulate veined group and brought most of the synonomy 

 of octolineata Say together. His material in other groups was 

 not as complete and he failed entirely to recognize the difference 

 in color in sexes and the extreme variability in other species 

 with the result that here the confusion was only increased. He 

 placed much reliance on the presence or absence of black marks 

 on the pronotum and hinges and used it in his keys with disas- 

 trous results. This character is widely and commonly variable 

 in a number of species such as rugosa, melanota and scarlatina^ 

 and more rarely variable in many others. 



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