PROCEEDINGS, 1019 jy 



THE TREE-HOPPERS OF BRITISH COLUMBIA 



By W. Dovvnes 



The present account embodies the results of collections made by 

 the writer during the years 1917 and 1918, principally in the neighbour- 

 hood of Victoria and a few specimens taken in the Fall of 1918 at 

 Vernon, but as the area covered has been so restricted, this report 

 cannot be considered as other than a preliminary outline, but it may 

 serve as an indication of the extent of our Membracid fauna. 



The number of species taken has been disappointingly few, only 

 five having so far been found, but possibly this number may be added 

 to when opportunity occurs to collect further afield, particularly along 

 the southern boundary of the Province and especially in that region 

 south of Okanagan Lake, where a streak of the Upper Austral Zone 

 crosses the International boundary. 



The Pacific Coast is, compared with the East, not by any means 

 rich in Membracid species, only thirty-five being recorded from Cali- 

 fornia, while in New York vState seventy-six species are recorded and 

 over sixty in New Jersey. In an account of the Membracidae of Nova 

 Scotia by Prof. Brittain (N.S. Ent. Soc. Proc. No. 3) thirteen species 

 are described, while Ontario is credited in Van Duzee's recent list 

 with thirty-six. 



The Membracidae are primarily a tropical and sub-tropical family 

 and their stronghold is South America, where they are abundantly repre- 

 sented. Perhaps their scarcity on the Pacific Slope may be explained 

 in part by the presence of geographical barriers in ancient times. The 

 Palearctic region is very poorly represented, there being only two or 

 three genera on the entire continent of Europe. Only two species are 

 known in Great Britain and two in Russia. The further north the 

 fewer the species, consequently it will be in the southern portion of our 

 territory that we must look for fresh accessions to our list. 



Ceresa basalis, Walk. This is the commonest Membracid found in 

 British Columbia. The usual colour is pale green, fading to a greenish 

 yellow when dried, or occasionally live adults are seen which are yellow. 

 Length of males 7 m.m. Length of females 8 m.m. The pronotum is 

 furnished with two short lateral horns which are usually tipped with 

 red. The pronotum is densely punctate and bears numerous short 

 hairs. The ventral surface in the males is nearly always black, the 

 black colour often extending to the head and dorsal surface, so that 

 the whole insect has a dingy appearance, but in the females the black 

 colour is confined to the ventral surface of the abdomen, and many 

 females are entirely free from black. LIsually this species has been 

 swept from willow bushes, l:)Ut I have found it also on (loldenrod and 

 several herbaceous plants. 



Stictocephala pacifica, \"an. D. This species is fairly common at 

 Victoria, but 1 have not vet taken it in the Interior. It is about cciual 



