53 



THE TRINIDAD FROGHOPPER. 



NOMENCLATURE AND SYSTEMATIC POSITION. 



Tlie Trinidad froghopper is a member of the family Cercoindce of the 

 Hemiptera-Homoptera. The family includes all the insects which are 

 known typically throughout the world as " froghoppers," " fioth-hoppers," 

 " spittle insects," " frog-spit," and "cuckoo-spit," in each case the name 

 being derived from the white froth which surrounds the young insect 

 and its ignorantly supposed connection with the spittle of various 

 animals. 



The Trinidad species belongs to the geiuis Toinaspls which in its 

 present accepted sense is confined to the American Continent, but 

 relaied genera in Europe and Africa can scarcely be accurately 

 distinguished. 



It was first discovered by J. H. Hart in November 1889 and identified 

 as a species of the genus Thomaspis [sic] (Hart 1890 p. 126). 



In 1895 P. R. Uhler named specimens of the same insect found in 

 Grenada Totnaspis pictipennis Stal, an insect previously known only 

 from Mexico. 



In 1906 in an unsigned article in the ■' Agricultural News " p. 330 it 

 is referred to as " perhaps T. bicincta." 



In 1909 Collens (1909 B.) reports that s[)<.'cnnens sent to the Bureau 

 of Entomology, Washington D.C. had been identified as Tomaspis 

 postica Walkei", an insect originallj' described from Mexico. In later 

 references this name was sometimes written as T. poHticata. 



In 1909 Distant described the insect, from specimens sent to the 

 British Museum, as Tomaspiti saccliariiia. a new species found in 

 Trinidad, Grenada and St. Vincent. 



In 1911 specimens sent to Prof. E. I). Bali by Urich were identified 

 as Toviasjns varia (Urich 1911 A.), an insect described from French 

 Guiana by Fabricius in 17H7 and never recorded since. 



The present position is that we know the names T. postica, T. picti- 

 pennis and T. hicincta to be mistaken, and the use of the name T. varia, 

 though possibly correct, implies that the same insect is found in French 

 Guiana, which is not known and is, in view of recent work, improbable. 

 Under the circumstances the name T. sacclmina has been adopted as 

 that liable to cause least confusion. 



DISTRIBUTION AND ORIGIN. 



Tomaspis saccharina is at present only known from the West Indian 

 Islands of Trinidad, Grenada and St. Vincent. The record of the last 

 locality is based on a single specimen in the Biitish Museum. 



The small island of Patos between Trinidad and the mainland of 

 Venezuela was visited in June 1918 but no specimens were seen there. 

 Gough (1911 C. p. 22) gives Tobago and Demerara as additional localities 

 but both of these are mistaken records. 



In Trinidad the insect is found throughout the island w'herever the 

 canes or grasses necessary for its food can be found, in the hills and 

 on the plains, in the cultivated as well as the uncultivated districts, and 

 in the cocoa districts as well as those given over to sugar-cane. 



