2 HOMOPTERA 



The classical report by Fowler (1894-98) on the family in « Biologia Centrah Americana » covered 

 very completely the Central American forms and is extremely valuable because of the excellence of the 

 keys and ilkistrations. Recently Plummer (i935-36) has begun a serious study of the Membracidae 

 of Mexico. 



Australia, Oceanica and East Indies have yielded a large number of interesting species which 

 have been described and tentatively classified by Goding (1898-1903) and Funkhouser (1927-35). 



South America is very rich in Membracida. Berg (1879-84) early reported on the Argentine 

 forms and mam* of the species of South America were recorded by Goding (1914-33) both during the 

 period in which he lived in Ecuador and during his later years when he published a large number of 

 papers on South American forms. In his later papers Dr. Goding constructed a long series of dicho- 

 tomous keys in which he attempted to classify the large number of genera and species represented in 

 the neotropical fauna. More recently da Fonseca (1932-36) has made valuable contributions to the 

 literature of the South American forms. 



The pioneer workon North American M«»»6rfl«rf<s was done by Goding (1895) and Van Duzee 

 (igo8; 1917). M any species oi Membracida had been previously described by Say (iSaS-Sg), Harris 

 (i833-8o), Uhler (1871-93), Fitch (i85i-7o) and other early American entomologists but Goding and 

 Van Duzee placed the systematic work on a good foundation. Woodruff (1915-24) made some splendid 

 critical studies of certain genera and Ball (i9o3-33), an unusually fine systematist, has done much to 

 clarify the nomenclature particularly in the Tribe Telamonini. 



Altogether the work on the Membracida has been widely scattered and consists in the descrip- 

 tions of new species and the erection of new genera with a few real attempts at classification and 

 taxonomy. The author's « Catalogue of the Membracida of the World » (1927) recorded the syno- 

 nymy and bibliography of the family up to that year but of course this volume is now out of date due 

 to the large number of new species which have been described and the changes in synonymy which have 

 been made during the last decade. 



In this monograph an endeavor has been made to assemble this widely scattered material, bring 

 it up to date and present it in as compact and usable a form as possible. It is hoped that this may 

 be of some value to students of this really reniarkable and interesting family of insects. 



Membracides Germar, Mag. Ent. IV : 7 (1821). 

 Membracides Latreille, Fam. Nat. Regne Anim. 427 (i825). 

 Membracina Burmeister, Handb. Ent, II : 126 (i835). 

 Membraciens Blanchard, Hist. Ins. Hemip. 532 (1840). 

 Cornidorsi Amyot and Serville, Hemip. 532 (1843). 

 Membracides Fairmaire, Ann. Soc. Ent. France. IV : 235 (1846). 

 Centrotitae Spinola, Tavola Sinot. 27 (i85o). 

 Membracina Walker, List Hom. Brit. Mus. 472 (i85i). 

 Membracinae Stal, Stet. Ent. Zeit. XIX : 2^4 (i858). 

 Jassidae (ex parte) Stal, Hem. Afr. IV : 82 (1866). 

 Membracinae Sahlberg, Cicad. 97 (1871). 

 Membraeida Fieber, Cicad. d'Eur. I : 39 (1875). 

 Membracidae Butler, Cist. Ent. II : 204 (1878). 



