﻿139 
  

  

  ON 
  SOME 
  AFRICAN 
  DELPHACIDAE 
  (HOMOPTERA). 
  

  

  By 
  F. 
  Mum. 
  

  

  Very 
  little 
  is 
  known 
  about 
  the 
  African 
  Delphacidae, 
  especially 
  the 
  tropical 
  

   forms. 
  For 
  this 
  reason 
  it 
  is 
  worth 
  recording 
  the 
  few 
  species 
  represented 
  in 
  a 
  small 
  

   collection 
  made 
  by 
  Mr. 
  J. 
  C. 
  Bridwell 
  at 
  Oloke-Meji, 
  Ibadan, 
  Nigeria, 
  in 
  1914. 
  

   All 
  the 
  specimens 
  were 
  swept 
  from 
  grasses 
  and 
  reeds. 
  It 
  is 
  to 
  be 
  hoped 
  that 
  larger 
  

   collections 
  will 
  soon 
  be 
  available 
  and 
  that 
  those 
  who 
  work 
  at 
  them 
  will 
  examine 
  

   and 
  give 
  figures 
  or 
  adequate 
  descriptions 
  of 
  the 
  genitalia, 
  especially 
  of 
  the 
  aedeagus. 
  

   Owing 
  to 
  the 
  wide 
  distribution 
  of 
  some 
  species 
  and 
  the 
  great 
  difference 
  in 
  colour 
  

   of 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  macropterous 
  and 
  brachypterous 
  forms, 
  and 
  to 
  the 
  variation 
  in 
  colour 
  

   of 
  other 
  species, 
  and 
  the 
  paucity 
  of 
  good 
  specific 
  distinctions 
  in 
  the 
  chrootic 
  

   characters, 
  it 
  is 
  almost 
  impossible 
  to 
  identify 
  many 
  species 
  of 
  the 
  Delphacides 
  group 
  

   without 
  making 
  use 
  of 
  the 
  phallic 
  characters. 
  

  

  The 
  types 
  of 
  the 
  new 
  species 
  are 
  deposited 
  in 
  the 
  collection 
  of 
  the 
  Hawaiian 
  Sugar 
  

   Planters' 
  Association, 
  Honolulu, 
  Hawaii. 
  Measurements 
  are 
  from 
  the 
  apex 
  of 
  

   vertex 
  to 
  anus 
  and 
  from 
  the 
  base 
  to 
  apex 
  of 
  one 
  tegmen. 
  

  

  Tropidocephalus 
  brunnipennis, 
  Sign. 
  

  

  One 
  male 
  and 
  one 
  female 
  from 
  Oloke-Meji. 
  The 
  male 
  genitalia 
  of 
  this 
  specimen 
  

   are 
  identical 
  with 
  those 
  of 
  specimens 
  from 
  Australia 
  (T. 
  eximius, 
  Kirk.) 
  

  

  Perkinsiella 
  sp. 
  

  

  One 
  female, 
  which 
  is 
  closely 
  allied 
  to 
  P. 
  bakeri, 
  Muir, 
  from 
  the 
  Philippine 
  Islands, 
  

   but 
  I 
  fully 
  expect 
  the 
  male 
  to 
  be 
  distinct. 
  This 
  genus 
  in 
  the 
  Pacific 
  is 
  always 
  attached 
  

   to 
  sugar-cane. 
  It 
  would 
  be 
  of 
  interest 
  to 
  know 
  if 
  this 
  is 
  so 
  in 
  Africa, 
  and 
  to 
  ascertain 
  

   what 
  parasites 
  keep 
  them 
  in 
  check. 
  

  

  Delphacodes 
  disonymos 
  (Kirk). 
  

  

  Delphax 
  disonymos, 
  Kirkaldy 
  (1907), 
  Haw. 
  Sugar 
  Planters' 
  Assn. 
  Ent. 
  Bull, 
  

   iii, 
  p. 
  151, 
  fine 
  10, 
  p. 
  155, 
  PI. 
  xviii, 
  fig. 
  4. 
  

  

  Delphacodes 
  disonymos 
  (Kirk.), 
  Muir 
  (1917), 
  Proc. 
  Haw. 
  Ent. 
  Soc. 
  iii, 
  4, 
  p. 
  333. 
  

  

  Delphax 
  matanitu, 
  Kirkaldy 
  (1907), 
  op. 
  cit. 
  p. 
  151, 
  line 
  13, 
  p. 
  155, 
  PI. 
  xvi, 
  figs. 
  

   4, 
  5, 
  PI. 
  xviii. 
  fig. 
  15. 
  

  

  Delphacodes 
  matanitu 
  (Kirk.), 
  Muir 
  (1917), 
  op. 
  cit. 
  p. 
  333 
  ; 
  Muir 
  (1918), 
  op. 
  cit. 
  

   iii, 
  p. 
  427, 
  fig. 
  3. 
  

  

  I 
  consider 
  these 
  two 
  species 
  of 
  Kirkaldy's 
  as 
  being 
  the 
  long 
  and 
  short 
  winged 
  forms 
  

   of 
  the 
  same 
  species. 
  His 
  two 
  figures 
  of 
  the 
  pygof 
  ers 
  are 
  drawn 
  from 
  different 
  positions 
  

   and 
  so 
  appear 
  slightly 
  different 
  ; 
  the 
  aedeagi 
  are 
  the 
  same. 
  A 
  similar 
  case 
  of 
  difference 
  

   in 
  colour 
  of 
  the 
  tegmina 
  is 
  found, 
  I 
  believe, 
  in 
  D. 
  erectus 
  nigripennis 
  (Crawford), 
  

   which 
  I 
  consider 
  to 
  be 
  the 
  brachypterous 
  form 
  of 
  D. 
  erectus 
  (Crawford). 
  

  

  