Redeicephala taylori, a new genus and species of Reduviidae from New Guinea, with notes on a few morphological features of the Tribelocephalinae (Hemiptera: Heteroptera)

Redeicephala taylori gen. & sp. nov. (Hemiptera. Heteroptera: Reduviidae: Tribelocephalinae: Opistoplatyini) is described from Torricelli Mountains, New Guinea. The phylogenetic affi nities of the new genus are discussed. Morphological characters which could be useful in a systematic analysis of Tribelocephalinae are also noted

First detailed records of Ledra aurita (Linnaeus, 1758) (Cicadellidae: Ledrinae) from Greece

Detailed distribution records of the remarkable Eared Leafhopper Ledra aurita from Greece are presented for the first time. All available records from museum and personal collections, as well as online arthropod identification groups were assembled and mapped. The distribution and ecology of the species in the country are briefly discussed

Planthopper bugs use a fast, cyclic elastic recoil mechanism for effective vibrational communication at small body size

Vibrations through substrates are an important source of information for diverse organisms, from nematodes to elephants. The fundamental challenge for small animals using vibrational communication is to move their limited mass fast enough to provide sufficient kinetic energy for effective information transfer through the substrate whilst optimising energy efficiency over repeated cycles. Here, we describe a vibratory organ found across a commercially important group of plant-feeding insects, the planthoppers (Hemiptera: Fulgoromorpha). This elastic recoil snapping organ generates substrate-borne broadband vibrations using fast, cyclical abdominal motion that transfers kinetic energy to the substrate through the legs. Elastic potential energy is stored and released twice using two different latched energy-storage mechanisms, each utilising a different form of elastic recoil to increase the speed of motion. Comparison to the acoustic tymbal organ of cicadas (Hemiptera: Cicadomorpha) reveals functional convergence in their use of elastic mechanisms to increase the efficacy of mechanical communication

A new species of Henicocephaloides from Eastern Madagascar (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Reduviidae)

Henicocephaloides raunoi sp. nov. (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Reduviidae: Physoderinae) is described based on a single male specimen from Eastern Madagascar, which is deposited in the collection of the Moravian Museum, Brno. The newly described species is illustrated and compared to Henicocephaloides fulvescens Villiers, 1962. A revised generic diagnosis is also provided

Neotropical Physoderinae revisited, with description of a new, sexually dimorphic species of Leptophysoderes Weirauch (Hemiptera: Reduviidae)

Davranoglou, L. R., Hwang, W. S., Weirauch, C. (2015): Neotropical Physoderinae revisited, with description of a new, sexually dimorphic species of Leptophysoderes Weirauch (Hemiptera: Reduviidae). Zootaxa 3963 (1): 89-99, DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.3963.1.

Neotropical Physoderinae revisited, with description of a new, sexually dimorphic species of Leptophysoderes Weirauch (Hemiptera: Reduviidae)

Davranoglou, L. R., Hwang, W. S., Weirauch, C. (2015): Neotropical Physoderinae revisited, with description of a new, sexually dimorphic species of Leptophysoderes Weirauch (Hemiptera: Reduviidae). Zootaxa 3963 (1): 89-99, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.3963.1.

On the morphology and evolution of cicadomorphan tymbal organs

Cicadas and many of their relatives (Hemiptera: Cicadomorpha) generate vibroacoustic signals using tymbal organs located on their first two abdominal segments. Although tymbals are well-studied in Cicadidae, their systematic distribution in other Cicadomorpha and their possible homologies to the vibroacoustic mechanisms of other Hemiptera have been debated for more than a century. In the present study, we re-examine the morphology of the musculoskeletal system of cicadomorphan vibroacoustic organs, and we document their systematic distribution in 78 species drawn from across the phylogeny of Cicadomorpha. We also compare their morphology to the recently-described snapping organ of planthoppers (Fulgoromorpha). Based on the structure and innervation of the metathoracic and abdominal musculoskeletal system, we find that several key elements of cicadomorphan vibroacoustic organs that have previously been assigned to the first abdominal segment in fact belong to the second. We find that tymbal organs are nearly ubiquitous in Cicadomorpha, and conclude based on their phylogenetic distribution, that they are likely to be synapomorphic. The unusual tymbal-like organs of the Deltocephalinae and Typhlocybinae, represent derived modifications. Finally, we propose a standardised terminology for sternal components of the cicadomorphan vibrational organs, which can be used in future taxonomic descriptions