Morphology of the antennal sensilla in four Australian spittlebug species (Hemiptera: Cercopidae) with implications for phylogeny

Abstract

Abstract The antennal sense organs of four Australian spittlebugs, Aufidus trifasciatus Stål, Euryaulax carnifex (Fabricius), Petyllis deprivata (Walker) and Tonnoiria tasmaniae Lallemand (Hemiptera: Cercopidae) are described for the first time, based on scanning electron microscope observations. Four major types of sense organs were found: one basiconic sensillum and 8–9 coeloconic sensilla on the expanded flagellar base, and several trichoid sensilla and one campaniform sensillum on the pedicel. The antennal sensilla found in the four species show very similar patterns in their shape, distribution and arrangement and this suggests that the genera Aufidus Stål, Petyllis Kirkaldy and Tonnoiria Lallemand, all currently placed in the Afrotropical and Oriental tribe Rhinaulacini, may belong to the Australian tribe Euryaulacini. In addition, the history of the nomenclature of two Australian species previously assigned to the genus Eoscarta is reviewed, and the following two resurrected combinations established: Euryaulax carnifex (Fabricius) comb. rev. and Euryaulax vacuola (Jacobi) comb. rev.