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Balclutha (leafhopper)

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Balclutha
Balclutha punctata
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Hemiptera
Suborder: Auchenorrhyncha
Family: Cicadellidae
Subfamily: Deltocephalinae
Tribe: Macrostelini
Genus: Balclutha
Kirkaldy, 1900
Type species
Cicada punctata
Fabricius, 1775

Balclutha is a genus of leafhopper that feed on grasses. They have a cosmopolitan distribution with over 100 species. The species feed primarily on grasses and sedges and can shift into cereal crops causing some economic damage especially by transferring plant viruses. The genus is named after Balclutha in Scotland.[1]

The genus Balclutha is small 2-4 mm long and has the head almost as wide as pronotum. The anterior margin of the head is rounded when viewed from above. The species can only be distinguished on the basis of male genitalia.[2]

Species in the genus include:

References

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  1. ^ Dmitriev, D. A. (2022). "Etymology and Grammatical Gender of Generic Names in Auchenorrhyncha (Hemiptera)". Illinois Natural History Survey Bulletin. 43 (2022001). doi:10.21900/j.inhs.v43.837.
  2. ^ Knight, W.J. (1987). "Leafhoppers of the grass-feeding genus Balclutha (Homoptera, Cicadellidae) in the Pacific region". Journal of Natural History. 21 (5): 1173–1224. doi:10.1080/00222938700770731. ISSN 0022-2933.
  3. ^ Lu, Lin; Zhang, Yalin; Webb, M. D. (2013). "Review of the Grass Feeding Leafhopper Genus Balclutha Kirkaldy (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae: Deltocephalinae) in China". Zootaxa. 3691 (5): 501–537. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.3691.5.1. PMID 26167601.