Machaerotidae

Family of true bugs

Machaerotidae
Machaerota ensifera
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Hemiptera
Suborder: Auchenorrhyncha
Superfamily: Cercopoidea
Family: Machaerotidae
Stål, 1866

Machaerotidae are a family of bugs in the superfamily Cercopoidea which were formerly placed within Cercopidae. They are sometimes called tube-forming spittle-bugs as the nymphs form a calcareous tube within which they live. These bugs are mainly found in the Old World tropics. The adults of many genera have a long, free and spine-like process originating from the scutellum and thus superficially similar to the tree-hoppers, Membracidae. The tegmen or forewing, like typical bugs of the suborder Heteroptera, always has a distinct, membranous apical area.

Like other cercopoids, these are xylem-sap feeders.[1] The nymph extracts calcium from the xylem fluid and constructs a calcareous tube from Malphigian gland secretions.[2] They typically feed on woody dicots and immerse themselves in a rather clear fluid excretion inside the tube. The tubes strongly resemble the shells of certain serpulid sea worms or helicoid land snails and contain no less than 75% calcium carbonate. This habit is quite uncommon in the class Insecta and markedly different from that of typical spittlebugs, which make and live in a froth mass.[3] Machaerotids produce foam only when they emerge from the tube to moult. There are about 115 species in 31 genera placed in 4 tribes. The majority of species are found in Southeast Asia with a small number in Africa. They were traditionally separated into two subfamilies; Machaerotinae which have the scutellar spine, and Enderleiniinae which lack it. A third subfamily, also lacking the spine, Apomachaerotinae, was recognized in 2014. The scutellum has a "tail" or appears raised towards the posterior end.[4]

Relationships with other groups.[5]

A list of the subfamilies, tribes and genera is as follows:[4]

  • Apomachaerotinae
    • Apomachaerota Schmidt, 1907
    • Serreia Baker, 1927
  • Machaerotinae
    • Maxudeini
      • Blastacaen Maa, 1963
      • Conditor Distant, 1916
      • Maxudea Schmidt, 1907
    • Machaerotini
      • Dianmachaerota Nie & Liang, 2009
      • Grypomachaerota Schmidt, 1907
      • Irridiculum Hamilton, 2014
      • Machaerota Burmeister, 1835
      • Platymachaerota Schmidt, 1918
      • Romachaeta Maa, 1963
      • Sigmasoma Schmidt, 1907
      • Tapinacaena Maa, 1963
  • Enderleiniinae
    • Hindoloidini
      • Aphrosiphon China, 1935
      • Hindoloides Distant, 1915
      • Kyphomachaerota Bell & Cryan, 2013
      • Trigonurella Maa, 1963
    • Enderleiniini
      • Aecalusa Maa, 1963
      • Allox Hamilton, 2014
      • Chaetophyes Schmidt, 1981
      • Enderleinia Schmidt, 1907
      • Hindola Kirkaldy, 1900
      • Labramachaerota Bell & Cryan, 2013
      • Labrosyne Maa, 1963
      • Machaeropsis Melichar, 1903
      • Makiptyelus Maki, 1914
      • Neuroleinia Lallemand, 1936
      • Neuromachaerota Schmidt, 1912
      • Pectinariophyes Kirkaldy, 1906
      • Polychaetophyes Kirkaldy, 1906
      • Taihorina Schumacher, 1915

References

  1. ^ Newby, R. C. (1980). "The Use of Insects for Sampling Xylem Sap". Annals of Botany. 45 (2): 213–215. doi:10.1093/oxfordjournals.aob.a085814. ISSN 0305-7364. JSTOR 42761313.
  2. ^ Rakitov, Roman A. (2002). "Structure and Function of the Malpighian Tubules, and Related Behaviors in Juvenile Cicadas: Evidence of Homology with Spittlebugs (Hemiptera: Cicadoidea & Cercopoidea)". Zoologischer Anzeiger - A Journal of Comparative Zoology. 241 (2): 117–130. doi:10.1078/0044-5231-00025.
  3. ^ Maa, T.C. (1963). "A Review of the Machaerotidae (Hemiptera: Cercopoidea)" (PDF). Pacific Insects Monographs. 5: 1–166.
  4. ^ a b Bell, Adam J.; Svenson, Gavin J.; Cryan, Jason R. (2014). "The phylogeny and revised classification of Machaerotidae, the tube-making spittlebugs (Hemiptera: Auchenorrhyncha: Cercopoidea): Phylogeny and classification of Machaerotidae". Systematic Entomology. 39 (3): 474–485. doi:10.1111/syen.12066.
  5. ^ Cryan, Jason R. (2005). "Molecular phylogeny of Cicadomorpha (Insecta: Hemiptera: Cicadoidea, Cercopoidea and Membracoidea): Adding evidence to the controversy". Systematic Entomology. 30 (4): 563–574. doi:10.1111/j.1365-3113.2004.00285.x.
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Extant Hemiptera families
Cicadomorpha
Cercopoidea
(froghoppers)
Cicadoidea
(cicadas)
Membracoidea
Fulgoromorpha
(planthoppers)
Fulgoroidea
Aleyrodoidea
  • Aleyrodidae (whiteflies)
Aphidoidea
(aphids)
Coccoidea
(scale insects)
  • Aclerdidae
  • Asterolecaniidae (pit scales)
  • Beesoniidae (beesoniids)
  • Carayonemidae (carayonemids)
  • Cerococcidae (ornate pit scales)
  • Coccidae (soft scales)
  • Conchaspididae
  • Dactylopiidae (cochineals)
  • Diaspididae (armored scales)
  • Eriococcidae (felt scales)
  • Halimococcidae (pupillarial palm scales)
  • Kermesidae
  • Kerriidae (lac scales)
  • Lecanodiaspididae (false pit scales)
  • Margarodidae (cottony cushion scales, giant coccids, ground pearls)
  • Micrococcidae (Mediterranean scales)
  • Monophlebidae (giant scales)
  • Ortheziidae (ensign scales)
  • Phenacoleachiidae (phenacoleachiids)
  • Phoenicococcidae (palm scales)
  • Pseudococcidae (mealybugs)
  • Putoidae (giant mealybugs)
  • Stictococcidae (stictococcids)
Phylloxeroidea
  • Adelgidae (woolly conifer aphids)
  • Phylloxeridae (phylloxerans)
Psylloidea
Suborder Heteroptera (with Coleorrhyncha)
Dipsocoromorpha
Enicocephalomorpha
Enicocephaloidea
Gerromorpha
(semiaquatic bugs)
Gerroidea
Hebroidea
  • Hebridae (velvet water bugs)
Hydrometroidea
  • Hydrometridae (marsh treaders or water measurers)
  • Macroveliidae
  • Paraphrynoveliidae
Mesovelioidea
(water treaders)
Leptopodomorpha
Nepomorpha
(true water bugs)
Corixoidea
  • Corixidae (water boatmen)
Nepoidea
  • Belostomatidae (giant water bugs)
  • Nepidae (water scorpions, needle bugs)
Ochteroidea
  • Gelastocoridae (toad bugs)
  • Ochteridae (velvety shore bugs)
Aphelocheiroidea
Naucoroidea
  • Naucoridae (creeping water bugs)
Notonectoidea
  • Notonectidae (backswimmers)
Pleoidea
Peloridiomorpha
(Coleorrhyncha)
Cimicomorpha
Cimicoidea
  • Anthocoridae (minute pirate bugs or flower bugs)
  • Cimicidae (bed bugs, bat bugs)
  • Curaliidae (Curalium cronini)
  • Joppeicidae
  • Lasiochilidae
  • Lyctocoridae
  • Medocostidae
  • Microphysidae
  • Miridae (plant bugs, leaf bugs, grass bugs)
  • Nabidae (damsel bugs)
  • Pachynomidae
  • Plokiophilidae
  • Polyctenidae (old world bat bugs)
  • Reduviidae (assassin bugs, wheel bugs, thread-legged bugs)
  • Thaumastocoridae (royal palm bugs)
  • Tingidae (lace bugs)
  • Velocipedidae
Pentatomomorpha
Aradoidea
  • Aradidae (flat bugs)
  • Termitaphididae (termite bugs)
Pentatomoidea
(shield bugs)
Coreoidea
Lygaeoidea
Pyrrhocoroidea
  • Pyrrhocoridae (red bugs, cotton stainers)
  • Largidae (bordered plant bugs)
Note: Coleorrhyncha are a different clade from Heteroptera. Heteroptera with Coleorrhyncha were referred to as Prosorrhyncha.
Taxon identifiers
Machaerotidae