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Issue: Vol. 5768 No. 4: 12 Mar. 2026
Type: Article
Published: 2026-03-12
DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5768.4.6
Page range: 563-575
Abstract views: 33
PDF downloaded: 1

Description of the immature stadia of Balacha melanocephala (Insecta: Hemiptera: Cicadellidae: Cicadellini) with biological notes

Laboratório de Sistemática de Hemiptera; Departamento de Entomologia; Museu Nacional; Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ). Avenida Bartolomeu de Gusmão; 875; São Cristóvão; Rio de Janeiro; RJ; 20941-160; Brasil.
Laboratório de Entomologia; Departamento de Zoologia; Instituto de Biologia; Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ). Caixa Postal 68044; Rio de Janeiro; RJ; 21941-971; Brasil.
Laboratório de Sistemática e Biogeografia de Hemiptera; Departamento de Zoologia; Setor de Ciências Biológicas; Universidade Federal do Paraná (UFPR). Caixa Postal 19020; Curitiba; PR; 81531-980; Brasil.
Laboratório de Sistemática e Biogeografia de Hemiptera; Departamento de Zoologia; Setor de Ciências Biológicas; Universidade Federal do Paraná (UFPR). Caixa Postal 19020; Curitiba; PR; 81531-980; Brasil.
Laboratório de Sistemática e Biogeografia de Hemiptera; Departamento de Zoologia; Setor de Ciências Biológicas; Universidade Federal do Paraná (UFPR). Caixa Postal 19020; Curitiba; PR; 81531-980; Brasil.
Hemiptera Cicadellinae Eryngium leafhoppers Membracoidea nymphal morphology

Abstract

Balacha Melichar, 1926 (Cicadellinae) comprises 10 species and is distributed across southeastern and southern Brazil, Uruguay, Paraguay, and Argentina. Here we provide the first detailed descriptions and illustrations of the five nymphal stadia of B. melanocephala (Signoret, 1854), type species of the genus, based on specimens collected on Eryngium (Apiaceae) in the municipality of São José dos Pinhais, state of Paraná, southern Brazil. Biological notes on nymphs and adults are also given. For determining the nymphal stadia of B. melanocephala, a reliable criterion is a combination of body size and wing pad development, comparing the relative extension of wing pads in relation to the abdominal segments. Our field observations suggest that the predominantly yellow coloration of the nymphs of this species may represent an adaptive trait that enhances camouflage on the young inner leaves of Eryngium plants.

 

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How to Cite

Quintas, V., Prando, J.S., Alasmar, L., Domahovski, A.C., Timóteo, Ágatha & Mejdalani, G. (2026) Description of the immature stadia of Balacha melanocephala (Insecta: Hemiptera: Cicadellidae: Cicadellini) with biological notes. Zootaxa, 5768 (4), 563–575. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5768.4.6