Eurybrachyidae
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 Paropioxys jucundus
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The Eurybrachyidae (sometimes misspelled "Eurybrachidae" or "Eurybrachiidae") is a small family of planthoppers found in Asia, Australia and Africa; there are over 50 species described in some 20 genera. The frons of the head is characteristic in being broader than it is long. Their large forewings are often colourfully mottled as a means of camouflage, hiding the broad and sometimes colourful abdomen.
In Australia, the genus Platybrachys associates with Eucalyptus trees, while the genera Olonia and Dardus associate with Acacia.
A female deposits her eggs together on bark or on a leaf underside. They are located in a fingerprint sized patch of white waxy material, covered by a white capsule to protect them from insect predators. Small parasitic wasps may however attack the eggs by piercing the capsule. The nymphs, being not as agile as the adults, rely on mimicry, camouflage and honeydew secretion (to solicit ant "bodyguards") to avoid predation.
The southeast Asian genus Ancyra is well-known for having a pair of prolonged filaments at the tips of the forewings that arise near a pair of small glossy spots; this creates the impression of a pair of antennae, with corresponding "eyes" (a remarkable case of automimicry)[1]. The "false head" effect is further reinforced by the bugs' habit of walking backwards when it detects movement nearby, so as to misdirect predators to strike at its rear, rather than at its actual head.
[edit] External links
[edit] References
- Insects of Southern Africa, Scholtz C.H., Holm E., 1985
- ^ Wickler, W. 1968. Mimicry in plants and animals. McGraw-Hill, New York
