The ground-dwelling leafhoppers Myerslopiidae, new family, and Sagmatiini, new tribe (Homoptera : Membracoidea)

Abstract

The world fauna of 28 leafhopper species living in moss or leaf litter (formerly subfamily Myerslopiinae) belong to 3 unrelated tribes: (1) Evansiolini (subfamily Megophthalminae) - 3 species of Evansiola Metcalf from Juan Fernández Is (Chile); (2) Sagmatiini, trib. nov. (subfamily Euacanthellinae) - one species of Paulianiana Evans from Madagascar, 3 new species of Sagmation, gen. nov. from Australia and New Caledonia, and 6 species (5 new) of Myerslopella Evans from Australia; (3) true Myerslopiini - 5 species of Myerslopia Evans from Chile and New Zealand and 10 species of Pemmation, gen. nov. from New Zealand. Myerslopiini are placed in the new family Myerslopiidae, exhibiting a combination of cicadoid and cercopoid features not found in other Membracoidea. Keys are presented to the genera and species of Sagmatiini, and a phylogeny of the families of Membracoidea is proposed based on 35 synapomorphies.