IBN AL- HAITHAM J. FO R PURE & APPL. SC I. VO L.24 (1 ) 2011 External Mo rphology of Planthopper Dictyophara iranica Germar 1833, ( Hemiptera: Dictyopharidae ) from Iraq A. J. SABER Departme nt of Biology, Colleg of Education I bn Al-Haitham, Unive rsity of Baghdad Recei ved in ,30,June,2010 Accepted in , 14, December ,2010 Abstract The external morphology of p lanthop p ers belong to the genus Dictyophara Germar 1833, has been described. The study included detailed descrip tion of the external morphology of Dictyophara iranica Germar 1833. External morphological characters of the head, thorax and their app endages were used. Those characters were sup p orted by st udy ing the male genitalia. Key words:- Planthop p er , Hemiptera , DiscriPtion Introduction The Genus Dictyophara Germar 1833, belongs to family Dicty op haridae Sp inola 1839, subfamily Dicty op harinae, Sp inola 1839. The subfamily Dicty op harinae comp rises about 700 sp ecies belongs to 150 genera, worldwide distributed, from temp erate to subt rop ical and trop ical zones [1,2,3], it is known from many p arts of the world from Asia including Russia, India and Pakistan [4] to Europe including Denmark and United Kingdom to U.S.A.[5], y et a comp rehensive generic descrip tion is not available [6]. The majority of members subfamily Dicty op harinae feed on the phloem tissues of woody or herbaceous p lants; however, some feed on fungi, mosses, horsetails, or ferns [7,8]. M embers of Dicty op harinae are small to medium size insects, body dorsoventrally comp ressed head narrower than p ronotum, and is greatly p roduced in front of compound eyes, tegmina membranous, venation regular with a number of cross veins, costal vein with numerous cross veins, aedeagus semi sclerotized with membranous and sclerotized apical p rocesses [9]. Materials and Methods The sp ecimens of Dictyophara iranica were collected from the following regions: Adhamyia (Ap ril 2008), Kadhmyai (July 2008) and M ahmody ai (October 2008). Samp les were collected by Light Trap, then they were fixed on a thick p aper and kept in insect box. Date, place of collection were recorded. The out shap e feature for the sample was written down [10]. Studies were made using a dissecting microscope (OLYM PUS JAPAN 426315)and comp ound microscope (OLYM PUS JAPAN 275282), using normal light. All figures have been imp roved with ocular micrometer [6]. The areas of collection consist of field and common gardens cultured with different t y p es of trees, herbs, grasses and shrubs. IBN AL- HAITHAM J. FO R PURE & APPL. SC I. VO L.24 (1 ) 2011 Results Length from Vertex to end of abdomen in rep ose varying from 1.4 cm to 1.5 cm. The Head (Fig. -1-) Vertex: Yellow, extended interiorly , its length as four times as its width. Ap ex: Black in color, in the end of rost rum, rounded in shape. The head contains t ricarinate extended to apex, one median and two lateral carina. Compound eyes bulging. Pronot um (Fig. -2-) Yellow, width longer than length, with two short lateral carina behind each eye, median carina absent. Lateral edge of slop ing downwards. Ant erior margin concave while p ost erior one convex. M esothorax (Fig. -3-) Yellow, with disc flatted, lateral carina p arallel, median carina distinct, all carina not reaching anterior margin of mesot horax. Legs Slender. Fore coxa elongate, black, femur short er than fore tibia, which bear rows of delicate setae along inner margin, basitarsomere short er than mid tarsomere, apical tarsomere with claws and aroliun longer than combined length of basi- and mid tarsomeres (Fig. -4-). M id and fore legs of same length, mid tarsomere longer than basitarsomere of mid leg (Fig. - 5-). Hind leg longer than fore and mid leg, hind tibia large in size, outer margins with three lateral sp ines, seven apical teeth, equal combined length of mid and apical tarsomere, mid tarsomere as long as apical tarsomere with row of seven apical teeth, apical tarsomere with distinct tarsal claws and wide arolium (Fig. -6-). Wings Fore wing: M embranous, large, extending behind abdomen, with apex broader than the rest of wing and rounded; apical p art p ossess reticulate venation, with transverse veins irregularly arranged in three rows; st igma covering 21 cells, basal cells narrow, st ems Sc + R and M leaving basal cell at common p oint; branch Sc with three terminals, st em R branch with RA and RP, branch RA with five terminals, branch RP with six terminals; branch M with three terminals, st em Cu reaching outer margin with out branched, branch st em A with two terminals (Fig. -7-). Hind wing: M embranous, short er than fore wing, with apex broader than the rest of wing, st em C extending along anterior margin of wing, st em Sc branch with three terminals, st em R branch with RA and RP, branch RA with t wo t erminals, branch RP with t hree terminals, st em M forked basally of veinlets r – m, with five terminals, st ems Cu A forked before outer margin of wing (Fig. -8-). M ale genitalia The 9 th segment modified into a ring or cup-like structure, known male genitalia. Sty le: It is a p air of clasp er-like st ructures, elongate and have two sp ines on dorsal margin (Fig. -9-). Aedeagus: Simp le shap e, small in size, tube-like st ructures (Fig. -10-). Connective: Elongate, extends to the base of aedeagus and given with aedeagus "Y-shap e"(Fig. -10-). A "Y-shape" connective att aches the base of st y le to the base of aedeagus. Genital plate: Semi triangular, wide at base, narrowing towards ap ex, curved to inner margin with five teeth, three in the wide part and two in apex, this p late contain three long delicate setae in the dorsal end of its wide base (Fig. -11-). IBN AL- HAITHAM J. FO R PURE & APPL. SC I. VO L.24 (1 ) 2011 Re ference 1. M elichar, L. (1912): M onographic der Dicty op horinen (Homop tera). – Abhandlungen der K.K. Zoologisch-Botanischen Gesellschaft in Wien, 7 (1): 1 – 221. 2. M etcalf, Z.P.(1946): General Catalogue of the Hemip tera. Fascicle IV, Folgoroidea, Part 8 Dicty op haridae. 246p p ; North Hampton, M assachusett s (Smith College). 3. Flow (2007): Fulgoromorpha On the Web. – http ://flow.snv.jussieu.fr/ Version: 7; Last up date: 12/12/07. 4. Becker, M . (1964): Tretichny e ravnokry lye Stavropol'ya. [Tertiary insects of Stavropol']. – Trudy Paleontologicheskogo Inst itut a Akademii Nauk SSSR, M oscow, 104: 1 – 116 [In Russian]. 5. Emeljanov, A.F., Kuz netsova, V.G., Nokkala, C. and Nokkala, S. (2005): Phy logeny and evolution of the subfamily Orgeriinae ( Homop tera: Dicty op haridae). – Abstracts of the 12 th International Auchenorrhyncha Congress and the 5 th International Workshop on Leafhopp ers and planthop p ers of Economic Imp ortance. University of California, Berkeley, California, USA. 8 – 12 August . 6. Bourgoin, T. and Szwedo, J. (2008): The 'cixiid-like' fossil p lanthop p er families. – Bulletin of Insectology , 61 (1): 107 – 108. 7. Wilson, S.W., Denno, R.F. M itt er,C. and Wilson, M .R. 1994: Evolutionary p att erns of host p lant use by delp hacid p lanthop p ers and their relatives (Chapter 1), p p . 7 – 113. In R.F. Denno and T.J. Perfect [eds.]. Planthop p ers: Their Ecology and M anagement. Chap man and Hall, Inc., New York. 8. Wheeler, J. (2003): Bry op hagy in the Auchenorrhyncha: seasonal history and habits of a moss sp ecialist , Javesella opaca (Beamer) (Fulgoroidea: Delphacidae). Proc. Entomol. Soc. Washington 105: 599 – 610. 9. Jacek, S. (2008): Anew tribe of Dicty op haridae p lanthop p ers from Eocene Baltic amber (Hemip tera: Fulgoromorpha: Fulgoroidae), with a brief review of the fossil record of the family , Palaeodiversity 1:75 – 85 10. Bourgoin, T., Szwedo, J. and Lefebvre, F. (2004): About Hemip tera Phy logeny and Classification. – In: Szwedo, J. (ed.): Fossil Planthop p ers (Hemip tera: Fulgoromorpha) of the World. An annotated catalogue with notes on Hemip tera classification: 11 – 36; Warsaw. IBN AL- HAITHAM J. FO R PURE & APPL. SC I. VO L.24 (1 ) 2011 Prot horax Fig.(2) Prothorax Fig. (1) Head Fig.(3) Pterothorax IBN AL- HAITHAM J. FO R PURE & APPL. SC I. VO L.24 (1 ) 2011 Fig (4) Fore leg Fig. (5) Mid leg Fig. (6) Hind leg Fig(7) Fore wing IBN AL- HAITHAM J. FO R PURE & APPL. SC I. VO L.24 (1 ) 2011 Fig(8) Hind wing Fig. (9) Genital Style Fig.(10) Aedeagus & Connective IBN AL- HAITHAM J. FO R PURE & APPL. SC I. VO L.24 (1 ) 2011 Fig. (11) Genital plate List of Glossary A Anal vein Ap Ap ex Ar arolium At apical tarsomere Bt basitarsomere C Cost al vein CE Compound eye CL Claw C Coxa Cu Cubital vein F Front FE Femur LC Lateral carina M M edial vein M C M edian carina Mt M id tarsomere R Redial v ein r – m r – m veinlets Ro Rost rum Sc Subcostal vein Sp Sp ine T Tibia V Verte x رفة والتطبیقیة المجلد 2011) 1( 24مجلة ابن الهیثم للعلوم الص المظھر الخارجي لقفاز النبات Dictyophara iranica Germar 1833, ( Hemiptera: Dictyopharidae ) من العراق أحمد جمیل صبر جامعة بغداد أبن الھیثم،-قسم علوم الحیاة، كلیة التربیة 2010،كانون االول ،19استلم البحث في 2011، شباط،8قبل البحث في الخالصة . Dictyophara Germar 1833جنس المتمثل بالقفاز النبات ل المظھر الخارجيوصف فـي الوصـف صـفات المظھـر عملتاسـت أذ، Dictyophara iranica Germar 1833یتضـمن البحـث وصـف النـوع الخارجي للرأس والحلقات الصدریة الثالثة ولواحقھا .صفات المظھر الخارجي باالعتماد على السوءة الذكریة عَُززت، كما )األرجل واألجنحة ( وصف،نصفیة االجنحة ،قفاز النبات -:لكلمات المفتاحیةا