A review of New World Malaxa (Hemiptera: Fulgoroidea: Delphacidae)
Bartlett, C.R.; Kennedy, A.C.
Zootaxa 4441(3): 511-528
2018
ISSN/ISBN: 1175-5326 PMID: 30313998 Document Number: 695987
The New World species attributed to the genus Malaxa Melichar (Hemiptera: Fulgoroidea: Delphacidae) are reviewed with special reference to the type species Malaxa acutipennis from the Philippines. We provide an amended diagnosis for Malaxa acutipennis contrasted with the genus delineation presented for Chinese Malaxa, most recently by Hou et al. (2013). We find Malaxa to be an Old World genus and segregate New World species into two new genera, Lamaxa and Xalama, diagnosed most readily by proportions of the antennae and features of the terminalia. Both Lamaxa and Xalama are uncommonly encountered. Lamaxa is distributed widely through the Neotropics, whereas Xalama is heretofore known only from Bolivia and Peru.