Taphura hastifera ( Walker, 1858a )

Sanborn, Allen F., 2018, The cicadas (Hemiptera: Cicadidae) of Panama including the description of six new species, three new combinations, one new synonymy, and nine new records, Zootaxa 4493 (1), pp. 1-69 : 54

Taphura hastifera ( Walker, 1858a)

Cicada hastifera Walker 1858a: 25 . (Santarém, Pará, Brazil)

Cicada frontalis Walker 1858a: 25 . (Pará, Brazil)

Remarks. A wide ranging species that is often common in collections. Another small cicada with prominent eyes. The claspers diverge laterally from their base and form a claw-like terminus. The basal pygofer lobes are reduced ( Sanborn 2017a). The species emerges at the end of the dry season before the beginning of the rainy season so that rain is not the trigger for the emergence but they are primarily active during the rainy season ( Wolda 1988; 1989). The species is active from late March to early September ( Wolda 1989).

Distribution. The species ranges over much of South America. It is currently known from Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Ecuador, Panama, Peru, and Venezuela ( Metcalf 1963; Sanborn 2013; 2017a; Sanborn & Heath 2014). The species has been recorded from Barro Colorado Island ( Wolda 1988; 1989; Wolda & Ramos 1992) and Las Cumbres, Province of Panama, 150 m altitude in secondary growth forest ( Wolda & Ramos 1992) in Panama.