Genus Andes Stål

Andes Stål, 1866: 166 . Type species Andes undulata Stål 1870, subsequent designation by Muir (1925b). Leirioessa Kirkaldy 1907: 112, synonymised by Muir 1925b: 201. Type species Leirioessa tortricomorpha Kirkaldy (1907), by original designation.

Remarks. The genus Andes was described by Stål in 1866, however he did not describe a species within this genus until 1870.

Colour. Vertex brown with two longitudinal white stripes; frons brown, lateral carinae paler, sometimes with brown dots; body brown; forewings hyaline, colourless, with two brown transverse bands (tb1, tb2) (Figs 1 A, 1F, 2A, 2F, 3A, 3F) and scattered brown marks; median ocellus often reddish.

Morphology. Body length: ɗ 3.8–6.6 mm.

Head: Vertex with u- or v-shaped basal emargination; lateral carinae strongly elevated; median carina absent; apical transverse carina well developed; subapical transverse carina well or weakly developed. Maximum width of frons more than 2 x apical width, steadily broadening; position of maximum width distinctly dorsad of centre of frontoclypeal suture; lateral carinae strongly elevated; frontoclypeal suture slightly semicircular bent upwards, median part not reaching lower margin of antennal scape; median ocellus present. Median and lateral carinae of postclypeus well developed; median carina of anteclypeus well developed; lateral carinae absent.

Thorax: Pronotum with hind margin rectangular to slightly obtusely angled. Mesonotum with 3 well developed carinae. Forewing in resting position steeply tectiform, apices of wings touching; costal margin slightly outwardly convex basally; tubercles present along veins; Sc+R+M arising separately from a common point on the basal cell or forming a minute common stem (less than 3 x diameter of tubercle); position of r-m at same level as (rarely slightly basad of) fork MA+MP; icu distinctly distad of apex of clavus; RP apically trifid; MA apically trifid; MP apically bifid; fork of CuP+1A central within clavus (rarely basad or distad of centre of clavus); 10 apical cells. Fore leg: coxa with outer margin straight, subparallel with inner margin, not produced. Hind leg: tibia with 6 apical teeth forming uninterrupted row of spines (rarely small gap present, dividing spines in two groups of three teeth); tarsomeres without platellae; 2nd tarsomere with 1–4 very fine setae underneath row of apical teeth.

Remarks. The following attribute distinguishes the Australian Andes from all other Australian cixiid genera, Sc+R+M arising separately from a common point on the basal cell or forming a minute common stem (less than 3 x diameter of a tubercle).

Distribution. Palaearctic Region, Afrotropical Region, Oriental Region, Australian Region (New South Wales, Northern Territory, Queensland).