Hemiptera - Auchenorrhyncha (cicadas, planthoppers)

Forewings usually folded flat, partially overlapping at rest. Clavus short, ending a little beyond half-way along forewing and making a distinct angle with it. Apex of confluent anal veins of forewing reaching apex of clavus.

Separated from Issidae by difference in structures of the female genitalia and ovipositor. Highly brachypterous with the tegmina barely reaching over the first abdominal segments, some with forelegs expanded and/or head produced in front of eyes.

Most generalised and primitive fulgoroid species. Some genera have retained a third ocellus in the centre of the frons. Cixiids generally are brown or black with tegmina that are transparent with brown veins.

Head prolonged in front; apical segment of rostrum much longer than wide; forwing sometimes brachypterous ;if not, claval veins entering hind margin before apex of clavus which is usually closed distally or, if open, without numerous crossveins between anal veins.

Eurybrachid planthoppers are characterised by camouflaged colouration and a frons that is outwardly angulate near the antenna.

Fulgoroid planthoppers with the clavus of the forewing having conspicuous granules.

Usually with process on the front of the head, although in most species no more than a small knob pressed down onto the vertex; in some forms, the process is large and obvious.

Presence of heavy granulations on the outer claval vein (Vein 1A); length of the apical segment of the rostrum which is longer than wide (as long as wide in Derbidae).

Pronotum enlarged, sometimes into grotesque shapes; in Australian species there are usually two lateral horns but these are often reduced to bumps and sometimes missing altogether.

Varied morphology, but united through features of the male and female genitalia; male with massive phallobase with variform processes and distinctive style with long and narrow capitulum devoid of teeth; most of the genera are characterised by elongate gonoplacs and narrow connective laminae of gonapophyses VIII and IX in females.

Most Ricaniidae have triangular wings either opaque or with delicate lacy brown patterning; a few species have glassy-clear wings.

Hind tibia lacking mobile spur at apex; second segment of hind tarsi small with a single dark spine at each side; frons with single median carina, or lacking a carina; lacy-winged, cells clear between the veins; clavus of forewing without conspicuous granules.