Prasiini Matsumura, 1917

Moulds, MS, 2005, An Appraisal of the Higher Classification of Cicadas (Hemiptera: Cicadoidea) with Special Reference to the Australian Fauna, Records of the Australian Museum 57 (3), pp. 375-446 : 436

Tribe Prasiini Matsumura, 1917

Prasinaria Matsumura, 1917: 209 .

Prasiini Kato, 1932: 188 .

Prasiinae Jacobi, 1941: 317 .

Prasini Kato, 1956: 65 .

Type genus. Prasia Stål (type species P. faticina Stål ).

Included genera. Arfaka Distant , Iruana Distant , Jacatra Distant , Lacetas Karsch , Lembeja Distant , Prasia Stål and Sapantanga Distant.

Diagnosis. Head with supra-antennal plate meeting eye. Postclypeus shape in transverse cross-section angular; postclypeal ridges lacking transverse grooves towards distal ends. Pronotal collar with lateral margin confluent with adjoining pronotal sclerites; lateral tooth absent. Fore wing pterostigma present; veins C and R+Sc close together; vein RA 1 aligned closely with subcosta (Sc) for its length. Hind wing with anal lobe either broad or narrow and vein 3A either separated or adjacent to wing margin. Fore leg femoral primary spine erect. Meracanthus gradually tapering to a point, triangular or nearly so. Male opercula not completely encapsulating meracanthus and partly covering tympanal cavity. Male abdominal tergites with sides straight or convex in cross-section; tergites 2 and 3 similar in size to tergites 4–7; epipleurites reflexed to ventral surface, without an inward Vshaped kink. Timbals extend below wing bases; timbal covers absent. Pygofer with upper lobe present, thickened rather than flat; pygofer basal lobe development ill-defined, substantially confluent with pygofer margin; dorsal beak a part of chitinized pygofer. Uncus absent. Claspers large, dominating the whole 10th abdominal segment.Aedeagus with basal portion of basal plate directed forwards away from thecal shaft; ventral rib completely fused with basal plate. Theca straight or curved in a gentle arc; pseudoparameres absent; subapical cerci absent. Male and female reproductive systems unknown.

Distinguishing characters. The four apomorphies identified by Boer (1995b, 1997) as distinguishing the Prasiini are not in dispute and are here accepted as defining the Prasiini sensu Jong (1982, 1985, 1986, 1987) and Boer (1995b, 1997), viz. a very narrow vertex with ocelli close together; a large obconical and triangularly protruding postclypeus; a very narrow hyaline border along hind margin of hind wing; well-developed and posteriorly projecting protuberances on upper pygofer lobes of male.

Discussion. The inclusion of the African genera here is tentative and awaits a broad assessment of the tribe and allied genera.