Membracis mimica Walker, 1858

Sakakibara, Albino M. & Evangelista, Olívia, 2010, Membracis foliata (Linnaeus) (Hemiptera: Membracidae: Membracinae) and allied species: an effort towards their correct determination, Journal of Natural History 44 (35 - 36), pp. 2131-2148 : 2139

Membracis mimica Walker, 1858 sp. reval.

( Figure 14)

Membracis mimica Walker, 1858, p 123 (type-locality: Brazil, Rio de Janeiro); Funkhouser, 1927, p 49 (cat.) (= M. lunata Fabricius ); Metcalf and Wade, 1965, p 1237 (cat.) (= C. foliata L.); Broomfield, 1971: 361; McKamey, 1998, p 210 (cat.) (= C. foliata L.).

M. mimica (Figure 7, paralectotype male, BMNH) has been misidentified for a long time with M. foliata (sensu Fabricius), or M. lunata ; in Metcalf and Wade (1965) and McKamey (1998) catalogues it is listed as synonym of M. foliata . As the examination of M. lunata syntypes has shown that specimens actually have a C-shaped white band (see also remarks on M. foliatafasciata ), M. mimica is hence reinstated owing to its three separated white fascia on the pronotum. Although this species occurs both in the Atlantic and Amazon rainforest, whereas M. foliatafasciata seems to be restricted to the Amazon rainforest, the second and third bands on the pronotum never show any connection in all specimens examined and both species have never been collected on the same occasion until now.

Material examined

Membracis mimica Walker (lectotype 3 and paralectotype 3, BMNH). Additional non-type material from BRAZIL: Rondônia (Ariquemes: 3♀♀ 533), Espírito Santo (Conceição da Barra: 10♀♀ 0233), Pará (Belém: 2♀♀; Mocajuba, Mangabeira: 10♀♀ 13; Alça Viária: 2♀♀ 13), Maranhão (Imperatriz: 1♀), Tocantins (Ilha do Bananal: 2♀♀), Bahia ( Feira de Santana : 44♀♀ 2133; Barro Preto: 1♀; Salvador 17♀♀ 0633) and Mato Grosso (Chapada dos Guimarães: 333)( DZUP).