Eualthe punctum ( Fairmaire, 1846 )

Flórez-V, Camilo & Evangelista, Olivia, 2021, A revision of the treehopper genus Bubalopa Stål illuminates the systematics of Hyphinoini (Hemiptera: Auchenorrhyncha: Membracidae), Zootaxa 5052 (4), pp. 529-551 : 550

Eualthe punctum ( Fairmaire, 1846)

Hemiptycha punctum Fairmaire, 1846: 318 (Plate 6, figure 22); Funkhouser, 1927: 118; Metcalf & Wade, 1965: 678; McKamey, 1998: 476.

Hyphinoe punctorum Buckton, 1903: 124 (Plate 28, figures 3, 3a), syn. nov.

Remarks: Hyphinoe punctorum is proposed as a junior synonym of Eualthe punctum based on the original descriptions and illustrations. Fairmaire (1946) and Buckton (1903) characterized their respective species as having the following combination of features: an ochraceous-yellow pronotum with one pair of brown spot at each side; suprahumeral horns somewhat acute and divergent; and posterior process exceeding the apex of forewings. Buckton (1903) discussed a possible synonymy between these species, stating that Hyphinoe punctorum could be “a variety of Hemiptycha punctum ” (p. 124). Goding (1929) treated this species as Bubalopa based on his interpretation of the literature, and Funkhouser (1951) incorrectly treated H. punctorum as a synonym of B. furcata . This misidentification hindered the accurate determination of H. punctorum as well as Bubalopa and its constituent taxa.