OBSERVATIONS OF A SUBSOCIAL TREEHOPPER, STALOTYPA FAIRMAIRII FROM CUBA (HEMIPTERA: MEMBRACIDAE)

Abstract

The treehopper Stalotypa fairmairii (GuerinM6neville) is endemic to the Caribbean Island of Cuba and has been placed within the membracine tribe Hoplophorionini (McKamey & Deitz 1996). The hoplophorionine treehoppers are mainly Neotropical, and occur mostly at higher elevations, with greatest species diversity near the equator of South America. Hoplophorionines for which the biology is known have highly developed subsocial behavior of guarding eggs and nymphs (Wood 1984; McKamey & Deitz 1991, 1996; Lin 2003, 2006). Unlike other treehoppers, they do not interact with mutualistic ants or other hymenopterans. Among the Hoplophorionine, detailed data on natural history is available only for the North American species Platycotis vittata (Fabricius) and Umbonia crassicornis (Amyot & Serville) (Wood 1974, 1976). Natural histories of the majority of tropical hoplophorionines are less known except for a few species in the Central America (Wood 1984; McKamey & Deitz 1991, 1996). No natural history information for S. fairmairii is known but it has been presumed to be subsocial (McKamey & Deitz 1996). Observations of S. fairmairii were made in Soroa, Pinar del Rio Province, Cuba between 19 and 26 of Jun 2001. The observation site was approximately 400 m wide on the edge of the road leading to Manto Bonito from Soroa (mileage marker 11, near Campismo La Caridad) (Fig. 1A). The terrain is agricultural land, open-air dairy farms, fruit trees, and secondary forest remnants. The habitat is on a humid lowland hill with tropical thunderstorms occurring almost every afternoon. Additional treehopper populations were located in similar habitats a few kilometers north of So-