Shcherbakov D.E. 2022. New Palaeontinidae (Cicadomorpha) from the Triassic of Central Asia: the earliest intimidating eyespots in Hemiptera // Russian Entomol. J. Vol.31. No.4: 352–358 [in English].

Borissiak Paleontological Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences, Profsoyuznaya St. 123, Moscow 117647. Russia. E-mail: dshh@narod.ru

doi: 10.15298/rusentj.31.4.03

ABSTRACT. Large cicadas Papiliontina dracomima gen. et sp.n., P. spectans sp.n. and P. machaon sp.n. are described from the Middle to Late Triassic of Madygen, Kyrgyzstan. These are the oldest finds of the Mesozoic family Palaeontinidae. Two of the three species show a pair of large, concentric eyespots on their forewings, providing the earliest evidence for this anti-predator mechanism in Hemiptera. Fletcheriana magna Riek, 1976 from the Late Triassic of South Africa is singled out into Karoontina gen.n.: Karoontina magna (Riek, 1976), comb.n.

KEY WORDS: Homoptera, Auchenorrhyncha, Palaeontinoidea, Madygen, morphology, evolution, anti-predator mechanisms, predator mimicry.

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