Metcalfa pruinosa
| Citrus flatid planthopper | |
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| File:Metcalfa pruinosa MHNT.jpg | |
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M. pruinosa
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| Binomial name | |
| Metcalfa pruinosa (Say, 1830)
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Metcalfa pruinosa, the citrus flatid planthopper, is a species of insect in the Flatidae family of planthoppers first described by Thomas Say in 1830.[1]
Distribution
The species is native to North America, but is today found throughout southern Europe[2][3] Spotted in Seoul in 2009,[4] it has since also been identified in orchards in the Chungbuk and Kyungnam provinces of South Korea.[5]
Behavior and ecological impact
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The adults are seen mainly in summer and fall, when they feed gregariously on sap. Adults, but especially the nymphs, are covered with a white epicuticular wax. The adult is 4–7 millimetres (0.16–0.28 in) long and initially whitish, turning a light gray. The large and prominent compound eyes are yellow. The mouthparts are adapted for piercing and sucking. The trapezoidal forewings are held vertically, wrapping the body when the insect is at rest. The wings have several characteristic whitish spots.
When they feed on sap, they eject excess sugar in the form of honeydew. This attracts bees, which convert it to honey.
As it feeds, it causes serious damages to field crops and ornamental plants. It is polyphagous, feeding on a variety of plant taxa. Host plants include maples, dogwoods, hawthorns, willows, elms, privet, black locust, and elder. It lives on crop plants such as grape, citrus, apricot, peach, blackberry, and raspberry.
The species is univoltine, producing one generation per year. Adults mate in fall during the night. The females lay about 100 eggs, usually in the bark of host plants. Eggs overwinter, hatching the following spring.
References
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- ↑ Kahrer, A. Introduction and possible spread of Metcalfa pruinosa (Cicadina; Flatidae) in Austria. Plant Protection and Plant Health in Europe: Introduction and Spread of Invasive Species. Symposium. June 9–11, 2005. Humboldt University, Berlin, Germany.
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External links
- Fauna Europaea
- Biolib
- Die Bläulingszikade (Metcalfa pruinosa). Ages.
- Santi, F. and S. Maini. Metcalfa pruinosa. Facoltà di Agraria Università di Bologna. (Italian)
