Leafhoppers and planthoppers that eat bromeliads | Pests of Bromeliads | Bromeliad Biota


Leafhoppers and planthoppers that eat bromeliads


Cicadellidae
Cicadellidae: Nine species of Cicadellidae were identified from Ananas comosus (pineapple) in Nicaragua (Maes and Godoy 1994, Maes 2004). They are Agallia sp., Amplicephalus sp., Aulacizes sp., Draeculacephala clypeata Osborn, 1926, Draeculacephala soluta Gibson, Macunolla ventralis (Signoret, 1854), Mareja sp. [identified as Draeculacephala sp.], Phera obtusifrons Fowler, 1899, and Tylozygus fasciatus (Walker, 1851).

Additionally, Cavichiana bromelicola Mejdalani was collected from Neoregelia cruenta (R. Graham) L. B. Smith in Rio de Janeiro, and from Neoregelia johannis (Carrière) L. B. Smith in São Paulo, by Mejdalani et al. (2014). It was found on leaves of those bromeliads in areas of restinga (broad-leaved forest on sand dunes) in the Atlantic Forest of those two states of southeastern Brazil. Then in 2020 was published Quintas et al. (2020)  describing as new Cavichiana alpina collected in two Vriesea species in Parque Nacional de Itatiaia in the state of Minas Gerais.  It was not stated whether the insect feeds on Vriesea plants.

However, none of these ten species has been unequivocally demonstrated to feed on bromeliads. They may have merely been ‘visitors.’


Specimens of Portanus restingalis were observed feeding and resting on Bromeliaceae leaves; this is the first record of host plants for the Portanini. Specimens of P. restingalis originally described from Restinga de Marica, a sandy coastal plain in Rio de Janeiro state (Felix & Mejdalani 2011) were observed in feeding position on leaves of bromeliads of the genus Alcantarea (E. Morren ex Mez) Harms (Fig. 54), probably A. glaziouana (Leme) J.R. Grant or A. imperialis (Carrière) Harms. Also, they were observed in resting position on Neoregelia compacta (Mez) L.B. Smith and Quesnelia quesneliana (Brongn.) L.B. Smith. The frequent presence of nymphs on P. restingalis of JBRJ (Jardim de Bromelias de Rio de Janeiro) bromeliads strongly suggests that these plants are hosts for this leafhopper.

Nogodinidae
Nogodinidae: Bladina magnifrons (Walker, 1858) [identified as Bladina fuscana Stål, 1862, junior synonym] was reported from Ananas comosus and Bromelia pinguin L. at St. Augustine, Trinidad & Tobago (Fennah 1945).


REFERENCES
Fennah, R.G. 1945. The Fulgoroidea, or lanternflies, of Trinidad and adjacent parts of South America. Proceedings of the United States National Museum 95: 411–520. http://dx.doi.org/10.5479/si.00963801.95-3184.411

Maes, J.-M. 1992. El género Draeculacephala (Homoptera: Cicadellidae) en Nicaragua. Revista Nicaraguense de Entomología 20: 35–40.

Maes, J.-M. 2004. Insectos asociados a algunos cultivos tropicales en el atlantico de Nicaragua. Parte XIII. Piña (Ananas comosus, Bromeliaceae). Revista Nicaraguense de Entomología 64 (supplemento 1): 1–67.

Maes, J.-M., Godoy, C. 1993. Catálogo de los Cicadellidae (Homoptera) de Nicaragua. Revista Nicaraguense de Entomología 24: 5–34.

Mejdalani, G., Quintas, V., Carvalho, R.A, Takiya, D.M. 2014. A new genus and new bromelicolous species of Cicadellini (Insecta: Hemiptera: Cicadellidae) from southeastern Brazil. Zootaxa 3755 (6): 561–572.

Quintas, V., Takiya, D.M., Mejdalani, G. 2020. A remarkable new species of Cavichiana (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae” Cicadellinae) from southeastern Brazil. Zoologia 37:1-8 http://www.scielo.br/pdf/zool/v37/1984-4689-zool-37-e38783.pdf

Felix, M., Quintas, V., Santos Prando J., Mejdalini, G. 2020. Portanini (Insects, Hemiptera, Cicadellidae). Portanini (Insecta, Hemiptera, Cicadellini): morphology of female terminalia, first record of host plants, a new species of Portanus from Brazil, and taxonomic notes. Zootaxa 4802(23) 569-581.

 

 

 


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