Proconiini Sharpshooters of Argentina, with Notes on Its Distribution, Host Plants, and Natural Enemies

Abstract

The American tribe Proconiini (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae: Cicadellinae) is one of the largest groups of xylem-feeding insects and includes the majority of the known vectors of xylem-born phytopathogenic organisms. The significance of the pathogens that this group transmits gives them an important role as pests, mostly for citrus fruit, grapes, and almonds. Knowledge of these Hemiptera in Argentina is insufficient and fragmentary. Thus one of the aims of this paper is to summarize the available information of the Proconiini sharpshooters in Argentina. In addition, 14 species are mentioned for the first time in the country, and new distributional data are given for 18 species. Thirty-four new associations between sharpshooters and host plants are recorded. New records of egg parasitoids are given for Dechacona missionum, Molomea consolida, M. lineiceps, and Tapajosa similis.

The relationship among host plant species, egg clutch size, and level of parasitism for the sharpshooter Tapajosa rubromarginata

“…Although adults of T. rubromarginata were collected from a wide range of host plants (31 species in 17 families) (Paradell et al, 2012), we only found egg masses of the sharpshooter on 12 species (belonging 10 families) out of 21 sampled. Similar results were reported for host plant preference of the glassy-winged sharpshooter, Homalodisca vitripennis Germar, whose adults and nymphs preferred to feed on plants that were not used as oviposition sites (Redak et al, 2004;Daane et al, 2004).…”

“…In addition, it has been shown that the mortality caused by egg parasitoids is the key factor in the population dynamics of many species of Auchenorrhyncha (Denno & Roderick, 1990). During the last decade, 25 species of egg parasitoids (Mymaridae, Trichogrammatidae, and Aphelinidae) were discovered affecting populations of T. rubromarginata in Argentina (Virla et al, 2008(Virla et al, , 2019Triapitsyn et al, 2008Triapitsyn et al, , 2010Paradell et al, 2012). It is known that host-parasitoid interactions take place in highly structured and complex environments, and that the structure of the host plant and diversity of the vegetation can affect the composition of the parasitoid complex, and their abundance (Obermaier et al, 2008;Kostenko et al, 2015).…”

“…Tapajosa rubromarginata is usually found associated with Citrus orchards and maize crops, but it has more than 30 host plants (Luft Albarracin et al, 2009a; Paradell et al, 2012). Virla et al (2019) studied T. rubromarginata egg parasitoids guild structure; they noticed that consistently the egg masses laid by T. rubromarginata females on Citrus leaves contained fewer eggs than those laid on feral Johnson grass, Sorghum halepense (L.), and they observed that mymarids attacked mostly eggs on citrus leaves, whereas trichogrammatids were more frequently found parasitizing egg masses on Johnson grass leaves.…”

Potential vectors of Xylella fastidiosa: a study of leafhoppers and treehoppers in citrus agroecosystems affected by Citrus Variegated Chlorosis

“…Tapajosa rubromarginata was an abundant species on citrus plants and weeds and positive for X. fastidiosa after the transmission assay, so could therefore be acting as vector of the bacterium in the orchards studied. Tapajosa rubromarginata is widely distributed in Argentina (Paradell et al., ) and considered a pest of the main agricultural crops, causing direct damage by feeding and oviposition (Remes Lenicov et al., ). Hortensia similis was predominant in weeds and positive for X. fastidiosa by both molecular methods; de Coll et al.…”

Cicadelinos potenciales vectores de patógenos en cultivos citrícolas del NE argentino

“…Cabeza cónica, obtusa; pronoto rugoso, con dos tuberosidades prominentes en los ángulos posteriores, margen posterior emarginado, escutelo rugoso; alas anteriores blancas, con un punto humeral y una línea oscura corta, aedeagus con un proceso basiventral bifurcado y curvado apicalmente. la parte proximal del ala; aedeagus con un par de procesos basales cortos y angulosos; paráfisis pares y largas en la base del aedeagus Paradell et al 2012)…”