Shift of Host Range for the Immature Stages of the Lanternfly, Pyrops watanabei (Matsumura) (Hemiptera, Fulgoridae) Native to Taiwan

Abstract

Although Pyrops watanabei is a species native to Taiwan, many fundamental aspects of the species are still poorly documented. Populations of the lanternfly in locations of northern Taiwan were found in abundance and were suitable for the conduction of an investigation from 1 July 2021 to 30 June 2022. We established the shift in the main host plants with different developmental stages. The occurrence of immature individuals on Heptapleurum heptaphyllum increased with age from eggs to nymphs in the third instar; however, it declined from the fourth instar onwards due to a shift in preference to Triadica sebifera. In 2021, the earliest detection of an egg mass was on 1 July. More eggs were recorded in August, and some could be found in September and October of the same year. In 2022, we found an egg mass on 28 June. In August 2021, nymphs in the first and second instars were detected. Then, nymphs in the third and fourth instars appeared after September and October 2021, respectively. Furthermore, nymphs in the fifth instar were sighted as late as March 2022. Finally, this study will provide a basis for further evaluation of the impact of invasion of Pyrops candelaria on the ecology of Pyrops watanabei.