Spittlebug Cephisus siccifolius damaging eucalypt plants in the State of Bahia, Brazil

Abstract

-Most common pests of eucalyptus plants in Brazil are leaf cutting ants and defoliating caterpillars. Other groups, eventually, feeding on eucalyptus include Heteroptera and cicadas. The objectives of this work were to identify and to describe attack symptoms of Cephisus siccifolius (Walker 1851) (Hemiptera: Aphrophoridae) on eucalyptus trees in a stand of 25.77 hectares in the State of Bahia, Brazil, where 99.3% of them were attacked by this spittlebug. Damage was more severe on branches and leaves. Tree death was, relatively, low while those cut showed 4.7 colonies of this spittlebug with 21.9 nymphs per colony. Cultural control with the removal of trees attacked was recommended.Index terms: forest entomology, eucalypt pest, Aphrophoridae. Cigarrinha-de-espuma Cephisus siccifolius em plantio de eucalipto clonal no Estado da Bahia, BrasilResumo -Os insetos-praga mais comuns em plantios de eucalipto no Brasil são formigas cortadeiras e lagartas desfolhadoras. Eventualmente, outros insetos como percevejos e cigarrinhas podem danificar essas plantas. O objetivo deste trabalho foi identificar e descrever os sintomas de ataque, em um plantio de eucalipto de 25,77 hectares, no Estado da Bahia, onde 99,3% das árvores tinham sido atacadas pela cigarrinha-de-espuma Cephisus siccifolius (Walker 1851) (Hemiptera: Aphrophoridae). Os danos foram maiores em galhos e folhas. A mortalidade de árvores foi baixa, apesar de se observar 4,7 colônias de cigarrinhas por árvore, com 21,9 ninfas por colônia. O corte das árvores infestadas foi recomendado como controle.Termos para indexação: entomologia florestal, pragas de eucalipto, Aphrophoridae.

Family-level relationships of the spittlebugs and froghoppers (Hemiptera: Cicadomorpha: Cercopoidea)

“…This family is diagnosed morphologically by having the following suite of character states: scutellum about as long as wide, relatively shallow antennal pits not concealing the antennal bases, oblong compound eyes not touching forewing bases and a convex frontoclypeus (Dietrich, 2005). Behaviourally, nymphs typically produce conspicuous spittle masses on exposed portions of the host plants (Hamilton, 1982; Liang & Fletcher, 2003; Ribeiro et al , 2005); although nymphs of some species live solitarily (that is, each larva produces and develops in its own spittle mass), a number of aphrophorid species develop gregariously as immatures (Bales & Furniss, 1984; Biedermann, 2003; Wise et al , 2006). In the extreme, species in the Afrotropical genus Ptyelus and the Neotropical genus Cephisus are well known for this nymphal group‐living habit, in which each shared spittle mass might harbour from tens to hundreds of individuals (Wagner et al , 1991; Tsacas & Couturier, 1993; Cryan & Svenson, personal observation).…”

Revision of Neotropical aphrophorine spittlebugs, part 1: Ptyelini (Hemiptera, Cercopoidea)

“…Biology. Nymphs of this species (Figs 21A-D) resemble those of Aphrophora Germar but have a white abdomen (Ribeiro et al 2005). The same authors report an average of 22 nymphs per colony on Eucalyptus in Brazil and note that they "prefer to attack arboreal plants and it has been observed on Acacia melanoxylon, Erythrina galli, Robinia hispida, Robinia pseudacacia, Schnus molle, Wistevia sinensis and Prosopis algarrobila ...…”

“…Neotropical Aphrophorinae are both depauperate and mostly quite rare, and as a consequence are particularly in need of revision. Only a single neotropical aphrophorine species, Cephisus siccifolia (Walker), attains pest status (Ribeiro et al 2005). The genus to which it belongs was last revised almost 150 years ago (Stål 1866) when it was reduced to only three species differentiated solely on color pattern ("siccifolius" Fig.…”

Parasitoids follow herbivorous insects to a novel host plant, generalist predators less so

“…Eucalyptus foliage is renowned for its variety of plant secondary metabolites (Marsh et al., ; Burchfield et al., ; Wiggins et al., ) and it was therefore expected that eucalyptus would be well‐protected from herbivores in Brazil. However, many insect herbivores, mainly moths (Lepidoptera) but also beetles (Coleoptera), leaf‐cutter ants (Hymenoptera), and termites (Isoptera), readily colonised eucalyptus and have become serious pests of this wood crop in the past century (Pereira et al., ; Zanuncio et al., ; Bragança et al., ,b; Ribeiro et al., ). Nowadays, Thyrinteina leucoceraea Ringe (Lepidoptera: Geometridae) is considered one of the major pests of eucalyptus and frequently shows outbreaks in eucalyptus plantations (Zanuncio et al., ).…”