Cicadomorpha Community (Hemiptera: Auchenorrhyncha) in Portuguese Vineyards with Notes of Potential Vectors of Xylella fastidiosa

• Published in: Insects (Basel, Switzerland) Vol. 14; no. 3; p. 251
• Main Authors: Rodrigues, Isabel, Rebelo, Maria Teresa, Baptista, Paula, Pereira, José Alberto
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 02.03.2023; MDPI
• Subjects: Auchenorrhyncha; Bacteria; Cicadella viridis; Cicadellidae; Cicadomorpha; Composition; Crop damage; Disease transmission; Epidemics; Grapevines; Hemiptera; Impact analysis; Impact damage; Insects; inter-row vegetation; Lepyronia coleoptrata; Neophilaenus campestris; Pathogens; Philaenus spumarius; Pierce’s disease; Species composition; Species diversity; Taxonomy; Veganism; Vegetation; Vines; Vineyards; Wineries & vineyards; Xylella fastidiosa; Xylem; Yellows; Portugal; Europe; Germany; Cicadella viridis; Pierce’s disease; Philaenus spumarius; Cicadellidae; inter-row vegetation
• ISSN: 2075-4450; 2075-4450
• DOI: 10.3390/insects14030251

Cicadomorpha (Hemiptera) insects are currently responsible for a growing negative impact on the agricultural economy due to their ability to directly damage crops or through the capacity to act as vectors for plant pathogens. The phytopathogenic bacterium , the causal agent of Pierce's disease in vineyards, is exclusively transmitted by insects of this infraorder. Therefore, knowledge of the Cicadomorpha species and understanding their biology and ecology is crucial. In this work, in 2018 and 2019, the canopy and inter-row vegetation of 35 vineyards distributed in mainland Portugal were sampled to investigate species composition, richness, and diversity of the Cicadomorpha community, with a special focus given to vectors and potential vectors of . A total of 11,834 individuals were collected, 3003 in 2018 and 8831 in 2019. Of the 81 species/morphospecies identified, only five are considered vectors or potential vectors of this pathogen, namely, (Linnaeus, 1758), (Linnaeus, 1758), (Fallén, 1805), (Linnaeus, 1758), and (Linnaeus, 1758). was the most abundant xylem sap feeder, followed by . In addition, Cicadomorpha that cause direct damage to vines and vectors of grapevine yellows' phytoplasmas were also collected and identified in the sampled vineyards. The results suggested that vectors and potential vectors of and a large proportion of the population of Cicadomorpha have a positive correction with inter-row vegetation.