Species Distantasca smithi (Fletcher & Donaldson, 1992)

Museums

Regional Maps

• Empoasca (Empoasca) smithi Fletcher, M.J. & Donaldson, J.F. 1992. Empoasca (Empoasca) smithi, a new species of leafhopper damaging citrus in Queensland and notes on other Typhlocybinae from Australia (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae). Journal of the Australian Entomological Society 31(2): 183-186 [183].

  Type data:

   Holotype ASCU ♂ (coll.: 1.iii.1989, D. Smith), Mundubbera, Queensland.

 

Generic Combinations

• Distantasca smithi (Fletcher & Donaldson, 1992). —
  Liu, Y., Fletcher, M.J. and Zhang, Y.L. 2014. Reinstatement of Distantasca Dworakowska (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae: Typhlocybinae: Empoascini) as a valid genus with new species and new combinations. Zootaxa 3869(1): 90–96 [91]

 

Introduction

This species is the only Australian representative of the primarily Oriental genus Distantasca and it has been reported from almost the entire eastern seaboard of mainland Australia. It is one of a number of citrus-feeding species of Empoascini including Empoasca distinguenda Paoli (= Empoasca citrusa Theron) in South Africa, E. fabae (Harris) in California, and E. bodenheimeri Haupt and E. citrea Haupt in Israel. D. smithi can be separated from these species by examination of the male genitalia, particularly the arrangement of the macrosetae on the subgenital plates. The species causes chlorosis and distortion on new foliage and oleocellosis-like spots 3–10 mm in diameter on green mature and ripening fruit. The species was named after Dan Smith, former citrus entomologist of the Queensland Department of Primary Industries.

 

Distribution

States

New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria

Extra Distribution Information

Australian Endemic.

IBRA and IMCRA regions

IBRA

NSW, Qld, Vic: Brigalow Belt South (BBS), Cape York Peninsula (CYP), Sydney Basin (SB), South East Coastal Plain (SCP), South Eastern Queensland (SEQ)

Ecological Descriptors

All stages: parenchyma feeder (associated flora: Citrus spp. [RUTACEAE]), pest (associated flora: Citrus L. [RUTACEAE] Citrus).

 

Diagnosis

Colour: head and thorax light lemon yellow, tegmina translucent greenish yellow, apical cells and hind wings transparent. Head: evenly rounded anteriorly with distinct suture, as wide as pronotum and longer in midlength than against eyes. Male abdomen: basal abdominal apodemes parallel-sided, apically rounded, reaching to just beyond second visible abdominal sternite. Pygofer produced posteriorly, apically rounded, bearing cluster of macrosetae interspersed with long hair setae on apical lobe; a few microsetae ventrally. Ventral pygofer process strongly bifurcate, reaching nearly to posterior pygofer margin. Anal segment with strongly developed basal processes, each strongly bifurcated and reaching to level of pygofer process. Subgenital plates narrow basally, apically expanded and bearing row of strong macrosetae along ventral margin. Clusters of long hair setae near base and near apex. Dorsal margin with 6 macrosetae in basal row and row of short, thick microsetae on apical half. A few microsetae scattered over plate. Paramere apically pointed, with 5 small teeth on ventral surface near apex. Strong macroseta just proximal to apical teeth. Aedeagus curved dorsally with two strong basal processes and basal apodeme present. Gonopore subapical. Length: ♂ 2.7 mm, ♀ 2.85 mm. The most distinctive attribute of this species is the bifurcation of both the anal tube appendages and the pygofer appendages (Fletcher & Donaldson 1992).

 

Diagnosis References

Fletcher, M.J. & Donaldson, J.F. 1992. Empoasca (Empoasca) smithi, a new species of leafhopper damaging citrus in Queensland and notes on other Typhlocybinae from Australia (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae). Journal of the Australian Entomological Society 31(2): 183-186 [183]

 

History of changes

Published	As part of group	Action Date	Action Type	Compiler(s)
26-Jun-2023	MEMBRACOIDEA	26-Jun-2023	MODIFIED
10-May-2022	CICADOMORPHA	24-May-2023	MODIFIED
02-Jun-2021	AUCHENORRHYNCHA	26-Jun-2023	MODIFIED
05-Dec-2019	CICADELLIDAE Latreille, 1825	26-Jun-2023	MODIFIED	Dr Murray Fletcher
17-Feb-2015	Empoascini Distant, 1908	26-Jun-2023	MODIFIED	Dr Murray Fletcher
13-Oct-2014	Empoascini Distant, 1908	26-Jun-2023	MODIFIED	Dr Murray Fletcher
05-Dec-2019		26-Jun-2023	MODIFIED
		26-Jun-2023	MODIFIED