Genus Cicadulina China, 1926

Museums

Regional Maps

• Cicadulina China, W.E. 1926. A new genus and species of Jassidae injurious to maize in Kenya Colony, E Africa. Bulletin of Entomological Research 17: 43 [43].

  Type species:

   Cicadulina zeae China, 1926 by original designation.

Introduction

The genus Cicadulina China comprises a small number of species of leafhoppers distributed primarily in the tropical and warm temperate parts of the world. Some species are very damaging economically, primarily through transmission of plant pathogens to grass crops. While Australia only has two species in the genus, there are others of quarantine concern, notably C. mbila (Naude), the South African Maize Leafhopper, a vector of maize streak disease, and C. pastusae Ruppel & Delong, which transmits the enanismo dwarfing disease of grain crops in South America. Other exotic vectors of maize streak disease in Africa include C. storeyi China, C. latens Fennah, C. zeae China and C. parazeae Ghauri. In addition to maize streak disease, C. mbila has also been shown to transmit Uba cane virus and maize mottle virus (Ruppel 1965). The two species occurring in Australia were reviewed by Kitching et al. (1973) and include C. bipunctata (Melichar) (= C. bipunctella (Matsumura)) which is widespread in tropical parts of the world including Papua New Guinea, the Northern Territory and Western Australia. It is the vector of a number of plant diseases, including leaf gall of rice and maize (Grylls 1979). The second species, C. bimaculata (Evans), the maize leafhopper, appears to be an Australian endemic restricted to New South Wales and Queensland (Kitching et al. 1973) and is the vector of maize wallaby-ear disease in Queensland (Schindler 1942).

Distribution

States

Australian Capital Territory, New South Wales, Northern Territory, Queensland, Western Australia

IBRA and IMCRA regions

IBRA

ACT, NSW, NT, Qld, WA: Arnhem Coast (ARC), Brigalow Belt North (BBN), Brigalow Belt South (BBS), Daly Basin (DAB), Northern Kimberley (NK), South Eastern Highlands (SEH), South Eastern Queensland (SEQ), Victoria Bonaparte (VB), Wet Tropics (WT)

Diagnosis

All known species of Cicadulina have a pair of round, black spots on the anterior margin of the crown (Ruppel 1965). The Australian species are almost identical in external appearance, being yellowish in colour with the black spots on the crown. They can be distinguished from each other by examination of the male genitalia, particularly the shape of the pygofer process and this feature is also useful in differentiating the two local species from potential exotic incursions of species such as C. mbila, the African maize leafhopper. Kitching, et al. (1973) demonstrated that the two Australian species had allopatric distributions.

ID Keys

http://www1.dpi.nsw.gov.au/keys/leafhop/deltocephalinae/ecokey24.htm

Diagnosis References

Kitching, R.L., Grylls, N.E. & Waterford, C. 1973. The identity of the Australian species of Cicadulina China. Journal of the Australian Entomological Society 12: 139-143 [142]

Ruppel, R.F. 1965. A review of the genus Cicadulina (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae). Publications of the Museum, Michigan State University, Biological Series 2(8): 385-428 [397]

General References

Grylls, N.E. 1979. Leafhopper Vectors and the Plant Disease Agents they Transmit in Australia. pp. 179–214 in Maramorosch, K. & Harris, K.F. Leafhopper Vectors and Plant Disease Agents. New York, San Francisco, London : Academic Press. [206]

Kitching, R.L., Grylls, N.E. & Waterford, C. 1973. The identity of the Australian species of Cicadulina China. Journal of the Australian Entomological Society 12: 139-143

Ruppel, R.F. 1965. A review of the genus Cicadulina (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae). Publications of the Museum, Michigan State University, Biological Series 2(8): 385-428 [389]

Schindler, A.J. 1942. Insect transmission of Wallaby Ear disease of Maize. Journal of the Australian Institute of Agricultural Science 8: 35–37

History of changes