Treehoppers (Homoptera, Membracidae) in southeastern Brazil: use of host plants

Lopes, Benedito C.

doi:10.1590/S0101-81751995000300015

Abstract

A survey on the use of host plants by treehoppers in plants in cerrado (savanna) vegetation at Moji-Guaçu (São Paulo, Southeastern Brazil) was made. Fifty-two species of treehoppers were recorded in association with 40 host plant species from October 1980 to February 1982. The families Araliaceae, Asteraceae, Leguminosae, Malpighiaceae, Myrtaceae and Nyctaginaceae were the most commonly used for oviposition. Byrsonima intermedia A. Juss. (Malpighiaceae) had the highest number of associated treehopper species (10 species). The abundance of treehopper individuals was related to the hot and rainy season (from October to February), while during the cold and dry season (from March to September) there was a decrease in the number of these Homoptera. After the occurrence of a frost, few adults and nymphs were observed on the host plants for one to two months.

Homoptera; Membracidae; treehoppers; savanna; Brazil

Treehoppers (Homoptera, Membracidae) in southeastern Brazil: use of host plants

Benedito C. Lopes

Departamento de Biologia, Centro de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Caixa Postal 476, 88040-900 Florianópolis, Santa Catarina, Brasil

ABSTRACT

A survey on the use of host plants by treehoppers in plants in cerrado (savanna) vegetation at Moji-Guaçu (São Paulo, Southeastern Brazil) was made. Fifty-two species of treehoppers were recorded in association with 40 host plant species from October 1980 to February 1982. The families Araliaceae, Asteraceae, Leguminosae, Malpighiaceae, Myrtaceae and Nyctaginaceae were the most commonly used for oviposition. Byrsonima intermedia A. Juss. (Malpighiaceae) had the highest number of associated treehopper species (10 species). The abundance of treehopper individuals was related to the hot and rainy season (from October to February), while during the cold and dry season (from March to September) there was a decrease in the number of these Homoptera. After the occurrence of a frost, few adults and nymphs were observed on the host plants for one to two months.

Key words: Homoptera, Membracidae, treehoppers, savanna, Brazil

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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS. I am grateful to W.W. Benson for orientation and helpful comments on the manuscript. The staff of the Departamento de Botânica. Institute de Biologia, Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP) and D.B. Falkenherg identified some of the plants. A.M. Sakakihara and R. Corbelta of the Departamento de Zoologia. Universidade Federal do Paraná identified the treehoppers. T.K. Wood and two anonymous reviewers made suggestions on the manuscript. Financial support was provided by grants from the CNPq and CAPES. This work is part of my Master's Thesis at the Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ecologia. Instituto tie Biologia. UNICAMP.

Recebido em 25.III.1995; aceito em 06.X.1995.

Brues, C.T. 1972. Insects, food, and ecology. New York. Dover, 466p.
DeBach, P. 1964. Biological control of insect pests and weeds. London, Chapman and Hall, 844p.
Deitz, L.L. 1975. Classification of the higher categories of the New World treehoppers (Homoptera: Membracidae). NC Agric. Exp. Stn. Tech. Bull. 225: 1-177.
Dietrich, C.H. & L.L. Deitz, 1991. Revision of the Neotropical treehopper tribe Aconophorini (Homoptera: Membracidae). NC Agric. Res. Ser. Tech. Bull. 293: 1-134.
Eiten, G. 1971. Habitat flora of Fazenda Campininha. São Paulo. Brazil, p. 157-202. In: M.G. Ferri (ed.). Simpósio sobre o cerrado. São Paulo, Edgard Blücher & Editora da Universidade de São Paulo, 424p.
Funkhouser, W.D. 1917. Biology of the Membracidae of the Cayuga Lake Basin. Cornell Univ. Agric. Exp. Stn. Mem. 11: 117-445.
______. 1950. Homoptera, Family Membracidae. Gen. Insect. 208: 1-383.
Gotwald Jr., W.H. 1968. Food gathering behaviour of the ant Camponotus noveboracensis (Fitch) (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). J. N.Y. Entomol. Soc. 76: 278-296.
Havilland, M.D. 1925. The Membracidae of Kartabo. Zoologica, New York. 6: 229-290.
Huffaker. C.B. & P.S. Messenger. 1976. Theory and practice of biological control. New York, Academic Press, 788p.
Lopes, B.C. 1984. Aspectos da ecologia de membracídeos (Insecta: Homoptera) em vegetação de cerrado do Estado de São Paulo, Brasil. Tese de Mestrado, não publicada. Instituto de Biologia. Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Campinas, 112p.
Lorenzi, H. 1982. Plantas daninhas do Brasil: terrestres, aquáticas, parasitas, tóxicas e medicinais. Nova Odessa, Ed. do Autor. 425p.
Matausch, I. 1910. Entylia Germar and its different forms. J. N.Y. Entomol. Soc. 18: 260-263.
Rizzini, C.T. 1979. Tratado de fitogeografia do Brasil: aspectos sociológicos e florísticos. São Paulo, Editora da Universidade de São Paulo & Humanismo, Ciência e Tecnologia (HUCITEC), 374p.
Silberbauer-Gottsberger, I.; W. Morawetz & G. Gottsberger. 1977, Frost damage of cerrado plants in Botucatu, Brazil, as related to the geographical distribution of the species. Biotropica 9: 253-261.
Strümpel, H. 1972. Beitrag zur Phylogenie der Membracidae Rafinesque. Zool. Jahrb. Abt. Syst. OkoL Geogr. Tiere 99: 313-407.
Tsai, J.H. & D.D. Kopp. 1981. Life history, morphology and taxonomy of Acutalis tartarea (Say) (Homoptera: Membracidae). J. N.Y. Entomol. Soc. 88: 174-185.
Vuono, Y.S.: L.M. Barbosa & E.A. Batista. 1981. A Reserva Biológica de Moji-Guaçu. Resumos do XXIII Congresso Nacional de Botânica, Teresina. p. 69-70.
Wood, T.K. 1976. Biology and presocial behaviour of Platycotis vittata (Homoptera: Membracidae). Ann. Entomol. Soc. Am. 69: 807-811.
______. 1977. Role of parent females and attendant ants in the maturation of the treehopper, Entylia bactriana (Homoptera: Membracidae). Sociobiology 2: 257-272.
______. 1984. Life history patterns of tropical membracids (Homoptera: Membracidae). Sociobiology 8: 299-344.
______. 1993. Diversity in the New World Membracidae. Annu. Rev. Entomol. 38: 409-435.
Wood, T.K. & R.L. Patton. 1971. Egg troth distribution and deposition by Enchenopa binotata (Homoptera: Membracidae). Ann. Entomol. Soc. Am. 64: 1190-1191.

Publication Dates

Publication in this collection
21 July 2009
Date of issue
Sept 1995

History

Accepted
06 Oct 1995
Received
25 Mar 1995

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.

[1] Brues, C.T. 1972. Insects, food, and ecology. New York. Dover, 466p.

[2] DeBach, P. 1964. Biological control of insect pests and weeds. London, Chapman and Hall, 844p.

[3] Deitz, L.L. 1975. Classification of the higher categories of the New World treehoppers (Homoptera: Membracidae). NC Agric. Exp. Stn. Tech. Bull. 225: 1-177.

[4] Dietrich, C.H. & L.L. Deitz, 1991. Revision of the Neotropical treehopper tribe Aconophorini (Homoptera: Membracidae). NC Agric. Res. Ser. Tech. Bull. 293: 1-134.

[5] Eiten, G. 1971. Habitat flora of Fazenda Campininha. São Paulo. Brazil, p. 157-202. In: M.G. Ferri (ed.). Simpósio sobre o cerrado. São Paulo, Edgard Blücher & Editora da Universidade de São Paulo, 424p.

[6] Funkhouser, W.D. 1917. Biology of the Membracidae of the Cayuga Lake Basin. Cornell Univ. Agric. Exp. Stn. Mem. 11: 117-445.

[7] ______. 1950. Homoptera, Family Membracidae. Gen. Insect. 208: 1-383.

[8] Gotwald Jr., W.H. 1968. Food gathering behaviour of the ant Camponotus noveboracensis (Fitch) (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). J. N.Y. Entomol. Soc. 76: 278-296.

[9] Havilland, M.D. 1925. The Membracidae of Kartabo. Zoologica, New York. 6: 229-290.

[10] Huffaker. C.B. & P.S. Messenger. 1976. Theory and practice of biological control. New York, Academic Press, 788p.

[11] Lopes, B.C. 1984. Aspectos da ecologia de membracídeos (Insecta: Homoptera) em vegetação de cerrado do Estado de São Paulo, Brasil. Tese de Mestrado, não publicada. Instituto de Biologia. Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Campinas, 112p.

[12] Lorenzi, H. 1982. Plantas daninhas do Brasil: terrestres, aquáticas, parasitas, tóxicas e medicinais. Nova Odessa, Ed. do Autor. 425p.

[13] Matausch, I. 1910. Entylia Germar and its different forms. J. N.Y. Entomol. Soc. 18: 260-263.

[14] Rizzini, C.T. 1979. Tratado de fitogeografia do Brasil: aspectos sociológicos e florísticos. São Paulo, Editora da Universidade de São Paulo & Humanismo, Ciência e Tecnologia (HUCITEC), 374p.

[15] Silberbauer-Gottsberger, I.; W. Morawetz & G. Gottsberger. 1977, Frost damage of cerrado plants in Botucatu, Brazil, as related to the geographical distribution of the species. Biotropica 9: 253-261.

[16] Strümpel, H. 1972. Beitrag zur Phylogenie der Membracidae Rafinesque. Zool. Jahrb. Abt. Syst. OkoL Geogr. Tiere 99: 313-407.

[17] Tsai, J.H. & D.D. Kopp. 1981. Life history, morphology and taxonomy of Acutalis tartarea (Say) (Homoptera: Membracidae). J. N.Y. Entomol. Soc. 88: 174-185.

[18] Vuono, Y.S.: L.M. Barbosa & E.A. Batista. 1981. A Reserva Biológica de Moji-Guaçu. Resumos do XXIII Congresso Nacional de Botânica, Teresina. p. 69-70.

[19] Wood, T.K. 1976. Biology and presocial behaviour of Platycotis vittata (Homoptera: Membracidae). Ann. Entomol. Soc. Am. 69: 807-811.

[20] ______. 1977. Role of parent females and attendant ants in the maturation of the treehopper, Entylia bactriana (Homoptera: Membracidae). Sociobiology 2: 257-272.

[21] ______. 1984. Life history patterns of tropical membracids (Homoptera: Membracidae). Sociobiology 8: 299-344.

[22] ______. 1993. Diversity in the New World Membracidae. Annu. Rev. Entomol. 38: 409-435.

[23] Wood, T.K. & R.L. Patton. 1971. Egg troth distribution and deposition by Enchenopa binotata (Homoptera: Membracidae). Ann. Entomol. Soc. Am. 64: 1190-1191.