Biological studies of Agalliana ensigera (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae), a leafhopper associated with several crop diseases in South America

Abstract

Agalliana ensigera Oman (Cicadellidae: Megophthalminae) occurs frequently in several crops and has been involved in the epidemiology, or at least mentioned,as a vector of several diseases. Its biology was unknown and its nymphs had not yet been described. Here, we provide information on behavioral and biological parameters including descriptions of its immature stages. A. ensigera was able to complete its entire life cycle on alfalfa. Eggs were laid individually beneath the epidermis, in the stem internodes, in either mature or young tissues. Females had a pre-ovipositional period of around 5 days, and the average duration of the egg stage was 11 days. The nymphal period ranged 14?31 days, with an average of 22 days. A period of high mortality was recognized from emergence to day 10. Adult longevity averaged 16.5 days, but some individuals survived up to 96 days. The sex ratio was about 1.2:1 females to males. Females lived longer than males. Data on behavior and new distributional records and host plants are also provided.