New records of Hishimonus species in the EPPO region
The genus Hishimonus (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae) includes approximately 70 species, distributed in the temperate and subtropical regions of Asia, Africa and Australia. Recent studies have suggested that the greatest diversity is in the Oriental region, and in particular in China. Hishimonus species are usually collected on herbs and trees, and some are of concern because of their capacity to transmit phytoplasma diseases. For example, H. phycitis (EU Annex IIA) is a vector of lime witches’ broom (associated with ‘Candidatus Phytoplasma aurantifolia’ – EU Annex IIA), as well as of brinjal little leaf and sesame phyllody phytoplasmas. Recent studies have shown that at least three species of Hishimonus have been introduced and are spreading in the EPPO region, namely H. hamatus, H. sellatus and H. diffractus.
H. hamatus originates from Eastern Asia and was first found in the EPPO region in 2012 in Slovenia (EPPO RS 2014/025). It was then recorded in Switzerland, Italy, Germany, Corsica (France), Austria (in a garden centre), and most recently in Spain and mainland France. Its host range includes: Chamaecyparis lawsoniana, Cupressus sempervirens, Euonymus japonicus, Ilex crenata, Lagerstroemia indica, Ligustrum japonicum, L. lucidum, L. ovalifolium, Sambucus javanica, Serissa japonica, Vitis vinifera.
H. sellatus also originates from Eastern Asia and was first found in the EPPO region in 2007 in Russia (Krasnodar). This species is also recorded in Armenia and Georgia. H. sellatus is considered to be a vector of a phytoplasma disease observed in Southern Russia and Georgia on mulberry plants (Morus spp.) called ‘mulberry small leaf curl’. In the Republic of Korea it is also reported to be a vector of several phytoplasma diseases (jujube witches’ broom, sumac witches’ broom and mulberry dwarf). It is a polyphagous species whose host range includes Morus alba, Rosa spp. and Ziziphus jujuba.
H. diffractus was first described in 2013 in China and Thailand and is also recorded in Australia. In the EPPO region, re-examination of collected specimens showed that it has been present in Spain since 2007 (i.e. several years before its taxonomic description). Studies conducted from 2007 to 2020 on specimens collected from urban environments, gardens and agricultural areas showed that H. diffractus occurs in France, Portugal (Madeira), Sicily (Italy), Spain, and Gibraltar. Its presence has also been detected on imported jasmine plants in a garden centre in the United Kingdom. In Europe, H. diffractus has been found on Citrus spp. (in orchards), Buddleia saligna, Jasminum sp., Nerium oleander, Pittosporum tobira, and it has been trapped in vineyards.
Geographical distributions and lists of host plants have been added to the EPPO Global Database:
- Hishimonus diffractus. https://gd.eppo.int/taxon/HISHDI
- Hishimonus hamatus. https://gd.eppo.int/taxon/HISHHA
- Hishimonus sellatus. https://gd.eppo.int/taxon/HISHSE
Sources
Bella S, Aguin-Pombo D, Aguiar AM, Kunz G, Miralles-Nunez A, Foster S, Sanchez-Garcia I, Wilson MR, D’Urso VE (2022) Discovery of Hishimonus diffractus Dai, Fletcher & Zhang, 2013 (Hemiptera: Auchenorrhyncha: Cicadellidae) in Europe, with remarks on previously recorded species of the genus. Zootaxa 5159(4), 558–570. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5159.4.5
Du L, Dai W (2019) High species diversity of the leafhopper genus Hishimonus Ishihara (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae: Deltocephalinae) from China, with description of ten new species. Insects 10, 120. https://doi.org/10.3390/insects10050120
Jung HY, Win NKK, Kim YH (2012) Current status of phytoplasmas and their related diseases in Korea. Plant Pathology Journal 28(3), 239-247.
Miralles-Núñez A (2022) [New records of the exotic leafhopper Hishimonus diffractus Dai, Fletcher & Zhang, 2013 (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae) from the Iberian Peninsula]. Boletín de la Sociedad Entomológica Aragonesa (S.E.A.) 71, 150–152 (in Spanish).