Amrasca biguttula (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae, two-spot cotton leafhopper): addition to the EPPO Alert List
Why: Amrasca biguttula is a polyphagous pest originating from Asia that has recently spread to Africa and the Americas. Because of its invasive behaviour and its potential to cause damage were it to establish, the EPPO Secretariat considered it useful to add this pest to the EPPO Alert List.
Where: A. biguttula originates in Asia. It has largely extended its geographical distribution over the past five years. It was first recorded as a plant pest in western Africa after 2020 and its exact distribution in Africa is uncertain. It was first confirmed as established in North Africa (Egypt) in 2024. It was first recorded in the Caribbean in 2023 (EPPO RS 2024/036), and in Central and North America in 2025 (RS 2025/233 and RS 2025/234).
Africa: Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chad, Cote d'Ivoire, Egypt, Ghana, Mali, Niger, Senegal, Tanzania, Togo
Asia: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, China (Anhui, Hainan, Hebei, Henan, Hubei, Hunan, Jiangsu, Jiangxi, Shaanxi, Shandong, Zhejiang), India (Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Delhi, Gujarat, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Meghalaya, Odisha, Punjab, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Tripura, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal), Indonesia (Java, Nusa Tenggara), Iran, Iraq, Japan (Honshu, Kyushu, Ryukyu Archipelago, Shikoku), Pakistan, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam
North America: United States of America (Alabama, Florida, Georgia, South Carolina)
Central America and Caribbean: Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Honduras, Martinique, Puerto Rico, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Virgin Islands (US)
Oceania: Micronesia
On which plants: Amrasca biguttula is a serious pest of cotton (Gossypium spp.), aubergine (Solanum melongena) okra (Abelmoschus esculentus), roselle (Hibiscus sabdariffa), sunflower (Helianthus annuus) in its original and invasive range. It is also recorded to feed on a variety of other crops such as potato, tomato, peanut, as well as on weeds.
Damage:
Damage is caused by the nymphs and adults feeding on the lower surface of leaves, sucking the contents of the cells. This causes yellowing, reddening, then browning of leaves, characteristic of a syndrome called ‘hopperburn’ along with wilting and curling of the leaves and stunting of the plant. Yield loss can be very high, with more than 50% loss on cotton.
A. biguttula is a small light green leafhopper with adults ranging from 2.5–3.0 mm in length. Identification is difficult and requires dissection and examination of the male genitalia. The species may be confused with other species of leafhoppers, e.g. in the genera Amrasca, Empoasca, Jacobiasca.
Eggs are laid in the leaf lamina or in the fruit rind. There are five nymphal instars. Numerous generations may occur in a year when temperatures are suitable.
Control is difficult and is based on a combination of the use of insecticides and resistant varieties. No natural enemies are known.
Dissemination: Leafhoppers are very mobile, as the adults hop away when disturbed. However, there is no data on the natural spread on A. biguttula. In international trade, the pest may be transported as eggs on plants for planting.
Pathways: host plants for planting, host fruits?
Possible risks: A. biguttula has recently been recorded in many new countries, and could therefore be introduced to EPPO countries. Climate in most of the EPPO region is not optimal for the development of A. biguttula as it is considered to thrive when temperatures are between 18 and 35°C but recent modelling showed that it could establish in areas of the EPPO region where cotton is grown and it has recently established in Egypt. Considering its extensive host range, it could also cause damage other crops of economic importance.
Sources
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CABI datasheet on Amrasca biguttula (Indian cotton jassid). https://doi.org/10.1079/cabicompendium.20857
El-Hady RM, El-Hashash AE (2025) A taxonomic study of Amrasca biguttula (Ishida, 1913) (Cicadellidae, Typhlocybinae) in Egypt. Acta Entomology and Zoology 6(1), 25-29. DOI: 10.33545/27080013.2025.v6.i1a.186
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