Two new species of Acizzia Crawford (Hemiptera: Psyllidae) from the Solanaceae with a potential new economic pest of eggplant, Solanum melongena

Two new species of Acizzia Heslop-Harrison (Hemiptera: Psyllidae) from the plant family Solanaceae in eastern Australia are described. Acizzia solanicola sp. n. can damage eggplant, Solanum melongena (Solanaceae), in commercial crops and gardens in eastern Australia. It is a new, potentially serious commercial pest species, of which the nymphs induce malformation of leaves, produce copious amounts of viscous waste and cause leaf wilting, premature leaf senescence and crop loss. These psyllids have a unique and characteristic method of disposing of honeydew and this is illustrated for the first time. Acizzia alternata sp. n. is recorded from the weed, wild tobacco bush, Solanum mauritianum, but appears to cause little damage. These comprise the first record of a pest psyllid on eggplant and the first record of Acizzia from the Solanaceae. The parasitoid, Psyllaephagus sp. (Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae), is recorded parasitising nymphs of A. solanicola sp. n., and is here proposed as a potential biological control agent against it.