POTENTIAL PLANTHOPPER VECTORS OF PALM PHYTOPLASMAS IN FLORIDA WITH A DESCRIPTION OF A NEW SPECIES OF THE GENUS OMOLICNA (HEMIPTERA: FULGOROIDEA)

Planthoppers (Hemiptera: Fulgoroidea) have been implicated in transmission of phytoplasmas that cause lethal decline in palms. Surveys of insects feeding on palms located in Florida resulted in the discovery of Omolicna joi sp. nov., described here. Patara albida (Hemiptera: Derbidae), a palm feeder, has become established in South Florida. Haplaxius crudus (Hemiptera: Cixiidae), the proven vector of the phytoplasma that causes lethal yellows (LY), was thought to be restricted to the southern tier of Florida counties, thus limiting the distribution of LY. We found that H. crudus can overwinter consistently as far north as Gainesville (N 29.63380 degrees W -82.37200 degrees). Thus, the northern limit of LY might be a function of the physiology of the pathogens rather than the distribution of the vector.