Psyllidae. Coevolution[edit] Insect-plant interactions have been important in defining models of coevolution and cospeciation, referring to whether plant speciation drives insect speciation and vice versa, though most herbivorous insects probably evolved long after the plants on which they feed. Status as pests[edit] Citrus greening, also known as huanglongbing, associated with the presence of a bacterium Liberibacter asiaticum, is an example of a plant pathogen that has coevolved with its insect vector, the "Asian citrus psyllid", ACP, Diaphorina citri, such that the pathogen causes little or no harm to the insect, but causes a major disease which can reduce citrus quality, flavor, and production, as well as causing citrus trees to die. ACP was found in Florida in 1998, and has since spread across the southern US into Texas. Some of the agriculturally important pest species formerly classed as Psyllidae, are now classified in the family Triozidae.
References[edit] Oppong, C. External links[edit] Membracidae. They are best known for their enlarged and ornate pronotum, which most often resembles thorns, apparently to aid camouflage. In some species, the pronotum grows to a horn-like extension, but even more bizarre and hard-to-describe shapes are also found. Thorn bugs, due to their unusual appearance, have long interested naturalists. Distinguishing males from females is accomplished only by looking at the male genitalia. Individual treehoppers usually live for only a few months. The specialised pronotum (or helmet) may not be simply an expansion of the prothoracic sclerite, but a fused pair of dorsal appendages of the first thoracic segment. They may be serial homologues of insect wings, which are dorsal appendages of the second and/or third thoracic segments.
Ecology[edit] Others have formed mutualisms with wasps, such as Parachartergus apicalis.[3] Even geckos form mutualistic relations with treehoppers, with whom they communicate by small vibrations of the abdomen.[4] Systematics[edit] Tingidae. Adult specimen of a small (ca. 2 mm) species of lace bug on Lavandula near Cape Town in South Africa. Left, dorsal view; right, lateral view, showing proboscis and dorsal protuberances.
They are called lace bugs because the pronotum and forewings of the adult have a delicate and intricate network of divided areas that resemble lace. Their body appearance is flattened dorso-ventrally and they can be broadly oval or slender. Often the head is concealed under the hood-like pronotum. Lace bugs sometimes fall out of trees, land on people and bite, which, although painful, is a minor nuisance. No medical treatment is necessary.[1] Phylogeny[edit] The phylogenetic relationships of Tingoidea are not well established, with various authors treating the families, and subfamilies, and tribes differently.[2] The phylogeny here follows that of Drake and Ruhoff 1965.[3] See also[edit] Gargaphia solani – eggplant lacebugStephanitis takeyai – andromeda lace bug References[edit] Further reading[edit]
True bugs. Characteristics[edit] The forewings of Hemiptera are either entirely membranous, as in the Sternorrhyncha and Auchenorrhyncha, or partially hardened, as in most Heteroptera. The name "Hemiptera" is from the Greek ἡμι- (hemi; "half") and πτερόν (pteron; "wing"), referring to the forewings of many heteropterans which are hardened near the base, but membranous at the ends. Wings modified in this manner are termed hemelytra (singular: hemelytron), by analogy with the completely hardened elytra of beetles, and occur only in the suborder Heteroptera. The forewings may be held "roofwise" over the body (typical of Sternorrhyncha and Auchenorrhyncha), or held flat on the back, with the ends overlapping (typical of Heteroptera).
Classification[edit] The present members of the order Hemiptera were historically placed into two orders, Homoptera and Heteroptera/Hemiptera, based on the differences in wing structure and the position of the rostrum. Life cycle and ecology[edit] References[edit] Psylles.