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Avocado Lace Bug

 

Pseudacysta perseae (Heidemann) -- Hemiptera:  Tingidae

 

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     Avocado lace bug was first recorded in Florida in 1908 from collected specimens.  It is a true bug with sucking mouth parts.  The common name "lace bug", refers to a lacey pattern on the thorax and wings of adults. Some lace bug species in the United States  are important pests of azaleas rhododendrons and other ornamental plants.

 

       In California, populations may be found on avocado trees in residential parts of in San Diego County.  The insect has not been reported from commercial avocado in San Diego County or northward.  The lace bug numbers were found to increase from July to September before declining to low densities in winter.  This insect also occurs in, Georgia, and Texas Bermuda, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands, (all in the Caribbean), and the east and west coasts of Mexico, and French Guyana in South America.  Lace bugs were first detected in California on backyard avocado trees in the Chula Vista and National City areas south of the City of San Diego, California in September 2004.

 

       Adult lace bugs are small winged insects about 2 mm in length (slightly longer than 1/16 inch) with black bodies, yellow legs and antennae, and are visible to the naked eye.  The insects live in colonies on the lower surfaces of leaves, often with adults, eggs and nymphs together.  Eggs are laid in loose rows, stuck to the lower leaf surface and are covered with globules of a black, sticky tar-like substance excreted by adults.

 

       The eggs hatch into wingless nymphs.  These then go through a gradual shedding their exoskeleton several times as they grow in size, finally developing wings and becoming flying adults.  The nymphs are dark red-brown to black and covered with spines.  They feed for approximately two to three weeks before maturing into winged adults, which lay eggs, restarting the life cycle.

 

       Feeding occurs on the undersides of leaves, which produces small white or yellow spots on the surface of the leaves as individual cells dry out.  Feeding damage may give entrance to pathogenic fungi, such as Colletotrichum spp.  As lace bug colonies grow, brown dead areas develop where there has been heavy feeding damage and finally leaf drop.

 

       In Florida avocado varieties vary in the amount of damage they sustain that depends largely on the variety..   For example, in the Dominican Republic the Hass variety of avocados (Mexican/Guatemalan hybrid) may be severely damaged by lace bug outbreaks.

 

REFERENCES:                                                                                                    FURTHER RELATED REFERENCES

 

Abud, Antun A. J.  1991.  Presence of the avocado lace bug, Pseudacysta perseae (Heidemann) (Hemiptera: Tingidae) in Dominican Republic. Primera Jornado de Proteccion Vegetal, University of Santo Domingo, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic p. 4.

 

Beshear, R. J.,  H. H. Tippins  & J. O. Howell.  1976.  The lace bugs (Tingidae) of Georgia.  University of Georgia, Agricultural Experiment Station Research Bulletin 188:  1-29.

 

Blatchley, W. S.  1926.  Heteroptera or True Bugs of Eastern North America, with Especial Reference to the Faunas of Indiana and Florida.  Nature Publishing Company, Indianapolis, USA. 1116 pp.

 

Brailovsky,  H.  &  L. Torre.  1986.   Hemiptera-Heteroptera de Mexico XXXVI. Revision generica de la familia Tingidae LaPorte.  Anales del Instituto de Biological de la Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico 56 (1985), Serie Zoologia: 869-932.

 

Champion, G. C.  1897-1901.  Insecta: Rhynchota (Hemiptera-Heteroptera). Vol. II. In Goodwin and Salvin (eds.).  Biologia Centrali-Americana. London. 416 pp.

 

Drake, Carl J. & Florence A. Ruhoff.  1965.  Lacebugs of the World: A Catalog (Hemiptera: Tingidae). United States National Museum Bulletin 243:  1–634.

 

Froeschner, Richard C.  1995.  Review of the New World lace bug genera Acanthocheila Stål and Carvalhotingis new genus (Heteroptera: Tingidae).  Proceedings of the Entomological Society of Washington. 97 (2):  331–339.

 

Gangé. R. J.,  J. E. Peña  &  F. E. Acevedo.  2008.  A new Lestodiplosine (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae) preying on the avocado lace bug, Pseudacysta perseae (Heteroptera: Tingidae) in southern Florida.  Florida Entomologist 1:  43-48.

 

Heidemann, O.  1908.  Two new species of North American Tingidae.  Proceedings of the Entomological Society of Washington 10:  103-108.

 

Henry, T. J.  &  E. J. Hilburn.  1990.  An annotated list of the true bugs (Heteroptera) of Bermuda.  Proceedings of the Entomological Society of Washington 92:  675-684.

 

Hoddle, M., J. Morse & R. Stouthamer.  2007.  Pseudacysta perseae, biology and management of avocado lace bug in California.  California Avocados 2007.

 

Houguin, C. M.,  J. E. Peña,  T. J. Henry  &  F. Acevedo.  2009.  Biology of Stethoconus praefectus (Distant) (Heteroptera: Miridae), a newly established predator of the avocado lace bug, Pseudacysta perseae (Heteroptera: Tingidae), in Florida.  Florida Entomologist 92:  54-57.

 

Humeres, E. C., J. G. Morse,  R. Stouthamer,  W. Roltsch  & M. S. Hoddle.  2009a.  Evaluation of natural enemies and insecticides for control of Pseudacysta perseae on avocados in southern California.  Florida Entomologist 92:  35-42.

 

Humeres, E. C., J. G. Morse,  W. Roltsch  &  M. S. Hoddle.  2009b.  Detection surveys and population monitoring for Pseudacysta perseae on avocados in Southern California.  Florida Entomologist 92:  382-385.

 

Hurd, M. P.  1946.  Generic classification of North American Tingoidea (Hemiptera-Heteroptera).  Iowa State College Journal of Science 20:  229-493.

 

Kartesz,  J. T.  &  R. Kartesz.  1980.  A Synonymized Checklist of Vascular Flora of the United States, Canada, and Greenland. Vol. II. The Biota of North America.  University of North Carolina Press, Chapel Hill.  498 pp.

 

Median-Gaud, S., A. E. Segarra-Carmona & R. A. Franqui.  1991.  The avocado lacewing bug, Pseudacysta perseae (Heidemann) (Hemiptera: Tingidae).  Journal of Agriculture of the University of Puerto Rico 75:  185-188.

 

Moznette, G. F.  1922.  The avocado, its insect enemies and how to combat them.  U.S. Department of Agriculture, Farmers' Bulletin 1261:  31 pp.

 

Péricart, J.; & V. H. Golub.  1996.  Aukema, Berend; Rieger, Christian (eds.).  Catalogue of the Heteroptera of the Palaearctic Region, Vol. 2: Cimicomorpha I.  The Netherlands Entomological Society.

 

 Schuh, Randall T.; Christiane Weirauch & Ward C. Wheeler.  2009.  Phylogenetic relationships within the Cimicomorpha  (Hemiptera: Heteroptera): a total-evidence analysis.   Systematic Entomology. 34 (1):  15–48.

 

Wolfe, H. S., L. R. Toy & A. L. Stahl.  1949.  Avocado production in Florida.  Bulletin-University of Florida,  Agricultural Extension Service 141:  11-124.

 

Wolfenbarger, D. O.  1963.  Insect pests of the avocado and their control.  Bulletin-University of Florida, Agricultural Experiment Stations. Experimental Station Bulletin 605A. 52 pp.

 

 

FURTHER RELATED REFERENCES:

 

Chiappini, E., S. V. Triapitzin & A. Donev.  1996.  Key to the Holarctic species of Anagrus Haliday (Hymenoptera: Mymaridae) with a review of the Nearctic and Palaearctic (other than European) species and descriptions of new taxa.  Journal of Natural History 30:  551-595.

 

Triapitzin, S. V.  1995a.  The identities of Anagrus (Hymenoptera: Mymaridae) egg parasitoid of the grape and blackberry leafhoppers (Homoptera: Cicadellidae) in California.  Pan-Pacific Entomol. 71 (4):  250-251.

 

Triapitzin, S. V.  1995b.  A review of the Australian species of Anagrus (Hymenoptera: Mymaridae).  Russian Entomological Journal 4 (1-4):  105-108.

 

Triapitzin, S. V.  1997.  The genus Anagrus (Hymenoptera: Mymaridae) in America south of the United States: a review.  Ceiba (Zamorano, Honduras) 38 (1):  1-12.

 

Triapitzin, S. V.  1998.  Anagrus (Hymenoptera: Mymaridae) egg parasitoids of Erythroneura spp. and other leafhoppers (Homoptera: Cicadellidae) in North American vineyards and orchards: a taxonomic review.  Transactions of the American Entomological Society. 124 (2):  77-112.

 

Triapitzin, S. V. & D. Strong.  1995.  A new Anagrus (Hymenoptera: Mymaridae), an egg parasitoid of Prokelisia spp. (Homoptera: Delphacidae).  Pan-Pacific Entomol. 71 (4):  199-203.

 

Triapitzin, S. V., R. F. Mizell,  J. L. Bossart & C. E. Carlton.  1998.  Egg parasitoids of Homalodisca coagulata (Homoptera: Cicadellidae).  Florida Entomologist 81 (2):  241-243.

 

Walker, G. P., N. Zareh, I. M. Bayoun & S. V. Triapitzin.  1997.  Introduction of western Asian egg parasitoids into California for biological control of beet leafhopper, Circulifer tenellus.  Pan-Pacific Entomologist 73 (4):  236-242.