Abstract
Tea green leafhopper is one of the most dominant pests in major tea production regions of East Asia. This species has been variously identified as Empoasca vitis (Goëthe), Jacobiasca formosana (Paoli) and Empoasca onukii Matsuda in Mainland China, Taiwan and Japan, respectively. Recent study of DNA sequence data suggested that treatment of this pest as different species in these three adjacent regions is incorrect and that they were a single species; but the correct scientific name for the species has remained unclear. Consistent with the prior molecular evidence, morphological study shows that the male genital characters of Chinese specimens are the same as those of specimens from Japan, so the correct scientific name of tea green leafhopper in China is Empoasca (Matsumurasca) onukii Matsuda.
Highlights
As a fundamental science of identifying, describing, and classifying living organisms, taxonomy is one of the most important sub-disciplines of the life sciences [1]
Tea green leafhopper belongs to the cosmopolitan genus Empoasca Walsh, 1862, a rather diverse, complex group in the tribe Empoascini of the family Cicadellidae currently comprising more than 1000 described species
The Japanese leafhopper specimens in this study are identifiable as Empoasca (Matsumurasca) onukii Matsuda based on the diagnostic features of male genitalia as shown by Dworakowska (1971) [32] (Figs 1 and 2)
Summary
As a fundamental science of identifying, describing, and classifying living organisms, taxonomy is one of the most important sub-disciplines of the life sciences [1]. Research carried out in academic and applied branches of life sciences is effectively unreliable [2]. Misidentifications of insect pests applied by Chinese scientists in recent years have resulted in confusion over the true identities of such species. One example is tea green leafhopper, the most dominant pest in Chinese tea plantations. Tea green leafhopper belongs to the cosmopolitan genus Empoasca Walsh, 1862, a rather diverse, complex group in the tribe Empoascini of the family Cicadellidae currently comprising more than 1000 described species. The species-level classification of the genus is in need of comprehensive revision because of the small size of the genus, the necessity for clearing and examining male genitalia and other abdominal structures, and inability to identify females
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