Diversity of Planthoppers (Hemiptera: Delphacidae) on Maize Crops and Edge Grasses in Mexico.

Abstract

Delphacid planthoppers (Hemiptera: Delphacidae) are a group of economically important sap-feeding insects that vector plant pathogens and are pests of crops, such as maize, wheat, and rice. This study was conducted to evaluate planthopper diversity, abundance, and the presence of potential vectors on maize crops and associated edge grass habitats. In Jalisco, west-central Mexico, delphacids were sampled using a sweep net in two different habitats (with and without irrigation) during the dry and rainy seasons of 2013 and 2014. A total of 5,621 specimens were collected and nine species were identified: Metadelphax propinqua (Fieber), Delphacodes koebelei Muir and Giffard, Delphacodes arcuata Beamer, Sogatella kolophon (Kirkaldy), Syndelphax fulvidorsum (Metcalf), Chionomus balboae (Muir & Giffard), Toya idonea (Beamer), Syndelphax humilis (Van Duzee), and Tagosodes cubanus (Crawford) (Hemiptera: Delphacidae), all belonging to the tribe Delphacini (Delphacinae). A high diversity of delphacids was found in the edge grasses during the dry season and rainy season. Planthopper abundance was higher in the edge grasses than in the maize fields during the rainy season. The most abundant species was M. propinqua representing 67.5% of the specimens collected. Populations of M. propinqua in edge grasses peaked during the dry season in December and January. Metadelphax propinqua, S. kolophon, and T. cubanus are known to be potential plant pathogen vectors.