Observations on a Globally Rare Leafhopper (Limotettix minuendusHamilton, Hemiptera: Cicadellidae) in Maryland, U.S.A.

Abstract

Limotettix minuendus Hamilton (Homoptera: Cicadellidae) (Fig. 1) is a globally rare species with only two known localities. It is a member of the apparently plesiomorphic subgenus Dryola, which includes only one other species, L. elegans, found from northern Michigan to southern Texas (Hamilton 1994). Though at the time it was undescribed and lacked a scientific name, L. minuendus was discovered by the late Robert Whitcomb and Michael Coan in 1970 in Prince George’s County, MD, at Beltsville Agricultural Research Center (BARC). Over a decade later, two subsequent collections were made by Whitcomb to the north in Baltimore County, MD, both from Soldiers Delight Natural Environment Area (NEA). The BARC population of L. minuendus was extirpated around 1980, and the species is now believed to be extant only at Soldiers Delight NEA. As is typical for most Cicadellidae (Whitcomb, et al., 1986), the narrow distribution of L. minuendus is in stark contrast to its host plant, Eleocharis tenuis Willd., which is widely distributed throughout the state and is considered to be globally secure (NatureServe 2009). Habitat conditions differ considerably between the historic BARC location and Soldiers Delight NEA. The BARC population occurred in a ditch adjacent to an old field characterized by grasses including Awnless brome (Bromus inermis Leyss.), Bermuda grass (Cynodon dactylon (L.) Pers.), Weeping lovegrass (Eragrostis curvula (Schrad.) Ness), Tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea Schreb.), Northern gamagrass (Tripsacum dactyloides (L.) L.) and Zoysia grass (Zoysia sp.) (Whitcomb, pers. comm.). All plant nomenclature follows Gleason and Cronquist (1991). The soil type was probably sand or clay (Kirby, et al., 1967) although the precise location of the site remains uncertain. In contrast, Soldiers Delight NEA (700 ha) encompasses a serpentine barrens ecosystem with indigenous oak savanna and grassland communities. Restoration of these communities has been ongoing since 1988 by manual clearing of non-indigenous Virginia pine (Pinus virginiana Mill.) and prescribed burning. Historically, there were two records for L. minuendus from the NEA, both of which were discovered by Robert Whitcomb in the early-mid 1980s. The first was from a streamside clearing, the second from an upland roadside clearing. From 2006 to 2009, we attempted to determine the habitat requirements of L. minuendus so that we could direct future survey efforts to other potential sites in Maryland. With only three reported sites, one of which was destroyed and 352 ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS