Some aspects of the life history, host selection, dispersal and ovipostion of adult Cardiaspina densitexta (Homoptera : Psyllidae)

Abstract

C. densitexta, a psyllid sometimes present in epidemic numbers on Eucalyptus fasciculosa in parts of South Australia, has three generations a year. The adults exhibit a characteristic mating behaviour including stridulation by the males. Normally C. densitexta is found only on E. fasciculosa, but when the psyllids are extremely abundant they attack several other species of Eucalyptus with varying success. There is evidence suggesting that adults emerging in the spring disperse actively while those emerging in the summer and autumn do not. Most eggs are laid on the basal end of the lower side of mature leaves and against irregularities on the surface of the leaf; mature leaves seem to become less attractive as they age. Leaves on the north face of the crown are preferred to those on the south face. It is suggested that both the physiological condition of the host tissue and the texture of the leaf surface influence the selection of oviposition sites.