Short Communication |
Corresponding author: Attilio Rizzoli ( attilio.rizzoli@wsl.ch ) Academic editor: Roland Mühlethaler
© 2020 Attilio Rizzoli, Riccardo Battelli, Marco Conedera, Mauro Jermini.
This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY 4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
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The first record of Erasmoneura vulnerata Fitch, 1851 in Switzerland is reported. Specimens were collected in 2019 using yellow sticky traps during a Scaphoideus titanus monitoring campaign in vineyards in Ticino (Southern Switzerland). E. vulnerata is a grapevine pest that has recently been introduced to Europe, whose phytophagy causes detrimental damage to grapevine leaves. Its occurrence in this area has likely been favored by the ongoing suspension of insecticide treatments for the control of the S. titanus population, the vector agent of the “Flavescence dorée” phytoplasma in grapevines.
Erythroneura, grapevine pest, leafhopper, Neozoa
Erasmoneura vulnerata Fitch, 1851 (syn. Erythroneura vulnerata Fitch, 1851) (Hemiptera, Cicadellidae, Typhlocybinae) is a Nearctic leafhopper that colonizes North-American grape species (Vitis spp.) as well as various cultivars of Vitis vinifera L. (
E. vulnerata has recently been introduced to Europe, where it was first recorded in Northeastern Italy (Veneto region) in 2004, followed by subsequent findings in Friuli-Venezia Giulia (
E. vulnerata has a very low occurrence rate in the surveyed Italian vineyards treated with insecticides against Scaphoideus titanus Ball, 1932, the main vector of Candidatus Phytoplasma vitis responsible for the quarantine disease “Flavescence dorée” (
In 2010, E. vulnerata specimens were accidentally detected on Cercis siliquastrum L. in Slovenia, close to the Italian border (
Here, we report the first record of E. vulnerata in vineyards in Ticino (Southern Switzerland) which occurred in 2019 and which was already expected by
The study area includes the whole vineyard area of Canton Ticino and covers 1093 ha (Fig.
For the 2019 monitoring program, 28 vineyards distributed throughout the vineyard area of Canton Ticino were selected (Fig.
Locality | Cultivar | Area [m2] | YSTa | Latitudeb | Longitudeb | Elevation [m a.s.l.] | E. vulnerata presence |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Arbedo | Gamaret | 5336 | 6 | 46.21751, 9.04110 | 238 | Yes | |
Arzo | Chardonnay | 3084 | 6 | 45.86803, 8.93728 | 480 | Yes | |
Avegno | Chardonnay | 2256 | 6 | 46.19971, 8.74874 | 281 | No | |
Avegno | Merlot | 3726 | 9 | 46.19970, 8.74759 | 282 | No | |
Bedano | Merlot | 1925 | 6 | 46.05601, 8.92144 | 394 | No | |
Bellinzona | Merlot | 2418 | 6 | 46.19212, 9.02190 | 260 | Yes | |
Biasca | Merlot | 8340 | 6 | 46.36507, 8.96342 | 310 | No | |
Bironico | Gamaret | 4967 | 6 | 46.12143, 8.92886 | 488 | No | |
Cadenazzo | Merlot | 1024 | 6 | 46.15828, 8.95441 | 206 | Yes | |
Camorino | Merlot | 2138 | 6 | 46.16495, 9.01409 | 372 | No | |
Claro | Merlot | 9286 | 6 | 46.24579, 9.02922 | 255 | Yes | |
Contone | Gamaret | 11609 | 6 | 46.14920, 8.92002 | 203 | No | |
Genestrerio | Gamaret | 1566 | 6 | 45.84458, 8.95361 | 376 | No | |
Gerra Piano | Chardonnay & Merlot | 10399 | 6 | 46.17559, 8.90142 | 198 | Yes | |
Giornico | Merlot | 6039 | 6 | 46.39669, 8.87737 | 376 | No | |
Intragna | Merlot | 1718 | 6 | 46.17601, 8.69943 | 330 | No | |
Lamone | Merlot | 10510 | 6 | 46.04243, 8.93926 | 436 | Yes | |
Losone | Chardonnay | 6487 | 6 | 46.17545, 8.76098 | 223 | No | |
Maggia | Merlot | 2165 | 6 | 46.24838, 8.70566 | 336 | No | |
Mendrisio | Cabernet Franc | 3514 | 6 | 45.89456, 8.97548 | 300 | Yes | |
Mezzovico | Merlot | 2981 | 6 | 46.08825, 8.91926 | 413 | Yes | |
Monteggio | Merlot | 7670 | 6 | 45.99369, 8.80679 | 380 | Yes | |
Origlio | Chardonnay & Sauvignon Blanc | 13394 | 15 | 46.04369, 8.94177 | 430 | Yes | |
Rovio | Merlot | 2631 | 6 | 45.93004, 8.98493 | 450 | Yes | |
Stabio | Merlot | 1066 | 6 | 45.85767, 8.93077 | 420 | Yes | |
Stabio | Chardonnay | 3224 | 9 | 45.85563, 8.92752 | 420 | Yes | |
Stabio | Chardonnay | 1724 | 6 | 45.85456, 8.92869 | 430 | Yes | |
Vezia | Merlot | 4169 | 6 | 46.02249, 8.93285 | 325 | Yes |
Traps were collected and changed every two weeks, from June 24 (week 26) to October 10 (week 41). Collected traps were then systematically checked for the presence of the main “Flavescence dorée” phytoplasma vector S. titanus and other alternative and putative vectors such as Orientus ishidae Matsumura, 1902 and Japananus hyalinus Osborn, 1900 (
Specimens of E. vulnerata were found in 16 out of the 28 monitored plots as reported in Table
Description
Adults of E. vulnerata are 2.7–3.2 mm long and are particularly identifiable by the characteristic transversal red veins at the base of the first apical cell on the forewings (Figs
Life cycle
E. vulnerata reproduction takes place on Vitis spp. where it produces at least two generations per year with the possibility of a third under particularly favorable conditions (
Host plants and damage
Vitis spp. is E. vulnerata’s most suitable host plant (
E. vulnerata is a mesophyll-feeding leafhopper. Leaf damage is recognizable as speckled whitish lesions, similar to those caused by the autochthonous Zygina rhamni Ferrari, 1882 (
The application of insecticides is the most important means of controlling leafhopper populations in vineyards (
The current spatial distribution of E. vulnerata in the study area suggests that this species had already been present for several years, and that the colonization most likely began from the southernmost part of Canton Ticino (Fig.
E. vulnerata joins the three main vineyard leafhoppers that carry out part or their life cycle in the vineyards of Canton Ticino, namely Scaphoideus titanus, Zygina rhamni, and Empoasca vitis Goethe, 1875 (
The authors declare there are no conflicts of interest and have no funding to report.
We thank Dr. Valeria Trivellone for confirming the determination of the reported species through male genitalia inspection.