Cacopsylla sp.

Malenovský, Igor & Burckhardt, Daniel, 2014, Jumping plant-lice of Socotra Island (Hemiptera: Psylloidea), Acta Entomologica Musei Nationalis Pragae 54, pp. 23-61 : 48

Cacopsylla sp.

( Figs 71–73 )

Material examined. 7 ♂♂ 2 ♀♀, central Socotra, Hagher Mts. , Mt. Scand env. , 12°34′36″N, 54°01′30″E, 1450 m, montane evergreen woodland , 16.–18.vi.2012, on Pittosporum viridiflorum , I. Malenovský & P. Kment leg. 1 ♂, central Socotra, Aloove village environs , 12°30′58″N, 54°06′39″E, 270–350 m, 3.–4.ii.2010, at light, L. Purchart & J. Vybíral leg. ( MMBC, NHMB, dry-mounted and preserved in alcohol).

Host plant. Adults were collected on Pittosporum viridiflorum Sims (Pittosporaceae) which is probably the host plant.

Occurrence in Socotra. Probably restricted to the montane evergreen woodland of the Leucas hagghierensis-Pittosporum viridiflorum community ( KÜRSCHNER et al. 2006, BROWN & MIES 2012) at the highest elevations of the Hagher Mts. One specimen (vagrant?) has been collected at light also at low altitude.

Comments. The specimens probably belong to an undescribed species related to Cacopsylla tobirae (Miyatake, 1964) which is associated with Pittosporum tobira (Thunb.) W.T. Aiton , occurs in eastern Asia ( Japan, Korea, China and Taiwan) and has recently been introduced into California ( YANG 1984, PERCY et al. 2012). The Socotra specimens may be closely related to or conspecific with the material reported from Pittosporum viridiflorum in Cameroon by DZOKOU et al. (2009). No formal description is provided here, awaiting a revision of the whole group of Pittosporum feeding Psyllinae which includes additional taxa. The host plant of Cacopsylla sp. from Socotra, Pittosporum viridiflorum , is widely distributed throughout the Afrotropical Region, Madagascar, southern India and has been introduced into the Hawaii Islands ( HASSLER 2014).

Figures

Figs 67–73. 67–70 – Pseudophacopteron verrucifrons Burckhardt & Harten, 2006, habitus and habitat. 67 – adult, habitus, lateral view; 68 – adult, head, oblique frontal view; 69 – fifth instar immature, dorsal view (alcohol-preserved specimen); 70 – montane shrubland with Commiphora planifrons in Tudhen, Hagher Mts.: habitat and host plant of P. verrucifrons (photograph by P. Kment). 71–73 – Cacopsylla sp., adult. 71 – habitus, lateral view; 72 – habitus, dorsal view; 73 – head, frontal view.