Family Delphacidae

Subfamily Delphacinae

Tribe Delphacini

 

Distribution: Mostly Holarctic, especially north; some species circumboreal.

Type species (in original combination): Fulgora pellucida Fabricius, 1794.

Subgenera: The recognized subgenera are Haffnerianella Wagner 1966 (type species Delphacodes stali Metcalf 1943, replacement name for the unavailable Delphax bohemani Stål, 1858, nec. Stål, 1854) and the type subgenus Javesella.  All species have not been assigned to subgenera.

Recognized species

There are 22 species of Javesella as follows:

Subgenus Javesella

1 Javesella alpina (Sahlberg, 1871) - Sweden, Norway, Finland, Kanin Peninsula (Arctic regions of Fennoscandia and Siberia)

2 Javesella azorica Remane, 1979 - Azores

3 Javesella bottnica Hulden, 1974 - Finland, Russia

4 Javesella discolor (Boheman, 1847) - USA: Alaska; Canada: Yukon, Northwest territories; widespread in Europe, Russia, Mongolia, Northern Africa

5 Javesella dubia (Kirschbaum, 1868) - Widespread in Palearctic; reported, e.g., Germany, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Azores, Morocco, Altai, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan
6 Javesella forcipata (Boheman, 1847) - Widespread in Palearctic, except south

7 Javesella obscurella (Boheman, 1847) - USA: Alaska, Canada: Yukon, Northwest Territories; widespread Palearctic (Eurosiberian), Mongolia

8 Javesella pellucida (Fabricius, 1794) - Holarctic; widespread and common, especially north.  In New World, reported from Alaska, throughout Canada, widespread in the US, especially northern states, nut reported from Cuba and Puerto Rico.  In Palearctic, northern Europe to Northern Africa Including the Azores) east to Mongolia and Japan. Also reported Iceland.

9 Javesella salina (Haupt, 1924) - Eastern Palearctic (Central, eastern, and Southeastern Europe, Asia Minor), Mongolia

10 Javesella simillima Linnavuori, 1948) - USA: Alaska; Canada: Manitoba, Northwest Territories, Yukon; Palearctic - Arctic regions; Finland, Estonia, Romania, Russia, Germany, East Fennoscandia

 

Subgenus Haffnerianella

11 Javesella stali (Metcalf, 1943) - Northern, eastern and central Europe, Eastern Siberia.

 

Not placed to subgenus

12 Javesella arcanastyla (Beamer, 1948) - USA: Alaska, Michigan, Washington, Wisconsin, Wyoming; Canada: British Columbia, Saskatchewan, Yukon

13 Javesella atrata (Osborn, 1938) - USA: Alaska, Connecticut, Illinois, New Hampshire, New York, Ohio; Canada: Alberta Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec, Yukon

14 Javesella badia Anufriev, 1988 - Russia

15 Javesella beringiaca Emeljanov, 1992 - Canada: Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Yukon; Russia (Kamchatka, Magadan, Sakhalin Regions)
16 Javesella compacta Mitjaev, 1987 - Russia (Kazakhstan)
17 Javesella dolera (Spooner, 1912) - USA: Illinois, New York, Virgina
18 Javesella ila Wilson, 1992 - Canada: Yukon
19 Javesella lutulentella (Muir & Giffard, 1924) - USA: California; Canada: British Columbia
20 Javesella nuchtica Dlabola, 1967 - Mongolia
21 Javesella opaca (Beamer, 1948) - USA: Alabama, Connecticut, North Carolina, New York, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Virginia; Canada: Quebec
22 Javesella selengica Dlabola, 1970 - Mongolia

 

Recorded Hosts

Javesella alpina: Geranium sp., Vaccinium myrtillus, Trollius sp., Dryopteris sp., Phegopteris sp.

Javesella discolor: on grasses: Deschampsia cespitosa, D. flexuosa, Calamagrostis canescens, and others; probably also on sedges (Carex, Scirpus) and rushes (Juncus, Luzula).

Javesella dubia: on grasses, mainly Agrostis stolonifera, and A. capillaris.

Javesella forcipata: on grasses: Deschampsia cespitosa, Holcus mollis, probably also Poa trivialis, Calamagrostis canescens, Agrostis stolonifera.

Javesella obscurella: on grasses, mainly Alopecurus geniculatus and Glyceria fluitans.

Javesella pellucida: Polyphagous, mostly grasses (Festuca, Elymus, Dactylis, Poa, Deschampsia, Agrostis, Lolium, Calamagrostis, Phleum, and others); less commonly on sedges, rushes, and horsetails.

Javesella salina: reported on the rush Juncus gerardii, and the grasses Puccinellia distans and Briza media.

Javesella simillima: Eriophorum angustifolium; also reported from Carex rostrata.

Javesella stali: Equisetum arvense, E. palustre (horsetail)

Sources for host information: See Holzinger et al. (2003).

Economic Importance

Several species reported as vectors of plant disease in small grains. 

Javesella discolor (Oats) vectors Oat sterile dwarf virus (OSDV)

Javesella dubia (tall oat-grass) vectors Oat sterile dwarf virus (OSDV) and European wheat striate mosaic virus (EWSMV)

Javesella obscurella (oats, wheat) vectors Oat sterile dwarf virus (OSDV) and European wheat striate mosaic virus (EWSMV)

Javesella pellucida (barley, maize, oats, tall oat-grass, wheat) vectors Oat sterile dwarf virus (OSDV) and European wheat striate mosaic virus (EWSMV), and Maize rough dwarf virus  (MRDV)

Javesella opaca is a moss specialist on common hair-cap moss, Polytrichum commune Hedw. (Polytrichaceae) (Wheeler 2003).

Recognition

A common and widespread genus.  Species recognition is sometimes difficult but usually can be managed based on male genitalia.  Species recognition for females is difficult and may not always be possible with confidence.  Javesella pellucida is the most commonly encountered Javesella in North America.  This species can be quite variable in superficial external appearance.

Keys to species for Palearctic taxa can be found in Holzinger et al. (2003) and Anufriev and Emeljanov (1988)

Javesella atrata

 

Javesella discolor

Javesella dubia

 

Javesella obscurella

Javesella pellucida

 

Javesella simillima

 

Molecular Resources

At this time, Genbank has data for Javesella obscurella and Javesella pellucida here.  Bold has barcode sequence data for Javesella pellucida here.  Urban et al. (2010) sequence 4 genetic loci (18S rDNA, 28S rDNA, wingless, and cytochrome oxidase I) for Javesella pellucida and J. dubia.

 

Selected References

Ammar, E. D. 1975. Effect of European wheat striate mosaic, acquired by feeding on diseased plants, on the biology of its planthopper vector Javesella pellucida. Annals of Applied Biology 79: 195-202.

Anufriev, G. A. and A. F. Emeljanov. 1988. Volume II: Homoptera and Heteroptera. In: P.A. Lehr (ed.). Keys to the Insects of the Far East of the USSR in Six Volumes, Transliteration of the Russian title: Opredelitel’ nasekomykh Dal’nego Vostoka SSSR v shesti tomakh. Vol. 2. Ravnokrylye i poluzhestkokrylye. In: P.A. Lehr (ed.). Keys to the Insects of the Far East of the USSR in Six Volume. Nauka, Leningrad.

De Vrijer, P.W.F. 1981. Reproductive isolation in the genus Javesella Fenn. Acta Entomologica Fennica 38: 50-55.

De Vrijer, P.W.F. 1984. Variability in calling signals of the planthopper Javesella pellucida (F. ) (Homoptera: Delphacidae) in relation to temperature, and consequences for species recognition during distant communication. Netherlands Journal of Zoology 34(3): 388-406.

De Vrijer, P.W.F. 1986. Species distinctiveness and variability of acoustic calling signals in the planthopper genus Javesella (Homoptera: Delphacidae). Netherlands Journal of Zoology 36(1): 162-175.

Ding, J., F. Zhang, C. Hu and J. Wang. 1991. Three new records of the genus Javesella Fennah (Homoptera: Delphacidae) from China. Entomotaxonomia 13(2): 151-155.

Holzinger, W. E., I. Kammerlander, and H. Nickel. 2003. Fulgoromorpha, Cicadomorpha excluding Cicadellidae. Volume 1. The Auchenorrhyncha of Central Europe. Brill Academic Publishing, Leiden, Netherlands.

Huldén, L. 1974. The Javesella discolor group (Homoptera, Delphacidae) of North Europe, with description of a new species. Notulae Entomologicae 54: 114-116.

Kathirithamby, J. 1978. The effects of stylopisation on the sexual development of Javesella dubia (Kirschbaum) (Homoptera: Delphacidae). Biological Journal of the Linnean Society 10(2): 163-179.

Kirillova, V.I. and V.G. Kuznetsova. 1990. B-chromosomes of Javesella pellucida Fabr. and other Delphacidae (Homoptera, Cicadinea). Tsitologiya [Cytologia] 32(3): 282-290.

Kooyman, C. 1978. Experimental studies based on hostplant relations of Javesella (Delphacidae). Auchenorrhyncha Newsletter 1: 17-18.

Mitjaev, I. D. 1988. New species of leafhoppers of the family Delphacidae (Homoptera, Fulgoroidea) of the fauna of Kazakhstan. Entomologicheskoe Obozrenie 67(1): 104-106.

Mochida, O. and R. Kisimoto. 1971. A review of the studies on Javesella pellucida (F. ) (Hom., Delphacidae) and associated subjects. Review of Plant Protection Research 4:1 – 57.

Raatikainen, M. 1967. Bionomics, enemies and population dynamics of Javesella pellucida (F.). (Hom., Delphacidae). Annales Agricultura Fennici 6(Supplement 2):1-149.

Raatikainen, M. 1970. Mesopolobus graminum (Hardh) (Hym., Pteromalidae), its population dynamics and influence on Javesella pellucida (F.). Annales Agricultura Fennici 9: 99-106.

Remane, R. 1975. Eine bisher unbeschriebene Art der Gattung Javesella Fennah (Homopt. Cicadina: Delphacidae) von den Azoren. Stuttgarter Beitraege Zur Naturkunde Serie A (Biologie) No. 269: 1-6.

Seyring, M. and W. Witsack. 2009. Untersuchungen zur Überwinterungsdormanz der Zikade Javesella pellucida (Fabr., 1794) (Auchenorrhyncha, Delphacidae). Cicadina 10: 101-112.

Szklarzewicz, T., W. Jankowska, K. Lukasiewicz, and B. Szymańska. 2007. Structure of the ovaries and oogenesis in Cixius nervosus (Cixiidae), Javesella pellucida and Conomelus anceps (Delphacidae) (Insecta, Hemiptera, Fulgoromorpha). Arthropod Structure and Development 36(2): 199-207.

Wagner, W. 1966. Zur Phylogenie der Gattung Javesella Fennah, 1963 - Weidnerianella Wagner, 1963 (Homoptera, Delphacidae). Mitteilungen des Hamburger Zoologischen Museums und Instituts 63: 91-99.

Wheeler, A G., Jr. 2003. Bryophagy in the Auchenorrhyncha: Seasonal history and habits of a moss specialist, Javesella opaca (Beamer) (Fulgoroidea: Delphacidae). Proceedings of the Entomological Society of Washington 105(3): 599-610.