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Title: FIRST RECORD OF ACIZZIA JAMATONICA (KUWAYAMA) (HEMIPTERA: PSYLLIDAE) IN NORTH AMERICA: FRIEND OR FOE?

Author
item ULYSHEN, M. - USDA FOREST SERVICE
item Miller, Douglass

Submitted to: Florida Entomologist
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 4/6/2007
Publication Date: 9/13/2007
Citation: Ulyshen, M.D., Miller, D.R. 2007. FIRST RECORD OF ACIZZIA JAMATONICA (KUWAYAMA) (HEMIPTERA: PSYLLIDAE) IN NORTH AMERICA: FRIEND OR FOE?. Florida Entomologist. 90:573.

Interpretive Summary: Psyllids are serious pests of pears and apples in the U.S. and cause millions of dollars damage each year. Some species are beneficial as biological control agents of weeds. This paper reports the discovery of the mimosa psyllid in the U.S. for the first time. This discovery has pest implications for mimosa trees that are grown as ornamentals and biological control implications on mimosa trees that are considered serious weeds in the southeastern U.S. This paper is important to Federal quarantine specialists, state entomologists, extension personnel, and scientists studying psyllids.

Technical Abstract: Acizzia jamatonica (Kuwayama) (Hemiptera: Sternorrhyncha: Psyllidae) is reported for the first time in North America. Because the species is thought to feed exclusively on Albizia, it may prove to be an effective biocontrol agent against the invasive Albizia julibrissin Durazzini in the southeastern United States. Because A. julibrissin is also an ornamental plant of some importance, the arrival of A. jamatonica may not be welcomed by many.