Skip to main content
ARS Home » Southeast Area » Fort Pierce, Florida » U.S. Horticultural Research Laboratory » Subtropical Insects and Horticulture Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #288748
Title: Behavioral, ultrastructural, and chemical studies on the 'Honeydew' excretions in nymphs and Adults of the Asian Citrus Psyllid

Author
item Ammar, Eldesouky
item Alessandro, Rocco
item Shatters, Robert - Bob
item Hall, David

Submitted to: International Research Conference on Huanglongbing
Publication Type: Proceedings
Publication Acceptance Date: 12/10/2012
Publication Date: 2/6/2013
Citation: Ammar, E., Alessandro, R.T., Shatters, R.G., Hall, D.G. 2013. Behavioral, ultrastructural, and chemical studies on the 'Honeydew' excretions in nymphs and Adults of the Asian Citrus Psyllid. In: Proceedings of the International Research Conference on Huanglongbing, February 4-8, 2013, Orlando, Florida.

Interpretive Summary: The Asian citrus psyllid (ACP) is the main vector of citrus huanglongbing (citrus greening) bacterium, the most serious citrus pathogen worldwide. Behavioral and ultrastructural studies on ‘honeydew’ excretions by ACP indicated interesting differences between nymphs, males and females. Additionally, the chemical composition of these excretions are being investigated using infrared microscopy and gas chromatography/mass spectroscopy.

Technical Abstract: The Asian citrus psyllid (ACP) Diaphorina citri (Homoptera, Psyllidae) is the main vector of citrus huanglongbing (citrus greening) bacterium, the most serious citrus pathogen worldwide. Behavioral and ultrastructural studies on ‘honeydew’ excretions by ACP indicated interesting differences between nymphs, males and females. The anal opening in ACP, near the posterior end of the abdomen, is on the ventral side in nymphs and on the dorsal side in adult males and females. Video recordings show that males produce clear sticky droplets of honeydew gently laid behind them on the leaf surface, whereas the females powerfully expel whitish, different shaped, pellets that travel away from the female, probably to get these sticky excretions away from their eggs and newly hatched nymphs. ACP nymphs produce long ribbons or tubes of honeydew excretions that frequently stay attached to the exuviae after molting. Honeydew excretions of both nymphs and adult females are covered with a thin layer of whitish wax-like material ultrastructurally composed of a convoluted network of thin filaments apparently produced by the “wax” glands underneath the anal ring which is absent in males of this and other psyllids. The chemical composition of these excretions are being investigated using infrared microscopy and gas chromatography/mass spectroscopy.