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The Brazilian sharpshooter Tettigonia incarnata Germar, 1821 was treated as incertae sedis in the most comprehensive and recent monograph of the New World Cicadellini. We have been able to identify male and female specimens of Tettigonia incarnata from northeastern and southeastern Brazil using high-resolution images of two syntypes deposited in the Museum für Naturkunde, Universität Humboldt, Berlin. Here we transfer Tettigonia incarnata to the genus Kogigonalia Young, 1977 and provide a detailed redescription of this species, including information on intraspecific color variation. In addition, we provide an updated key to the species of Kogigonalia . This is the first record of the genus from Brazil. Kogigonalia incarnata comb. n. can be recognized, among other features, by the subgenital plates with a distinct emargination at outer margin, aedeagus with a ventral unpaired process near midlength of shaft, and female sternite VII bearing an elongate strong projection on posterior margin.

A new leafhopper genus Chandra and species Chandra dehradunensis gen. nov., sp. nov. are described, illustrated from India and placed in the subtribe Paraboloponina (Cidadellidae: Deltocephalinae: Drabescini). This genus is closely associated with the genus Parabolopona Webb but differs in shape of the head, placement of antennae, male genitalia and molecular analysis using Histone H3 and COI genes confirmed the difference. The taxonomic and phylogenetic position of Chandra is discussed using morphological characters and preliminary molecular evidence of the new genus and related genus Parabolopona.

ABSTRACT Arapona DeLong, 1979 and Platypona DeLong, 1982 are small Neotropical genera with four and three species, respectively. Both genera are firstly recorded from Brazil and their female genitalia are described in detail for the first time providing previously unknown characters at the generic level. Platypona urucu sp. nov. is described from the state of Amazonas, Brazil. The new species is easily recognized in having the style short and approximately straight, with a truncated apex, the apodemal processes of aedeagus lacking a basidorsal projection, and the aedeagal shaft wide and strongly flattened laterally on basal half. Updated keys to males are provided for both genera, along with a descriptive discussion of the female genitalia within the tribe Gyponini.

Tea green leafhopper [ ( ) Matsuda] is one of the most devastating pests of tea plants ( ), greatly impacting tea yield and quality. A thorough understanding of the interactions between the tea green leafhopper and the tea plant would facilitate a better pest management. To gain more insights into the molecular and biochemical mechanisms behind their interactions, a combined analysis of the global transcriptome and metabolome reconfiguration of the tea plant challenged with tea green leafhoppers was performed for the first time, complemented with phytohormone analysis. Non-targeted metabolomics analysis by ultra-performance liquid chromatography quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UPLC-QTOF MS), together with quantifications by ultra-performance liquid chromatography triple quadrupole mass spectrometry (UPLC-QqQ MS), revealed a marked accumulation of various flavonoid compounds and glycosidically bound volatiles but a great reduction in the level of amino acids and glutathione upon leaf herbivory. RNA-Seq data analysis showed a clear modulation of processes related to plant defense. Genes pertaining to the biosynthesis of phenylpropanoids and flavonoids, plant-pathogen interactions, and the biosynthesis of cuticle wax were significantly up-regulated. In particular, the transcript level for a homolog involved in cuticular wax alkane formation was most drastically elevated and an increase in C29 alkane levels in tea leaf waxes was observed. The tea green leafhopper attack triggered a significant increase in salicylic acid (SA) and a minor increase in jasmonic acid (JA) in infested tea leaves. Moreover, transcription factors (TFs) constitute a large portion of differentially expressed genes, with several TFs families likely involved in SA and JA signaling being significantly induced by tea green leafhopper feeding. This study presents a valuable resource for uncovering insect-induced genes and metabolites, which can potentially be used to enhance insect resistance in tea plants.

Intensification of land use reduces biodiversity but may also shift the trait composition of communities. Understanding how land use affects single traits and community trait composition, helps to understand why some species are more affected by land use than others. Trait‐based analyses are common for plants, but rare for arthropods. We collected literature‐based traits for nearly 1000 insect and spider species to test how land‐use intensity (including mowing, fertilization, and grazing) across 124 grasslands in three regions of Germany affects community‐weighted mean traits across taxa and in single taxa. We additionally measured morphometric traits for more than 150 Heteroptera species and tested whether the weighted mean morphometric traits change with increasing land‐use intensity. Community average body size decreased and community average dispersal ability increased from low to high land‐use intensity. Furthermore, the relative abundance of herbivores and of specialists among herbivores decreased and the relative abundance of species using the herb layer increased with increasing land‐use intensity. Community‐weighted means of the morphometric traits in Heteroptera also changed from low to high land‐use intensity toward longer and thinner shapes as well as longer appendices (legs, wings, and antenna). While changes in traits with increasing mowing and fertilization intensity were consistent with the combined land‐use intensity, community average traits did often not change or with opposite direction under increasing grazing intensity. We conclude that high land‐use intensity acts as an environmental filter selecting for on average smaller, more mobile, and less specialized species across taxa. Although trait collection across multiple arthropod taxa is laborious and needs clear trait definitions, it is essential for understanding the functional consequences of biodiversity loss due to land‐use intensification.

The leafhopper Arbordia hussaini is a phloem feeding pest of the grape leaves causing a drop in chlorophyll levels in the grape leaves, which decreases photosynthesis and causes drying of the leaves depend on the population density of insects and found in various grape varieties growing around the world. The direct effects of A. hussaini on biomass dynamics, particularly the chlorophyll content of grapevine leaves, are investigated in this study. the high population of A. hussaini were 19.33 insect adult per grape leave in the first of September, while the low density of A. hussaini was 0.11 insect adult per grape leave at the end of December that trapped in blue sticky trap. The high density of leafhopper was recorded on the variety of Kamali followed by the variety of Halawani and Faranci. Chemical analysis of the chlorophyll content between the uninfested and infested grape leaves with the grape leafhopper showed decreasing of chlorophyll content and has been given 19.03 and 15.11 mg/L of the Halawani variety for the uninfested and infested leaves, respectively. Whereas, th mean of chlorophyll content of uninfested and infested leaves was 24.63 and 18.85 mg/L for Faranci variety, respectively. Moreover, the comparession of chlorophyll content between uninfested and infested Kamali leaf variety was 23.69 and 12.30 mg/L, respectively. Finally, depending on the degree of the attack, the grapevine response to A. hussaini infestation that affects on grape leaves and photosynthesis. This research shows that leafhopper feeding on tree sap has a significant direct impact on the chlorophyll content of grape leaves.

In nature, insects face immense predation pressure, where visual cues play a vital role in predators locating them. To counter this threat, insects employ a variety of nano- and microstructures on their cuticular layer to manipulate and interact with light, enhancing antireflective properties and providing camouflage or reducing detectability by predators. Leafhoppers have a unique extracuticular coating called brochosome, yet its antireflective functions and protein composition remain unclear. Our study demonstrates strong antireflective properties of brochosomes, effectively reducing reflectance on the cuticle surface, especially in the ultraviolet spectrum, to improve evasion from visual predators. Furthermore, we identify four novel structural proteins of the brochosome (BSM) for the first time. Inhibiting their synthesis by RNAi alters brochosome morphology, impacting the optical properties of the cuticle surface. Evolutionary origin analysis of BSM suggests that brochosomes likely originated from a process involving duplication–divergence. Our study reveals that leafhoppers employ a unique camouflage strategy by secreting brochosomes as antireflection nanocoatings, enabling them to evade natural predators and contributing to their evolutionary success. Animals have evolved various strategies to hide from or escape predators, one of which is camouflage. This adaptation helps animals blend into their surroundings using specific colors or patterns. However, many predators possess multispectral vision, enabling them to detect different wavelengths of light, which can make camouflage based on visible light ineffective. Insects face substantial predation pressure from visual predators such as birds, reptiles and other arthropods. Many insects dwell in environments with low light reflectivity, such as leaves, tree bark, or soil, and any light reflection from their bodies could increase their visibility. In response to these selective pressures, many insects have evolved specialized antireflective structures in their cuticle, wings and eyes. For example, leafhoppers have a unique coating on their cuticle known as the brochosome. Brochosomes are hollow, honeycomb-like spheres with a diameter ranging from 0.2 to 0.6 micrometers. They are produced in the excretory system called the Malpighian tubules and are secreted through the hindgut, where they are applied as a coating to the new cuticle after molting. Brochosomes consist of lipids and proteins, but their exact composition and role remain unclear. Some researchers believe that brochosomes may serve as a protective barrier or antireflective layer. To investigate the camouflage role of brochosomes, Wu et al. used a combination of imaging and gene and protein analyses to study the brochosome coverage and UV reflectance in 5 to 25-day-old male and female leafhoppers of the Cicadellidae family. The results indicated that older individuals had fewer brochosomes than younger ones. The experiments also revealed that brochosomes significantly reduced the reflection of ultraviolet light from the surface of leafhoppers by around 30% and diminished the reflectance of visible and infrared light. Next, Wu et al. conducted predation experiments using jumping spiders known to prey on leafhoppers by analyzing the time of the first attack and the feeding behavior of the spider. The findings showed that jumping spiders preferred to attack older individuals with less brochosome coverage. This suggests that brochosomes are particularly beneficial for younger leafhoppers. Gene and protein analyses identified four structural brochosome proteins. Experimentally blocking these proteins induced changes to the morphology of the brochosomes and modified the characteristics of the leafhoppers’ cuticle, including an increased diameter and structural deformation of the honeycomb architecture, alongside elevated UV reflectance. Phylogenetic analysis of the corresponding genes revealed that these proteins likely evolved through gene duplication events followed by a gradual accumulation of genetic modifications. The study of Wu et al. demonstrates that brochosomes serve as an antireflective camouflage coating in leafhoppers to evade visual predators. The unique structure and composition of the lipids and proteins making up the brochosomes appear to be responsible for the antireflective properties of this coating. Further studies will advance our understanding of insect antipredator adaptations and evolutionary mechanisms underlying ecological niche specialization. Furthermore, they may provide biomimetic insights relevant for developing advanced camouflage technologies by emulating biological nanostructures such as brochosomes.

Many insects harbor obligate bacterial symbionts that can be vertically transmitted to offspring by female insects through eggs. Here, we report that leafhopper vitellogenin (Vg) recognizes and binds a surface channel molecule (porin) on the envelope of obligate bacterial symbiont Nasuia , which potentially induces the opening of porin channels for Vg to access the cytoplasm of Nasuia . Thus, Vg can exploit bacterial symbionts as the independent carriers into the oocytes. Such Nasuia -carried Vg contents support efficient insect egg development. Thus, our findings indicate that insects have evolved strategies to exploit the symbionts for carrying additional Vgs to guarantee optimal insect reproduction. Many insect species, such as aphids, leafhoppers, planthoppers, and whiteflies harbor obligate bacterial symbionts that can be transovarially transmitted to offspring through the oocytes of female insects. Whether obligate bacterial symbionts can carry important molecules/resources to the embryos to support egg development is still unknown. Here, we show that the vitellogenin (Vg) precursor of rice leafhopper Nephotettix cincticeps is biosynthesized by the fat body, secreted into the hemolymph and subsequently cleaved into the 35- and 178-kDa subunits, whereas only the 178-kDa subunit is taken up by the leading end of oocytes in a receptor-dependent manner or moves into the posterior pole of the terminal oocyte in association with obligate bacterial symbiont “ Candidatus Nasuia deltocephalinicola” (hereafter Nasuia ) in a receptor-independent manner. Furthermore, the 178-kDa Vg subunit can directly interact with a surface channel molecule (porin) on the envelope of Nasuia , allowing Vg to enter bacterial cytoplasm. Thus, Vg can hitchhike the ancient oocyte entry path of Nasuia , the common obligate symbiont of leafhoppers. Knocking down a Nasuia growth-related protein expression or treatment with porin antibody strongly prevents the ability of Nasuia to carry Vgs into oocytes and impair insect egg development. Nasuia -carried Vgs provide at least 20% of the total Vgs in the developing eggs. We anticipate that the bacterial symbiont-mediated Vg uptake into oocytes to support efficient egg development may be a common pattern shared by many insects. IMPORTANCE Many insects harbor obligate bacterial symbionts that can be vertically transmitted to offspring by female insects through eggs. Here, we report that leafhopper vitellogenin (Vg) recognizes and binds a surface channel molecule (porin) on the envelope of obligate bacterial symbiont Nasuia , which potentially induces the opening of porin channels for Vg to access the cytoplasm of Nasuia . Thus, Vg can exploit bacterial symbionts as the independent carriers into the oocytes. Such Nasuia -carried Vg contents support efficient insect egg development. Thus, our findings indicate that insects have evolved strategies to exploit the symbionts for carrying additional Vgs to guarantee optimal insect reproduction.

The corn leafhopper Dalbulus maidis (DeLong), one of the most important pests of maize throughout Latin America, was found in greater numbers within conventional maize that received agrochemicals compared to the adults found within the organic-polyculture maize crop. This pattern is reported for first time in the present study in an organic-polyculture of maize. La chicharrita del maíz, Dalbulus maidis (DeLong), una de las plagas más importantes del maíz en América Latina, se encontró en gran abundancia dentro de maíz cultivado en forma convencional que recibieron agroquímicos comparado a los adultos encontrados dentro de un policultivo orgánico de maíz. Este patrón es reportado por primera vez en este estudio en un policultivo orgánico de maíz.