Biodiversity of Planthoppers (Auchennorrhyncha) in Vineyards Infected With the Bois noir phytoplasma

The presence and density of plant- and leafhoppers was investigated in eleven vineyards infected with Ca. Phytoplasma solani, causal agent of Bois noir (BN), in South Tyrol (Northern Italy) using insect nets fro sampling the understory vegetation. The confirmed vector Hyalesthes obsoletus (Signoret) was sampled from early June to mid August of 2006; its abundance was positively correlated to the presence of BN symptoms on grapevines. An additional 56 Auchenorrhyncha species were sampled; the most numerous being Psammotettix confinis (Dahlbom), Laodelphax striatella (Fallen), Dicranotropis hamata (Boheman), Psammotettix alienus (Dahlbom), Falcotoya minuscula (Horvath), Macrosteles cristatus (Ribaut), Dictyophara europaea (L.), Philaenus spumarius (L.), Anaceratagallia ribauti (Ossiannilson) and Neoaliturus fenestratus (Herrich-Schaffer). Several invasive species, such as Stictocephala bisona (Koppp & Yonke) and Metcalfa pruinosa (Say) were sampled in the investigated vineyards, whereas Scaphoideus titanus (Ball), the vector of the Grapevine yellow Flavescence doree, was not found. Recilia horvathi (Then) (Cicadellidae) was found for the first time in South Tyrol.