Bay leafhopper - Synophropsis lauri (Horváth, 1897) - Cyprus

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Order: Hemiptera

Family: Cicadellidae

Synophropsis lauri, sometimes called the bay leafhopper, is a species of leafhopper of the subfamily Deltocephalinae, tribe Fieberiellini. It is the only species in the genus Synophropsis.

Description

The hemelytra vary from greyish to brick-red (some sources say the males are grey, females re]) and are somewhat translucent with the veins showing up as whitish. The wings darken towards the tips. There are small dark marks along the suture and at the distal ends of some of the long veins. The head is yellowish and the vertex is sharply pointed. Antennae are filamentous and very long. Size: up to 6.5mm long, or even 7mm.

Nymphs are green, and over-winter. The species is normally said to be univoltine, but it is possible that the females hibernate and produce a second generation.

The species was first described, as Thamnotettix lauri, by Géza Horváth in 1897 from specimens taken in Fiume (Rijeka) and Buccari (Bakar) on the Adriatic coast of what is now Croatia. Nearly 30 years later, Hermann Haupt independently described a single male taken in Gravosa (Gruž), some 260 miles (420 km) further southeast. Haupt placed it in a new genus as Synophropsis wagneri. As these are now regarded as descriptions of the same species, Horvath's specific name has priority even though Haupt's new genus is accepted.

Throughout much of the 20th century it was regarded as a pontomediterranean species, i.e. inhabiting the area between the Black Sea (ho pontos to the ancient Greeks) and the Mediterranean. Since then it has expanded its range rapidly northwards and westwards. It has been known in France, initially Montpellier, since 1972, and in Switzerland since 2000. In 2008–09 it was discovered in Hamburg and Öhringen, two widely separated locations in Germany, and also at Liège in Belgium. It reached the London area in 2007, and has since been found elsewhere in the United Kingdom – the insect in the taxobox was seen in Cambridge in 2014.

Host plants

Synophropsis lauri is polyphagous on evergreen broad-leaved trees and shrubs. It was first described as frequenting, and takes its specific name from, the European bay laurel (Laurus nobilis). This tree, now cultivated far outside its natural Mediterranean range, is a favourite where available. In western Europe specimens of S. lauri have mostly been taken from ivy (Hedera helix). In Turkey S. lauri is listed as a minor pest of olive (Olea europea) groves. From  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Synophropsis

 Photos , Potamia by George Konstantinou

A leafhopper is the common name for any species from the family Cicadellidae. These minute insects, colloquially known as hoppers, are plant feeders that suck plant sap from grass, shrubs, or trees. Their hind legs are modified for jumping, and are covered with hairs that facilitate the spreading of a secretion over their bodies that acts as a water repellent and carrier of pheromones. They undergo a partial metamorphosis, and have various host associations, varying from very generalized to very specific. Some species have a cosmopolitan distribution, or occur throughout the temperate and tropical regions. Some are pests or vectors of plant viruses and phytoplasmas. The family is distributed all over the world, and constitutes the second-largest hemipteran family, with at least 20,000 described species.

They belong to a lineage traditionally treated as infraorder Cicadomorpha in the suborder Auchenorrhyncha. This has sometimes been placed in its own suborder (Clypeorrhyncha), but more recent research retains it within Auchenorrhyncha.

Members of the tribe Proconiini of the subfamily Cicadellinae are commonly known as sharpshooters. From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leafhopper

Planthoppers - Agalmatium bilobum (Fieber 1877) - Cyprus

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All about Cyprus - Όλα για την Κύπρο

Order: Hemiptera

Family:Issidae

Agalmatium is a genus of planthoppers belonging to the family Issidae, subfamily Issinae. These species are distributed in the Mediterranean, from Portugal, Morocco and Tunisia to Israel, the Crimea and the Caucasus. One species - Agalmatium bilobum – has been introduced in California (USA). 

These planthoppers are characterized by the first segment of hind legs (metatarsomere) with only two intermediate spines apically. In the upper part of the forehead the horizontal transverse carinae are missing. The shape of the body is compact, the head is short and wide. Wings are rather developed, elytra are quite short. Legs are short and strong.

A planthopper is any insect in the infraorder Fulgoromorpha, in the suborder Auchenorrhyncha, a group exceeding 12,500 described species worldwide. The name comes from their remarkable resemblance to leaves and other plants of their environment and that they often "hop" for quick transportation in a similar way to that of grasshoppers. However, planthoppers generally walk very slowly. Distributed worldwide, all members of this group are plant-feeders, though few are considered pests. The infraorder contains only a single superfamily, Fulgoroidea. Fulgoroids are most reliably distinguished from the other Auchenorrhyncha by two features; the bifurcate ("Y"-shaped) anal vein in the forewing, and the thickened, three-segmented antennae, with a generally round or egg-shaped second segment (pedicel) that bears a fine filamentous arista.

Overview

Planthoppers are laterally flattened and hold their broad wings vertically, in a tent-like fashion, concealing the sides of the body and part of the legs. Nymphs of many fulgoroids produce wax from special glands on the abdominal terga and other parts of the body. These are hydrophobic and help conceal the insects. Adult females of many families also produce wax which may be used to protect eggs.

Planthopper (Pterodictya reticularis) with abdominal filaments of ketoester wax

Fulgoroid nymphs also possess a biological gear mechanism at the base of the hind legs, which keeps the legs in synchrony when the insects jump. The gears, not present in the adults, were known for decades[5] before the recent description of their function.

Planthoppers are often vectors for plant diseases, especially phytoplasmas which live in the phloem of plants and can be transmitted by planthoppers when feeding.

A number of extinct members of Fulgoroidea are known from the fossil record, such as the Lutetian-age Emiliana from the Green River Formation (Eocene) in Colorado.

Both planthopper adults and nymphs feed by sucking sap from plants; in so doing, the nymphs produce copious quantities of honeydew, on which sooty mould often grows.[3] One species considered to be a pest is Haplaxius crudus, which is a vector for lethal yellowing, a palm disease that nearly killed off the Jamaican Tall coconut variety.From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Planthopper

 Photos , Potamia by George Konstantinou

Rambur’s Wave - Idaea elongaria (Rambur, 1833).- Cyprus

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List of Moths of Cyprus you will find in this blog (Lepidoptera)

All about Cyprus - Όλα για την Κύπρο

Family Geometridae

Idaea elongaria is a species of moth belonging to the family Geometridae . It is commonly known as Rambur’s Wave . The species has been observed in various locations including Greece, Cyprus and Crete.

Photo by George Konstantinou

Selidosema tamsi (Rebel, 1939) - Endemic to Cyprus

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List of Moths of Cyprus you will find in this blog (Lepidoptera)

All about Cyprus - Όλα για την Κύπρο

 Endemic to Cyprus. The species has great diversity in its external characteristics.

Family Geometridae

Selidosema is a genus of moths in the family Geometridae first described by Jacob Hübner in 1823.

Photo by George Konstantinou

Η ιστορια της κυπριακης μελισσας Apis mellifera cypria - The history of Cyprus bees - Παύλος Νεοφύτου

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Western honey bee or European honey bee (Apis mellifera) (Linnaeus, 1758) Μέλισσα - Cyprus

All about Cyprus - Όλα για την Κύπρο

Τζιβέρτι - Τζιβέρκα - Οι κυψέλες του περασμένου αιώνα στην Κύπρο.

Bees of Cyprus - Μέλισσες της Κύπρου

Ο δημοσιογράφος Παύλος Νεοφύτου μάς παρουσιάζει μια εξαιρετική ιστορική καταγραφή του είδους της Apis mellifera cypria καθώς και της μελισσοκομίας στην Κύπρο από την εποχή των αρχαίων πολιτισμών της Μεσογείου μέχρι και τις μέρες μας.

Από το Χρονικό του ΠΟΛΙΤΗ, Έκδοση Δ΄, Τεύχος 64

                                                    Photos by George Konstantinou

Τζιβέρκα - Οι κυψέλες του περασμένου αιώνα στην Κύπρο.

Φωτογραφία 8/9/2016  Γιώργος Κωνσταντίνου έξω απο το μοναστήρι του Αποστόλου Βαρνάβα

Locust bean moth - carob moth - Ectomyelois ceratoniae (Zeller, 1839) - Χαρουπόσκωρος - Cyprus

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St John's-bread, or Locust bean, Carob tree - Ceratonia siliqua L. - Τερατσιά, Χαρουπιά

List of Moths of Cyprus you will find in this blog (Lepidoptera)

All about Cyprus - Όλα για την Κύπρο

Ectomyelois ceratoniae, the locust bean moth, more ambiguously known as "carob moth", is a moth of the family Pyralidae. It has a nearly cosmopolitan distribution.

Adults have forewings with a pale brown pattern, and plain white hindwings. The female moths find suitable fruit or nuts on which to lay their eggs using volatile substances emitted by fungus which is infecting the material.

The larvae are translucent white, with the internal organs visible from the outside. They feed on the seeds and pods of a wide range of plants, including Punica granatum, Citrus fruit, Pistacia vera, Juglans regia, Prunus dulcis, Macadamia integrifolia, Acacia farnesiana, Caesalpinia sappan, Cassia bicapsularis, Ricinus, Erythrina monosperma, Haematoxylum campechianum, Prosopis juliflora, Samanea saman, Phoenix dactylifera, and Ceratonia siliqua. It is a considerable agricultural pest, recognized as the most economically damaging pest of the date industry in California. In many regions around the world, it also damages many other high-value nut and fruit commodities such as almonds, pistachios, macadamias, pomegranates, and stone and pome fruits.

In 2007, the California date Phoenix dactylifera industry produced 17,700 tons of dates on 5,900 acres, with a gross value of about $31.86 million. During the past 25 years, the locust bean moth has caused between 10 and 40% damage of the harvestable crop annually, which equates to roughly $3.1 – $12.7 million in economic losses, not including control costs.

Until recently, the only current of controlling locust bean moth was malathion dusting, three or four times per growing season. Because of the height of the palm trees (sometimes over 50 ft), commercial treatments were applied exclusively by powerful dusting equipment that delivers the insecticidal dust through a hand-directed tube. This produces a "fog" of insecticide during application that essentially blankets the ground with malathion, which is wasteful and creates unintended nontarget effects on other animal species, as well as "environmental pollution". Furthermore, the accumulation of the malathion dust on the skin of dates creates problems with desiccation of the fruit, reducing the overall quality of the product. Encroachment of date gardens and urban areas has been forcing the California date producers to move away from malathion dusting, but until recently, no other alternatives for locust bean moth control were available.

The mimic pheromone used in monitoring lures also provided a viable nontoxic alternative of locust bean moth control. When the mimic pheromone is formulated into SPLAT, it can be used to control moth populations through "mating disruption" in date gardens and pomegranate and almond orchards. Extensive field trials with the mimic pheromone formulation SPLAT EC and its organic counterpart, SPLAT EC-Organic, have proven that effective season-long control of populations in date gardens is achieved after a single application of the pheromone mimic formulation. SPLAT EC or SPLAT EC-Organic are deployed as preventive measures to protect an area from locust bean moth infestation. The products do not "kill" the moths, they control populations by disrupting their mating with the volatiles of the pheromone mimic emitted by SPLAT EC and SPLAT EC-O. Hence, the timing of the product application is important to optimally target the mating season.

Synonyms

The species is also known under these obsolete names:

Apomyelois ceratoniae (Zeller, 1839)

Euzophera zellerella Sorhagen, 1881

Heterographis rivulalis Warren & Rothschild, 1905

Hypsipyla psarella Hampson, 1903

Laodamia durandi Lucas, 1950

Myelois ceratoniae Zeller, 1839

Myelois oporedestella Dyar, 1911

Myelois phoenicis Durrant, 1915

Phycis ceratoniella Fischer von Röslerstamm, 1839

Phycita dentilinella Hampson, 1896

Trachonitis pryerella Vaughan, 1870

Ectomyelois tuerckheimiella is a doubtfully distinct taxon; it may be a cryptic species or yet another synonym.

From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ectomyelois_ceratoniae

Photos  Geri 23/10/2019 by George Konstantinou

Ematheudes punctella (Treitschke, 1833) - Cyprus

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All about Cyprus - Όλα για την Κύπρο

List of Moths of Cyprus you will find in this blog (Lepidoptera)

Family Pyralidae

Ematheudes punctella is a moth of the family Pyralidae described by Georg Friedrich Treitschke in 1833. It is found in southern and central Europe, Cyprus, Turkey and probably further east.

Photo by George Konstantinou

Cnephasia orientana (Alphéraky, 1877) - Cyprus

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All about Cyprus - Όλα για την Κύπρο

List of Moths of Cyprus you will find in this blog (Lepidoptera)

Family: Tortricidae

Cnephasia is a genus of tortrix moths (family Tortricidae). It belongs to the subfamily Tortricinae and therein to the tribe Cnephasiini, of which it is the type genus

Photos 20/4/2011 by George Konstantinou

Vine hawk-moth or silver-striped hawk-moth - Hippotion celerio (Linnaeus, 1758) - Cyprus

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All about Cyprus - Όλα για την Κύπρο

List of Moths of Cyprus you will find in this blog (Lepidoptera)

Hippotion celerio, the vine hawk-moth or silver-striped hawk-moth, is a moth of the family Sphingidae. It was described by Carl Linnaeus in his 1758 10th edition of Systema Naturae.

It is found in Africa and central and southern Asia of India, Sri Lanka and, as a migrant in southern Europe and Australia. The forewing is typically 28–35 millimetres (1.1–1.4 in) long.

The body and forewing of the adult moth are green and ochre. They have silvery white dots and streaks, with a silvery band running obliquely on the forewing. The hindwing is red near its lower angle (tornus) to pinkish over other parts of the wing. It is crossed by a black bar and black veins. There is greater variation. In f. pallida Tutt the ground coloration is a pale terracotta ground; in f. rosea Closs, the wings have a red suffusion; in f. brunnea Tutt, the suffusion is deep brown. In f. augustei Trimoul, the black markings cover the entire wings; in f. luecki Closs, all silver markings are absent and in f. sieberti Closs, the forewing oblique stripe is yellowish, not silver.

Larvae may be green, yellowish green or even brown. They have a dark broken mid-dorsal line and a creamy dorso-lateral line from the fifth segment to the horn. The head is round, and usually a dull green colour. The larva has a horn which is usually long and straight. There is a large yellow and green eyespot on the third segment and a smaller one on the fourth segment.

Larvae typically feed on the leaves of plants such as the grape vine, Cissus, Impatiens and the Arum lily. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Photos Geri 21/9/2023 by George Konstantinou

Pterophorus sp. - Cyprus

 Family Pterophoridae

Pterophorus is a genus of moths in the family Pterophoridae

The Pterophoridae or plume moths are a family of Lepidoptera with unusually modified wings. Though they belong to the Apoditrysia like the larger moths and the butterflies, unlike these they are tiny and were formerly included among the assemblage called "microlepidoptera".

The forewings of plume moths usually consist of two curved spars with more or less bedraggled bristles trailing behind. This resembles the closely related Alucitidae (many-plumed moths) at first glance, but the latter have a greater number of symmetrical plumes. The hindwings are similarly constructed, but have three spars. This unorthodox structure does not prevent flight. A few genera have normal lepidopteran wings.

The usual resting posture is with the wings extended laterally and narrowly rolled up. Often they resemble a piece of dried grass, and may pass unnoticed by potential predators even when resting in exposed situations in daylight. Some species have larvae which are stem- or root-borers while others are leaf-browsers. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Photo 

by George Konstantinou

Mattia callidaria (Joannis, 1891) - Cyprus

See also -

List of Moths of Cyprus you will find in this blog (Lepidoptera)

All about Cyprus - Όλα για την Κύπρο

 Family Geometridae

Host plants:

The larva feeds on  Sarcopoterium spinosum (Rosaceae).

Habitat:

Mattia callidaria inhabits open and often grazed habitats, especially the Mediterranean garigue with occurrence of the host plant.

Life cycle:

The moths usually fly in October and November. The larvae develop over winter and are mature in early spring. I could beat them abundantly in Cyprus (Paphos) in late February 2017. The pupa aestivates.

Remarks:

Mattia callidaria occurs in the Eastern Mediterranean (S-Greece: especially Peloponnese, Crete, some Eagean Islands as e.g. Samos; S-Turkey; Cyprus; Levante). From http://www.pyrgus.de/Mattia_en.html

Photo by George Konstantinou