Diaphorina enderleini Klimaszewski, 1964

Aléné, Désirée Chantal, Djiéto-Lordon, Champlain & Burckhardt, Daniel, 2011, Unusual behaviour - unusual morphology: mutualistic relationships between ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) and Diaphorina enderleini (Hemiptera: Psylloidea), associated with Vernonia amygdalina (Asteraceae), African Invertebrates 52 (2), pp. 353-353 : 355-358

Diaphorina enderleini Klimaszewski, 1964

Figs 1–5

Gonanoplicus guttulatus Enderlein, 1910: 143 .

Diaphorina enderleini: Klimaszewski 1964: 59 (replacement name for Diaphorina guttulata (Enderlein) nec Lethierry, 1890).

Diaphorina siluncula Loginova, 1978: 77 (synonymised by Burckhardt & Mifsud 1998: 29).

Description:

Adult. 'HVFULEHG E\ %XUFNKDUGW DQG 0LIVXG (1998: 29, ¿JV 48, 55, 56, 82).,W LV ZHOO- GH¿QHG E\ LWV IRUHZLQJ VKDSH DQG SDWWHUQ DV ZHOO DV WKH DSLFDOO\-KRRNHG SDUDPHUH DQG the concave dorsal margin of the female proctiger.

Fifth instar larva ( Figs 1–5 ).

Colouration. Sclerites dark brown; membrane beige. Eye reddish pink.Antenna yellow basally, dark brown in apical quarter. Wing pads with dark brown pattern.

Morphology. Body almost as long as wide ( Fig. 1 ). Antenna ( Fig. 2 ) short, 3-segmented, VHJPHQW ³ (ÀDJHOOXP) EHDULQJ 4 UKLQDULD,DSH[WDSHULQJ ZLWK WZR WHUPLQDO VHWDH,RQH DERXW 1.5× longer than the other. Dorsal sclerites large and forewing pads well sclerotised; dorsal and ventral sclerites covered in short setae. Forewing pad large and massive, with well-developed humeral lobe, outer margin ( Fig. 3 ) bearing short slender lanceolate setae, posterior apex angled; dorsal surface covered in very short setae. Hindwing pad broad, apex almost rounded, margin and dorsal surface as in forewing pad. Tarsal arolium ( Fig. 4 ) almost twice as long as claws, widened apically with a very short petiole. Caudal plate ( Fig. 5 ) about 1.5× wider than long, rounded posteriorly, weakly indented at apex. Abdominal margin with slender lanceolate setae slightly longer than those on forewing pad margin, setae becoming longer towards apex. Abdominal venter sparsely covered in fairly long setae. Anus terminal, circumanal ring vestigial.

Measurements (in mm) and ratios (11 specimens): BL 1.38–1.75; BW 1.23–1.58; AL 0.30–0.38; FL 0.75–0.88; MTL 0.26–0.30; CL 0.53–0.68; CW 0.85–0.95; BL/BW 1.11–1.12.

Distribution. Cameroon, Ethiopia, Kenya, Sudan, Tanzania, Yemen.

ANT-TENDING AND SHELTER-BUILDING BEHAVIOUR

'XULQJ ¿HOG VWXGLHV RI Diaphorina enderleini on Vernonia amygdalina , four ant species ( Hymenoptera : Formicidae ) widespread in the Afrotropical Region were encountered with the psyllid colonies: Pheidole megacephala (Fabricius, 1793) at Yaounde, Nkolondon, Okola and Obala, Camponotus acvapimensis Mayr, 1862 , at Olembé and Obala, Crematogaster striatula Emery, 1892 , at Koutaba, and Myrmicaria opaciventris Emery, 1893 , at Yaounde.

Among these ants, a very unusual behaviour of P. megacephala and C. striatula was observed. While female psyllids are laying eggs on the lower leaf surface, workers of P. megacephala quickly pile up detritus combined with soil around and partly above the psyllids, resulting in a shelter-like structure ( Figs 6, 7 ). Those of C. striatula build carton shelters ( Fig. 8 ). During this procedure the adult female psyllids hardly move away from their eggs and larvae. The psyllid larvae are arranged in tight rows along the leaf veins, especially the principal one, and sometimes at the base of very young branches. The larvae are mostly sedentary and only move, slowly and steadily, when disturbed. They do not produce wax, as can be expected from the almost complete lack of the circumanal ring. Females and larvae excrete large drops of honeydew, which are immediately recovered by ants.

In C. acvapimensis and M. opaciventris the workers did not build any structure around the psyllids but they were observed taking honeydew from them ( Figs 9, 10 ).

DAMAGE TO THE HOST

Adults and larvae of Diaphorina enderleini feed by sucking the plant sap. Feeding by the larvae is especially injurious due to their large number and their immobility (they feed at the same spot for a long time). A noticeable symptom is the appearance of translucent aureoles on the leaves, apparently resulting from the toxicity of the saliva injected by the psyllids.

Figures

Figs 1–5. Fifth instar larva of Diaphorina enderleini: (1) habitus, dorsal surface left, ventral surface right; (2) detail of forewing pad, outer margin; (3) antenna; (4) tarsus with claws and tarsal arolium; (5) caudal plate, dorsal surface left, ventral surface right.

Figs 6–10. Ants attending D. enderleini on V. amygdalina leaves: (6) shelter enclosing psyllid larvae and Pheidole megacephala workers; (7) psyllidfemales and eggswith P.megacephala workers;(8) psyllid females and larvae with Crematogaster striatula workers and carton shelter’s remains; (9) psyllid females and eggs with Camponotus acvapimensis workers; (10) psyllid larvae with Myrmicaria opaciventris workers.