REPRODUCTIVE BIOLOGY AND PHYSIOLOGY OF GLASSY-WINGED SHARPSHOOTER

• Author(s): Peng, Christine; Zalom, Frank; Hummel, Natalie; Toscano, Nick;
• Abstract: Glassy-winged sharpshooter, Homalodisca coagulata (Say) (Homoptera: Cicadellidae), is a vector of Pierces disease of grape. Glassy-winged sharpshooter (GWSS) also vectors other diseases, including phony peach, alfalfa dwarf, almond leaf scorch and oleander leaf scorch. All these diseases are caused by various strains of the bacterium, Xylella fastidiosa (Wells) (Purcell and Hopkins, 1996). Although GWSS is an important vector of plant diseases, little is known about its reproductive biology. It has been reported that GWSS has two generations per year in Southern California (Blua et al., 1999). Oviposition occurs in late winter to early spring, and again in mid-to-late summer. Adult females live several months and lay small eggs side by side in groups of about 10, ranging from 1 to 27 (Turner and Pollard, 1959). The greenish, sausage-shaped eggs are deposited in the leaf epidermis of the host plants. The morphology and anatomy of GWSS reproductive system has not been described. The first part of our research project is to study the structure and function of the female reproductive system.
• Publication Date: Dec 2001
• Journal: 2001 Pierce's Disease Research Symposium