Abstract
The biology of Leptoypha hospita Drake et Poor (Hemiptera: Tingidae), a potential biological control agent from China for Chinese privet, Ligustrum sinense Lour., was studied in quarantine in the United States. Both nymphs and adults feed on Chinese privet mesophyll cells that lead to a bleached appearance of leaves and dieback of branch tips. L. hospita has five nymphal instars with the mean duration of the life cycle from egg to new adult being 25 d. Females laid an average of 240 eggs per female and continued laying until death. Adults lived ~75 d on average. Because it feeds on Chinese privet, has multiple generations per year and a high reproductive rate, L. hospita may be a good biological control agent for this invasive plant.
Keywords
lace bug,
tingid,
biocontrol,
invasive plant,
Ligustrum sinense
Citation
Zhang, Yanzhuo; Hanula, James L.; Horn, Scott; Braman, Kristine; Sun, Jianghua. 2011. Biology of Leptoypha hospita (Hemiptera: Tingidae), a Potential Biological Control Agent of Chinese Privet. Ann. Entomol. Soc. Am. 104(6):1327-1333.