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Homalodisca vitripennis (Germar) (Formerly known as Homalodisca coagulata) (Takiya et al. 2006)
Glassy-winged sharpshooter (GWSS), xylophagous leafhopper
Southeastern U.S. (Hoddle et al. 2003)
Introduced to California by 1990 (Blua et al. 1999)
Probably arrived in California on nursery stock from the southeastern U.S. (Blua et al. 1999)
Vector of Pierce's disease (lethal disease of grapevines) (Blua et al. 1999)
Spotlights
USDA. ARS. Tellus.
Rodrigo Krugner, an entomologist with the Agricultural Research Service (ARS) in Parlier, California, has found an innovative way to control insect pests in California vineyards: tapping into the vibrational signals they use as mating calls.
Krugner’s efforts have mainly focused on glassy-winged sharpshooters, which spread a bacterium that causes Pierce’s disease in vineyards and costs the California grape industry an estimated $104 million a year. Growers use chemical sprays to control the pests, but insecticides also kill beneficial insects, leave residues, and become less effective as the insects develop resistance.
Distribution / Maps / Survey Status
Images
Videos
Google. YouTube; USDA. Agricultural Research Service.
Scientists with the USDA's Agricultural Research Service in central California are using sound to control insects that spread disease in grape vineyards.
Selected Resources
The section below contains highly relevant resources for this species, organized by source. Or, to display all related content view all resources for Glassy-Winged Sharpshooter.
Council or Task Force
Partnership
International Government
State and Local Government
Academic
University of California - Riverside. Applied Biological Control Research.
University of California - Riverside. Center for Invasive Species Research.
Citations
- Blua, M., P.P. Phillips, and R.A. Redak. 1999. A new sharpshooter threatens both crops and ornamentals. California Agriculture 53(2):22-25.
Hoddle, M.S., S.V. Triapitsyn, and D.J. Morgan. 2003. Distribution and plant association records for Homalodisca coagulata (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae) in Florida. Florida Entomologist 86(1):89-91.
Takiya, D.M., S.H. McKamey, and R.R. Cavichioli. 2006. Validity of Homalodisca and of H. vitripennis as the name for glassy-winged sharpshooter (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae: Cicadellinae) Annals of the Entomological Society of America 99(4):648-655.