Native and non-native sources of carbohydrate correlate with abundance of an invasive ant

Invasive species threaten many ecological communities and predicting which communities and sites are invasible remains a key goal of invasion ecology. Although invasive ants often reach high abundances in association with plant-based carbohydrate resources, the source and provenance of these resources are rarely investigated. We characterized carbohydrate resources across ten sites with a range of yellow crazy ant abundance in Arnhem Land, Australia and New Caledonia to determine whether yellow crazy ant (Anoplolepis gracilipes) abundance and trophic position correlate with carbohydrate availability, as well as the relative importance of native and non-native sources of carbohydrates to ant diet. In both locations, measures of yellow crazy ant abundance strongly positively correlated with carbohydrate availability, particularly honeydew production, the number of tended hemipterans, and the number of plants with tended hemipterans. In Arnhem Land, 99.6% of honeydew came from native species, whereas in New Caledonia, only 0.2% of honeydew was produced by a native hemipteran. More honeydew was available in Australia due to three common large-bodied species of Auchenorrhyncha honeydew producers (treehoppers and leafhoppers). Yellow crazy ant trophic position declined with increasing yellow crazy ant abundance indicating that in greater densities the ants are obtaining more of their diet from plant-derived resources, including honeydew and extrafloral nectar. The relationships between yellow crazy ant abundance and carbohydrate availability could not be explained by any of the key environmental variables we measured at our study sites. Our results demonstrate that the positive correlation between yellow crazy ant abundance and honeydew production is not contingent upon the provenance of the hemipterans. Native sources of carbohydrate may play an underappreciated role in greatly increasing community invasibility by ants

Indigenous plants promote insect biodiversity in urban greenspaces

The contribution of urban greenspaces to support biodiversity and provide benefits for people is increasingly recognized. However, ongoing management practices favor vegetation oversimplification, often limiting greenspaces to lawns and tree canopy rather than multi-layered vegetation that includes under- and midstorey, and the use of nonnative species. These practices hinder the potential of greenspaces to sustain indigenous biodiversity, particularly for taxa like insects that rely on plants for food and habitat. Yet, little is known about which plant species may maximize positive outcomes for taxonomically and functionally diverse insect communities in greenspaces. Additionally, while cities are expected to experience high rates of introductions, quantitative assessments of the relative occupancy of indigenous vs. introduced insect species in greenspace are rare, hindering understanding of how management may promote indigenous biodiversity while limiting the establishment of introduced insects. Using a hierarchically replicated study design across 15 public parks, we recorded occurrence data from 552 insect species on 133 plant species, differing in planting design element (lawn, midstorey, and tree canopy), midstorey growth form (forbs, lilioids, graminoids, and shrubs) and origin (nonnative, native, and indigenous), to assess (1) the relative contributions of indigenous and introduced insect species and (2) which plant species sustained the highest number of indigenous insects. We found that the insect community was overwhelmingly composed of indigenous rather than introduced species. Our findings further highlight the core role of multi-layered vegetation in sustaining high insect biodiversity in urban areas, with indigenous midstorey and canopy representing key elements to maintain rich and functionally diverse indigenous insect communities. Intriguingly, graminoids supported the highest indigenous insect richness across all studied growth forms by plant origin groups. Our work highlights the opportunity presented by indigenous understory and midstorey plants, particularly indigenous graminoids, in our study area to promote indigenous insect biodiversity in urban greenspaces. Our study provides a blueprint and stimulus for architects, engineers, developers, designers, and planners to incorporate into their practice plant species palettes that foster a larger presence of indigenous over regionally native or nonnative plant species, while incorporating a broader mixture of midstorey growth forms

CRYPTOBARSAC RUBRIOPS, A NEW GENUS AND SPECIES OF SELIZINE FLATIDAE (HEMIPTERA FULGOROMORPHA) FROM GRASSTREES (XANTHORRHOEA PREISSII) IN SOUTH WESTERN AUSTRALIA

Volume: 21Start Page: 221End Page: 22

Budginmaya eulae gen. et sp. nov., a myrmecophilous planthopper (Hemiptera: Fulgoromorpha: Flatidae) from Western Australia

Abstract Budginmaya eulae gen. et sp. nov. is described from the nest of a Camponotus terebrans (Lowne) ant from Western Australia. The species shows adaptations for subterranean life, including reduction in the tegmina, wings and eyes and increased hairiness around the head, body, tegmina and legs. This is the first record of an Australian planthopper (Fulgoromorpha) cohabiting with ants and the first record of an inquiline species in the family Flatidae. Furthermore, this flatid is most likely a short-range endemic species currently restricted to Bandalup Hill

Discovery of the pill millipede genus Epicyliosoma (Diplopoda: Sphaerotheriida: Sphaerotheriidae) in Western Australia, with the description of a new species

Volume: 24Start Page: 113End Page: 11

GUNAWARDENEA, NEW GENUS OF SQUAT LEAFHOPPERS FROM WESTERN AUSTRALIA, WITH DESCRIPTION OF TWO NEW SPECIES (HEMIPTERA CICADELLIDAE DELTOCEPHALINAE)

Volume: 24Start Page: 429End Page: 43

Australian Cleotychini planthoppers: review of the genus Cleotyche Emeljanov, 1997 with three new species (Hemiptera: Fulgoromorpha: Dictyopharidae)

The genus Cleotyche in the monotypic Australian planthopper tribe Cleotychini (Fulgoroidea: Dictyopharidae) is reviewed. The subgenus Griseotyche subgen. nov. is described to accommodate one species Cleotyche blanda Emeljanov, 2011 while the second species, C. mariae Emeljanov, 1997, is retained in the subgenus Cleotyche (Cleotyche) Emeljanov, 1997. Three new species of Cleotyche (Cleotyche) from Queensland, C. (Cleotyche) christinae sp. nov. from Cania Gorge National Park, C. (Cleotyche) francescoi sp. nov. from Eurimbula National Park and C. (Cleotyche) montana sp. nov. from Blackdown Tableland National Park are described and compared to the type species of the subgenus, C. (Cleotyche) mariae Emeljanov, 1997. Illustration of the type specimens, male and female whenever available, and a distribution map are provided for the five species of the genus. The male genitalia and habitat of the three new species are illustrated. The tribe Cleotychini now contains one genus, Cleotyche with two subgenera and five species. Biological, ecological and biogeographical information is provided where available for each species. The diversity of Australian Dictyopharidae and mimicry of jumping spiders (Araneae: Salticidae) in Cleotychini are discussed briefly

NEW RECORDS FOR HEMIPTERA SPECIES IN WESTERN AUSTRALIA

Volume: 21Start Page: 353End Page: 35