Publilia reticulata was found feeding on the composites Silphium perfoliatum, S. integrifolium and Ambrosia trifida at eight sites in five Wisconsin counties in 1993-1995. This is the first report of P. reticulata using these plants and of its occurrence in Wisconsin

Williams, Andrew H

English

ValpoScholar

The Great Lakes Entomologist 
Volume 28 
Numbers 3 & 4 -- Fall/Winter 1995 Numbers 3 & 
4 -- Fall/Winter 1995 
Article 12 
January 1995 
Three New Food Plants and First Wisconsin Record of Publilia 
Reticulata (Hemiptera: Membracidae) 
Andrew H. Williams 
University of Wisconsin 
Follow this and additional works at: https://scholar.valpo.edu/tgle 
 Part of the Entomology Commons 
Recommended Citation 
Williams, Andrew H. 1995. "Three New Food Plants and First Wisconsin Record of Publilia Reticulata 
(Hemiptera: Membracidae)," The Great Lakes Entomologist, vol 28 (3) 
Available at: https://scholar.valpo.edu/tgle/vol28/iss3/12 
This Peer-Review Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Department of Biology at ValpoScholar. 
It has been accepted for inclusion in The Great Lakes Entomologist by an authorized administrator of ValpoScholar. 
For more information, please contact a ValpoScholar staff member at scholar@valpo.edu. 
1995 THE GREAT LAKES ENTOMOLOGIST 243 
THREE NEW FOOD PLANTS AND FIRST WISCONSIN RECORD OF 

PUBLILIA RETICULATA (HEMIPTERA: MEMBRACIDAE) 

Andrew H. Williams] 
ABSTRACT 
Publilia reticulata was found feeding on the composites Silphium perfo­
liatum, S. integrifolium and Ambrosia trifida at eight s tes in five Wisconsin 
counties in 1993-1995. This is the first report of P. reticulata using these 
plants and of its 
occurrence 
in Wisconsin. 
In 
1993, 
Publilia reticulata Van Duzee was found feeding on Silphium 
perfoliatum at Thomas Wet Prairie in Grant Co., Wisconsin. Because this 
treehopper is unr ported from Wisconsin, it was sought widely around south­
western Wisconsin in the course of general prai ie research during 1994­
1995. Seven additional populations were found in Dane, Green, Iowa and 
Lafayette counties; at each site P. reticulata fed on either S. perfoliatum, S. 
integrifolium or Ambrosia trifida. This is the first report of this treehopper 
using these three composites. 
METHODS AND MATERIALS 
All observations of P. reticulata were vouchered by specimens deposited in 
the Insect 
Research Collection (IRC) 
at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. 
Literature was 
reviewed for information on food 
plants and distribution ofP. 
reticulata, and regional museums were checked for possible Wisconsin speci­
mens. Plant nomenclature follows Kartesz (1994). 
RESULTS 
Publilia reticulata was collected at eight sites in five counties in south­
western 
Wisconsin 
in 1993-1995. It was found in consecutive years at five 
sites and nymphs were found in the company of adults at four sites. It was 
more often observed on S. integrifolium than on S. perfoliatum, and was ob­
served only once on A. trifida. At two sites, it was observed on both S. inte­
grifolium and S. perfoliatum. It w s most often found on or near the midvein 
on the underside of leaves, and these midveins were often damaged, even to 
the extent that the distal 
portion 
of some leaves folded down where damaged. 
This treehopper was also !bund on young stem tissue, a d was occasionally 
observed elsewhere on the leaf surfaces. Almost always, ants attended P. 
reticulata, vigorously defending it from my attack. This treehopper and its at­
tending ants 
were observed during 
the day and night. At two sites, P. r ticu­
1 Department of Entomology, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI 53706. 
1
Williams: Three New Food Plants and First Wisconsin Record of <i>Publilia R
Published by ValpoScholar, 1995
244 THE GREAT LAKES ENTOMOLOGIST Vol. 28, No.3 & 4 
lata was found on the same stems of S. integrifolium as was P. concava (Say), 
its 
more locally 
abundant congener. 
DISCUSSION 
This is t e first report of P. reticulata using S. perfoliatum, S. integri­
folium and A. trifida. Kopp and Yonke (1973) listed the composites ironweed, 
aster, and Vernonia baldwinii as food plants. Deay and Gould (1935) wrote, 
"Taken from burdock and iron weed and in general sweeping." Bristow (1984) 
listed 
"ironweed 
(Vernonia spp.) and several other closely re at d species of 
the 
Compositae," 
and reported use 0f V. noveboracensis in New Jersey. This 
treehopper appears 
to specialize on 
plants of the Asteraceae. Its occurrence on 
species in other families, such as alfalfa, black locust nd post oak (Dennis 
1965), should be considered incidental. 
On the 
sites included 
in this study, Vernonia fasciculata, the sole local 
member of this genus, 
occurs only 
at Thomas Wet Prairie, and P. reticulata 
has not been found using it here or elsewhere in the region. On three sites in 
this 
study, 
S. laciniatum grows with S. integrifolium and/or S. perfoliatum, 
but 
P. reticulata 
has not been found using S.laciniatum here or elsewhere in 
the 
region. 
This 
treehopper must be able to reproduce on both S. integrifolium and S. 
perfoliatum. It was observed on S. integrifolium in consecutive years at five 
sites, adults were observed with nymphs on these tw  pla ts at several 
and adults 
were 
reared in the lab from nymphs c llected from among adults 
on each of these two plants. The sole observation f this treehopper using A. 
trifida two adults attended by four ants - occurred lat  in the course of 
this study 
on a 
site hosting large populations of S. integrifolium and P. retic­
uiata, but only a single A. trifida plant. Whether or not this treehopper can 
reproduce on A. trifida is unknown. 
This is the first report of P. reticulata in Wisconsin. The distribution and 
habits of 
Membracidae 
in Wisconsin were studied by Dennis (1951, 1952, 
1969) and Dennis and Dicke (1953) who did not mention P. reticulata. Dennis' 
collection of Membracidae was given to the IRC and contains no Wisconsin 
specimens of this treehopper. Kopp and Yonke (1973) mapped its distribution; 
their map 
did not include Wisconsin 
but did include neighboring Illinois and 
Iowa. The only Wisconsin specimens of thi  treehopper in the IRC are the au­
thor's. The Milwaukee Public M seum and The Field Museum ofNatural His­
tory have 
no Wisconsin specimens 
of this treehopper. 
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 
This paper results 
from 
the Prairie Insect and Spider Inventory of The 
Prairie Enthusiasts-Southwest Chapter, 
basic biotic 
research being con­
ducted at Thomas Wet Prairie with support from The Prair e Enthusiasts­
Southwest Chapter, the 
Citizens 
Natural Resources Association of Wisconsin, 
he Natural History Museums 
Council 
of UW-Madison, and several private 
donors, support for which I am most grateful. I am also grateful to D. Young 
and 
S. 
Krauth of the Entomology Dept. ofUW - Madison for their interest in 
this 
research, to 
P. Johnson for bibliographic help, to S. Borkin and P. Parrillo 
for their help with collection data at their respective institution , and to two 
anonymous reviewers. 
2
The Great Lakes Entomologist, Vol. 28, No. 3 [1995], Art. 12
https://scholar.valpo.edu/tgle/vol28/iss3/12
1995 THE GREAT LAKES ENTOMOlOGIST 245 
LITERATURE CITED 
Bristow, C. M. 1984. Spatial segregation between Aphis vernoniae (Aphididae) and 
Publilia reticulata (Membracidae), two species of colonial Homoptera on New York 
ironweed. Can. EntomoL 116:855-859. 
Deay, H. O. & G. E. Gould. 1935. An annotated list of the Membracidae of Indiana (Ho­
moptera). Proc. Ind. Acad. Sci. 44:236-243. 
Dennis, C. J. 1951. A list of the Wisconsin species of Membracidae. Can. EntomoL 
88:183-184. 
__
. 1952. 
The Membracidae of Wisconsin. Trans. Wisc. Acad. Sci., Arts an  Lett. 
41:129-152. 
1965. Oklahoma treehoppers (Homoptera, Membracidae). Proc. Okla. Acad. Sci. 
__
. 1969. The 
treehoppers of Wisconsin in relation to the tensi n zone (Homoptera, 
Membracidae). Amer. MidL Nat. 81:236-242. 
__
. 
and R. J. Dicke. 1953. The Membracidae of th University of Wisconsin Arbore­
tum. Trans. Wisc. Acad. Sci., Arts and Lett. 42:131-141. 
Kartesz, J. T. 1994. A synonymized checklist of the vascular flora of the United States, 
Canada, and 
Greenland. 
2nd ed. VoL 1. Biota of N rth America Program of North 
Carolina 
Botanical Garden. 
Timber Press, Portland. 622 pp. 
Kopp, D. D. & T. R. Yonke. 1973. The treehoppers of Missouri: Part 2. subfamily Smili­
inae; tribes Acutalini, Ceresini, and Polyglyptini (Homoptera: Membracidael. J. 
Kans. Entomol. Soc. 46:233-276. 
3
Williams: Three New Food Plants and First Wisconsin Record of <i>Publilia R
Published by ValpoScholar, 1995


Three New Food Plants and First Wisconsin Record of \u3ci\u3ePublilia Reticulata\u3c/i\u3e (Hemiptera: Membracidae)

Valparaiso University

The Great Lakes Entomologist Volume 28 Numbers 3 & 4 -- Fall/Winter 1995 Numbers 3 & 4 -- Fall/Winter 1995 Article 12 January 1995 Three New Food Plants and First Wisconsin Record of Publilia Reticulata (Hemiptera: Membracidae) Andrew H. Williams University of Wisconsin Follow this and additional works at: https://scholar.valpo.edu/tgle  Part of the Entomology Commons Recommended Citation Williams, Andrew H. 1995. "Three New Food Plants and First Wisconsin Record of Publilia Reticulata (Hemiptera: Membracidae)," The Great Lakes Entomologist, vol 28 (3) Available at: https://scholar.valpo.edu/tgle/vol28/iss3/12 This Peer-Review Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Department of Biology at ValpoScholar. It has been accepted for inclusion in The Great Lakes Entomologist by an authorized administrator of ValpoScholar. For more information, please contact a ValpoScholar staff member at scholar@valpo.edu. 1995 THE GREAT LAKES ENTOMOLOGIST 243 THREE NEW FOOD PLANTS AND FIRST WISCONSIN RECORD OF PUBLILIA RETICULATA (HEMIPTERA: MEMBRACIDAE) Andrew H. Williams] ABSTRACT Publilia reticulata was found feeding on the composites Silphium perfo­liatum, S. integrifolium and Ambrosia trifida at eight s tes in five Wisconsin counties in 1993-1995. This is the first report of P. reticulata using these plants and of its occurrence in Wisconsin. In 1993, Publilia reticulata Van Duzee was found feeding on Silphium perfoliatum at Thomas Wet Prairie in Grant Co., Wisconsin. Because this treehopper is unr ported from Wisconsin, it was sought widely around south­western Wisconsin in the course of general prai ie research during 1994­1995. Seven additional populations were found in Dane, Green, Iowa and Lafayette counties; at each site P. reticulata fed on either S. perfoliatum, S. integrifolium or Ambrosia trifida. This is the first report of this treehopper using these three composites. METHODS AND MATERIALS All observations of P. reticulata were vouchered by specimens deposited in the Insect Research Collection (IRC) at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Literature was reviewed for information on food plants and distribution ofP. reticulata, and regional museums were checked for possible Wisconsin speci­mens. Plant nomenclature follows Kartesz (1994). RESULTS Publilia reticulata was collected at eight sites in five counties in south­western Wisconsin in 1993-1995. It was found in consecutive years at five sites and nymphs were found in the company of adults at four sites. It was more often observed on S. integrifolium than on S. perfoliatum, and was ob­served only once on A. trifida. At two sites, it was observed on both S. inte­grifolium and S. perfoliatum. It w s most often found on or near the midvein on the underside of leaves, and these midveins were often damaged, even to the extent that the distal portion of some leaves folded down where damaged. This treehopper was also !bund on young stem tissue, a d was occasionally observed elsewhere on the leaf surfaces. Almost always, ants attended P. reticulata, vigorously defending it from my attack. This treehopper and its at­tending ants were observed during the day and night. At two sites, P. r ticu­1 Department of Entomology, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI 53706. 1Williams: Three New Food Plants and First Wisconsin Record of <i>Publilia RPublished by ValpoScholar, 1995244 THE GREAT LAKES ENTOMOLOGIST Vol. 28, No.3 & 4 lata was found on the same stems of S. integrifolium as was P. concava (Say), its more locally abundant congener. DISCUSSION This is t e first report of P. reticulata using S. perfoliatum, S. integri­folium and A. trifida. Kopp and Yonke (1973) listed the composites ironweed, aster, and Vernonia baldwinii as food plants. Deay and Gould (1935) wrote, "Taken from burdock and iron weed and in general sweeping." Bristow (1984) listed "ironweed (Vernonia spp.) and several other closely re at d species of the Compositae," and reported use 0f V. noveboracensis in New Jersey. This treehopper appears to specialize on plants of the Asteraceae. Its occurrence on species in other families, such as alfalfa, black locust nd post oak (Dennis 1965), should be considered incidental. On the sites included in this study, Vernonia fasciculata, the sole local member of this genus, occurs only at Thomas Wet Prairie, and P. reticulata has not been found using it here or elsewhere in the region. On three sites in this study, S. laciniatum grows with S. integrifolium and/or S. perfoliatum, but P. reticulata has not been found using S.laciniatum here or elsewhere in the region. This treehopper must be able to reproduce on both S. integrifolium and S. perfoliatum. It was observed on S. integrifolium in consecutive years at five sites, adults were observed with nymphs on these tw  pla ts at several and adults were reared in the lab from nymphs c llected from among adults on each of these two plants. The sole observation f this treehopper using A. trifida two adults attended by four ants - occurred lat  in the course of this study on a site hosting large populations of S. integrifolium and P. retic­uiata, but only a single A. trifida plant. Whether or not this treehopper can reproduce on A. trifida is unknown. This is the first report of P. reticulata in Wisconsin. The distribution and habits of Membracidae in Wisconsin were studied by Dennis (1951, 1952, 1969) and Dennis and Dicke (1953) who did not mention P. reticulata. Dennis' collection of Membracidae was given to the IRC and contains no Wisconsin specimens of this treehopper. Kopp and Yonke (1973) mapped its distribution; their map did not include Wisconsin but did include neighboring Illinois and Iowa. The only Wisconsin specimens of thi  treehopper in the IRC are the au­thor's. The Milwaukee Public M seum and The Field Museum ofNatural His­tory have no Wisconsin specimens of this treehopper. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS This paper results from the Prairie Insect and Spider Inventory of The Prairie Enthusiasts-Southwest Chapter, basic biotic research being con­ducted at Thomas Wet Prairie with support from The Prair e Enthusiasts­Southwest Chapter, the Citizens Natural Resources Association of Wisconsin, he Natural History Museums Council of UW-Madison, and several private donors, support for which I am most grateful. I am also grateful to D. Young and S. Krauth of the Entomology Dept. ofUW - Madison for their interest in this research, to P. Johnson for bibliographic help, to S. Borkin and P. Parrillo for their help with collection data at their respective institution , and to two anonymous reviewers. 2The Great Lakes Entomologist, Vol. 28, No. 3 [1995], Art. 12https://scholar.valpo.edu/tgle/vol28/iss3/121995 THE GREAT LAKES ENTOMOlOGIST 245 LITERATURE CITED Bristow, C. M. 1984. Spatial segregation between Aphis vernoniae (Aphididae) and Publilia reticulata (Membracidae), two species of colonial Homoptera on New York ironweed. Can. EntomoL 116:855-859. Deay, H. O. & G. E. Gould. 1935. An annotated list of the Membracidae of Indiana (Ho­moptera). Proc. Ind. Acad. Sci. 44:236-243. Dennis, C. J. 1951. A list of the Wisconsin species of Membracidae. Can. EntomoL 88:183-184. __. 1952. The Membracidae of Wisconsin. Trans. Wisc. Acad. Sci., Arts an  Lett. 41:129-152. 1965. Oklahoma treehoppers (Homoptera, Membracidae). Proc. Okla. Acad. Sci. __. 1969. The treehoppers of Wisconsin in relation to the tensi n zone (Homoptera, Membracidae). Amer. MidL Nat. 81:236-242. __. and R. J. Dicke. 1953. The Membracidae of th University of Wisconsin Arbore­tum. Trans. Wisc. Acad. Sci., Arts and Lett. 42:131-141. Kartesz, J. T. 1994. A synonymized checklist of the vascular flora of the United States, Canada, and Greenland. 2nd ed. VoL 1. Biota of N rth America Program of North Carolina Botanical Garden. Timber Press, Portland. 622 pp. Kopp, D. D. & T. R. Yonke. 1973. The treehoppers of Missouri: Part 2. subfamily Smili­inae; tribes Acutalini, Ceresini, and Polyglyptini (Homoptera: Membracidael. J. Kans. Entomol. Soc. 46:233-276. 3Williams: Three New Food Plants and First Wisconsin Record of <i>Publilia RPublished by ValpoScholar, 1995

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Three New Food Plants and First Wisconsin Record of \u3ci\u3ePublilia Reticulata\u3c/i\u3e (Hemiptera: Membracidae)

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