Aphalaroida masonici Caldwell, 1940

Halbert, Susan E. & Burckhardt, Daniel, 2020, The psyllids (Hemiptera: Psylloidea) of Florida: newly established and rarely collected taxa and checklist, Insecta Mundi 2020 (788), pp. 1-88 : 44-46

Aphalaroida masonici Caldwell, 1940

Materials examined. USA: Florida: Specimens from Collier, Miami-Dade, Monroe counties ( FSCA, dry and slide mounted, ethanol).

Diagnosis. In life, A. masonici is a small, compact yellow/orange psyllid with thickened, rhomboidal forewings and rounded genae not produced into distinct processes. The immatures have seven segmented antennae and several long setae with blunt tips on the posterior margin of the abdomen. A description of the adults is provided by Hodkinson (1991c).

Distribution. Known only from Florida ( Caldwell 1938b, 1940; Hodkinson 1991c). The first collection, i.e. the type series, was from Key Largo (Monroe County) Florida, collected on 30.iii.1938 from Acacia ( Caldwell 1938b) . The species was found again in Miami-Dade County by DPI inspector Duraid Hanna (Miami-Dade County, Homestead, 18.xii.2000, unidentified Fabaceae (Duraid I. Hanna) , (FSCA# E2000-4829)). More DPI

collections (FSCA#s E2001-20; E2002-941, 4710, E2003-564) were made from Miami-Dade County from Lysiloma latisiliquum (L.) Benth. ( Fabaceae ).

Host plants. Lysiloma latisiliquum (L.) Benth. ( Fabaceae ). Caldwell (1938b, 1940) reported the species from Acacia Mill. (Fabaceae) which is an unlikely host in the light of repeated findings of the psyllid on Lysiloma .

Comments. There are eight species of Aphalaroida listed in Hodkinson (1991c). Of those, only A. masonici occurs in Florida.

Freysuila Aleman, 1887