Heteropsylla huasachae Caldwell, 1941

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 : 50

Heteropsylla huasachae Caldwell, 1941

Heteropsylla propinqua Muddiman Hodkinson and Hollis, 1992 , syn. nov.

Materials examined. Cuba: ( MHNG). – Mexico: ( NHMB). – Nicaragua: ( NHMB). – USA: Florida: Specimens from Alachua, Collier, Hernando , Highlands, Hillsborough, Indian River , Miami-Dade, Palm Beach, and Polk counties ( FSCA, pin and dry mounted) ; USA: Hawaii ( MHNG) .

Diagnosis. Genitalic characters are required for identification of this species. In posterior view, the inner lobe of the parameres is slightly shorter than the outer lobe, and not flat across the top. Female terminalia are triangular. See key above.

Distribution. Reported from Antigua and Barbuda ( Antigua), Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Jamaica, Mexico, Trinidad and Tobago ( Trinidad), UK ( Anguilla), USA ( Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands) and as introduction from USA (Florida, Hawaii, Saipan) ( Muddiman et al. 1992, as H. huasachae ), as well as from Cuba, Haiti, Jamaica and Mexico ( Muddiman et al. 1992, as H. propinqua ). – Florida: Alachua, Citrus, Collier, Hernando, Highlands, Hillsborough, Indian River, Marion, Martin, Miami-Dade, Palm Beach, Polk, Volusia counties (FSCA specimens, DPI unpublished records).

Host plants. Reported from Acacia Mill. , Albizia Durazz. , Desmanthus Willd , and Lysiloma Benth. spp., perhaps also Mimosa L., Neptunia Lour. , Schrankia Willd. and Zapoteca H.M.Hern. spp. ( Fabaceae ) ( Muddiman et al. 1992).

Comments. Muddiman et al. (1992) separated H. huasachae from H. propinqua by the straighter posterior margin of the inner lobe of the paramere, the more pronounced ridge on the female subgenital plate, and the frons with an anterior groove in the middle of the immature in H. propinqua . These authors admitted that there are no significant differences between the two taxa in their distributions nor host ranges. We are unable to attribute the material from Florida at hand to either of the two species with certitude, and to corroborate morphological differences between the two species based on the study of the material from several countries (see above). The difference in the paramere shape is mostly due to the angle of observation. In several larger samples, assumed to constitute a single population each, we found females with more or less shallow subgenital plate with more or less pronounced subapical ridge. The presence of an anterior groove on the frons of immatures appears to be due to the age of a specimen (more or less sclerotized; pharate adult development inside immature) and, mostly, the type of preservation (slide mounted or in ethanol). For these reasons we consider H. propinqua a junior synonym of H. huasachae and formally synonymize the two species.

Specimens of H. huasachae in the FSCA go back to May 1955, when specimens were collected by H. Burnett in Vero Beach on “ Morongia uncinota .” This plant name, even after “ uncinota ” is corrected to “ uncinata ” is not valid ( Barneby 1995). It is not clear what the host was. Other specimens have been collected from Acacia and Albizia in Florida. It is common on Albizia .