From BugwoodWiki

cotton fleahopper Photo by James Smith, Mississippi State University, Bugwood.org Taxonomy Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Arthropoda Class: Hexapoda (including Insecta) Order: Hemiptera Family: Miridae Genus: Pseudatomoscelis Species: seriatus Scientific Name Pseudatomoscelis seriatus (Reuter)

garden fleahopper Photo by Whitney Cranshaw, Colorado State University, Bugwood.org Taxonomy Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Arthropoda Class: Hexapoda (including Insecta) Order: Hemiptera Family: Miridae Genus: Halticus Species: bractatus Scientific Name Halticus bractatus (Say)

Contents 1 Description 2 Hosts 3 Damage 4 Life Cycle 5 Control 6 Originally compiled from

Cotton Fleahopper - Pseudatomoscelis seriatus (Reuter)

Black or Garden Fleahopper - Halticus bractatus (Say)

Order Heteroptera: Family Miridae

Description

Fleahoppers are small insects that have piercing-sucking mouthparts. Two important groups of fleahoppers are found in Georgia. The cotton fleahopper adult is 3-4 mm in length, yellowish-green in color, and has distinctive small black dots covering the upper surface. Nymphs may be very small and appear as all legs and antennae. Nymphs of the cotton fleahopper may appear white to light green in color. The black fleahopper or garden fleahopper adult is dark black in color. Adults are about the same size as the cotton fleahopper. Early instar nymphs will appear light green and progressively darken as they mature to adults.

Hosts

Cotton, vegetables, fruits, clovers, ornamentals as well as most spring, winter, and summer weeds and grasses.

Damage

Fleahoppers are true bugs that feed by piercing the plant with very small mouthparts and sucking out the plant juices. Fleahopper injury is very similar to tarnished plant bug. The damage is most inconspicuous and is not evident to the eye. Damaged plant tissue will often wilt and may abort. In cotton, damaged pinhead squares may show a slight discoloration of the infected anthers. In fruits and vegetables, damage may appear as indented or cat-faced injury. Fleahopper injury is also associated with poor seed germination. This is especially important in seed production systems like cotton, alfalfa, clover and canola. All life stages are capable of causing plant injury.

Life Cycle

Fleahoppers are active and present throughout the year. Both adults and immatures can be found overwintering in trash around field borders. In spring, adults emerge, mate and lay eggs on suitable hosts. Eggs are laid singly in cuts made during feeding in succulent plant tissue. The total period from egg to mature adult takes approximately 15 days during summer. Seven to ten generations may occur annually.

Control

Treat for fleahoppers when bugs are numerous and visible damage is present.

Originally compiled from

• Hudson, R. and D. Adams. Fleahoppers. University of Georgia.