Egg-laying and brochosome production observed in glassy-winged sharpshooter

Brochosomes-for-eggs of the Proconiini (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae, Cicadellinae) species associated with orchards of Citrus sinensis (L.) Osbeck in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil

“…anus, and present in several species of leafhoppers (Day & Briggs 1958, Vidano & Arzone 1984, Hix 2001. Brochosomes have a lipoproteic chemical composition (Mejdalani 2000, Hix 2001, Rakitov 2002.…”

“…2B-H, 3C-H, and 4) are elongated (1.0-20µm), and form convex masses on the wings of female leafhoppers only. The hindleg macrosetae of these brochosomes can fix and remove the eggs from the wings of female leafhoppers, and spread them either over the eggs, or on the scars caused on the leaf, for endophytic oviposition (Rakitov 1995(Rakitov , 1998(Rakitov , 1999Mejdalani 2000;Hix 2001). Egglaying sites are easily found when large amounts of brochosomes are deposited (as described above) on the eggs, as a fine layer of the foliar epidermis (Rakitov 2000).…”

“…Brochosomes-for-eggs seem to account for the following functions: (a) prevention of egg dehydration; (b) protection against ultraviolet rays; (c) protection against parasites and predators; (d) signalization to other females that a leaf was already oviposited; and (e) antimicrobial activities (Hix 2001, Rakitov 2002. Pollard & Yonce (1965) showed the effect of macroseta length of Proconiini metathoracic tibiae on sexual dimorphism, where females producing brochosomes-for-eggs had longer macrosetae than those of corresponding males.…”

Egg Brochosomes of Proconiini (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae, Cicadellinae) species associated with cultivation of grapevines

“…Brochosome masses are attached to the wing surfaces by means of microbristles concentrated on the first discal cell, apex of the second, and part of the costal margin ( Figure 1E-F). The macrobristles of the metathoracic tibiae ( Figure 1G) are used to place the egg brochosomes on the wings and subsequently remove them, spreading them directly onto the egg mass or onto the scar made on the leaf during egg insertion (Rakitov, 1995(Rakitov, , 1998(Rakitov, , 1999Hix, 2001). The females of species that produce this functional type of brochosome present longer macrobristles (metathoracic tibiae) than the corresponding males (Pollard & Yonce, 1965) (Figure 1G-H).…”

“…Brochosomes are ultramicroscopic, reticulate, lipoprotein bodies produced by the Malpighian tubules and eliminated by the anus, present in several leafhopper species (Day & Briggs, 1958;Vidano & Arzone, 1984;Hix, 2001;Rakitov, 2002). These structures can be divided into two functional types: integument and egg brochosomes (Rakitov, 2002).…”