Philaenus spumarius: when an old acquaintance becomes a new threat to European agriculture

Abstract

The unique color pattern polymorphism and the foamy nymphal case of the meadow spittlebug Philaenus spumarius have attracted the attention of scientists for centuries. Nevertheless, since this species has never been considered a major threat to agriculture, biological, ecological and ethological data are missing and rather scattered. To date this knowledge has become of paramount importance, in view of the discovery of P. spumarius main role in the transmission of the bacterium Xylella fastidiosa in Italy, and possibly in other European countries. The aim of this review is to provide a state of the art about this species, with particular focus on those elements that could help developing environmental friendly and sustainable control programs to prevent transmission of X. fastidiosa. Moreover, recent findings on the role of the meadow spittlebug as vector of the fastidious bacterium within the first reported European bacterium outbreak in Apulia (South Italy) will be discussed.

Continuous indoor rearing of Philaenus spumarius, the main European vector of Xylella fastidiosa

“…Effective containment of bacterial spread strongly relies on vector management, and, therefore, on a detailed knowledge of the vector itself (Almeida, Blua, Lopes, & Purcell, 2005). Nevertheless, biological, ecological and behavioural studies about P. spumarius are currently scattered and continuous research efforts are urgently needed (Cornara, Bosco, & Fereres, 2018). However, a major limitation for conducting research on P. spumarius is the difficulty in continuously rearing the spittlebug under controlled conditions.…”

PM 7/141 (1) Philaenus spumarius, Philaenus italosignus and Neophilaenus campestris

“…A video on insect collection has been published by EFSA and is available at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rjh7FFQCtg8. Sticky traps are usually not as effective as active sampling for xylem feeders, but remain valuable (Cornara et al ., ) and insects may be trapped accidentally, and specimens collected from sticky traps can be used for testing.…”

Curatorial Assessment and Status of the General Collection of Membracoidea and Cercopoidea (Insecta, Hemiptera, Cicadomorpha) of the Museo de La Plata, Buenos Aires, Argentina

“…(1987), a bacterium implicated in several diseases lethal to cultivated agriculture crops (Cornara et al. ; Redak et al. ).…”

“…Several species of Cercopidae are considered pasture pests (Valerio et al 2001) feeding on crops of high economic value such as rice (Wilson and Claridge 1991) and sugarcane (Thompson 2004). Some species are vectors of Xilella fastidiosa Wells et al (1987), a bacterium implicated in several diseases lethal to cultivated agriculture crops (Cornara et al 2018;Redak et al 2004).…”