Biodiversity, bugs, and barcodes: the Cicadellidae associated with grassland and phytoplasmas in the Sabana de Bogotá, Colombia

The leafhoppers (Cicadellidae) are a diverse and cosmopolitan group of Hemiptera that feed on plants, and occasionally cause losses due to the direct damage they inflict to their hosts, or by transmission of viruses and phytoplasmas. Phytoplasmas are plant pathogenic bacteria that can adversely affect many plant families. In the Sabana de Bogotá, Colombia, several species of urban trees, potatoes, and strawberry crops are affected by phytoplasma diseases. The family Cicadellidae contains the largest number of known vectors of phytoplasmas, but in Colombia, knowledge of their biology is scarce.... Mehr ...