First record of Poekilloptera phalaenoides found on Tachigali vulgaris (Fabaceae: Caesalpinioideae) in southwestern of Goiás, Brazil

Abstract

The leafhopper Poekilloptera phalaenoides L. (Auchenorrhyncha: Flatidae) is a very important species in agriculture because it causes damages and economic losses in agricultural activities. In observing fragments of semi-deciduous forest, riparian forest and cerrado forest (Cerradão) in Jataí, Montividiu and Paraúna in the southwest of the state of Goiás during the month of January 2012, were observed natural populations of Tachigali vulgaris (carvoeiro-branco). In the southwest of Goiás, an important agricultural region of the country, little is known about the damage caused to commercial crops by the leafhopper treated in this work, but here we call attention to the action of an agricultural pest interacting negatively with the native vegetation. The presence of P. phalaenoides in the Cerrado is already known, but the presence of the spittlebug in the southwest of the state of Goiás in T. vulgaris, especially in a situation of damage to the native population of the tree in forest fragments surrounded by agricultural crops. Thus, the objective of this work is to bring this first record of P. phalaenoides in T. vulgaris in the Cerrado of southwestern goiano.