Feeding and oviposition of diaphorina citri (Hemiptera: Liviidae) on helietta apiculata (Sapindales: Rutaceae): A potential host?

Abstract

Summary This study evaluated the survival and fertility of the huanglongbing vector Diaphorina citri Kuwayama (Hemiptera: Liviidae) on 2 species of the family Rutaceae, Murraya exotica L. (Sapindales: Rutaceae) and Helietta apiculata Bentham (Sapindales: Rutaceae). Females of D. citri oviposited on both hosts. The survival of D. citri was similar on both hosts until day 7 of confinement on the plants. Helietta apiculata can support D. citri in regions where the vector's main host (M. exotica) or citrus groves are absent, a potential factor in the dispersal and epidemiology of huanglongbing.